Jetsetters and Globetrotters

Travel Planning: Don't Plan

2009-08-06T10:53:00.000-07:00

I'm huge on planning, but this blog, http://thewidewideworld.com/, has inspired me not to plan. In fact, it has inspired me to find a way to take a year off and travel, travel, travel.

I wish.

Travel Planning: Visiting Downtown Orlando

2009-07-11T08:37:00.000-07:00

1. Jump on the Amtrak and stop at a random location between Orlando and Tampa: $10 to Tampa, less to downtown Kissimmee and downtown Lakeland!

It may seem weird that the first thing I'm telling you to do while in downtown Orlando is hop on the train and go somewhere else, but the Orlando train station is actually quite pretty. It's old style charm and gorgeous curved wooden benches bring back a feeling of old-world travel, without the purse-scraping pain. A round trip ticket to Tampa is $20- and stops in downtown Kissimmee and downtown Lakeland, both adorable little towns with shops, places to eat, beautiful lakes, ice cream parlors, and parks. The train is comfortable and with temperatures reaching the high 90's in the summer, is a welcomed break from outdoor exploring.

2. Stop at roadside attractions.

Florida in general has a ton of roadside attractions. There's Dinosaur World off of exit 17 on I-4, going west. There is Gatorland, too. There is Fantasy of Flight on I-4, as well, and of course the Jet Ski World complex by exit 44 on I-4. Downtown Orlando is around exit 84-86 going east on I-4, so those are a ways away. However, driving in and around the Orlando area might pose quite a few surprises: open air markets around Lake Eola, farmer's market in Winter Park, and random fairs pop-up all throughout the summer. Be sure that anything with fruit will probably be over by early afternoon, but fairs and other cultural events typically extend into the night- such as the Zora Neale Hurston celebration in Eatonville, around exit 92-94.

3. Walk around the neighborhoods of the Historic District in downtown Orlando.

When I say 'Historic' I don't mean to astound you with dates, people, and places- not in Florida, anyway. The homes in this area display plaques with the year of their completion, ranging from the turn of last century (1910) to post-World War II (1950). It's nothing compared to walking around states in New England, but the homes are beautiful, very un-Florida-like, and the age of the streets allows for really old trees creating gorgeous canopies over the street. Even on a hot day, it's safe to walk around and enjoy walking through time, passing through the varied styles and architecture of homes throughout the decades.

4. Stop by the Orlando Public Library, check out local events.

The Orlando Public Library is pretty huge. It's got 4 floors of wonder for you to explore and hosts many free events throughout the month. Stopping by the library is a great way to escape the rising temperatures outside, and hopefully walk into a free show. Musical groups play every Friday at noon, and there is a little cafe inside, too. If you are around there during the night, the side of the building has a riddle to solve which make the side of the building play music and light-up if you get the riddle right and the order of hand-buttons to push! However, note that internet access is only for cardholders and the library tends to be a place for the homeless to get their read on, too. Don't hate!

5. Check out one of the downtown eateries: Drunken Monkey, the Breakfast Club, Tijuana Flats, Napasorn Thai, Crooked Bayou, Beefy King.

Not exactly Tavern on the Green or as exciting as eating at the top of the Space Needle, but still pretty awesome! Downtown has a (small) variety of eateries for nearly every appetite. The Drunken Monkey is a quiet little coffee shop with vegan sandwiches and delicious baked goods. They often have mini-art shows, improv, and game nights. The Breakfast Club is the only all-breakfast diner downtown, and has excellent service- ask for the crepes! Tijuana Flats, an original Orlando eatery, has fun mural paintings, a hot-sauce bar, and awesome tex-mex food! There are a few Thai places, sandwich shops, and sushi places, but I prefer fried pickles. For that sort of delicacy, stop by Crooked Bayou on Central Blvd.

6. Visit the Orlando History Center and check out their visiting exhibit!

The Orlando History Center is inexpensive and awesome. It used to be the original courthouse downtown, and still has the courtroom open for your perusal. They often have traveling exhibits and other events you can attend. I recently saw the Jim Henson exhibit and it was wonderful. The permanent exhibit focuses on the early settlers of the area, their lifestyle, and the growth and expansion of central Florida. There are fun hands-on projects for kids, too!

7. Visit Leu Gardens!

On a cool day, or post-rain day, Leu Gardens is spectacular. Lots of trails ribbon around the massive grounds and pass through rose gardens, historic plantation home, vegetable gardens, an old cemetery, and of course many, many plants and flowers. It is actually quite nice, and free before noon. There are many areas to hold a wedding, as well, so don't be surprised to see lots of brides-to-be taking pictures of the areas and notes on how to decorate.

Notes in closing:

8. Stay hydrated, in the shade, and pick up the Orlando Weekly. The Orlando weekly lists upcoming events in the Orlando area and is a great source for things off the beaten path.

9. Go thrift shopping. Now. There are plenty of old people in Florida, and as such, there are plenty of their things in awesome thrift stores throughout the area. You can find just about anything, and in great shape! My entire board game collection and furniture have come from thrift store visits.

10. Do not cave and go to Disney, Universal, Sea World, or anywhere on I-4. Please. For more information on discovering central Florida and downtown Orlando, check out my friend Ashley's blog, Pulse of Central Florida.

Label Reminder!

2009-07-11T08:36:00.001-07:00

Just a quick reminder on what the preceding labels mean in my post titles:

Travel Info: any news or personal experience stuff
Tech Travel: new electronics used for travel
Flashback Trip: past trips taken
Travel Buyables: travel merch
Travel Planning: personal planning
Travel Tips and How To’s: things to do, tutorials, etc
Travel in Style: stylish merchandise, these are more luxury items
Travel Ease: deals, or programs like ‘Clear’
Travel Tools: online apps and sites
Travel Buddy: highlights on fellow travel bloggers

Tech Travel: Dyson Hand Dryers

2009-07-11T08:31:00.001-07:00

So, this is the first time I've seen these! They are the Dyson air blade hand dryers, which were located at the airport in Detroit, Michigan. I was on a connecting flight to Boston, when I had to use the bathroom and saw these! They are absolutely awesome.

Trip Flashback: Universal Studios

2009-06-23T14:45:00.000-07:00

So, first off, it pays to have connections. Kevin, over at the Buccaneers, was able to score us some free tickets to Universal! It was great because they also covered parking, valet style! Before I go into the rides, let me talk about the park a little. I love Universal Studios- for starters, before you even enter the park, there is a whole area you can spend the day wandering around a really pretty lake, where they have fireworks at night: CityWalk. There is a massive movie theatre, tons of eateries (including a BubbaGump Shrimp Co.) and some of course the massive, rotating Universal globe.

When you walk up to Universal Studios, there are characters at the gates- we saw Dora standing out there, posing for pics. The 'backlot' and 'set' look for Universal is still pretty awesome- there are a ton of photo ops just walking around. Be prepared to spend money if you want anything to eat/drink, but know that in that part of Orlando, there are a TON of fast food places. Kevin and I stopped at Chik-Fil-A before our park adventure, and it was amazing.

Ok, so we're in the park now and the first stop was the Lucille Ball tribute! It should really be the Lucy/Desi tribute, because they were together since the radio program! He is in a lot of stuff, but it's important to know that you really needed both of them, to love either of them. The love they had for each other was so evident- the annoying qualities that Lucy overtook in her show were only made endearing by her loving husband, Ricky, after all! So magical. Anyway, after that we went to the Horror Make-Up Show! Honestly, I think Universal needs a wake-up call. The host and help were annoying and the material was dated. However, I enjoyed the history of monster make-up in the movies and the AC was a great break from the scorching sun.

Next, we headed to an oldie, but a goodie: ET. The wait was minimal, 10 minutes- and it is always awesome to hear ET say your name at the end. Unless, of course, you have a name that ISN'T in their system (ahem). That's why I pick a different name! This way, when I wait for my name, I don't have to cry inside while mouths while nothing comes out of his mouth. I chose 'Cheyenne,' which sort of upsets me more...how much more common is Cheyenne than Veronique!?

After that, we wandered over to the new Simpsons ride! It was fantastic. The wait was a bit longer, about 30 minutes- but well worth it for me. However, I did get a bit queasy on the thing and the 3-d was phenomenal but headache inducing for me. All in all, though, it's an instant classic and I would go on it again! It was an annoying wait, though, because most of the line-waiting is outside- which is hell in Florida. Good thing Kevin and I got sodas before jumping in line!

Next, we walked around a bit and decided to pass on Jaws. Why, you ask? Simple- that ride has so much fire-in-water, it's so effing hot. I swear half of my eyebrows get singed every time I'm on the thing. Also, I know this is weird, but the Jaws animatronix thing that comes out of the water actually scares me and has been known to give me nightmares. I stay away.

At this point we were in need of some cold- so we went to the Twister ride! You know, it's a great ride and the behind-the-scenes they show from the movie is fantastic. Plus, who doesn't love Helen Hunt or Bill Paxton (when you can remember he's not Bill Pullman). The wind is soo refreshing, but don't stand in the last row because that's where the rain pipes are connected and I had a constant dripping that felt good at the time- but later smelled real nasty when it dried. The flying cow-on-a-string still gets me, too!

After that, we headed to Shrek 4-D<--- LOVE IT. I can't even get into details other than the story is great, the animation is awesome, and the fact that the seats move makes me clap.

On our way out, we swung by Terminator to see if there was another show- and there was. It is still awesome, and the live actors were actually pretty good. It's kinda weird, though, seeing footage of Arnold Schwartzenegger and knowing he's a governor..!

Travel Info: US Passport Cards

2009-02-08T12:27:00.000-08:00

I'm usually really jealous of Europe because they seem so...organized. An international railway system, the Euro, the Chunnel- all of these things help connect the individual European countries into one highly navigable continent. Boy would I like to be able to take a super-fast train from Orlando to Boston for less than a plane ticket... but alas, this escapes us, yet.

What is cool to find out, though, is that a new organization, the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, is working on bridging national gaps for North America and into Latin America. How? Simple, two new endeavors, listed below, are making travel much easier. The US Passport Card, for example, is FAR easier to carry than a typical passport and fits nicely in our wallet- plus it costs less than a US Passport. However, it is only valid for land or sea travel, so don't expect to fly to Europe on it. The other is a Western Hemisphere driver's license, which you can read more about below.

U.S. Passport Card – This is a new, limited-use travel document that fits in your wallet and costs less than a U.S. Passport. It is only valid for travel by land and sea.
Enhanced Driver’s License (EDL) – Several states and Canadian provinces are issuing this driver’s license or identification document that denotes identity and citizenship. It is specifically designed for cross-border travel into the U.S. by land or sea.

To read my previous post on Passport, click here: Passport Info

Tech Travel: Skylino Baby Pod

2008-12-19T21:30:00.000-08:00

Have you ever walked into the home of somebody who'd recently had a baby and you go to the baby's room and that's when you hear it: a heart beat. It's actually quite creepy. Apparently, though, that's sold for a reason: babies need to be near the bodies of their mothers. I've since read that they become accustomed to the sound of the mother's beating heartbeat while in the womb and so, the metronome heartbeat soothes them, creepy as it maybe!

All in all, children are calmer, more soothed when they are closer to their parents- all snuggled up. Drumroll, please! Here comes Skylino, sort of like a fancy pants snugli meant to keep a child close to the parent while their hands are busy putting luggage away and getting settled on the plane. Designed over by the people at Yanko, the child pod is stylishly designed keeping in mind the three point belts used in modern planes. No price, but whatever you spend, just keep the kiddies quiet on my 7 hour flight from Seattle to Orlando. Thank you :)

Travel Buyables: Zuca Bags!

2008-12-18T12:00:00.001-08:00

Dubbed "the only customizable luggage you can sit on," Zuca bags are a constant jet setter's heaven. You know how much I love me some videos, so here is some education for your eyes:

Snazzy to the MAX. Let's recap, between the ability to hold the weight of a little woman, the fact that it doubles as a dresser on wheels (complete with little drawers!) and hello, it rolls and fits in the over head compartment of planes- this excess is baggage I'd be happy to hold onto. According to the Zuca Maniacs! page on the site, it is even the "luggage of choice" for the cast of Boston Legal, look at that brave bag, supporting the weight of ol' Cap'n Kirk! Yum.

You can get in on the game, too. There is room for everybody in Zuca's world of customizable luggage, so be sure to check back next year when they hold their annual Design Contest - a winner has already been announced for 2009.

TechTravel: GoGo InFlight Internet (FINALLY!)

2008-11-24T17:09:00.000-08:00

This is sooo exciting. First, can I say how awesome the website alone is- the user interface is so easy to use and clean. It's fresh, inviting and friendly. It is welcoming and encourages users to explore the site rather than bombarding visitors with too much information and a barrage of user-experience questions, surveys and my most-hated, credit card requests.

So GoGo is simply inflight wifi access, "wifi with wings." There are a number of informative videos located here. My favorite is the InFlight Etiquette- the basic rules are, wear head phones, don't voice-chat with people, and no porn. Lovely! Right now my choices are limited to a) broken inflight entertainment systems, b) paying for digiplayers, c) or entertaining myself with my iPod shuffle/sleeping. GoGo's site seems to be compatible with all popular phones, too. Yep, the iPhone is on the list!

Right now, the area of coverage is only the continental US, as you can see in their map below:

And, it is currently only available with American Airlines (174 flights carry GoGo every week), but is launching soon via AirCanada, Delta, and Virgin America! The price is $12.95- not bad!

Travel Buddy: Matthew Harding Dances

2008-10-02T16:19:00.000-07:00

Where the Hell is Matt? (2008) from Matthew Harding on Vimeo.

Wherever you go, dance. Where the Hell is Matt is an awesome travel blog- you should check it out right now. Basically, his world dancing tours are funded by Stride gum- amazing. Be sure to read the About page, to get the entire scoop- can you say jealous?

Pit Stop: Twistee Treat at St. Pete Beach, Florida!

2008-09-02T10:40:00.000-07:00

Travel Buyables: Comfy Flights!

2008-08-29T09:50:00.000-07:00

So, while going through my stylefeed, I came across some products that are not only helpful while traveling, but money-saving, too! Some are even green, environmentally friendly. After all, budgets are sexy, and so is mother earth. Let's go on a trip, shall we?

On the Plane:
Sears has got this great bamboo (green alert!) blanket and eye mask set. Not so cheap, though, at $40. However, you can use the airplane blanket (if you can GET one), and get this neat eye mask from Perpetual Kid, no price listed, picture on the left.

