Ways to Travel Better:
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Showing posts with label Tips and Tricks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tips and Tricks. Show all posts
3/2/13
Yes Please
At the tail end of the most unbearable season in the Midwest, I'm sure you can relate when I say my cabin fever is at an all time high. To make myself (and you) feel better, today's post is all about BEACHES! ENJOY!
CNN's "17 beaches we'd like to be lounging on"
CNN's "World's 50 Best Beaches"
US News' "Best Beaches in the USA"
Coastal Living's "21 Best Beaches"
And Minneapolis' Very Own "Best Beaches"
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| Cristiano, where did you come from??? What a surprise. |
CNN's "World's 50 Best Beaches"
US News' "Best Beaches in the USA"
Coastal Living's "21 Best Beaches"
And Minneapolis' Very Own "Best Beaches"
2/8/13
Souvenirs
I wrote about this in my Haggling post, and now CNN has posted a similar story with more good tips. Enjoy!
CNN Souvenir Buying No no's
CNN Souvenir Buying No no's
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| These are a big no no :) |
1/22/13
Long Flight Survival
Quick Long Flight Survival Tips, Tested and Proven by Your Truly:
-Wear thick socks, comfy shoes, comfy clothes, and LAYER! It gets cold at 30,000 feet, and plane blankets suck. My personal favorite is fuzzy socks. Kind of want this sleeper hoodie though: Burton Sleeper Travel Hoodie
-Bring an eye mask and earplugs or headphones...that crying baby at 2 am will make you crabby. If you like to sleep to music, create a quiet playlist to listen to as you sleep. My personal favorite sleep music is the Postal Service. Never fails!
-Bring your own bottle of water, extra snacks, and gum.
-Watch movies, read a book or magazine, play games...if you cant sleep, keep yourself distracted so time passes quickly.
-Take Sleep Aids if you are flying overnight somewhere and want to guarantee you get some sleep across the pond. Take the aids about 15-20 minutes before takeoff. Regular ol' Target brand Sleep Aid works just as well as other brand name products.
-Pack a small bag of items for quickly refreshing in the bathroom: Toothbrush and paste, contact/eye drops, face wipes, lotion, deodorant, nasal saline, lip balm, Advil, etc.
- Get up every hour or so and walk around, stretch, anything to get some movement. If you cant leave your seat, do some chair exercises: Do an In Flight Fitness Workout
This article has been written many times, I know, but here are some other good links:
Do you have another must have or must do for surviving long flights? Comment below.
1/8/13
Travel Tip - Haggling
Travelers of any degree know this feeling all too well. You're on a trip, walking and seeing the sights, and you pass by a little store or street vendor selling scarves, wallets, postcards, figurines, keychains and T-shirts, all emblazoned with the destination name, symbol, or a witty local saying. A little voice pipes up inside your head: "Maybe I should get something to bring back for [insert mom/dad/sibling name/spouse name/friend]?" Before you know it you have spent nearly $100 to get your sister a shot glass that says "Everyting Irie Mon", your dad a Gecko t-shirt, your mom a purse [supposedly] made by locals, your best friend a pot leaf necklace, and your spouse a box of Cuban cigars, not really from Cuba. Worst part is, almost all of it was made in Taiwan or China.
What is it that gets us about souvenirs? We go on trips, and something from within propels us to buy tokens or trinkets that symbolically represent our trip for loved ones back at home. Maybe it stems from a sense of guilt? Maybe excitement? Perhaps we just feel we can share our trip with those we love who weren't there to experience it by bringing a piece of our trip home with us. On the receiving end, everyone loves getting gifts, but its hard to be excited about a generic keychain or t-shirt from a place you have never been. I have noticed several gifts I have brought back for Dustin are forever nestled in his bedside table, aka the junk drawer, never to see the light of day ever again. A tip: If you are going to get souvenirs for people back at home, try to find something you really think they will like or use, and not just something for the sake of buying something.
