Traveling within Europe: Fly or Train?

This seems to be one of the biggest questions for European travel: fly or train between major destinations? On my trip I did both. Here's what I learned and my opinions on the matter.

Of course, the quintessential backpacker method would be the night train - you save time for sight-seeing and $$$ on a night's accommodation. This didn't work for me for several reasons: I'm a bad sleeper. Not sleeping at all on a night train would make me exhausted, grouchy, grumpy, and it'd mess me up for probably 2 days after. So for me, it wouldn't be convenient. Also for some of my longer trips I was traveling alone and thus safety was a concern.

I had a rule: If a train was over 6 hours or so, I flew. For example, a train from Lisbon to Barcelona would've required at least one night train and at least one change. You're talking a whole day, if not more............... or a two-hour flight. NO BRAINER. Another one is Amsterdam to Copenhagen. They look close on a map but when you look at the train schedules you have to make at least one change and it takes a lot longer than it looks like......... or an hour flight. NO BRAINER. And flying is not always "ugly" - check out the picture below of our approach into Lisbon (click for full-size)


The thing is, flying within Europe is so easy. There are so many discount airlines offering deals and specials. Our Lisbon to Barcelona flight was only 30 euros, including taxes and fees. Some were more expensive but still cheaper than trains. You do have to be careful. Some of the low-cost airlines use outlying airports (we got lucky and every low-cost flight we took went through the main airports in each city), which can result in added costs and time getting to and from the city from these small outlying airports. Some have very strict baggage limits and even charge you to check bags or reserve a seat. But I think if you know all this stuff in advance and prepare and pack accordingly you won't have a problem - I didn't, and I took 5 of these low-cost carriers within a few weeks.

Of course, sometimes trains are beautiful rides or are more convenient. I trained from Vienna to Venice - got a fantastic 29 euro deal from the Austrian railways and it was a 7-hour direct train arriving right at the Venice station. It went through the foggy Alps and the beautiful countryside (see the picture at right, click for full-size). Aside from the fact that there wasn't really anywhere for luggage (and I had a carry-on sized suitcase that was still too big for the overhead racks) so I had to sit for 7 hours all contorted and uncomfortably with my luggage, it was a beautiful and convenient ride.

There are other conveniences to training it. The high-speed trains have power outlets. There is no security - thus no lines and no limit on FOOD. Trains are how the locals travel so you can meet interesting people. And it's the only way to see the countryside, which can be part of the adventure.

One of the biggest conundrums seems to be Rome to Venice or vice versa. The flight is about an hour, the train is about 4 and a half hours. Seems obvious, right? fly! But this isn't the whole story. It takes a half hour (and costs 11 euros) to get from Rome's train station to/from the airport. I didn't do it, but I know it takes longer than that and probably costs more to get to/from Venice's airport. You have to get to the airport 2 hours early and go through security and wait for your luggage at the other end (and hope it made it at all!). In the end, the timing is probably about the same. But 1) the train costs less and you have no added expenses like getting to/from the airport, 2) you get to see Italy's countryside, 3) you have the chance to meet locals, 4) no security line, 5) no checked baggage, 6) more flexibility because you don't have to book so far in advance. The choice still seems obvious - but obvious the other way. Train train train.

The moral of the story is that sometimes flying is better and sometimes the train is better, and what "better" means is different for each and every single one of us. So, the only way to really decide what's best is to research. Check the times, check the flight options, check the prices, consider your schedule, and decide. Here are some useful sites for doing all that research:

• Belgian Railways site - has an easy-to-use schedule finder (for any country!) - tells you times and connections and various options for trains throughout Europe
• Bahn.de - same as the previous link, but from the German Railways (check this helpful 'tutorial' of sorts on the Rick Steves site for using Bahn to do your train research)
  
• Kayak - finds all the low-cost airlines and the regular service ones, too.
• SkyScanner - similar to Kayak but more focused on the low-cost carriers
  
• Here's a great list of many, if not all, of the low-cost carriers
  

The Problem with TV Travel Shows

This post may be one big DUH of common sense. I don't know. But after watching a show on the Food Network about Rachael Ray's travels throughout Europe, to places I myself went, I cannot keep silent. Travel shows are helpful on some basic superficial level. Watching "Giada in Paradise" made me want to go to Santorini one day. And the really good people like Anthony Bourdain make an almost extreme effort to get off the beaten path.

The big problems with these shows is that, for those of us who are actually always thinking about new places we want to go and see, these shows are completely unrealistic. The aforementioned Rachael Ray show that set me off was set in Lisbon, which was, as you already know, one of my favorite places of my whole European trip. Obviously, everything she did wouldn't fit into a half hour show, I get that. But she skipped major attractions and entire neighborhoods (neighborhoods that happen to have great food, no less), instead going to clearly touristy cultural centers and restaurants and avant garde little cafes, where everyone spoke English and the menus had translations. Where was the fado bar? Where was the plate of grilled meat with rice and potatoes that was ubiquitous on almost every menu I saw? I realize Rachael Ray is catering to the masses of Middle Class America. But what better a person to introduce the American public to the REAL city that many of her viewers might never get to see otherwise. How disappointing.