In Your Hotel:
You made if off the flight and are settling into your hotel room, yummy. Definite must-haves include paper-thin, single use, solid sheets of shampoo, shaving cream, and laundry soap! One dissolving sheet is one use, and each comes in a pack of 30 sheets, for $6!
Now that you're showered, shaved, and laundered- get dressed for a day of exploring! But, wait- deodorant stains, ouch. Use this handy dandy tool for removing them, just $13. Last, not only does it meet TSA guidelines, but this solid block of lotion is great- it won't spill or leak. I actually never realized that solid lotion would be good, but my hands and face get so dry in the cold air craft air. And, now that I think about it- I DID get a huge family-size bottle of Johnson&Johnson's baby lotion thrown out of my luggage! Ugh, where were you when I needed you, solid lotion!!!??? :(

Out and About:
This is pretty neat. Instead of spending money on snacks and breakfasts, this bag (to the left) contains a bunch of breakfast bars, mini boxes of cereal, raisins, and granola snacks- currently on sale for $20. That's even great for a really long flight! A similar and probably more useful pack, by Minimus, includes a bunch of meds perfect for anybody away from home and not wanting to spend a bunch of money on pricey meds, also on sale for $20. It includes Alka-Seltzer, Imodium, DayQuil, Pepto-Bismol, Band-Aids, Benadryl, Tylenol, NyQuil, Simply Sleep pills, Blistex, Bayer and some sting relief ointment. As somebody who is always fighting with sinuses, a weak stomach, and headaches- this is brilliant!

Travel Info: Polaroid PoGo on Sale at Target!

2008-08-25T06:58:00.000-07:00

If you remember a recent post I made about Polaroid's new hand held printer, you'll note that I placed the pricing at the bottom of the post. Unfortunately, my favorite retailer, Target, didn't have it on sale...then.

As I was thumbing through this Sunday's paper, what do I see, but the Polaroid PoGo on sale for $130!! Now's definitely the time, people! A pack of the Zink printer paper is $10. Go, Go, Go!

Travel Buyables: Travelogues & Journals

2008-08-22T13:14:00.000-07:00

I save everything. Seriously, when I travel- receipts, movie tickets, metro passes, weird flyers I get from street-cornerfolk- everything! It's always fun to dump all that stuff out when I get home and start every sentence with 'Remember when..!'

I've recently gotten into the habit of taking a notebook with me, so that I can quickly recap the day's activities, and then stick the right receipts, bits of paper, polaroids or whatever within the right pages. When I get home, it's time to scrapbook the hell out of my travels! I just looked at my stylefeed and came across a few travelogues I thought were cute, and here they are!

1. Nomad's Travel Journal, $12
Why you need it: Incredibly simple, offering pre-filled out pages with prompts such as Traveled with, Method of Travel, Accommodations, Tick list, etc.

However: It's in a top-spiral notebook, so you can't really paste and tape a lot of stuff in it- a great notebook for the traveler who loves to write, not the one who collects scraps of paper to tape into books...

2. The Moleskine City Notebook, $18
Why you need it: Ok, these Moleskine people are pretty awesome! These notebooks are not generic, each one is tailored to a specific city: London, Paris, Prague, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Dublin, etc. Each includes helpful maps, metro maps, blank pages for your own notes and experiences, as well as tabbed sections for collecting things. So, you buy the book that matches the city you're visiting and voila! You create your OWN tourguide book

However: It's 'pocketsized' which means you may have to cram a lot of stuff in there, which would make it a less attractive memory book.

3. Fred Flare Travel Journal, $27
Why you need it: This is no child's notebook; it's 'heavy duty' and includes a cover-envelope so that you (ok, I) can store all those tickets, metro passes, receipts, etc in! It's also colorful and not as confusing as the Moleskine notebook.

However: It's $27 :(

Travel in Style: StyleFeeder.com

2008-08-22T12:48:00.000-07:00

So, in keeping with the clean, aesthetically pleasing appeal of my blog, I decided to do a little cleanup. I've removed the Schmapplet application as well as the travel photos from Bubbleshare from the right sidebar.

It's very important to make sure that you don't ruin your readers' blog-reading experience by forcing them to wait while various photo applications, music players, flash widgets- and other virtual knick-knacks load. I guarantee that they are not all useful.

Therefore, I got rid of those and made room for an application from StyleFeeder.com. StyleFeeder lets you create lists of items, merchandise and other buyables that fit within your personal style. The site then suggests products to you based on your taste and allows users to latch on and follow your style, if you're a trendsetter. Yep, I have ONE follower :) You can also connect readers to your style, or family to your wishlists by posting them via javascript code onto your blog, as I have done to the right.

What I feel this gadget will do is give me some cool travel-related products to tell you about. For example, we haven't talked about hand-held GPSs, travelogues, airline survival kits, or neat tech travel gadgets in a while! I'll be pulling the latest and lushest products from my stylefeed, yay!

Travel Buyables: Travel Toothbrushes

2008-08-20T06:14:00.000-07:00

With current TSA regulations, I've seen a few people have their tubes of toothpaste get tossed for being over the 3oz rule. However, there are currently solutions that are TSA compliant, in the form of travel toothbrush-and-toothpaste combined toothbrushes! I recently bought a Fresh&Go, which you'll read more about below, but I thought I'd research a bit more and see if there were other option out there, too.

1. Fresh&Go's simple, non-electronic design is basically a tube reservoir of toothpaste that travels up the stem of the brush to the head, where it is dispensed directly within the bristles through a small hole, when you turn the little dial.

It's not the fanciest toothbrush, but the bristles are soft and firm enough to get the job done. The packaging says they're good for up to 30 uses- and at $2 at Walgreens, it's definitely worth picking up a few and just throwing them in your travel bags/make up cases. I've used it and I really do love it- the cap even has a small pole that plugs the toothpaste dispenser, so there's no mess when you put it away. Additionally, the clear plastic always shows you how much toothpaste is left. Neat. Fresh&Go's website offers children's brushes, the standard adult brushes, and since the product is made in Israel, a $10 pack of 6 brushes with kosher toothpaste, for Passover.

2. Next up, a more sleek portable toothbrush, by OHSO. This one looks a bit less functional, because of it's size, but basically, it is composed of a refillable chamber that screws onto the toothbrush head, and dispenses toothpaste through a rubber nozzle within the bristles. It looks like you can screw on a small travel-sized tube, but the toothbrush head is only Colgate compliant. A neat thing about the chamber is that there is a window that shows you how much toothpaste is left in there. It doesn't seem to be getting good reviews, though; and at $18-20, it's a pricey toy to test. The OHSO site also offers a clear version.

3. Last, the Sonicare Intelliclean 8300- is as fancy as it sounds! While this product has since been discontinued, as far as I can find online, I still see it in local stores like Target, Wal-Mart, etc. So, if you really wanted one, all you need is around $90-150. There are a few places online that have got it, here, here and even here, too. This product is definitely the Cadillac of 2-in-1 toothbrush/toothpaste technology- it's a Phillips Sonicare electronic, sonic toothbrush which is already fancy; plus it dispenses Crest toothpaste gel via small disposable cartridges you place in the brush. Do you feel your wallet emptying, yet? If I could afford this, I'd definitely get it- if only just to try it out!

Flashback Trip: Day Trip to Vancouver

2008-08-19T10:15:00.000-07:00

While Kevin was up visiting me in Seattle, we decided to take a day trip to Vancouver, BC, Canada. Many movies are filmed there and lots of actors are born out of Vancouver, so let's be honest, I was pretty sure Kevin and I would be walking down the street and an unrecognizable director would stop us on the street and say- 'Hold the phone...I need you for my new film about two young, round kids wandering around Canada!'

Naturally, we grabbed Pete's GPS, no maps, and headed North. Right away, we had issues with the GPS system, so we turned on the camera to tape our issues and voila! It worked, watch here.

The day was grey, misty, and cold. We stopped at a place called Wins Inn for some lunch, which consisted of a grilled cheese sandwich, pea soup, and hot chocolate for me- and a sandwich, waffle fries, ketchup and coke for Kevin, in a town called Happy Valley.

We finally started seeing signs for the border and finally, after a few hours, some jamming tunes, and understanding the metric system, we were in Canada!! The first thing we did was find a local science museum, Science World, which was awesome! Check out all the images, they had a cool exhibit about sexuality and the human body- aging, muscles, the nervous system- very neat. We took pictures. of. everything!

After that- oh and by the way, we paid a homeless man money to give us the parking pass to park at Science World, he picks up valid ones from the trash and sells them to visitors- so after that, we drove around to the parks and walk paths around the city, it was very pretty. We even found a small amusement park that was absolutely empty- with totem poles and cherry blossom trees. To be honest, Vancouver was pretty empty, gray and boring. I was glad to drive back to the bumpin' US of A- besides, our 'Welcome to the USA!' sign was much better than the 'Welcome to Canada' sign...what gives, Canada!?

Tech Travel: Polaroid PoGo

2008-08-19T08:47:00.000-07:00

I love Polaroid. I have a Polaroid camera that I still buy film for, even though it's nearly $40 for a pack of two film cartridges. I love snapping the pictures while driving around with my friends and then fanning them out on the back seat. Polaroids are the missing link between cataloging memories and the digital age.

Here's why: nearly everybody has a digital camera now, and so, they never feel the need to print out the pictures they take. How many hundreds of pictures do you take on vacation, versus how many get printed out and put on display? Not many, I'm sure. Polaroids would be a poor choice of camera, though, because you don't get very many exposures, the film is very expensive, and the camera itself is bulky and cumbersome to carry around. Until now!

Instead of updating the Polaroid camera, Polaroid has updated the 'instant photo' aspect, by building a handheld printer! It's called the Polaroid PoGo, and it's a small printer that connects to your phone or digital camera, and prints out the color images on special, peelable sticky paper. Each photo prints out in less than a minute!

So, when you're camera gets full, instead of sacrificing pictures, go back to your hotel and start printing out the pictures! You can keep a travel log book with you, or just mail them back to your home, and they'll be waiting when you get there! Pretty neat. I'm really excited about this because I'm always the one that takes pictures and I'd love to take a picture of me and stick it on my luggage, for example. Or just imagine, if I'd had the printer, I could have printed out that picture of me and Brian Setzer and had him sign it! Neat.

BestBuy's got them on sale now, $20 off, for $130!
Target does not have them on sale, they are $150.
Urban Outfitters does not have them on sale, they are $150.

The printer paper isn't that bad, I found a pack of 30 sheets at Urban Outfitters for $10- awesome.

Money Card: An American Express Travel Game

2008-08-18T19:01:00.000-07:00

Ok so I have found the perfect culmination of my two loves: board games and traveling. That's right, it can be done! I found a local antique stop, called Flo's Antique Accents, in Winter Park. The place was filled mostly with furniture, glassware, and other house decorations, so I immediately spat out 'boardgames?' to the attendant, so that he could say 'nope' and I could get out of there. The furniture cleaner/polish fumes were stabbing my headache in the nads.

Anyway, to my surprise, he said that while they didn't carry any in that particular store, they may have some in their warehouse, which stores all the items gained from the big estate sales they purge. He sent me about a mile away, to Flo's Attic, where they did have board games. Many. of. Board. Games.

So, long story short, after purging the shelves for complete sets of games, the attendant, a really nice young man named Nick, told me I could have ALL of them for $10! Another boardgame success story. I grabbed a few boxes, stuffed the games in them, threw them into my car- before Nick could change his mind- paid, and left!

There were some great finds in there, but the game that has to do with this post, the American Express one, is awesome. Check out the pictures below- the little plastic planes are adorable! You visit the different countries and do something or other- has anybody played this? Looks so fun! I can't wait to force my friends to play it with me!

Travel Planning: Seattle

2008-08-11T10:39:00.000-07:00

So, you're going to Seattle. What to see? What to do? Like any big city, if you're me, you want to get three things out of your visit 1) pictures, 2) history, 3)board games. Ok, so maybe your agenda is different, but as you know, I'm not made of money, so whether you choose to do any of the things on my itinerary, just know that it was completed spending very little money (ok, just ABOVE very little). You can read day-by-day accounts of our trip on Kevin's blog here and here.

1. Visit Pike Place Market, free!
Fresh fish, salmon jerky, mini doughnuts, a creperie, and lots of photo opps- Pike Place is where it's at. All the restaurants have fresh seafood, and you can spend a few hours just walking around the historic area.

2. Visit Pioneer Square, free! and the Underground Tour, $12-$15
Did you know that at one point much of Seattle burned to the ground? Well, it did! You can take a tour that walks you underground, to the original foundation of the city...it's creepy and ghostly and damp and cold- a nice break from the hot sun, any day! Plus, it's funny.

3. Mariner's Game, $6
The Mariner's Stadium, Safeco Field, is amazing! First, it's very, very clean. Second, it's outdoors so when the sky is blue, it's beautiful. Last, they have a neat program where you can bring in your Nintendo DS and watch the game on it, talk to other people via the chat about the game, and even order food- straight to your seat! We brought mine and used it, but it seemed weird watching a game when it was going on right in front of you. :) Watch for special days, too -We went on a day where the first 2,000 got 'soul patches!' Fun fun fun, and I bought a shirt from the gift shop for $6 (it was a children's size Large).

4. Visit local Breweries: Reedhook & Mac N' Jacks, free!
If you like beer and you like fun, find a brewery and take the tour. Redhook gives away shot glasses at the end and Mac N' Jacks gives you a huge glass- plus they both let you try their classic beers and teach you the history of them and the difference between ale and lager.

5. Visit the Electronic Music Project and Science Fiction Museum, $12-15
This place is amazing. I learned that in the famous episode of Star Trek where Uhura kisses Captain Kirk, it was supposed to be Spock! But Bill Shatner was like, oh hell no, I want that African Queen- that Nubian Princess! Music history, science fiction movies and books, instrument playing, learning about artists- it's very awesome. It closes early, so get there at opening time, and it's right by the Space Needle and Key Arena. You can't miss the EMP, the design is unique and it's a big gold and shiny red curved building.

6. Sample Local Stuff!
Drive around, drink espresso from a shack, stop at a roadside cider house, or visit one of the areas many ValueVillage thrift shops! This is where I have spent $50 and walked out with nearly 100 boardgames (WITH ALL THE PIECES!)

7. Day trip to Vancouver! I'll do another post about that, later :)

Tech Travel: Dig-E Players

2008-08-11T10:24:00.000-07:00

Not every airline offers 'in-flight' entertainment. Hopefully, you'll be on a flight whose in-flight entertainment works, unlike my trip to Japan... :( Try flying 15 hours without being able to use the in-flight entertainment system due to server errors...spend hours staring at code scrolling by, next to a little Linux penguin...you can read about THAT experience in this blog post.

Alaska Airlines offers a portable device that you can buy for $10, called the 'Dig-E' player. It's very worth it if you're flying for a long time- say over 4 hours. I always get one when I fly to Seattle from Orlando (it's 7 hours of bumpy terror, so I like to have a little comedy to watch/listen to). The players come preloaded with movies, tv shows, music, documentaries, and even commercials.

Last time, I watched a program on the world's best commercials of 2007- it was great and made the time pass by really quickly. The players aren't finicky when it comes to headphones, so you can plug in your own fancy ones that block out noise, if you want. Sweetness!

Travel Buyables: The Cabin Cuddler

2008-08-11T10:00:00.000-07:00

Lately, I've been flying a LOT. I'm against checking luggage, and have only had to do it when I bought a gazillion board games and had to bring them back to Orlando- that was a pain. At least it didn't cost me money, though.