Sometimes, we buy things just for ourselves, hoping to make the memory of our trip last longer. I am frequently guilty of this act. I like to buy one thing from a trip to place on my bookshelf. I have a little llama figurine from an Ecuadorian market, a wooden turtle from Jamaica, a red mosaic-tiled bull from Spain, a jade Buddha from Chinatown in San Francisco, and so on. Sometimes photos just aren't enough; I like to walk by and see something tangible from the places I have been.
No matter the reason or who they are for, souvenirs are inevitable. And expensive, for what they are worth. The good news is, almost everywhere you go, haggling can burn that hole in your pocket a little less quickly. The definition of 'haggle' isn't very flattering:
haggle [hag-uh l]
This definition of haggling is a bit reductive though. When used properly, haggling can be carried out in a manner that is both dignified and respectful, while still satisfying both the tourist and the vendor.
Often vendors expect tourists to haggle, and intentionally overprice their items in advance of the sale. When you find an item you are interested in buying, think what you would be willing to pay for the item before you ask or look at the price, if possible. Having that number in your head will help you once you find out the items actual price. If it is lower than you expected, great! Get it! Sold! If it is waaaaaay higher than you expected, move on. Even with haggling, you will most likely not be able to get the vendor down to the price you have in mind. If the price is near what you hoped, but just a bit more than you are willing to pay, now is the time to haggle.
-Start by asking the vendor if he would be willing to take the amount you would like to pay. If they say yes, you are done. If the vendor does give you the price you ask for, don't try to bargain any further.
-If they say no, and don't offer any counteroffer, they probably will not budge. Now you need to decide whether it is worth more than you want to pay for it, or if its better to just walk away.
-If the vendor says no, but offers a counteroffer that is lower than the original price, now is the best time to haggle since you know the vendor is willing to bargain.
-Think about the price for a minute, with a frown or furrowed brow.
-Offer up another counteroffer, in the range between the you and the vendor's offered prices. Repeat if needed.
-Once the vendor agrees to a price you are happy with, the haggle is over.
A few tips:
-Be respectful, and smile. People are always more receptive to friendly people, and they will be more willing to interact with you.
-Be honest with yourself about the worth of the item to you and to the vendor. You can't expect a vendor to sell you a scarf for $1 when he is selling them for $20 each.
-Sometimes, telling the vendor you only have enough money for the price you offered will get them to agree to your price.
-If all else fails, saying "no, thank you" and walking away can prompt the vendor to rethink his offer and call you back to negotiate further.
-You can often get the vendor to give you a discount on multiple items for one lump sum.
When not to haggle:
-If you are buying services or food (quality of service will be diminished, and you should never mess with the people who cook/bring you your food). The exception is at a farmers market, or any place where you can already see the food you are bargaining for.
-just for the sake of haggling. If the price is right, the price is right, and remember that the vendor has to make a profit on the sale too.
-If the item is really special, like something that you know the vendor himself/herself has handmade. Haggling could be an insult in this instance.
-If you are a millionaire (C'mon, you can afford it anyways).
Wikitravel has a good article on haggling, with a few additional tips here: Wikitravel - How to haggle
Sometimes, we buy things just for ourselves, hoping to make the memory of our trip last longer. I am frequently guilty of this act. I like to buy one thing from a trip to place on my bookshelf. I have a little llama figurine from an Ecuadorian market, a wooden turtle from Jamaica, a red mosaic-tiled bull from Spain, a jade Buddha from Chinatown in San Francisco, and so on. Sometimes photos just aren't enough; I like to walk by and see something tangible from the places I have been.
haggle [hag-uh l]
1. to bargain in a petty, quibbling, and often contentious manner: They spent hours haggling over the price of fish.
2.to wrangle, dispute, or cavil: The senators haggled interminably over the proposed bill.
3. to mangle in cutting; hack.
4.to settle on by haggling.
This definition of haggling is a bit reductive though. When used properly, haggling can be carried out in a manner that is both dignified and respectful, while still satisfying both the tourist and the vendor.
-If they say no, and don't offer any counteroffer, they probably will not budge. Now you need to decide whether it is worth more than you want to pay for it, or if its better to just walk away.
