I wouldn’t say I am a budget traveler, but then again I would. I hate overpriced tourist traps. Europe happens to have loads. However, I appreciate travel splurges here and there, a nice meal or a three star hotel. When I set out for Italy this summer, I knew it was obviously a more expensive option than going to live in a village in Africa or backpacking through Southeast Asia. Since I could walk, a challenge has never made me back down. I left for Italy with very little money. For those of you who dream of spending a few months in Europe, specifically Italy, it is possible. Here are some Continue Reading
Combating Travel Crankiness
After an hour and half check-in line for my favorite Ryanair flight (note sarcasm), an hour of standing in line just to board because they don’t assign seats, and a delayed flight to Pisa, I was left somewhat cranky on travel. The last bus to Florence from the Pisa airport left at 12:20AM. Otherwise I would be faced with waiting for another bus at 1:30AM, arriving to Florence around 4AM. Arriving to the baggage claim at 12:20AM, my crankiness only intensified for I knew I had missed my bus. The miracle of miracles, my bag was the first on the baggage claim. I dashed through the moving doors Continue Reading
Next stop…Bangladesh? Knowing The Sincere From The Sketchy As A Solo Female Traveler
The train to the Rome airport is hot and sweaty. It smells of scents you don’t even want to know. The cobalt blue seats stick to legs just as the gum on the trash can next to me clings to the metal casing. As I wait for the train to depart, I am pleased to have a cabin all to myself. The train is far from full. Then, a foreign man pops his head in and asks in broken English, “Is free?”. I smile and nod, indicating that he can sit in one of the five open seats. Suddenly he multiplies into 5 people, bringing with him his entire clan. The even sweatier men pile in, smelling of lack of shower and Continue Reading
Packing A Guide From Your Travel Role Model
A man walks up to a museum ticket window with his family waiting behind him. This scene plays out daily throughout the world. The leader of the pack is purchasing the tickets, braving the cultural confusion and language barriers for his family. However, this man is not your ordinary traveler. As he leans back on his heels to see the prices, he smiles at the man behind the glass window saying, “Let’s see, we have one student and three adults, and I’m 16, so student for me as well”. He says this with salt and pepper hair and clear hints of age older than 16 years. The twenty-something behind Continue Reading
Embracing Tourist Season
A woman unknowingly backs up onto my foot to get the perfect shot of Palazzo Vecchio. In the middle of the road, a couple adorned with two big backpacks clutches a map and stares into the blue sky, looking for answers to the question, “where am I?”. Lines of people snake around streets more so than cars do. Prices rise on restaurant menus in the city center. It is tourist season in Florence. All around the world, locations invade with tourists, willing and ready to explore somewhere for two weeks of vacation. The tourist versus traveler debate is a ridiculous one. As much as I complain Continue Reading
Keeping Your Sanity On An Airplane
I look out the tiny airplane window. I see lightning make contact with the ground every few minutes. The pint sized plane makes a screeching stop as we prepare to charge the inevitable. Lifting into the air, a thunderstorm is looming, hence the rapid departure. The turbulence warrants clutches to the armrest. Finally everything quiets down, or so I think. The man behind me begins attacking the seat pocket in front of him, also known as the back of my chair. As I receive an unexpected and unwarranted back massage, he appears to be searching for buried treasure left behind from the previous Continue Reading
My Case For A Three Month Vacation
Travel, like everything else in life, involves time. From the moment you must press purchase, you know your set travel dates. You know when you will be leaving for a destination and when you will be returning home. Everything is within a certain time frame. Some of us go for the standard two-week vacation for that is all our jobs, family commitments, or school will allow. Others decide to be daring, going around the world any where from 8 months to 2 years. Then, there are those that just never come home. Their travel time is indefinite. They have no home base. Their home is packed away in a Continue Reading