Unfortunately, some airlines are starting to charge for such small amenities as water, pillows, and blankets. There is an episode of 'The King of Queens,' where Arthur walks into the kitchen where Doug and Carrie are dressed up for a night on the town and Arthur says, "Why are all dressed up? Are you flying somewhere?" And I love that because it alludes to the more glamorous years when flying was for the privileged, and a seat on plane meant much more than getting from point a to point b, it was almost a status symbol- a break away from the typical station-wagon journey. In any case, aside from planes being overstuffed with bags, noisy/unruly children, and rude tourists, passengers now have to put up with general discomfort during the flight.

On the last flight I was on, Alaska Airlines didn't have enough blankets or pillows, but I saw some people greedily picking up 3 or 4. I saw individuals who used the blanket just for their feet- wear socks for crying out loud! Now, I am very well prepared for cold, because I am ALWAYS cold, always. Sometimes, I'm even cold in the sun! I know, it's awkward. Anyway, I would like to buy a travel blanket for flights, but I'm just concerned with having to lug one more thing around when I travel- that's why I'm reallllyyyy glad that I got to try one out before buying! SocialSpark has an opportunity for the Cabin Cuddler, a travel blanket that folds into a pillow case- and has a little pocket for your feetsies! We got some samples at work and I just had to try it, since I'm always freezing at work. It was amazing, it's so thin, but it keeps you SO warm, and the foot pocket is phenomenal. I had to give it back, but I'm definitely buying one.
At $30, it's hardly 'affordable,' but it is totally 'worth it.' If I spend the $7-8 buying a pillow/blanket, I'll have made up for it in 3 flights! I just LOVE this idea. LOVE IT.

Flashback Trip: Chicago 2005, $400

2008-08-11T06:38:00.000-07:00

I don't think I've written about Kevin and my trip to Chicago (Nov. 19-22nd), so I'll take the time to do that now. First, we did a lot of planning to see when the most exciting time to go would be. We didn't want a summer thing, or a winter thing, so we ended up going in November, about 10 days before Thanksgiving- PERFECT TIMING.

Mid-November is a perfect time to visit any big city for 3 reasons.
1) Shopping! With the holidays around the corner, there are massive sales and beautiful displays. You can purchase all kinds of things and ship them back to your home! And let me tell you, a fun idea would be to buy a bag of marshmallows, some graham crackers, a few bars of hersheys and make yourself some s'mores while you wrap presents and sip hot chocolate in your warm little hotel room, blaring 'It's a Wonderful Life,' while the snow piles up outside. Mmmmmmm cozy!

2) Decorations! By this time, the city will have put up their holiday décor and you can just wander around, taking pictures of the beautiful wreathes, light displays, and towering Christmas Trees- talk about your photo opps! Nearly everybody looks cute in winter-wear (I know I do!)

3) Semi-Cold! It's not freezing, but it's still crisp and you definitely need to break out the hats and scarves. Semi-cold weather opens the doors for all kinds of simple and inexpensive things to do like sit in a café and sip hot cocoa, find a local group of carolers to join, or go see a holiday movie! Tons of movies premiere about a week before Thanksgiving.

Flight Information: Payment amount $135.80 USD, for two tickets, one way (the way back cost $102 to NY, which is where I went for Thanksgiving).

Friday, 18 Nov 05 Flight DH 635

Depart: Orlando, FL (MCO) 6:15 pm

Arrive: Washington-Dulles, VA (IAD) 8:24 pm

Friday, 18 Nov 05 Flight DH 66

Depart: Washington-Dulles, VA (IAD) 9:15 pm

Arrive: Chicago-OHare, IL (ORD) 10:13 pm
FYI- We flew Independence Air, and we got this email that the airline was shutting down, just before our trip. That's why you haven't heard of Independence Air. :)

Ok great, so here we are, going to Chicago. We were very sure to make an itinerary of things we wanted to do: see a Jerry Springer taping, go to the Art Museum, go to MOSI, go to Navy Pier, etc. After we picked all the places we wanted to see, we assigned them days, and composed a schedule so that we could fit in the right amount of activities with the right part of the city. It was fun and amazing, probably the most packed trip I've been on, to be honest!

The fun started right away, on the flight- Kevin was trying very hard to find Chicago on the map...on the West Coast. After learning that was 'mid-west' and that 'all the water in the Chicago pictures' was really Lake Michigan, we were able to stop laughing and enjoy the rest of the flight... ohhh good times!

We arrived at night and took the train (yeah, a subway!) straight to our hotel, Hotel Cass, on Wabash Ave, which is in the Church District, and 2 blocks from the Magnificent Mile ( Total - $318.50 for 4 nights). Below is a picture of Kevin in front of our hotel, but it has since been bought by Holiday Inn, so you won't get the sweet $67/night deal we got!

It was relatively late, with nearly everything near close, so we looked at the local paper to see if any goings on were...well, going on. There was an OKGO! show ($$), Brian Setzer was playing ($$$$), and it was the premier of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire ($), so guess what we did!!!! Yep, midnight showing of Harry Potter- which we awesome. We bought a game called '20Q,' a modern electronic 20 Questions hand-held game to pass the time and that thing could guess all kinds of things like, a christmas tree, a skateboard, a key, etc. After the movie, we went back to our hotel room and laughed at the crazy local car dealer commercials.

The next day, we got our itinerary out and headed for the first stop, the art museum! I don't remember which it was...but I remember it was a free day. Many museums do a free day, or offer discounts to students, so bring your ID! This museum was amazing and right across the street from a Bennigan's, which is where we had lunch and where I got to stare at pretty sailors. Ahh, the Navy.

Here are a couple Chicago museum musts: Museum of Contemporary Art (I believe the one we went to), Adler Planetarium, Museum of Science & Industry, Chicago Children's Museum, Chicago History Museum, Museum of Surgical Science, The Art Institute of Chicago and the Field Museum. Whew! Kevin and I didn't 'get' a lot of the contemporary stuff...but they had wonderful European sculptures and paintings. We took many, many pictures, and spent like 4 hours in there, wandering around.

After that, we went to Millennium Park, walked down the Magnificent Mile, and had authentic deep dish Chicago pizza at Giordano's- one pie, $12, lasts you 3 meals. And, guess who wandered in and sat next to me but BRIAN SETZER!

We did a lot of walking, wandering into malls- one of them had these crazy Lego sculptures everywhere! Big spiders, Darth Vader, Lego-people, like this one lady that has a sagging face, or as I like to call it, the 'Maggie Gyllenhaal effect.'

The next day, we went to MOSI and got on the Jerry Springer show!! The Museum of Science and Industry was very cool and had an amazing robot collection/exhibit going on. And when we went to Jerry Springer, we got to sit in the FRONT ROW, between the security guards!

Yes, that IS Jerry Springer, we ran into him in the hallway, after the taping, but the security guard taking the picture SUCKED at picture-taking, but just know that Mr. Springer is A) Really TALL and B) his nose is full of little holes, weird! It was an amazing trip and I suggest everybody visit Chicago, on our 4-day trip, Kevin and I only spent around $400 each. Yay!

Travel Info: Japan Part I

2008-05-05T12:39:00.000-07:00

So, last year, I traveled to Japan to attend the Tokyo Game Show. There were so many cool parts to that trip and while I organize all my info, I'm leaving you with this video, think of it as a tease.

Travel Buyables: Prescription Swimming Goggles!

2008-05-05T07:33:00.000-07:00

So there I was, getting my swim on, enjoying the luxury of living 50 miles from a wonderfully secluded and brilliant beach. The sun was shining, the sand was a lovely mix of tiny fragments of broken shells, and I was accompanied by one of my very most favorite people, Sam.

We'd sneaked a six-pack of Heineken onto the beach, and swaddled our bottles in towels- which was more out of the sense of adventure than actual concealment because like I said, the beach was deserted.

I wandered out into the water, waist deep, to rinse sand out from certain areas when I heard 'Nicky!' and I turned around- 'What!'...but it was too late. What I interpreted as getting my attention was actually a warning for the massive wave that threw me to the ground, scraping my knees and face on the sandy bottom- and worse, catapulting my glasses into the water.

Yep, the sea had had its revenge on me, and swallowed my awesome black, plastic glasses. You know, the trendy ones that are a testament to the fact that I work in a quirky web 2.0 type of company- now how would they know!?

Sigh, anyway, they were gone. Swallowed, stolen, engulfed by the most powerful element on the planet. At that point I wish I'd had those kinds of glasses with the elastic strap, like goggles, like the ones basketball players wear!

So, if you wear glasses, and like me, wear them when you swim, shower, bowl- whatever- it would be worth your time to invest in prescription swimming goggles, like the ones below!

Z Leader Specter Swimming Goggles Description

Item #: 11842

One piece universal fit bridge design
Leak-proof polyseal
Ultra comfortable
Lens design is flat to eliminate vision distortion
Molded split strap for secure fit
Enhanced peripheral vision
100% UV protection and anti-fog lenses
Available in 3 color options, shown below (lens color/strap color): smoke/silver, clear/black, and blue/blue

Travel Info: Be a One Bag Traveler!

2008-04-22T13:11:00.000-07:00

Reasons why you should pack lightly, tightly, and rightly.

1. The more bags you have, the more chance you have at losing one!
2. Get through the airport quicker.
3. Don't get stuck at baggage claim.
4. Did I mention you could lose one? or have it stolen!
5. Airlines will now charge for checking that second bag!

Check out this article from the New York Times.

The new fee of $25 for a second bag is being levied by Continental, Delta, Northwest, United and US Airways. The low-fare carrier AirTran has announced that it will charge $10 for a second checked bag. Airlines have long levied fees for checking a third bag. Some carriers have recently increased those as well, and the fees on the major carriers now run as high as $100.

Ew. Taxes, fees and surcharges- oh my!

Love, V

Travel Tools: Travel Blogging Buddies!

2008-04-08T15:05:00.000-07:00

I've recently come across a few travel sites I found super useful!

1. GridSkipper- Is a hub of very useful information, dropped by travelers throughout the world. From the best inner city bars, to great flea markets and how to work the local public transport, GridSkipper is a site I wish I'd found on my way to London. :) Another great thing about this site is that it isn't spread too thin- it only focuses on Berlin, London, LA, NY, and Paris- c'est magnifique!

2. Maxim Bungalows- While looking for some bungalows off the beaten path in Belize, I came across this site, which is actually a company/resort in the Dominican Republic- but how cute! I know, it's very specific to the Dominican Republic, but it looks like such a gem of a place, I totally had to share it.

3. London Treasures- Is exactly that- a virtual pocket full of tips and tricks to get you in and around London's most fun spots. What I really like is their info on attractions and events for Children.

4. French Villas- Please just visit the link and TELL me you don't want to stay there! I came across this site when I was fantasizing about hauling ass and moving to France. Le sigh.

Ok that's it for now, enjoy!

Love, V

A Travel Game!

2008-02-11T14:39:00.000-08:00

Notice the new addition to the family? Travelpod hosts this awesome game, to test your traveling knowledge. I won't lie, I'm pretty good at it- but I'm sure you're better! Give it a whirl.

Travel Tools: Other Blogs and Sites!

2008-02-04T15:15:00.001-08:00

I'm a huge fan of reading blogs- I do it all day at work (I work for Izea, the parent company of PayPerPost.com, so you better believe I read blogs!) Anyway, I love coming across great travel blogs and sites, and I'll share some with you. Lots of these people have awesome awesome tips and entries on their own personal trips- and I gotta tell you, there is nothing like traveling vicariously through another person, if you can't just up and leave :)

http://www.roadjunky.com/
http://www.byways.org/
http://www.suite101.com/
http://realtravel.com/
http://www.travelpod.com/
http://www.hereorthere.com/

Yay for travel. Yay for fun.

V

Travel Tools: momondo.com

2008-02-04T15:01:00.000-08:00

I think I'm going to start listing airfare search sites.

Some are so neat- and some are so...boring and weird looking. I came across this site called momondo, and it's very web 2.0. I placed a search to Paris from Orlando and the cheapest flight I retrieved was through Expedia at $1064. Not sure if that's good or not since I'm not comparing it to anything right now, but I like the flashy parts of the site. The sleek black and shiny buttons, like the 'Price Agent' which apparently will send me emails with the latest fares for the search I entered.

The site searches a ton (437, to be exact) 'low cost' airlines- ones I've NEVER heard of...based on the short descriptions of the airlines, I bet this site would be awesome to use as a source for inter-Euro continent travel, or flights from the UK to the mainland, for example, because they list a lot of privately owned airlines. I don't think this would be a good US to Europe source...

Love love loveeee,
V

Travel Buyables: Globalbagtags

2008-02-04T14:49:00.000-08:00

Heck of a word, eh? 'Globalbagtags.' It's a pretty important word, though, if you are of the traveling sort. Globalbagtag is essentially a luggage tag with attitude. They have a chip in them which relays all your travel information to a massive computer that they can retrieve and update at any time.

Best of all, all luggage lost that has a Globalbagtag is traceable from anywhere in the world, 24 hours a day, through their website- technology is amazing! This is a great way to remain pacified, completely sure that all your baggage and valuables are in tact.

Thankfully, I've NEVER lost a piece of luggage- mostly because I try to only carry on my stuff as much as possible. However, I've seen quite a few movies where lost luggage does not a comedy make. Companies like this are pretty neat, and I actually stumbled upon this site and bookmarked it a long time ago, to add to the blog, but kept forgetting.

I can definitely see Globalbagtags as being insanely useful if you're traveling abroad and have many items to keep tabs on, especially if you are technologically savvy and stylish.

Love love love,
V

Travel Tools: Southwest's Ding!

2008-01-22T14:23:00.000-08:00

Weird title, right?

Well I just wanted to pop-in and share another travel tool. This one is brought to you by Southwest Airlines. Basically, they have a widget, that when installed onto your computer, will 'Ding!' and let you know what the latest deal is.

It's really neat if you're the type to buy the ticket first, then fly around the given dates- that's the cheapest! Once it's installed, open the program and load your available airports and your zipcode. Then, whenever there's a deal in relation to your information, it will 'DING!' and let you know!

Pretty sweet.

Flashback Trip: Seattle! (FIRST TRIP!)

2007-12-23T12:46:00.000-08:00

My boyfriend, Pete, who you may remember as 'Pete' in my Japan photos, has just been hired by Microsoft, based in Redmond, Washington- just a stone's throw away from Seattle.

In an effort to convince me, his partner, how awesome Seattle is, and how awesome it would be to live there, he invited me along on his apartment search for 4 days, funded by Microsoft. The point of being there was to find him a place to live, one that we both liked, so that when I move up there [eventually!] we'll both be happy with the living space.

We saw a handful of places and thank God found one by the end of the day because I was getting super nauseous in the back of the location facilitator's Audi. So many mountains.

Let's talk about the planning, first. When I knew we'd be going to Seattle, I started looking for stuff to do- all the typical stuff: Space Needle and Puget Sound, local museums like the Experience Music Project/Science Fiction Museum, the local aquarium, Pike's place, etc. I also looked to see if any famous people were buried in or around Seattle- there are some!

