Our tip for today: TRAVEL LIKE INDIANA JONES!
Need some inspiration for your next adventure? Try following this Hollywood hunk’s footsteps from South America to the Middle East and visit some of the sites from the films! Check out what Gadling writes about these adventure-packed destinations: Peru, Nepal, Egypt, China, India, and Jordan. Don’t forget your passport!
Travel, be it a family vacation, business trip or RTW adventure, has gone digital. Between the internet cafés (which are quickly becoming a thing of the past), 4G and matchbook-sized travel devices, there are plenty of gizmos to keep you constantly connected to the rest of the world on the other side of cyberspace. Mobile apps like Facebook and Instagram are some of the most common – seriously, who doesn’t use them? But have you heard of some of these others? Below is a [truncated] list of the “Ultimate Travel Apps” – a list compiled by CNNGo. I’ve summarized 5 apps that I’d splurge on. To view the whole list, click here.
1) UNESCO World Heritage Location Guide – Over 900 sites all over the world to browse from, this is a great app for those travelers looking for something on the road less traveled. (Don’t worry, all the famous sites are on there, too.)
2) mTrip – Great for big cities in Asia (i.e.: Bangkok, Hong Kong… all my faves). It tells you what places you’d enjoy visiting (based on preferences you enter once downloaded) and even lets you send virtual postcards to friends and family! I am a sucker for postcards – physical or digital – so I think this one is perfect.
3) Trip Advisor – As small business owners, Trip Advisor is some of the best word-of-mouth advertising we could ask for. Whenever we go on trips (even if it’s just a of couple hours away), we’ll hit up this site for activities, things to do and hotel recommendations. NOTE: In my experience, this site has only been beneficial for places in the U.S. (If you want to check out our business on Trip Advisor, just click here!)
4) Tripline – This app lets you document your trip with pictures, notes and a mapped timeline of everywhere you’ve been. You can check in at various places on your journey just by snapping a photo! Then return home and replay your adventures at your next family function.
5) EveryTrail – Perfect for nature freaks and hiking junkies, this app lets you find trips and trails nearest you, allows you to map your route with the phone’s GPS and even find other hikers in your area. You can view stats (like elevation and distance), see pictures of what’s around the bend and search tons of other trips that fellow nature nuts have taken.
Last tip: Make sure you’ll actually be able to use your smartphone or mobile device where you’re traveling. Just because you have lightning-speed service doesn’t mean you’ll be able to catch a signal in all corners of the globe.
Safe travels!
As much as I love exploring local cuisine when traveling, I was excited to hear that McDonald’s is opening an all-vegetarian outlet in India soon! While the conglomerate certainly has more than a few strikes against it (like tons of trans fats, very UNfair trade with farmers, obesity-causing-artery-clogging fries for a mere $1…just to name a few), I was surprised to see it could and would bend its menu to accommodate a vegetarian diet. In India, where the majority of the population is Hindu and does not eat beef for religious reasons (there are also a large number of Muslims in the country who do not eat pork), McDonald’s needed to invent a menu that was 100% veggie-friendly. And they did! According to CNNGo, Micky D’s gave up their McRib and Big Mac burgers for the McAloo Tiki burger and the McVeggie – an delicious vegetable patty made with carrots, potatoes and peas. The sandwich I’m most excited about (who says you can’t be excited for people halfway across the earth?) is the McSpicy Paneer – a spicy burger filled with paneer (Indian) cheese!
The McSpicy Panner sandwich! YUM!
The foodie fun has its downsides, though. McDonald’s wants to build stores that would be practically on top of Temples and holy site property in order to maximize visitor foot traffic. Many locals and officials are upset that the golden arches are invading their space and building too close to sacred sites.
Many Indians are upset that McDonald’s plans to open a location close to the Golden Temple of Amritsar. They say it’s an “attempt to humiliate Hindus”.
As enthusiastic as I am about the spicy panner sandwich (and the jobs that McDonald’s could bring to India), I hope the company has enough compassion to set aside their business plans and respect the Indian culture. Read the whole article on CNNGo.com!
Today’s tip comes a little late but is very valuable. The tip: Date a girl who travels! Aleah, the Solitary Wander, is a solo traveler who has all kinds of adventures and words of wisdom. Her latest post is about all the reasons why girls who travel make great partners. They are special because of their unique travel experiences, the misadventures they have run into while traveling and their humility they have developed from seeing and experiencing the world.
READ THE WHOLE POST HERE!!! It’s awesome. And it will make your heart flutter for that special someone.
We’re back! After a brief hiatus to handle a family emergency, we’re back in Florida.
This week’s Travel Tip Tuesday is all about how to save money WHILE TRAVELING. So you’ve already hit the road, you’re on an adventure and you want to be sure you stay within your budget. The tips below will help effectively budget your money and not go broke while traveling.
How to save money while traveling:
Forego fancy restaurants – Utilize the local markets and vendors to make your own food or eat the street food (which is MUCH cheaper than restaurants, usually). That being said, you’ll want to navigate street foods carefully and have anti-diarrhea pills handy.
