Posts Tagged ‘travel tips’

March28

Pros and Cons of Off-Season Travel

By: JoAnna

Pros and Cons of Off Season TravelI was knee deep in snow on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, my hands cold from the snow. Why, I wondered, had we made the decision to visit in the dead of winter? Then I looked around me and saw … no one. We’d hiked on a trail that saw heavy foot traffic in the summer, but off-season, not a single soul had ventured as far as us, and that made the off-season trip completely worth it.

Considering our constraints of time and money, we are forced to make decisions about when we want to travel and how much we want to pay to do it. Because of this, traveling in the off-season — the time of year when people are least likely to visit a destination — is both a legitimate idea and a bad choice. If you’re not sure if the off-season is for you, keep the following in mind:

Good reasons to go in the off-season:

It’s less expensive. The two biggest expenses associated with travel (transportation and accommodation) are cheaper in the off-season. There are more open seats on the flights heading to your destination, so it’s easy to find cheap airfare. Hotels need to fill their rooms, so rack rates are down.

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October11

Tips for Traveling in Vietnam

By: JoAnna

Tips for Traveling in VietnamHeading off to Vietnam, I really had no idea what to expect. I had browsed a guidebook or two and spent some time reading about Sherry Ott’s experience of living in Vietnam, but like any destination, you have to really be in Vietnam to learn its idiosyncrasies.

I traveled to Vietnam in late August and early September, which is considered the monsoon season, though weather tends to vary throughout the country, so what I learned on my trip may not necessarily apply to other times of the year or in all locations. Nonetheless, during the time I traveled the country, I picked up the following tidbits:

1. Pack a poncho, not a rain jacket. It is hot and wet in Vietnam, and if you wear a rain jacket (even a well-ventilated one), you will be very warm. Sweat + humidity = not pleasant, especially when it’s contained in a rain jacket. The Vietnamese wear ponchos for a good reason — they cover the entire body but are loose enough to allow the body to breathe. Also, if you wear a poncho, you’ll just fit in with the crowd. Wearing a rain jacket marks you as a traveler.

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July5

6 Things I Learned in New York City

By: JoAnna

6 Things I Learned in New York CityI may be a seasoned traveler according to some measurements, but the truth is that I’ve barely dipped my toes into the ocean of travel. When people found out that I was visiting New York City for the first time last week, people came out in droves to provide advice, insight and words of encouragement and caution. I have to admit, I was a little scared.

Having survived the experience, I can say that the words of encouragement and caution were appreciated, but what I got most out of my first visit to the Big Apple had to be experienced on my own. Here is what I learned from my first visit to New York City:

1. The subway isn’t as intimidating as I had anticipated. The New York subway is no Washington DC metro or London tube system, with their clean and air conditioned stations, but I found it to be safe and reliable anyway. I admit that I didn’t use the subway alone at night, but even if I had, there were lots of people around and nothing out of the ordinary that would have made me feel wary. In fact, the only reason I didn’t take the subway alone at night is because I wasn’t sure I could find my way walking once I got off. Yes, the New York subway system is hot and gritty (and those sewer rats are as big as people say they are), but the overall experience was a positive one.

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May31

10 Train Travel Tips

By: JoAnna

10 Train Travel TipsI’ve tripped across the United States by train and flown from coast to coast, so when we made plans to travel to New Orleans this past spring, I knew I wanted to go by train. I’ve had overnight train travel experiences in Norway and Kenya, and it seemed implausible that I had yet to enjoy slow train travel in my own country.

And so we booked our tickets for a trip aboard the Sunset Limited, an Amtrak train which runs from Los Angeles to New Orleans over the course of nearly 48 hours. Now a veteran of long-distance train travel on three continents, I feel confident in offering the following train travel tips:

For Train Travel in General

1. Pack snacks. Some trains have dining cars, but not all of them have edible food or the food is astronomically expensive. You may also be able to buy snacks, but chances are they aren’t all that healthy, and the selection might be poor. When you’re stuck on a train track 12 hours from anywhere, the last thing you want is to be hungry, so come prepared with a variety of stuff to nibble on. Bonus points for healthy snacks, especially because you’re not going to get a lot of exercise on board.

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