Ok, so we're in Seattle, in a little hotel, where they offer a continental breakfast (YES!), and are within walking distance of a brick shopping plaza with tons of shops and eateries, like this gem, Todai. It's a bit pricey, but they do have some neat stuff like crepes, fresh crab, and an assortment of Asian delicacies, all buffet style.

The entire trip, around the last week or so of December, was bleak and rainy- which is expected. It wasn't freezing outside, but it did require a jacket, maybe a scarf, and if you had them (which I do now!) some sweet rain boots.

Next, we headed to Lake View Cemetery, to pay our respects to the awesome Bruce Lee. You can find other famous gravesites on Find A Grave- and read about incorporating them into your travels in a previous post I made! His son, Brandon is buried alongside him- and there is a bench across from the tombstones, erected by his wife and daughter, to sit on.

After that, we found our way to the Experience Music Project and Science Fiction Museum, which is amazing! It's only open until 5, so you'll have to either rush through the thing, or get there early enough- it's right next to the Space Needle, so you can spend a whole day wandering around the area.

The next day we wandered around downtown Seattle, which has an impressive building-engulfed mall called the Palace or Plaza or something like that...I honestly don't recall, but for the holiday season they had these painted, giant nutcrackers everywhere. Those were pretty neat, and there is a huge movie theatre on the topmost floor. Since it was rainy and cold, we explored the mall and caught Juno. At night, we ate at the Space Needle! Overpriced, undercooked, and you really can't see all that well out of the windows at night- probably best in the daytime hours. It's nice to say you've eaten there, like I just did...but other than that, don't waste your money!

The next day, we rode around and found Jimi Hendrix's grave! Then, we headed toward Puget Sound and the Aquarium, walked around the piers and finally ended up in our favorite mall.

All in all, it was a fun couple of days- my first impression of Seattle was horrible. The dreary weather, the terrible traffic (it's like there are only 4 main roads and so they are always backed up!), and the general malaise that comes with being not quite 'rained on,' but always wet. As somebody who has curly hair and glasses, it's so freaking annoying.

Post Labels

2007-12-23T12:40:00.000-08:00

Just a quick reminder on what the preceding labels mean in my post titles:

Things To Do: Visit a Dead Guy

2007-12-23T12:05:00.000-08:00

Before I forget, I just wanted to share that another cheap and interesting thing you can do when you're visiting someplace new is look up if any well-known individuals are buried in the area.

For example, I just went to Seattle and visited both Bruce and his son, Brandon, Lee's graves, as well as Jimi Hendrix's. These are people you've never met, or would have never met in your life, but by visiting their gravesite, you can pay a few minutes of respect, do a grave rubbing, or just take-in their last resting place.

Here is a great site to double check the final resting place of life's who's who: http://www.findagrave.com/. What's cool about Find A Grave is that you can even look people up, like family members! I didn't find any family members, but I'll upload a photo of a note left at Jim Morrison's grave, Pere-Lachaise Cemetery, Paris, France:
Wikipedia also has a list of notable cemeteries, separated by country, so be sure to check those out, too!

Personal Note

2007-12-21T07:50:00.000-08:00

I'm really bad at keeping this up. But! I have many a story! So I will return to write about my recent trip to Seattle and of course, throw some Japan in there.

Travel News: Japan Trip!

2007-09-29T19:52:00.000-07:00

First, just some photos. I have to get all my info in order!

Travel Tools: Tripbase

2007-09-16T07:14:00.000-07:00

How do you plan a trip? Do you set a budget first? Do you decide where you want to go first? Or, do you decide what you want to do, and then match that up with a place to do it? These are all important factors to consider when you're getting ready for a trip, and now there's a website to actively help you gauge these factors in order of importance to you, and presents you with trip plans that fit your specifications, based on the recommendations of other users.
So, I've set my scale as follows. Nightlife is not that big of a deal with me, and heading from club to club means mingling with people I don't know and putting yourself in a situation that involves an unfamiliar city and drunkedness...so nightlife isn't high on the list. Dining is a must, but it's also pricey, I'll leave that at half. Shopping also, not big on my list, but some cities have great specialty stores that even if you don't buy anything, are fun to visit. Nature, I could take it or leave it, they make for good pictures, so I set that at low, too. The most important thing for me is sight-seeing: Museums, theme parks, local events, etc. So I set that really high.

I'm typing this out as I move along, so I just hit submit and I'm shocked! This tool is awesome- here's what I got. Fifteen travel destinations are presented to me. They are: Mexico City, Los Angeles, Paris, Singapore, Boston, Berlin, Tokyo, San Francisco, Sydney, Florence, Washington DC, Chicago, London, and New York City. Aside from including precisely the cities I've already chosen to visit based on my specifications, which I bolded above, each choice come complete with a cost per day amount, as well as little icons that denote what the city has to offer. Tokyo, for example, is set at $108 per day, and offers attractions [the most important thing on my list!], dining [the second most important], and lodging. Awesome! Ok, I'm going to click more!
More surprises! The next page is a pop-up, but you can't move it around, so if I want to go back to my list, I have to close the window. Good thing I don't have to go back to the list! As you can see from the image, there's a little box to the left that shows the current temperature, rainfall, and tourist season. The temperature is set to orange/yellow, I'm not sure what that means. It's not red, which I'm guessing is hot, and it's not blue/green, which I'm guessing is cold...so moderate? Great! Next, the rain drop is completely filled, some of them are half-full, so I know that Japan is in its rainy season, and the tourist meter says L, for low? I hope so, Tokyo already has 35 million people! To the right there are things to do, articles, pictures- everything you need to convince yourself that a second mortgage makes perfect sense, if it means you'll be on the next flight to Tokyo!
A lot of the information for highlighted places is missing, since the site hasn't had a lot of traffic, when I get back from Japan, I'll be sure to add all my info- The best part of Tripbase is that it doesn't sort or make recommendations based on what is important to you, but rather how important those factors are. The sliding scale is what makes this site awesome- so is the cost per day feature. However, it doesn't explain what goes into consideration in the cost per day, and the amount jumped from $108 on the results page, to $138 on the details page, with no explanation.

The worst part is, that as a part of an emerging web 2.0 travel industry, this site doesn't provide a venue for the developers, founders, and masterminds behind the application to inform its users of updates, new features or enhancements, and the like. That is what's great about other travel sites, the company blog and maybe forums.

All in all, Tripbase is a sweet little app with a lot of potential.
Love,
V

Travel Tools: Virtual Tourist

2007-08-24T13:04:00.000-07:00

Get Your Own Map

View Larger Map

I stumbled on this really neat site. There are a ton of maps out there, with little flags, pins, and buttons you can place over countries, to show were you've been/are going, but I really like VirtualTourist because it's so damn pretty and easy. Sign-in, click on the countries, done. Actually, the map feature is only a facet of the site. VirtualTourist helps you plan trips, book flights, find deals, meet other users, read reviews, make your own homepage, etc. The most helpful page, however, is this one- 10 Things to do on Virtual Tourist.

The map says I've only been to 9 countries- boo hoo. I want to have been to like 87. It's going to move to 10 once I land in Tokyo! Speaking of which, 25 freaking days left, hell yes!

Love,
Veronique!

Travel Buyables: Haute Luggage Tags!

2007-08-19T18:43:00.000-07:00

You know I don't like checking my bags...but that doesn't mean I can't label my luggage! I recently bought some tags that were on sale at Target, $5 for two. I think they're pretty cute. I looked online and found some pretty nice ones!

The one to the left is from lugtagz. They've got some great mod retro tags with metal bead chains. Freakin' adorable! I love that whole retro feel to things so taking something simple like a plain black bag or a silver lunch box and punching it up with one of these tags is gorgeous.

Target's got these cool motel luggage tags that accomplish the same feel! I swear, Target is the cat's ass when it comes to shopping. [My dad say's that means 'cool,' though I'm skeptical.] The selection at Target is more cutesy than anything else, but thats just the online store. The store itself has some pretty sweet plastic ones with bold colors and sturdy rubbery/plastic straps. I just looked at the back of the tag and it says, 'Bright colors make it easy to identify your bag' and 'Personal identification panel on back of tag.' I guess both of those are good advice.
Some other cool sites and tags:
Visitag's got a neat spin on personalized tags.

This site, aptly called Discount Luggage, has a selection of tags wider than Peter Griffin's butt. Lots to choose from, cutesy to simple, expensive and not-so-much, definitely worth a look!

love,
Veronique!

Travel Tools: VibeAgent Review

2007-08-15T15:20:00.000-07:00

How often does a site come along that incorporates the best attributes of a handful of sites and throws them all together? Not too often but there's a great travel startup out there that is making some really awesome steps in doing just that. Specifically, with hotels!

The new site, still in its beta and hidden stage, is called VibeAgent and in one word; it's awesome. You can search for hotels and sift through reviews containing special keywords that distinguish your tastes from those of others and find just the right blend of expectation and accommodation. It's actually quite ingenious. You can post your own reviews of hotels and answer to questions that fellow users ask regarding your review. Actually, the users of this site are called 'Agents' and each one has a profile. You can invite any agent to be your friend, join your group, send them a message, or even bookmark them. Clicking on an Agent will show you a cool map of places they've been and written reviews about, and also whether or not they're 'planning' a trip.

As far as your individual account, there are tons of features. First, there's the usual- you can load a photo, a few lines of 'about me,' date of joining, etc. Then there's the cool stuff. For example, you can note whether you're planning a trip somewhere. Then, people who see that and have ideas for you can pass them along, become your friends, send you a message, etc. Next, and this is an awesome feature, internal messaging. That's right! You can send messages via your own message center to Agents or customer support. That's the beauty of start-ups- the staff is so eager to interact with users; greedy for feedback. I had an issue and Adam, who I believe is one of the higher-ups, helped me out himself. Awesome customer service, don't lose that!

Lastly, the company keeps a blog, which is excellent in keeping all the users up-do-date on the lasted additions, enhancements, and system fixes. It's actually a great source for travel news in general; specifically, hotel searches! There are also forums for meeting and getting help from fellow Agents. All in all, VibeAgent should be a part of your trip planning process- from now on, it's definitely part of mine!

Travel Buyables: Vintage Luggage

2007-08-12T16:27:00.000-07:00

Two words: Old luggage. I love love love vintage luggage! I have a pretty decent collection, too! When shopping for luggage, never go looking for it. I've never bought a piece of luggage that I was looking for. More so, I'm surprised by their presence in local thrift shops, antique stores, garage sales, and vintage shops.

Most of the stuff I've bought has been under $5. You have to set rules when you go shopping- period. Doesn't matter what you're shopping for, always have a price limit in mind. Me, for example? Well, I don't buy pants over $9, I don't buy dresses over $30 and I don't buy luggage over $5. It's great! Here are a couple of my favorites.

This is clearly from the late 60's to mid 70's- I'm unable to find a year on it, but the pattern, the colors, and the fabric/materials used help pinpoint its era of manufacture. It's got two metal zippers, the main having a large lock at the end of the zipper trail. The inside is a light orange/yellow vinyl material with an embossed paisley pattern. It has a green vinyl trim and a heavy, plastic handle. It's not very big, and it's thin so I use it for 3-day to a week trips.
The next piece is also from the 60's, but it's much smaller. It's a bowling bag! I found this in a thrift store and bought it for 50 cents. It is a bright blue with a wonderful white handle. It's in great shape, I cleaned the hell out of it with some Windex, and I use it for overnight stays, to 3 days. It meets the 'carry on' standard measurements, so I don't have to check it, either. Plus, it's completely adorable, hello!?
There are some fantastic websites for buying old luggage- but like I said, I don't spend over $5. Here's a good website for sprucing up your luggage treasure, too.

Travel Tools: Web2.0 Style

2007-08-01T07:42:00.001-07:00

I was reading an awesome article on CNN's Money.com, about the 31 hottest startups, looking for some cool traveling sites and found a couple that are simply awesome!

First, Trivop, which allows visitors to take video tours of the hotels from videos provided by travelers!! Very very awesome! Based in France, they've already got 158 vids going for hotels in Paris- c'est magnifique!

Next, Bezurk, which the article states, "aims to provide the best prices for flights, hotels and cars in one place." Kind of vague, right? I mean, isn't that what Kayak, Sidestep, and SkyAuction aim for, too? Well, Bezurk might just give them a run for their money! They use AJAX as their main developing platform, which allows users to "sort flights quickly by price or departure time without reloading the page." Round of applause for time saving!

So use Bezurk to find a nice flight to say....oh...I don't know, India! Check out Trivop for any hotel virtual tours- none? That's ok, because you can use Burrp to find the most fun and non-touristy recommendations for food and nightlife in India. Sign up before the site gets too trendy and useless, like MySpace. Right now it's a very cool idea- like Yelp! There's another site sort of like this, but more focused around virtual and 3D maps for China called Edushi. Says the article, "Apart from allowing users to look for information on the existing maps, eDushi lets them build interactive maps in basic 3D, adding comments and information. For example, one user might write a map entry about hotels in Shanghai, and others might make comments that help to build out the map." The site is in Mandarin, however- but you can go to Google and have the pages translated, if you like!

Now, by far, the coolest site on the list, Bliin. This site is genius, here's how the article explains it, "Bliin lets you broadcast your location and post location-tagged photos from your computer or phone. If you have a GPS-enabled cell phone, you can allow friends and other Bliin members to track your real-time movements on a map. " So, you could be standing in front of the Eiffel tower, snap a picture on your phone, send it to Bliin- and your friends would be allllll sorts of green with envy!

Weblin is a neat application that pops up an avatar when you are viewing a page, and the avatars of other members will appear, too! I think this is great when looking to plan big trips with a handful of people- you can all meet at a site, or a page and have a conversation while all looking at the same info. Pretty neat- I have an image of it in action below:
Check out those sites, get an account and reserve a username before you have to add numbers and random letters to your name! I was able to acquire 'Veronique' for nearly all of them, yay!

Travel Planning: What planning?

2007-07-29T07:50:00.000-07:00

I'm a stickler for plans- I like itineraries, maps, guidelines, deadlines, schedules, all that jazz. Having a plan for your trip, or even a day out on the town, is the best way to get all you want to get done accomplished.

However, sometimes this doesn't work. The devil fools with the best laid plans, after all. Be ready to accept that, and -surprise- have a back-up plan! The devil is only busy enough to mess with your plan once, so make sure you have a back-up. I just finished reading a great travel book, lonely planet's Tokyo City Guide. What I love about this guide book is that it highlighted a lot of hidden Tokyo hotspots. When you're visiting a city where walking is key, make sure you allot time for 'Hey, look at this!' type stops. This guidebook is great because I can now plan on stopping by!

Sometimes, running behind schedule, missing a train, or forgetting your ticket is the least of your worries- those are all your own fault. You should have back-up plans for things you can't control, like the weather, a city-worker strike [no joke], or say, a natural disaster [Japan has had 2 earthquakes in the past couple of weeks!!]. Rain is far more pleasant, so we'll use that as an example! Pack your day with as many in-door activities and places to visit as possible, but keep in mind that if it rains, chances are outside areas, like parks and promenades may be empty- so don't completely knock them off your list.

