I am currently doing what I (think) I do best: traveling. So I will take this quiet moment in the EVA Air Lounge in San Francisco Airport to try and reacquaint myself with my own blog. I’ve been traveling for more than 12 hours, so I cannot promise complete coherency.
The past two months have been nothing short of insane. And my poor travel blog was the first casualty. But being in the midst of whirlwind traveling rekindles my devotion. Here’s to many more posts in the days to come.
Talking with a friend today about travel plans for the next 12 months- big plans that I can’t wait to get started on, I was led to think about a couple more useful sites, different to the ones I’ve mentioned before. I decided to put them here for the benefit of anyone that may need it. Continue reading
Many of my friends are traveling this year. That’s really exciting to me, and I love to share the experiences of others’ travels. But I absolutely cringe when they tell me how they’re planning it. Many people, including myself, don’t have the funds to pay for a $4000 trip all at once. So they break it up. But then they do something awful. It’s the travel equivalent of nails on a chalkboard to me.
A reader asked me to address this topic, and I really had to think about it. In all honesty, it’s not my strong suit and I am hardly an expert on the subject. However, for me, it usually boils down to lots and lots of reading.
First, I try to think about the level of activity I want for a trip, and use that as a guideline. I’ve spent a week in Puerto Vallarta doing absolutely nothing other than lazing on the beach for hours a day, and I’ve spent a week in
Paris cramming every activity and museum possible into every moment. Once I’ve deemed a trip one for relaxation, while I might consider hopping public transportation to a famous cafe, there’s no way I’m going to wake up at 4 in the morning for a six-hour walking tour of the city. No thanks. But that’s just me.
The next part is the longest as it can sometimes involve massive amounts of reading. If I have something specific in mind, I may google it: (‘Art activities in Seattle’). But if I have no idea what there is to do in a place I’ve never been to, you’ve got to start somewhere, right? TripAdvisor, Lonely Planet, and Fodor’s are good places to begin. They have lists of popular things to do. But most importantly, they have traveler feedback and experiences. I am a really obsessive planner at heart. If my elephant encounter in Thailand is actually three hours away from my hotel or will end with trainers aggressively begging for money, I’d prefer to read reviews and find that out beforehand.
Travel can be so much fun and so rewarding. Make the most of it.
Etihad Airways, one of the leading Middles Eastern carriers, has put out the ultimate in luxury. Everyone is talking about it, so I decided I would, too.
Tired of your coach seat? Well, soon you’ll be able to experience their new “Residences” on their A380… all for the low price of a bit over $20,000 one way. Don’t everyone go making reservations at once, now.
The following is Etihad’s virtual fly through of all four classes on their A380.
Seems to me that if you could afford that, you’d just take a private jet. But what do I know about the ways of the wealthy?
I am running a bit behind on blog content. Recent life developments have eaten up most of my time. I will, however, be back on track for next week.
I’m unsure of how to comment on these sandwiches. Make your own conclusions.
Reason #558 why I have a hard time sleeping on public transportation: you could be molested.
I hope this guy gets a psychiatric evaluation to go along with some jail time.
While perusing my WordPress reader a few days ago, I read a post by Shirley over at This Square Peg. She began by mentioning the new American Express Everyday card. Before I’d gotten through a few sentences, I was excited.
She’s getting the new Amex? Does she know how good the Membership Rewards points are from that? I should tell her. Think of all the airline transfer partners! Delta. Virgin Atlantic. British Airways. Singapore! Cathay Pacific! This is so exciting!
Reading further, I realized she was only using it as a lovely segue into a personal and intriguing post. Oh. Perhaps my travel-addled brain needs to realign with the real world.
I like food, I like to travel, I like to travel for food
Lifestyle. Melanin. Me: Off the Beaten Path.
Backpacking (and eating) my way around the world!
Writing the story of my life one day at a time.
The Road More Traveled 