Save the souvenirs – My first trip to China, I bought 3 tea sets (I’m an impulse buyer) without factoring in that China was only the first stop on my itinerary. The lesson: Buy souvenirs and ship them home or stick to smaller items that you can easily put it your pack and carry with you (jewelry, magnets, etc.)
Tipping – An easy way to save money while you’re traveling is researching local customs to see if tipping is necessary. In the U.S., we tip for everything but in some cities in China, it’s rude to tip. Do the research and you may be able to save a chunk of change.
Taxi Troubles – If you can get around without using a taxi, do it. If you can’t, try to negotiate the fare before getting in. (If you’re a woman, fight hard. There are many countries that will try to take advantage of you if you’re a foreign woman).
Exchanging Money – Exchange money for the currency you want BEFORE you get to that country. Don’t exchange at the airport and if you use a kiosk, don’t forget there are fees. I like to use ATM’s… but watch out… there are international and bank fees that apply to ATM’s, too.
Tours and Tickets – This is my weakness. It’s so tempting to book every boat charter, snorkeling trip, zip line and caving tour out there but these activities will drain your bank. Set a budget and stick to it. Or investigate what the tours do (where they go, how they get there, what’s included) and do some of the same activities on your own.
For more tips and tricks to saving money while overseas, check out AirTreks Travel Blog.
Well folks, this is the 5th and final day of my coffee adventures around the world… just in time for the weekend! To read the whole article from MSNBC Itineraries, click here.
United States – Frappuccino
It’s funny to see what people (in this case MSNBC Itineraries) thinks is the quintessential all-American coffee drink. Starbucks, yes. But a frap? Weird. For anyone who doesn’t know (or any non-coffee drinkers out there), a frappuccino is a coffee-meets-milkshake concoction. Usually high in calories and not as much caffeine as your classic black cup of Joe, a frappuccino can be especially tasty on hot days in the summer.
Netherlands: Bakkie Troost
This my type of morning brew: black coffee served with a cookie!
Brazil: Cafezinho
Very sweet and very strong. Did you know that Brazil produces 1/3 of the world’s coffee beans?! Awesome!
Poland: Kawa Parzona
Ground coffee beans and water mixed right in your cup. No filter. I feel like this would be like drinking sandy water. Hmmm.
Japan: Kan Kohi
Two words: canned coffee. Usually from one of the 6 million vending machines in the country that will dispense a cold brew in the summer and hot brew in the winter.
Photo by Alberto Pizzoli - MSNBCtravels
The Chinese are generally known to be frugal and modest, so it’s quite a surprise to hear that a 66-day luxury trip around the world sold out in just 13 SECONDS! The trip costs [a mere] RMB 660,000 – over $100,000 USD. The 11-person tour is organized by Ctrip – a Chinese travel agency conglomerate. (Tip: book airline tickets through them when you’re in China – they’re much cheaper than the usual travel agencies/airlines).
The “world tour”, China claims, is the “ultimate travel experience.” The itinerary looks something like this:
Australia + 24 days in South America + a cruise to Antarctica + North Africa + Europe + a 10-day cruise through the Med + Paris + Finland + Dubai + India + Hong Kong.
They’re flying first-class to all of their destinations, staying at the most high-end and posh hotels, and only participating in luxury-related activities. Read the article at CNN Go here.
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I think this type of “tour” is an embarrassment for China. Not only is it ridiculously expensive given that the price tag is 8-10x that of the average annual Chinese salary, but I think it’s extremely homogenous, limited, and narrow-minded. Don’t get me wrong, people are absolutely free to travel however they please and by whatever means they desire but don’t call this the “ultimate travel experience” globetrotting tour of of the world when you’re only going to a fraction of it. (These are my personal thoughts only and do not reflect those of CNN Go or Ctrip.)
Day 3 of my coffee guide around the world! Read MSNBC Itineraries’ article here.
Cuba: Cubano
Raw sugar + espresso-like shot = a good way to spend 75¢.
Indonesia: Kopi Luwak
*Disclaimer: This one is gross.* Civets (mammals native to Asia that looks like a cross between a cat, a weasel and a cheetah) eat coffee berries and then poop the coffee beans. Farmers sift through the crap to get the beans and then make your brew. Like it bold? Intestinal enzymes help make the beans smoother and give a richer taste. I think I’ll pass on coffee when we get to Indonesia.
Malaysia: Pak Kopi/Kopi Putih/Bai Ka-fe
This coffee is either roasted in palm oil margarine – a lighter roast- or traditional Malaysian coffee is roasted with sugar AND margarine – giving it a darker roast. (I think Paula Dean would approve).
Argentina: Cortado
It’s simple and no thrills: An espresso shot with a splash of milk.
Australia/New Zealand: Flat White
Coffee and steamed milk mixed together. But no frothy, bubbly foam, so it’s not a latté. (Even though it is made with “micro-foam” from the bottom of the steaming carafe.). Sounds like a latté to me, kiwis!