Ideas for rainy days:
Seeing a movie
Visiting a church
Visiting a museum/gallery

Bad ideas for rainy days:
Sports match
Amusement park
Beach
Walking tour

Check out this list of things to do in Japan, rain or shine!
Yahoo! Things to do

Note: If you're looking to visit Japan, be sure to visit this blog, tons of tips!

Travel Planning: Airfare Competition

2007-07-10T06:38:00.000-07:00

Finding a flight at a fair price is no easy task. It's arduous, if done properly. However, it's so worth it if you can find a flight at 30 or 40% of the typical price. That's the problem, though, nobody has time for that! So, we rely on these search portals to scan competing websites in hopes of gleaning the very best in flights and pricing.

Therefore, I'm doing an experiment. My boyfriend has never been to Boston. I'm a born and bred Bostonian and I think it would be a nice gift to fly him there for his birthday, which falls on a Saturday- Aug 4th, to be exact. Let's see who has the best findings, shall we?

Factors to consider:
1) weekend flights are expensive- best to leave on a Thursday night, fly back Sunday
2) airports in proximity for both departure and arrival
3) budget
4) his family plans
5) budget

I'd have to check and see what his family is up to for that weekend, only if I want them to like me, of course. [sigh] Anyway, hopefully they wouldn't have a big shindig planned, so we'll consider number 4 done. Next, budget! I suppose I don't want to spend more than 80-90$ for each way, which is 160-180$ round trip, each. The reason I broke it down like that is because sometimes, it's cheaper to buy two one-way tickets instead of a roundtrip flight. Weird, I know. Typically, I would search for those one-way fares, but today we'll leave it up to the search portals. So the budget is set. Airports are easy, you can elect for the search portals to include neighboring airports quite easily- done. Ok, let's go!

Requested flight: depart Thursday 8/2 and return Monday 8/6, <$200 each Here are the best found prices, for each site: SideStep.com- $237 on JetBlue, total cost $467.60 SkyAuction.com- total cost $465.40 on USAirways and Airtran Kayak.com- $234 on JetBlue, total cost $467.60
Farecast.com- $239 on AirTran, total cost $498.40
Orbitz.com- unknown, see Notes below.
Expedia.com- $242 on USAirways and Delta, total cost $485.40
Travelocity.com- $240.20 on USAirways and Airtran, total cost $480.40

Notes:

Kayak opened the JetBlue site in another window, and my original window gave me a nice list of options:

We took you to jetblue.com to book this flight. Flight not found?

Go Back to your flight results

Find the best Boston hotel for these dates

Return to Kayak.com homepage

Additionally, a Boston fare alert popped up, leading me to a list of flights for under $200 each, but they gave me specific days- still a VERY good deal.

Orbitz presented a list of very competitive prices, but everytime I clicked on one, I got this message: Sorry, but your search results are no longer available. Please redo your search. (Message 1010). :(

Farecast told me to hold off purchasing, that the flight price was dropping- awesome! I can also choose to place a watch on this flight so that when it hits below a certain price, I can buy it. Neato.

Results, SkyAuction is the gold medal winner, with Kayak and SideStep right behind. To me, though, Kayak wins for providing other options quite easily.

Travel Tools: Bundle Folding

2007-07-10T06:13:00.000-07:00

So I'm getting ready to start packing for Japan- Yeah I know, the trip isn't until late September, but who can wait! I'm already picturing the outfits I'm taking along- not because I'm a serious modern fashionista, but because I don't like bringing clothes I a) won't wear and b) don't want cluttering my suitcase.

Here's my plan of action, as far as clothes:
1) thin items I can layer
2) cotton unmentionables, only 3 -yep. 3.
3) pair of jeans
4) cotton skirt/ sundress
5) 3 pairs of flats

Done. That'll certainly last the 8 days we're there. Now, I'll be [gulp] sharing a suitcase that we'll be [double gulp] checking. This goes against everything I am, especially on international flights! However, it'll be mostly empty, and I'll still have my carry on. I still want to save space, so I found this neat guide on how to 'bundle' your outfits together. It's pretty neat.

Travel Ease: Luggage Locks and TSA Requirements

2007-06-14T06:09:00.000-07:00

When was the last time you traveled? No doubt you've noticed the heightened security and 311 measures that take place now. Basically, restrictions on what you can [3 Oz toothpaste] and can't [nailclippers, tweezers] bring on your carryon bags have been in place for a while now.

As you can see from the image I took from the official Transportation Security Administration website, you can have liquids/gels in 3oz containers: this does NOT mean you can take a 6oz bottle of something that only has 3 oz or less remaining! Kevin tried this, it doesn't work! :) You are permited to take one quart-sized, clear plastic zip-top bag to place your liquids in. If you want to be fancy, you can buy some clear jars/bags from this neat 311 travel gear site.
I don't do the 'check' baggage thing because I'm too paranoid that my luggage will get lost, stolen, broken into, etc etc. I'm also not patient enough to wait for my things to get thrown off of the plane, slammed onto the conveyor belt, and then roll down the dispenser into my loving arms. If you simply have too much stuff to haul and you need to check, you should look into these neat locks. They are TSA approved! Basically, it's a luggage lock that the security folks at the airports can get into, but airport employees and hotel bellhops can't!

I think I'm going to invest in a couple. My mom likes to check bags when we go to El Salvador and they tear your stuff up! It gets to you all half-open, panties hanging out, and whatnot. These locks look pretty neat, it says they have 'global' ones, which means that international airport personnel will be able to check into your things, too.

Update: I bought one! Cost me about $10 at Macy's. Yay!

Labels for Posts

2007-06-09T19:56:00.000-07:00

I think proper labeling is key to keeping an organized blog- this is one of the only posts you'll see here without a listed label. I've restructured the labels to only a handful, and I've explained them below.

I've found that sometimes I'll combine one or two labels, though only when necessary. I think these labels help me keep a focus when I'm writing. Yay for organization, my old history teacher would be proud.

Travel Info: any news or personal experience stuff
Tech Travel: new electronics used for travel
Flashback Trip: past trips taken
Travel Buyables: travel merch
Travel Planning: personal planning
Travel Tips and How To’s: things to do, tutorials, etc
Travel in Style: stylish merchandise, these are more luxury items
Travel Ease: deals, or programs like ‘Clear’
Travel Tools: online apps and sites
Travel Buddy: highlights on fellow travel bloggers

Travel in Style: Passport Wallets

2007-06-09T17:55:00.000-07:00

They're called passport wallets, cases, sleeves, holders, covers, sheets- it's hard to find them all! While it was no easy feat, I found a handful of awesome passport thingies to make you feel like a well-classed traveler. If you're like me, you'll see which one you like best, buy a yard of boldly colored fabric from Wal-Mart, whip out the bedazzler or glue gun, and fancy your own!

For the classic traveler, simple and affordable!

Her Point of View, in terra cotta, charcoal, or my favorite, sunkiss- $20

Modern Agent has these awesome His and Hers passport wallets! You can buy them individually, or snag them both for $37! Each is £9.95, or $20. Very cute!

For the classy traveler, less means more!

St. Tropez has a more fun, snake skin approach! Get the pink "Window Seat" one or the lime "First Class," either are $25.

Bold and colorful, Tepper Jackson's line of passport cases will be easy to spot in your bag or overstuffed carryon, but worth the $26-$30 price range? You tell me.

For the first-class traveler, nothing but the best!

If you want to help a sistah out, get a breast cancer awareness passport holder, in pink or black. Just £13.50, which is actually a pretty pence at nearly $27. Beat Cancer, here and abroad!

These are hot! Soft leather, hand-stiched and embossed, John Lewis's items are worth the $30, £15, price tag. The raspberry one is my favorite, super sleek! Would be a major luxury item for me, though.

Found these on a bridal gifts site, simple soft covers to give as bridesmaid/groomsmen gifts. I LOVE the idea! A pretty good steal for that purpose at $35. Lots of colors, and you could have them engraved!

For the world-class, exotic one-of-a-kinds!

Another UK find! I guess when you live so close to 'the continent,' you're bound to do a bit of travel on a monthly basis...Anyway, Radley has gorgeous passport wallets, in a plethora of colors, but all still hand-stitched leather. A mere £19.99, or painful $40, unless you want to ultra sleek Bond-esque wallet for a cool $45. A major splurge, but oh so pretty!

Travel Ease and Tools: Passport

2007-06-09T17:13:00.000-07:00

Traveling abroad? the Bahamas? Mexico or Puerto Rico? Then you need a passport. Having a passport is a good idea, anyway. When the zombies hit, you're going to want first dibs at a flight, and if you think post office lines are long at Christmas time..!

Pete has never had a passport [newbie!], so here are a couple links to get you [and him] started:

Passport from US Gov
How to apply
Ready-to-Print Application forms
Emergency Passports

There was a time you didn't need a passport for the Bahamas or Puerto Rico, if you were a US citizen, I'm not sure how much of the rules has changed, but this is a great article for those questions.

You will also need a passport photo. The govt is very specific about these, it must be 2in X 2in, and your head has to be precisely centered, just right. Both ears have to be showing, and the image must be against a solid background, preferably light-colored. I'd keep makeup to a minimum, and your hair the way you typically wear it. I've actually seen people get stopped for looking nothing like their passport photo because they decided to go Hollywood Glam in the RiteAid. You can get a set of passport pics taken at almost any local drugstore, and sometimes, they have coupons!

If you don't have time to run down to the store, many pack-n-ship shacks take the photos, too, as well as official post offices. However! Now you can take your own passport photos! Here is a neat tutorial on making your own passport photo. Do me a favor and don't dig up the 1986 college pic you cling to because your hair hasn't fallen out yet and you didn't need glasses. Either take a picture to crop, or find a current pic taken in good lighting! Here is a site that allows you to do all the cropping online, just upload, crop, and print! It's a neat site, actually- ePassportPhoto.com.

You should receive your passport in a few weeks. After that, keep it in a safe place, keep it clean. There are numerous places to buy passport sleeves, cases, jackets, etc. I have a clear plastic one I bought at CVS for $2, but here is a way cuter one and other passport accessories!

I have a few passports of my grandfather, they are a testament to his life and I cherish them greatly. I travel as much as I can, to places that require stamps so that my kids, and their kids know that I did stuff, went places- and I hope they do, too.

Travel Tools: TripOvation

2007-06-09T16:49:00.000-07:00

I stumbled on this site today called 'TripOvation,' which I immediately misread as 'TripOvulation.' Actually, maybe I didn't read it as 'ovulation,' it's just that 'ovation' sounds like a word that should be associated with that region.

Anyway! This site is totally new, still being built, I suppose- but I'm super excited to see what it is?! Is it a site for dying people, one last trip? Is it a site for cycling your ovulation cycle with the natural cycles of mother earth? Can you conceive when the aurora borealis starts? In my frantic wonderings, and before I strayed too far, I researched.

"A new kind of travel company for people who love to travel by people who love to travel." This is the tagline on the website. Is it a personal travel concierge site!? That'd be awesome. I read on, StartupSquad reported below:

PEHub is reporting that TripOvation has raised $3 million in Series A funding led by Azure Capital Partners. What will they be working on? Not much is known except for - travel merchandise and travel booking. Will see how that one goes.

They also mentioned other startups on the hunt for capital venture, FareCast and Yapta. Farecast I'm familar with, but what is Yapta?! Yapta is apparently a downloadable app that lets you track and 'tag' flights, it helps you stay alert when a flight drops in price and allows you to organize all in once place. Pretty neat! I'll have to try that out with my latest trip to Japan.

Next, I found that TripOvation recently [5/31/07] released news of securing their first round of VC money, a whopping $3 mil, courtesy of Azure Capital Partners. W00t! I also learned that they are based out of Menlo Park, CA., and according to VentureBeat, the site will serve as a "travel merchandise and travel booking site."

Then, I found a really nice list of travel startups, over at Digital Goggles. Very awesome! The list forgets a couple, though- like triporama!

Last findings:
CEO is Kevin Fleiss.

Travel Planning: Japan!

2007-05-31T08:38:00.000-07:00

Well, it's official. We're going to Japan!

Update: Our flight leaves on 5/18 at 7AM, and we land in Japan the next day by 2PM. An itinerary is in the works and I'm finding out what's worth visiting by reading vacation stories on other travelers' blogs.

Be back later!

Flashback Trip: Blizzard Beach Photo

2007-05-29T08:59:00.001-07:00

Yay Disney!

Travel Planning: Veterans' Tribute Trips

2007-05-26T08:16:00.000-07:00

Before you read, play this music thing, please.
Nothing kills me more than seeing the age next to the name of a fallen soldier. You ever looked at the age? Firstname, Lastname, 22, or 20, or 19, or 25...it breaks my heart. It's painful that nothing has changed as far as that goes. Kids going to war...12 to 15 year-olds that fought World War I, kids in their teens fresh out of high school storming the beaches of France on D-Day, college kids going to Korea and Vietnam...what's going on?

The only thing worse than that is reading the alarming rate at which our beloved vets are dying. I'm talking about our WWII guys. They did so much for our country, and for the world. In France, on the metro, there are signs that tell you to give your seat up to vets, if you see them. That is wonderful- because you see them, wearing their medals, still.

So, I ask that you take special time to recognize our vets. Please, before they're all gone. And take special care of our troops now. Support the troops, send them mail. Send them puzzle books and coloring books and send them Little Debbie snacks and sunscreen. Send them chapstick and phone cards, or handheld electronics games. Seriously. After 9/11, I saw yellow magnetic support ribbons on each car, or at least an American flag- I haven't seen any lately. Pick it up, people.
So, in honor of all our troops, past and present, pay tribute to the following areas:
Gettysburg and Antietam
Revolutionary Playgrounds: Boston, Philadelphia, Washington D.C.
Normandy/ Omaha Beach, France
Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
Holocaust Museum, Washington DC

Travel Planning: Five Travel Things You Need to Do

2007-05-25T11:06:00.000-07:00

I know that a lot of people aren't as travel-minded as I am. Thankfully, I was blessed to grow up in a family that was not only hooked on traveling together, but did it in ways that I could always appreciate, and never feel like I was being dragged around. Because of this, a general love for history, and the adventurous friends I have, I have been lucky enough to throw caution to the wind [and appropriate requests for time off from employers] and see a lot of places. I've compiled a simple, short list of five things that are travel-related that you should do.

1. Visit a country with a foreign language
There's nothing as humbling as trying to accomplish getting somewhere in a language you have no clue about. However, there is also no better feeling of accomplishment. When you're in a country whose national language is one you're completely unfamiliar with, you're forced to rely on the most basic of human communications: facial expressions, drawings, hand gestures, sounds, acting- it's like massive game of charades. You will often find that many people are willing to help, so long as you are polite, and in agreement with their typical customs. I think finally finding you can communicate with somebody from a completely different culture/language, puts life into perspective a little. The world is not as small as it seems at times.

2. Give a personal tour of an exquisite place
Not everybody wants to see the Mona Lisa, and not everybody cares about Gettysburg, that's why personalization is key. Taking somebody to a place where you have experienced something unique or awesome will make taking them there much more special. Anybody walks up to the Eiffel Tower will generally feel the same thing. However, taking a friend, a parent, your loved one, to a favorite little coffee house, or a hidden church up a thousand steps where you can see all of Paris, will leave a far longer lasting impression.