-If the vendor says no, but offers a counteroffer that is lower than the original price, now is the best time to haggle since you know the vendor is willing to bargain.
-Think about the price for a minute, with a frown or furrowed brow.
-Offer up another counteroffer, in the range between the you and the vendor's offered prices. Repeat if needed.
-Once the vendor agrees to a price you are happy with, the haggle is over.
A few tips:
-Be respectful, and smile. People are always more receptive to friendly people, and they will be more willing to interact with you.
-Be honest with yourself about the worth of the item to you and to the vendor. You can't expect a vendor to sell you a scarf for $1 when he is selling them for $20 each.
-Sometimes, telling the vendor you only have enough money for the price you offered will get them to agree to your price.
-If all else fails, saying "no, thank you" and walking away can prompt the vendor to rethink his offer and call you back to negotiate further.
-You can often get the vendor to give you a discount on multiple items for one lump sum.
When not to haggle:
-If you are buying services or food (quality of service will be diminished, and you should never mess with the people who cook/bring you your food). The exception is at a farmers market, or any place where you can already see the food you are bargaining for.
-just for the sake of haggling. If the price is right, the price is right, and remember that the vendor has to make a profit on the sale too.
-If the item is really special, like something that you know the vendor himself/herself has handmade. Haggling could be an insult in this instance.
-If you are a millionaire (C'mon, you can afford it anyways).
Wikitravel has a good article on haggling, with a few additional tips here: Wikitravel - How to haggle
12/3/12
Travel Tip - Talk the Talk
If you are traveling out of the country to a non-English speaking country, and you have some time to prepare, try learning the language! One of the best ways to get the most out of any foreign experience is to be able to communicate, even minimally, with people you will no doubt meet.
Learn a few basic phrases in the language of the country you will be visiting, even if it is only "Hello," "Goodbye," and "Thank You". I am amazed at how much more receptive locals are to tourists who at least attempt to communicate with them in their own country's language. Plus, there is quite a rush that comes with being able to speak to someone in a new language and understand their response.
Rosetta Stone is the best option on the market right now, but if you don't have a couple hundred dollars to spend, fear not! If you only need a few phrases, a simple Google search will reap plenty of resources. If you would like something a little more intensive, where you can build a language foundation in an academic approach, but without the high price tag, look no further than Livemocha.
Livemocha is a FREE online language learning program. Not only does it allow you to take language courses online for free in many language options, but it also can connect you to other users around the globe who are trying to learn English. You can 'friend' people, review other users submissions, and have other native speakers review your writing and speaking submissions.
I can personally attest to the usefulness of Livemocha. Prior to our Europe backpacking trip this year, I decided that I wanted to learn some Italian before we visited Italy. I joined Livemocha and worked through 2 units of the lessons over the course of 3 months, and bought a Goldkey membership so that I could download audio lessons and flashcards to my iPod. The lessons were useful, and by the time we reached Italy, I was able to ask a man on the street for directions to Grom Gelateria, and understood his response and followed his directions. SUCCESS!
I highly recommend Livemocha! I will be using it again soon to start brushing up on my Portuguese!
Livemocha: http://livemocha.com/
Learn a few basic phrases in the language of the country you will be visiting, even if it is only "Hello," "Goodbye," and "Thank You". I am amazed at how much more receptive locals are to tourists who at least attempt to communicate with them in their own country's language. Plus, there is quite a rush that comes with being able to speak to someone in a new language and understand their response.
Rosetta Stone is the best option on the market right now, but if you don't have a couple hundred dollars to spend, fear not! If you only need a few phrases, a simple Google search will reap plenty of resources. If you would like something a little more intensive, where you can build a language foundation in an academic approach, but without the high price tag, look no further than Livemocha.
Livemocha is a FREE online language learning program. Not only does it allow you to take language courses online for free in many language options, but it also can connect you to other users around the globe who are trying to learn English. You can 'friend' people, review other users submissions, and have other native speakers review your writing and speaking submissions.
I highly recommend Livemocha! I will be using it again soon to start brushing up on my Portuguese!
Livemocha: http://livemocha.com/
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