3. Travel alone
Do you know who you are? I'm not saying that a one-person trip will all of a sudden change your life, but you certainly do learn stuff about yourself. You will also have ample time to think of all the people you wish you WERE with. It's a weird way of making you step back and say, 'huh...I actually do miss them!'

4. Make a friend in another country, while you're there
They don't even have to live there, you just have to have met them there. There's nothing else to this than it's nice to have friends and getting snail mail from somebody with weird stamps is awesome.

5. Take part in a study-abroad program, or international help organization
This is a must- it's a once in a life time experience. You meet a lot of people, hopefully you will make some lasting friends, and you will learn a lot.

I'm going to see if I can find some good links for study-abroad programs. Schools may have them, and many of them will pay for the chaperone's trip, as long as they get a certain number of students- a great deal!

Flashback Trip: Blizzard Beach May 2007

2007-05-25T09:33:00.000-07:00

While we were at Blizzard Beach, I bought a waterproof camera to use. It was $22, but WELL worth it. It came with a dorky strap you could attach to your wrist, and then flip the camera up, to snap a picture. The prints aren't the best quality, but I think it's because it was cheap film to begin with. However, I was able to take pictures without fear of the water, or breaking the camera, and even underwater! Unfortunately, I don't have a scanner, so I had to take pictures OF the pictures, by holding them up to the built-in camera on my MacBook Pro.

The plastic case pops open so that you can remove the camera, which is reusable! So you can add more film the next time you go to the beach and go surfing, canoeing, kayaking, or go white-water rafting. You can even take some pretty neat pictures in the rain, but make sure you buy quality film. Apparently, this same company makes digital cameras! But the above link lets you buy the same one I used for a mere $15. Phenomenal!

Enjoy!
This album is powered by BubbleShare - Add to my blog

Travel Info and Tools: Zookoda

2007-05-25T09:28:00.000-07:00

Guess what? I'm starting a newsletter! In it, you'll be getting a snippet of my latest blog entries: travel tips, must-have buyables, and oodles of awesome travel-related links. So sign up! I'm using a really neat [free!] tool called Zookoda, you should try it out!

The service is double opt-in, so after you enter your email address, you'll be emailed a confirmation, asking that you affirm you wanted to sign up for my newsletter, the Passport.

Thanks!

Travel Tools: Trip Organizers

2007-05-23T20:03:00.000-07:00

No joke, take a look at the links below.

Don't take 'flight is full' for an answer! Know your passenger rights, visit http://www.mytravelrights.com/travellaw.cfm?ai=3 for full information.

Rule 240.

Before airline deregulation in 1978, Rule 240 was literally a federal requirement. Nowadays, it's a term describing what individual airlines will do for late or stranded passengers. In fact, the major airlines have filed "conditions of carriage" with the U.S. Department of Transporatation (DOT) guaranteeing their respective Rule 240s.

If your flight is delayed or cancelled, or if you've missed your flight connection, these policies may give you free meal vouchers, hotel accommodations, phone calls, and other amenities. You may be booked on a substitute flight -- even on another airline -- and you may be compensated or given a full refund if the flight problems persist.

Next stop, fancy travel is for sissies. Be a man, get a backpack, get some foot salve and some baking soda powder for anti chaffing, a map, and ID- hit the road, Jack. This awesome travel blog provides a great list of top backpacking destinations- check it out! From Nicaragua to India, Nepal to Thailand- tons of information for the adventurous traveler. [That's you!]

Ok, so maybe you're bad at planning and picking your own travel adventures. That's cool, use somebody else's. A new site called TripWiser now allows users to post their successful itineraries, so that you can partake in their fun! It's cool because people create trips like 'Weekend Boston trip with kids in mind,' so you can very specifically choose a trip that's tailored to your needs!

Another fellow travel blogger has posted a great list on planning and executing your travel plans. To be more specific, he's got tips on making your 'Travel Dream a Reality." There are a lot of good points and I certainly encourage you to visit!

Do you use evites? Evites are a great way to share your plans with a group of people, but they're not exactly meant for planning multiple-people travel adventures! That's where sites like triporama and triphub come in! You can use these sites to send 'invitations' to your travel mates, to share plans, itineraries and schedules, update eachother on travel prices, everything you would typically have to do through a looonnggg string of emails. You can assign tasks to people, like searching for airfare, finding activities to do, or booking a hostel. Definitely a great find!

Yay for cooperation! Triporama is my favorite, it's easier and a lot more user friendly.

Flashback Trip: North Carolina 2006

2007-05-23T19:21:00.000-07:00

I don't think I've posted about this, so I thought I would.

Last year, Kevin, Andrew and I decided to jump in CF2 [catfish=Ford Taurus, 2=Kevin had the first, I have the second] and drive to NC. Honestly, I was waiting for that car to just give up, but it didn't! It got us there safe and sound- and back, too!

We made it to the Georgia/Florida border from Orlando in just under 4 hours. A miracle, I know, and we were through Georgia in a clock tick- but not before being hit in the face by the awful smell that eminates from Geogia's soil. As you can see from the above image, Kevin was not pleased with the stench.

The rest stops are always interesting. One gas station, called 'El Cheapo' had this little quote, "Sex is so good." It was quickly reprimanded by the following quote, "Shut up You need Jesus Amen." Amen, indeed! When we got to NC, I remember it raining immensely. It was ok, though, it left a very fine mist. We were also high up in the mountains so the fog was awesome to look at. Our first day in NC, we drove out for breakfast and stopped at some local antique/thrift shops, where I fould 'The Ungame!' If you've never heard of it/played it, you're missing out!

The diner we went to for breakfast had awesome food, too!

Travel Buyables and Planning: Transportation

2007-05-23T19:10:00.001-07:00

Big cities= big walking.

That means a couple things, comfortable feet and sturdy shoes. I have no arches, and neither does Kevin, so we make sure to have this covered, because we're both pretty cheap when we travel. When we went to Savannah, we covered every square of that city on foot. When we went to Europe, we took full advantage of any available public transportation system. Even our trip to Chicago was wrought with aching feet and endless accomodations to help them recover from the many miles covered.

Here are a few buyables you should consider, from experience:

-Shoes with a thick sole, like Doc Martens or Bumpz
-Don't skimp during the summer, a nice pair of sandals with thick soles is safer and far more durable, but they don't have the advantage of throwing a flimsy and cheap pair of flip-flops out after use
-Desenex, spraying your feet and shoes before a big walking day will keep them dry, which means your travel partners won't freak out over your bodacious foot odor
- Disposable socks, these are awesome! After a long day, just throw them out. On the way home, your bag will be lighter, too!
- Charge your feet by using a nice heat rub at the end of the day- you'll feel a difference!

Now, with all this walking, you certainly have to have your stuff together. The internet is amazing because you can find entire subway, metro, and tube layouts! You can also buy passes online for extended periods of time. Below are a handful of links to get all your city slicker travel needs taken care of. These sites also offer printable maps for your walking convenience!

Paris Metro passes
London Tube passes
Japan Subway tickets
Eurorail tickets
US Amtrak tickets
NYC Subway Info
Boston T Info
Germany Subway passes

Travel Tools: BubbleShare

2007-05-23T18:35:00.001-07:00

I'm sure you've noticed my super fancy slideshows! I used to use photobucket, but no more! Ashley turned me onto BubbleShare- a neat site that lets you upload your photos and videos and create awesome slideshows from albums. You can also take photos and stick clip-art bits onto them! Sersiously, it's awesome.

That being said, using a free site like BubbleShare is awesome because you can find an internet kiosk or internet cafe nearly everywhere across the globe and unload your packed memory card! I've placed my photos on it from my most recent trips, and I can't wait to get the rest on there. I honestly believe it even beats out Google's Picasa tool.

The only problem with digital cameras/photos is this: you don't print them out! Let's face it, very few people print those out anymore! That's why I love love LOVE my Canon Rebel. It was a gift and I treasure it so much! It takes amazing pictures, but I'm deathly afraid of breaking it, so I rarely take it with me. :(

The second problem is that with digital images, photographers become careless. Since 'film' is expendable, you take pictures of everything! This is a huge waste. I try to keep one of each picture. I delete a LOT- you should, too.

Anyway, below are some slideshows from April's trip to the Blogher conference in NYC with Ashley. Enjoy!

This album is powered by BubbleShare - Add to my blog

Flashback Trip: Weekend Mini-Trips= Mega Fun!

2007-05-23T17:17:00.000-07:00

Man, I haven't been here in a while, but be ready for the SLEW of posts I have half-written, waiting to be completed and unleashed. I have tons to write about, but I thought I'd focus on this past weekend's super awesomeness.

Friday night, I left work kind of late, but I popped in About Schmidt, starring Jack Nicholson and Kathy Bates. Let me tell you, I saw Bates boobs, and Nicholson boobs. Yeah. When you're that age, guys, it's time to tuck it in. Please. Kathy, you're my girl, and a fabulous actor- you don't need your burlap sacks swingin' in the wind, ok? And Jacky-boy, you're a millionaire already, if these are the only projects you have left...move on, man. Move. On.

Anyway, Kevin and I were left staring at the screen, blinking. It was late and we were generally confused, we went to bed. Saturday morning I awoke to the very loud midi-sounds of my cell phone. I know it's old, don't hate.

Pete: Hey, you up? Me: What? Yeah, when are you getting here? Pete: I'm outside. Me: Oh. Bye.

So I squeezed into my bathingsuit, like a gentle porpoise trying to slip into a body stocking. It's a one-piece, I'm not brave enough for even a tankini. I grabbed my trusty beach bag, and the three of us drove to Blizzard Beach! Kevin hooked us up with sweet $20 tickets- Yay for connections! We had a few hours before Kenny and Julius show up, so we went to town. Lazy river, wave pool, team tubing, toboggan racing, you name it! I could tell Kevin was kind of apprehensive with the heights, but he was a good sport and waited patiently while Pete and I ran upto the 'Slush Gusher' slide- I swear I came off that damn thing- and I had the WORST wedgie afterwards!

After Julius and Kenny showed up, we did it all again! None of us got burned, but we did suffer a few scrapes from the rough bottoms of the wave pool and lazy river. For lunch we hit up Golden Corral and got our fat on. Julius kept trying to befriend this little lady bug, he was concerned it would die what with being stuck inside the restaurant. Then, he accidentally killed it. :( He was genuinely sad. Then we went to see Shrek the Third. It was cool, and my lover was in it [John Krasynski].

That night, we went to sleep bronzed, fat, and happy. The next morning I took Pete and Kevin to the Breakfast Club, downtown, for breakfast. It was good, and then Kevin and I drove to Mall at Millenia. I bought a ton of stuff, and then we went to Celebration, where we enjoyed amazing Kilwin's Ice Cream! I'd never been to Celebration, but I highly recommend jumping in your car and just driving around. It's a ton of fun. The shopping goal was to find the perfect 'cool' outfit for that night: the Arctic Monkeys show. I wore an awesome pair of long brown shorts, and a black top, with my new orange flats. Kevin wore some shirt and corduroy blue pants! Super awesome!

Then I got my eye brows did, where I was partially assaulted by the little Asian lady. In short, her plans to attack my bikini zone were thwarted, but she succeeded at a sneak-attack of my upper lip! Ouch. :( Enough said.

Cool outfits purchased, and bellies full of ice cream, we went back to my house so that Kevin could pack-up. After, we drove to HardRock and at the prestigious Café. It's not that expensive, I definitely recommend it! When we got into the show, some bleach-blonde stick of a girl was convulsing on the stage. As Kevin says in his blog, "

Of course, being the spontaneous people that Nicky and I are, we tried to dance like her. Needless to say, it hurt our bodies and we were quick to stop writhing with her."

But when the Arctic Monkeys came on, all bets were off. We were out of control. We clapped, we yelled, we threw our fists into the air and kicked around. It was like we had our own show, pretty much- everybody else just faded away. Good thing, too, they were boring anyway. After the show, we drove home, straining out our voices to that skkkyyyy diving, rocky mountain climbinnngggg song. :) It was an awesome weekend, and I'm sad it's over, but it reminded me of how much fun hanging out with my friends and family is- given the right environment.

Kevin, you're welcome. :)

Travel Tools: Leave Your Mark

2007-04-06T10:10:00.000-07:00

There are a few sites that let you take a map and place markers on certain cities, countries, etc- to show your readers where you've been- and this is one of them! http://www.wayki.com/

You can see other people's markers as well as cool places to eat, visit, to pick daisies in, or whatever. You can even load photos of things you've seen, like roadside attractions, and send those links to your friends. This is a neat one called 'japanoid cars.' You can leave comments, too! This is neat because, instead of emailing my mom 9 emails with 146 digital photos each, I can just send her a link to my map and load up a handful of pics that she can comment on. This site barely has any markers, so before it become overrun, add your own!

Travel Tips and How To's: The One-Bag Packer

2007-04-06T06:08:00.000-07:00

I stumbled on a great site today for helping you pack all your belongings into one bag. I'm serious, I have an awesome retro and vintage luggage collection, but I don't like clutter and I don't like hauling bags through airports.

Also, when I travel with people and somebody asks me to help carry one of their 4 bags, I usually say no [until I feel bad and conceded]. My reasoning? I worked hard to pack all my stuff in one bag just so didn't HAVE to carry more bags, you wanted to bring all that? Then YOU carry it!

Just like in Spaceballs...take only what you need to survive!

So here is the link for the One Bag: One-Page Checklist. The site also has pages on luggage and where to get it, etc- a great resource! I buy stuff through-out the year, I keep travel in the back of my mind so I buy 3/4 sleeve stuff, thin stuff I can layer, simple black sweaters I can dress-up or dress down, etc. And, of course, I do it on a tight, tight budget! Case in point, yesterday I drove by a Bealls store that was closing, so I shopped! I got two shirts.

Observe! Each one was $25, but they were 70% off! I paid like $7 for both of them!
[That's my industrial strength hair-dryer, and I can't-live-without-it!!]

Travel Ease: Crystal Clear

2007-04-02T20:28:00.000-07:00

Do you get DailyCandy? If you don't then you should. Check out this awesomeness I received a while ago...funny thing is I actually HAD Clear, but you have to renew it yearly, which I forgot to do...so I don't have it anymore. Bummer!

Travel in Style: Airbus

2007-04-02T19:13:00.000-07:00

Since the Concorde doesn't take flight anymore- I guess that's what multiple crashes will do to ya...the world is waiting to see the Airbus! Faster than a speeding bullet, stronger than a steel train...um...comfier than a cloud?

Honestly, I had a blast on the regular Virgin Airlines flight- they give so much free stuff! Everyone got their own TV with movies and video games and music, it was fantastic! We wanted to get seats together, since Grant bought his tickets separately, though we could have used SeatGuru.

Here is a great link to take a virtual tour of the Airbus: http://www.airbus.com/en/aircraftfamilies/cabin_showroom/360_degrees_views/ACJ.htm

SeatGuru is a neat site that lets you take a peak at your flight- you can see the kind of plane you'll be on, what movies will be playing, and you can of course pick your seat! It really is an awesome online tool and it's great for loonnggg flights, too- that way you can look forward to your online movies, and not be surprised by 'Because of Winn Dixie'...

which, by the way, is an alright movie...I saw it on the way to Paris- and back. Yep, twice.

Travel Buyables: Video Cameras

2007-04-02T19:00:00.000-07:00

I'm an old-fashioned girl. I wish I had a bike, I have a car full of cassettes labeled things like '50's favorites!' and 'Bandstand Charttoppers' and I still use my 35 mm camera. My friends have digital cameras, and they're great! I just honestly believe nothing beats a crisp roll of black and white photographs.

What my camera doesn't have? Video-capturing capabilities, and this leaves me fuming. Check-out some of the stuff Andrew and Kevin got on our trip to Europe.

Kevin at Gatwick airport, part one:
Kevin at Gatwick airport, part two:
We visit the Eiffel Tower:

iPodlicious Songs for the Well-Traveled

2007-03-27T10:14:00.000-07:00

My traveling cohort Kevin sent me his iPod must-have list. These are only songs, as notes in his email to me, "I didn't inlude any show-tunes...that's a whole other thing!"

702 - Where My Girls At
98 Degrees - Give Me One More Night (Una Noche)
Alicia Keys - Karma
All American Rejects - Happy Endings
American Hi-Fi - The Art of Losing
Anberlin - Never Take Friendship Personal
Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not
Backstreet Boys - The Call
Black Eyed Peas - Monkey Business
Black Eyed Peas - Elephunk
Blu Cantrell - Hit 'Em Up Style (Oops!)
Bon Jovi - You Give Love A Bad Name
Bon Jovi - Livin' On A Prayer
Cake - Short Skirt, Long Jacket
Cameo - Word Up!
Carrie Underwood - Before He Cheats
Coolio - Gangsta's Paradise
Dean Martin - Hey Mambo
Destiny's Child - Bootylicious
Destiny's Child - Survivor
Destiny's Child - Bills Bills Bills
Destiny's Child - Jumpin' Jumpin'
Eve 6 - Here's to the Night
Fall Out Boy - From Under the Cork Tree
Fall Out Boy - Infinity on High
Gavin DeGraw - Chariot
Gnarls Barkley - St. Elsewhere
Gym Class Heroes - As Cruel As School Children
Hot Action Cop - Fever For The Flava
Ima Robot - Monument to the Masses
Jason Mraz - Mr. A-Z
Jet - Get Born
Khia - Kwang
LeAnn Rimes - Life Goes On
Lynard Skynard - Sweet Home Alabama
Maroon 5 - Songs About Jane
Michael Jackson - Number Ones
Mika - Life in Cartoon Motion
Missy Elliott - Lose Control
Missy Elliott - Gossip Folks (Remix)
My Chemical Romance - The Black Parade
Next - Too Close
OK Go - Get Over It
OK Go - Here It Goes Again
Rascal Flats - What Hurts the Most
Rockapella - Carmen Sandiego
Scissor Sisters - Scissor Sisters
Sir Mix-A-Lot - Baby Got Back
The Veronicas - 4ever
Timbaland - Give It To Me
TLC - No Scrubs
TLC - Unpretty
Toya - I Do!
Unwritten Law - Rest of My Life
Will Smith - Gettin' Jiggy With It

Having a swingin' soundtrack is essential to the perfect trip. Think about it this way, in the soundtrack of your life, or rather, during this 5 minute vacation montage of your life, what songs do you want expressing the fun you're having? I know when I went to Chicago, I made sure to download some awesome stuff so I could feel amazing strutting down the Magnificent Mile. My list is shorter, but it's a lot more swing and oldies, and Christmas music...

I also love to download LadyRaptastic podcasts and ThisAmericanLife podcasts, both of which are available on iTunes.

Sun/wind burns, Chafing, Sore Feet and Stiff Neck Fixes

2007-03-25T09:30:00.000-07:00

There's nothing worse than having a trip ruined by something as preventable as the aforementioned items. Incase you skipped the title, for whatever reason, I will list them again:

Sun/wind Burns
Chafing
Sore Feet
Stiff Neck

These are all easily treatable, and even more easily prevented! Whether you're visiting a sun drenched spot or dry, blistering freeze blast of a city, your skin is going to take a beating. Two things: sunblock and moisturizer. I've found the best source of two-in-one is Oil of Olay's basic face moisturizer has an SPF of 20 and the little travel tubes work great.

Chafing. Well, this one's a bother. If you've already chafed, that sucks. Here's what you do, wash. Then powder up with Arm and Hammer's - it's in a green bottle and it does the trick. It took us YEARS to figure that out, but Kevin is a huge proponent of anti-chafing so he set everyone straight. Also, I hear that for guys, boxer-briefs instigate less friction.
Tip: Don't do a theme park where you WILL get wet and then walk around in your jeans for 2 hours. Bring an extra pair of shorts or something.

My feet hurt all the time. So do Kevin's. I have falling arches and Kevin has completely flat feet. Kind of like a duck, really. Anyway, the only way to combat achy feet is to buy sturdy insoles for your shoes. I like Dr. Scholls, personally. The ones that provide extra heel support as well as arch support. I also make sure to wear the comfiest in shoes. Especially when I know I need to do a lot of walking.

As far as the stiff neck goes, I have found that it happens because I don't have my usual pillow with me. Maybe Kevin has it right, maybe I should just pull a pillow off of my bed and bring it, but I don't. I do, however, use that squishy black travel pillow a LOT! It's completely moldable and it helps me neck out a ton. Get yourself a nice squishy travel pillow, for reals.

Travel Ease: Buzz Kayak Sunday Top Ten Getaways

2007-03-25T08:29:00.000-07:00

I checked out Kayak this morning to see where the cheapest flights are going to...sort of like a virtual turn the globe and place your finger on a random spot. So, it looks like for less than $150 you get fly from Orlando to some pretty spectacular spots!

Observe:
1 and 2. $117 Orlando to Washington or Philly!

Awesome, download 'Eye of the Tiger' or the Rocky Theme song by Bill Conti into your iPod and go the distance! Then find the Rocky statue and take many a photo of yourself jumping in the air! Don't forget to visit the Liberty Bell, Ben Franklin's first public library or take a train/car ride down to Gettysburg for some Civil War reenactments-or better yet, visit Pennsylvania's Amish country.

Washington DC is pretty basic, lots of walking! Visit all the places I listed in my last post: Holocaust Museum, Jefferson and Lincoln memorials, the Washington Monument, the museums of Modern Art and Natural History, etc.

3. $121 Orlando to Fort Lauderdale

Honestly, I hate Florida. I would hate to fly out of Orlando and still be in Florida, so this one, while cheap, not worth it for me. The only thing relevant about Fort Lauderdale is that's where the kid was from in that movie, Flight of the Navigator. Compliance!

4. $126 Orlando to Charlotte, North Carolina

Now this is what I'm talking about! From sand blowing in your eyes to the smell of mountain pine trees! You can white water raft, go tubing on the lazier rivers, find a ski lodge with a nice hot tub in the snow, etc. Charlotte is a beautiful city with sprawling landscapes, majestic oak trees, brick campuses, and diverse multi-cultural center.

5, 6, 7, and 8. $137 Orlando to Baltimore, Chicago, Indianapolis and New York!

Are you serious? Ok, let's to Baltimore first. The port is beautiful and their aquarium is phenomenal. Lots of museums and history packed into this little town. A quaint place for shopping and uppity dining. If you're feeling fancy, slap on a dress, some shiny heels, and splurge on dinner in one of the seaside restaurants.

Chicago! The Second City, named so due to the extensive rebuilding that took place after the great fire. Read my previous posts on Chicago. Definitely a city worth visiting. Try to get tickets to Jerry Springer, eat Chicago deep dish at a Giordano's, visit MoSI and the Museum of Modern Art. Go to Navy Pier and drool over the sailors. Seriously.

I've never been to Indianapolis, but I think I'd definitely go. Placing 'visit Indianapolis' in Google popped up their symphony, a motorway, and the official site of the Colts. Those three things are a trip in themselves! I'd LOVE to go here, wander the city in the day time, have a fancy dinner and then the symphony one night; spend a day at the motorway cheering on cars that drive in circles, and then a Sunday football game!? An ideal vacation, I know. I've also just read that Indianapolis has the world's largest children's museum and North America's largest water clock, whatever that is! Sounds awesome, though! What do you say, Kevin...Indianapolis, yay or nay? Remember that show Eerie Indiana...nobody remembers that show!

New York is pretty simple. Go. I'm there right now. Flying back to Orlando in no less than...4 hours. I love it here, but I'm a Boston girl. You should still go, though!

9. $139 Orlando to Nashville

Mmmmmm country music... I'm not a huge fan, that's true, but! I'm sure you can walk into any night club or bar and run into some serious music talent! Looking at the official site for tourisn, I'm a little thrown by the girl, photographed in mid-writh...she reminds me of the red-headed Oracle in the movie '300.' I feel like any moment now, one of her nips is going to pop-out, then sure, I'll visit Nashville. I do love the layout and design of the site, though! They are very music oriented, so I would be prepared to leave extra room in your suitcase for people handing out their demos. Looks like June is the best time to visit, a plethora of music festivals await you!

10. $140 Orlando to Norfolk, Virginia

Honestly, I love Virginia, so I'm biased, but Norfolk looks amazing. The water, the city, the museums. Norfolk looks like you could just wander around the town and satisfied. I would, anyway. There are a ton of museums, mainly because the city is nearly 400 years old! My favorite thing, I think, is this theatre: Granaby Theatre. Built in 1915, it served as a Vaudeville theatre and has been restored to its 'original splendor!' It would definitely be worth a visit.

You go, Kayak!

Travel Tips and How To's: The Best Souvenirs

2007-03-24T17:48:00.000-07:00

People always want you to bring them back something. I don't like buying shirts that say 'I <3 NY' or 'BOSTON' on them...ok, I like the Boston one, but you get the point. I've found that the best souvenirs are personal things that you can actually relate to a person. Something that can 'only be found' in the place you're visiting.

Case in point: NYC Condoms, with the package design like the metro signs. Priceless and free, handed out by street peeps. Probably not the safest condoms; so I wouldn't recommend using them! Pictures are also good!

Things To Do: Go See a Movie!

2007-03-24T09:45:00.000-07:00

I'm not quite sure why, but it just so happens I've gone to see movies while I'm traveling and they've all been exceptional experiences. I think going to see a movie is great! For one, you get to see a movie: w00t! Secondly, it's cool to see a movie because it's relaxing, it's only a couple of hours, and it's something your whole group can do- it's also relatively cheap [unless you're in England...]. Thirdly, saying, 'I saw that film in Paris,' is just as awesome as 'I bought that in Paris.' So, why not?

Flashback: Nov 2005
Kevin and I land in Chicago, exhausted but excited, we set out to explore. It's already late and most things are closed, so we grab some food and decide to see Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. It's opening night and we've actually planned ahead for this, we buy our tickets and wait the 3 hours before the film. Kevin buys this electronic game, 20Q and time is passed in hilarity. The movie is phenomenal and I cried. We walk back to our hotel thoroughly satisfied!

Flashback: June 2006
Andrew, Kevin and I head to North Carolina, where none of us get phone reception and my car is trusted to take us there and bring us back! Well, we made it, and while we were there we stepped out one night to see the newest Adam Sandler movie, Click. From the previews, it appeared that Adam's character gets his wish in a remote 'to control [his] universe,' and hilarity would ensue. Well, while there were some very very funny parts, the movie left me sobbing. It was such a downer, but it was sooo good! Loved it. Loved it.

Flashback: Dec 2006
After a loonnnggg day of packing in as much French history and culture [read: crepes in the park outside of the Louvre, a full day of riding the Metro and ducking gypsies, an Eiffel Tower visit at 7:30AM, marching down the Champs Elyssees to the Arc de Triomphe, etc.] we were beat. We'd toyed with the idea of seeing a movie, but Grant was skeptical and Kevin and I were really pulling for this weird 'Arthur et les Minimoys' film we kept seeing posters of. Picture an animated kid with spiky hair surrounded by weird pixie things. Yeah. We won out, however, and the movie turned out to be awesome! It was just the picker-upper we needed and the Paris theatre was actually really neat! The layout and seating is totally unique. We clambered outside in the cold to try and snag a picture with the movie poster and our excited 'thumbs up!' faces. It took about 9 tries, since the poster was on a rotation and it was hard to time! We had an awesome time recognizing the voices, too [..Is that ...Madonna?! Oh my god, Snoop Dog!?...is that ROBERT DeNIRO!? SHUT UP!!!]

Flashback: March 2007
I'm in New York and last night I decided to go see a movie with my friend, Ryan. I guess we're not late-night city folk, so this was perfect. The movie, was also damn funny. We went to see Wild Hogs and I was surprised at how amusing and entertaining the film actually was! The AMC was cramped and on 3 stories, but it was clean and full of kids. We got there early so we watched the first few minutes to Premonition, which I really want to see now. Anyway, it was really fun and I can't stress how fun movies are when you're traveling! Seeing this with my old friend was like hanging out in old times- we joked and laughed and enjoyed the simplicity of just seeing a movie together.

Check out the Paris theatre in all it's glory, via slideshow, of course!
This album is powered by BubbleShare - Add to my blog

Travel Tips and How To's: Packing Light

2007-03-24T09:00:00.000-07:00

There is no need to travel with nine 'luggages,' as I say in my video. That's the weirdest spoken typos...but oh well. I've learned that the best way to pack is to roll up your clothes. It also helps keep them wrinkle-free and it's easier to roll entire outfits together, if need be. I tend to pack a lot of black stuff, it goes with everything, it's slimming, and if absorbs heat [good for cold places]. Follow my standard rule of packing thin tshirts and shirts, that way you can layer if you need to.

Note: I did not buy that green hat, it's Kevin's. I think I said I 'bought' it in my video, I meant 'brought.' Thank you, Kevin!

Wearing Scarves
There are three scarves that I like to bring, and I roll them up all together. They are a beige fancy one, a looonngg black and purply one, and a short fleece black one. You can wear all three in very specific, different ways.

Observe:
The beige scarf is kind of short, so the only cute way to wear it is to fold it in half, and bring the two ends through the loop. It stays in a nice fluffed circle around your neck. This is good for wearing bigger jackets, or jackets that have a high collar.

I really like this scarf, the neutral color doesn't wash-out my face, it's delicate enough to wear with a nice dress, and it looks great with a simple long-sleeved black shirt.

The black scarf is also short, but it doesn't have all the holes that the beige scarf does; it's just a simple rectangle of black fleece. I love this scarf because it keeps my neck REALLY warm.

The only way I like to wear this scarf is to place the scarf like a blanket across my back, and then fold over each end over my shooulders. It acts as a removeable turtle-neck pretty much. The black makes it sleek enough to wear out with a dress, but just like the beige scarf, it's classic with a sweater or long-sleeved shirt and a pair of jeans.

The other cool thing about this scarf is that I can leave it as is, and then wear a sweater over it, so that the ends are tucked into the sweater. I think in England I was able to wrap my hands up in this baby and use it as a make-shift muff. Ha ha ha! Ingenius!

...and the last one...

This is my favorite scarf. It's reaaallllyyy long. It's made kind of neat, as you can see, with all the holes in it, but it's still super warm because the length allows you to literally wrap yourself in it.

This scarf is cool because if I wear it just placed around my neck, the ends hang down just around mid-thigh, creating a very elongated look. Which is great because I'm short and round! I also like to wear it with dresses or shirts that are a little low-cut, because it acts as a nice cleaveage-hider. No joke! The wrap dress I have is kind of deep and this scarf is amazing for it. I mean, don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with flaunting what you have, but at a conference for women, the last thing I want to do is portray myself as an object.

Anyway, everybody should have these three scarves. Black and beige are my style since they go with everything, very nice!

Accessorizing
I brought 3 accessories with me. A silk scarf, black; a long necklace made of three strands of black beads, and a green 'cool kid' hat that belongs to kevin.

The scarf is awesome, I can fold it up and use it as a headband, if I want to go to a church I can wear it as a head scarf, I can wear it as a fancy neck scarf, or I can even fold it up and wind it around my wrist to make a trendy, wide bracelet-type deal.

The necklace is cool because it goes with everything. It's also kind of long so I can double it over and wear it as a shorter, chunkier piece. It works great with a regular tshirt, or a simple wrap dress.

The hat is pretty self explanatory. You put it on your head. :)

Comfort
When it comes to underwear, please pack what you love. I don't care if there's a hole it in. I don't care if there are bleach stains! Comfort is key! For bras, for example, I don't know about anybody else, but there is one particular one that I LOVE, so I brought that one. As far as underwear and socks, I bring a handful of the most comfortable and I WASH them. That's right! In the morning, when you're taking your shower, wash your skivvies from the day before, and your socks, if they're dirty and smelly! I hate going back home with dirty clothes, if I can help it.

Travel Info: Planning for Japan 2007

2007-03-23T14:36:00.000-07:00

I want to go to Japan, simple as that. So I've started researching. I've looked up yearly festivals and I'm going to plan my trip around the Tokyo Game Show, which is in September.

I shouldn't say 'my' trip, as I will be traveling with my current beau, Pete. Actually, his name is James. He's not big on traveling, there are other things he'd rather spend his money on, but visiting Japan would actually interest him so I'm psyched he's going. I'm really looking forward to shopping and have already begun to learn some key phrases, through a free podcast I subscribed to on iTunes. I've started alerts on Kayak and Farecast, to keep me informed for any dips in the fare of my tickets. I've already decided I want to spend no more than $800 on them, we'll see how that goes!

Pete bought me a travel book on Japan and the culture is simply fascinating. Maybe I should contact a few people via myspace or something that would be willing to meet up and show us around Tokyo. I definitely want to go see the indoor pool with the synthetic sand!

Stuff to do:
Research tickets to the game show
Research hotels, hostels
Get some info from the Embassy

Stuff I've Found:
Kasai Rinkai Seaside Park, a piece of reclaimed land on the way to Tokyo Disneyland. You take the JR Keiyo Line towards Chiba (or the Yurakucho or Rinkai Lines) to Shin-Kiba station, and it's about a 7-10 minute walk towards the sea.
Another one:
a small amusement park in the asakusa area of tokyo (i believe it's called HANAYASHIKI)

Hotels!!
Capsule death coffin ones: http://www.yesicanusechopsticks.com/thesequel/capsule/index.htm
http://www.yesicanusechopsticks.com/thesequel/capsule/IMG_2752_small.JPG
One guy's story: http://www.links.net/vita/trip/japan/lodging/capsulefontaine/
Note- NO GIRLS allowed in the capsule hotels! All men.

Tokyo Green Hotel: Ochanomizu
Business Hotel
Akihabra/Kanda
8400 / night

Kimi Ryokan
Traditional
Ikebukuro
4800 / night

Love Hotels!!
Japan's Indoor Man-Made Beach: Ocean Dome, $50
Entrance costs US$50, which seems especially expensive given that there is a free, natural beach only 300 metres away.
DisneyJapan: WOO HOOOO $48
DisneySea: Tokyo, $48<----- I don't know what that is..but yay! Universal Studios, Japan: still cheap! $48 Tokyo Summer Land Water park in Hachioji, Tokyo prefecture-

It's also good to research transportation:
Tokyo Subway: http://www.tokyometro.jp/e/index.html
Rates: Most rides across Tokyo cost no more than 180 yen. A Tokyo Combination Ticket, an all day "Open Ticket" that can be used on all lines, is 710 yen (adult) and 360 yen (child). These tickets can be bought up to six months in advance and can be used up to six months after the date of purchase. Hours: Trains run daily from 5 a.m. to midnight.

Flashback Trip: Road Trip 2006 Part 1

2007-03-23T13:58:00.000-07:00

On this road trip, Adrian, Adam, Kevin and I met up with our friend Dane, who attends Washington and Lee University in Virginia. We drove up I-95 and then headed West. We played the celebrity game to pass the time. Anyway, we got so wrapped-up in the game we overshot our exit by nearly 2 hours.

We finally made it to our destination in Virginia. Dane took us back to Natural Bridge and a quaint little ice cream parlor off campus. The town itself is beautiful and the school is so old! I like the story about Robert E. Lee's horse, Traveller, which is buried in the town church.

We also drove to Washington DC and went to the Lincoln Memorial, the Jefferson Memorial, the Holocaust Museum, the Smithsonian, the museums of modern art and natural history. We also had a hook-up in the Capitol and were able to walk inside the congress building, we had a great tour it was really interesting. Thanks Tom Feeney!

We visited the White House, of course, there were no protestors. Kevin and I went to the Library of Congress, where I was able to find documents and manuscripts of my great-grandfather, Julius Conus's, music- as well as other Conus family members [George, Leon]! We also visited Arlington Cemetary and watched the changing of the guard, there were also a lot of Amish vacationing.

Note: We found a dead rat outside the subway, which smelled like pee for about a 3,435 ft sq radius. Our hotel was gross and the matress was nasty. I found a mobile pupusa stand!

Highlights:
Adam managed to pee in a cup, while sitting in the car!
Kevin spotting the rat that stayed plastered to the sidewalk for 2 days.
Me finding the pupusa-mobile!
My 'I farted on...' campaign, which included the Library of Congress, Hitler, Adam,etc.

Slideshow the first:
This album is powered by BubbleShare - Add to my blog
Slideshow the second:
This album is powered by BubbleShare - Add to my blog

How to Play the Travel Celebrity Game
wherein one person names a famous person and then the next player names another person whose name starts with the same letter of the last person's last name. [Ex: Julia Louis-Dreyfus, David Duchovni, Dolly Parton, Pierce Brosnan, etc.]

Travel Buyables: Travel Pillows!

2007-03-23T12:49:00.000-07:00

Whenever we roadtrip, Kevin brings his pillow. An actual pillow, off of his bed. I tend to bring one of three things: a large Homer Simpson plush doll, a black squishy square pillow or a soft black neck pillow in the shape of a little bear.

Comfort is a must! I like the Homer doll because I like to hug something when I sleep, it's also foldable, but then it becomes kind of bulky. The squishy pillow is great, it's filled with a zillion tiny microscopic styrofoam balls so it molds to anything [I think!] and the material is a slick, polyester, which holds warmth. The great thing about this one is that it has a zippered pocket in the back, which I can fit my iPod, spare headphones, my electronic Sudoku game, an extra battery AND a pen! The last one is great, it's neck-shaped, and I turn it around so that the 'C' is around one side of my neck, since I tilt my head to the side when I sleep.

Note on My iPod
It broke, it just won't play and Apple has terrible customer service :(

A Short Occurrence from a Recent Flight
This week, my co-worker Ashley [a guy] and I traveled to NY for a blogging conference, Blogher. I fell asleep on the flight, of course, hugging my squisky black square. I woke, up, however, because my head was extremely hot. It felt like somebody left a straightening iron on my scalp for 30 minutes- also, it smelled like burning hair. Apparently, the sun had heated the thin, plastic shade so much that it had ACTUALLY burned my scalp and hair! Ouch! Stupid sun!

Flashback Trip: Chicago 2005

2007-03-23T11:44:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned in a previous post, Kevin and I decided to fly to Chicago. Why? Well, why not? Kevin is as big a travel freak as I am and any chance we can leave, we do. Florida sucks anyway. All of those who want to travel to Florida? There are better places to go! Trust me!

Anyway, we decided we'd go to Chicago. We'd decided this in mid September, by the 21st, we'd purchased our tickets. This was easy because I happened to be on buzz.kayak and Chicago was the cheapest flight, one way for $67.50- EACH! This was clearly, a no-brainer. The flight had on a company called Independence Airlines.

Independence was a nice flight! Clean and very friendly! Unfortunately, right before our trip, Independence sent us an email, thanking us for our patronage, but apologizing becuause the company was bankrupt. No wonder it was so cheap..!

We bought our flight back from Continental, direct through their site [cheaper!] for $77.70 each. So, roundtrip, our flight was $145 each- super duper cheap!

Kevin went home and immediately called both Oprah and the Jerry Springer show. Oprah was booked, Jerry's peeps said if they had tickets, they'd call in a few weeks. Our flight was from Orlando to Chicago with a stop in Washington DC's Dulles airport. While on the flight, Kevin and I engaged in this very famous conversation:

Kevin: Hmmm....[scanning the map of the US] I can't see where Chicago is...how many hours behind are they, like 5? [Kevin continues to scan the MidWest...FAR west...in fact, he's tracing his finger over Nevada/California].

Me: What? No it's like an hour, if that- I'm not really sure...Chicago is over here, Kevin [I point to the Great Lakes].

Kevin: [very confused, I can't stop laughing]..Yeah but what about all those pictures of the water? and the Pier?

Me: Lake Michigan? [I can't stop laughing]

Kevin: Oh. I'm not good at geography. [he closes the map] I was wondering why our flight was so short, I thought it'd take 5 hours!

Kevin's a LOT of fun and there is really nobody I'd rather travel with. Even though he yelled at me in Paris for picking a place that was too expensive to eat. It wasn't. :)

So we get to Chicago late, but we had plans! There was an AMC up the street, we bought tickets to go see Harry Potter, opening night! We waited in line for 3 hours, but Kevin bought this toy called 20Q and it was well-worth it. We visited a LOT of museums for free, we ended up in the first row of Jerry Springer, we sat next to Brian Setzer in Giordano's pizza, and we even ran into Jerry Springer [note: Security guards CANNOT take good pictures!] All in all, it was one of the most memorable trips we've taken. Below is a small slideshow, with only a handful of pictures we took in Chicago- enjoy!

This album is powered by BubbleShare - Add to my blog

Travel Tools: Search Engines and Research

2007-03-23T11:15:00.000-07:00

I get really excited about trips. I mean, reallyyyyyy excited. I start planning and researching right away.

To plan a good trip, you need a LOT of research. Domestic trips, here in the states, are easy- you can email or write to visitors' bureaus, visit the official city websites, or do a general search for events and festivities through Google.

Finding a Flight
This is tough. I have found that the best flights can be found through rigorous searches, combining a plethora of useful keywords and phrases. Ex: student, student flights, cheap airfare, seasonal flights, discount tickets, etc. You will find that a lot of inexpensive flights occur during 'last minute' windows. This is about 2 weeks-1 month prior to your departure date.

So that's one side of researching flights, the other side? Use Kayak. I can't tell you how awesome kayak.com is! They scour ALL flight sites for the best possible deals and you can then sift through them by date, time, airline, even by airport. This saves you ALL the trouble of seeing if a flight would be cheaper from an airport a little farther out. You'll be surprised!

The other thing I love about kayak is what I call the randomtriporizer. Visit buzz.kayak.com, the map will show you the cheapest flights across the globe. Back in 2005, Kevin and I chose the cheapest one on the list, Chicago, and went there the day after Thanksgiving. It was phenomenal! A GREAT time to visit the city, I'll have to post about that later.

Another great site is Farecast. Farecast.com is a site that lets you watch the pricing trends of flights, so see when the best time to buy is. As soon as you see your flight on the rise, buy! This is really useful and has helped me determine just the right time to purchase tickets for international flights.

Finding a Hotel
This one is harder. You have to rely on the testimonials of people who have been to these places to trust that they're worth staying in. I think the best site for finding a hotel is Hotels Combined. Their layout is pretty much like Kayak, but for hotels! Phenomenal!

Finding Fun Stuff To Do
I've found that the best thing to do when looking for stuff to do is read people's blogs. Do a search in a blog hosting site for the city you're looking for, plus something that interests you [ex: Boston, Museum or Dallas, festival]. Then you can find first-hand accounts, sometimes pictures, of cool and local things to do, without being stuck to the normal touristy stuff. Visiting the museums and checking for 'free' days or 'discount' days is also great, you can plan an entire trip around free stuff, which is what Kevin and I did for Chicago.

What to Wear
This list applies to ANYWHERE, I swear. This is the list I keep, no matter where I go.
-2 pair of jeans
-one comfy skirt
-flip flops
-2 thin tshirts, 2 thin long sleeved shirts
-one sweater/hoodie
-one thin jacket
-handful of socks, underwear, one pair of tights
Here's why this works, if you go to a cold place, LAYER. I can't stress this enough! If you need to, wear your longsleeved shirt, then your tshirt, then your hoodie, then your jacket- if you don't, stick with the tshirt and jeans. If you're visiting a church, sport the skirt and cute flipflops and a clean, simple tshirt. All this stuff will fit in ONE bag you can carryon, I don't quite believe in checking bags. Frankly, it scares me. When you're away, buy a cheap suitcase that you can fill with all the souvenirs you bought or extra clothes and check that when you fly back.

Taking Care of Business
Before you travel ANYWHERE, make copies of ID. Take your license, your debit card, your school ID and place them together on the glass of a copy machine, if you must, add your travel partner's too. You'd be surprised how often this comes in handy! I'm terrified of losing my debit card or my license, so in a place that I can have the register manually input the numbers, I go for it. I also take a copy of my birth certificate. The less you carry around, the better- so try to keep with cash [less than $50] and some ID. If you're traveling internationally, use a prepaid credit card, I got one from my bank, SunTrust. Be sure to call your bank and let them know that you will be abroad, so that they don't freeze your account due to international usage.
_____
I really love to travel and I think the best way to do it is to plan ahead and follow through with all your financial planning and event planning. Research Research Research!

Travel Info: Me, Intro!

2007-03-07T13:10:00.000-08:00

I like airports. I like luggage. I like peanuts in little packages. I like the clean uniforms of the flight crew. I like the tiny windows on planes and the open space of trains. I love walking where those who have made history have walked. Mostly, I love coming home. There's nothing like sleeping in your own home after a long trip.

For those reasons and many more, I am creating a travel blog. I will recount some past adventures before moving onto more current ones!