Better is Samantha Brown, whose Passport to Europe and Passport to Latin America series are fun. She does go to smaller little cafes and she puts a nice emphasis on walking around, wandering into little shops, talking to locals, and really getting a feel for a place. Step in the right direction for sure. One of her mottoes is even that traveling in your comfort zone makes for a boring trip. Couldn't agree more. Her problem is that it's hard to travel like she does. Almost all of her featured hotels are on the very high end. And in every city she goes to, she has multiple guides. Private guides are EXPENSIVE. Most of us can maybe afford one or two on a whole trip, let alone one or two a DAY. But if you are like me and are always looking for new places that look interesting, I think Samantha Brown's show is about as good as you can get. She takes one city and explores it pretty well, enough so that you can kind of envision it and get a minimal handle on the city and even just what it looks like.

Rick Steves's shows on PBS are excellent as well. He gears much more heavily to us "normal travelers" who are on some kind of limited budget and time. His problem, however, is that just like his books he goes for quality over quantity. Which is nice, but he is essentially your "editor" - telling you what's important and fully leaving out stuff he and his staff have decided what's not. For what he includes, his shows are great. And he definitely travels more realistically than anyone else. But again, I would be cautious of using his shows for any more than just seeing if you might like the way a place looks/feels on TV. And personally, I have a lot of trouble finding when the show actually airs on my local PBS.

The Travel Channel has a wealth of other interesting shows like the aforementioned Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations (which focuses on food and bizarre food at that). He often takes unrealistic treks that most normal people would either have to spend a lot of money or would have great difficulty experiencing. But of all these travel shows, I find his by far the most entertaining. The Travel Channel also airs interesting shows like Globe Trekker (also aired frequently on PBS), where a group of young backpack-types look at a place. I find this one more realistic than some of the others, but it doesn't air much. If you get the Travel Channel, definitely check its listings frequently for features and shows about places you're interested in.

As for shows on the Food Network, some are better than others. Mostly domestic but IMO better than others, Giada de Laurentiis's Weekend Getaways show is a cute little weekend look and she seems to go to mostly normal types of places. Personally I'd never set food in any place Rachael Ray goes to eat at, not after seeing her butcher lovely Lisbon.

So, watch these shows, but watch them for entertainment. I would never really take any travel advice from them. And now I will end my probably meaningless rambling... ;)

Safety Tips and Preventing Pickpockets - It's Easy!

A huge huge issue I see discussed a LOT regarding travel is safety. Obviously, it's an important one. The big issue is, of course, pickpocketing. Tons and tons is written about this, as well it should be, because if you are pickpocketed, it can be a real downer and headache. After all the researching I did, and now after I've come back from cities like Barcelona and Rome, which have pretty serious pickpocket problems, here's what I learned and what I think worked for me. I'm certainly no expert and I'd be silly to pretend to be, but I don't think it was a coincidence that I made it through 6+ weeks in Europe, including some of the most heavily pickpocketed cities, without a hint of trouble.

• I'm torn about money belts. I had one with me. Sometimes I used it, sometimes I didn't. When I didn't, I locked it in my hotel safe or suitcase. Maybe I was playing with fire. On travel days, especially going through train stations, I wore it. If I didn't feel comfortable with the hotel safe or if the hotel didn't have one, I wore it. In fact, I really had no rhyme or reason beyond that. On travel days, I also had a neck pouch that I wore almost like a mini purse - this just had my transportation ticket (train or plane), a credit card, a little bit of cash (very little), my passport, and not much else. Ultimately I think it's a personal choice and whether you use one or not, if you are smart about things and take all of the precautions, you will probably be OK.
  
• NEVER EVER EVER CARRY EVERYTHING WITH YOU IN ONE PLACE. I don't know how to say this more bluntly, and to me it's common sense but I just can't believe how many times I've read about people who have everything in their purse - their credit cards, debit cards, cash, passport, camera, everything. WHY. Again, to me it was common sense to always keep some cash either in my money belt or locked away in my hotel room - or both - and I always had an extra debit card AND an extra credit card in my money belt or room safe.
• For the women, NEVER ever ever take your purse off. Don't put it on the back of your chair in a restaurant (whether eating inside or outside) or even in your hotel breakfast room. I would either put mine on my lap or on the ground clenched in between my feet or depending on where I was seated (aka against a wall), even on the table. Same goes for internet cafes, while at a sight, while sitting on a bench people-watching, etc.
  
• Make copies of anything and everything important - passport, credit cards, plane tickets, etc., and either have the photocopies stashed or send them to your email so you can get them anywhere and everywhere you might need them. I also sent a copy to my parents so they'd have them too, just in case.
• For the women, use an across-the-body type bag or purse. I alternated between a larger messenger bag and purse that both went over the shoulder and I never took a hand off of them anywhere there were people around - on the streets and especially public transportation. For the guys, don't use the back pocket.
  
• If a bus or subway is super full, wait til the next one. In almost every major city outside the US, buses and subways are very frequent. I realize we don't want to waste any of our precious vacation time, but every time we encountered really busy subway cars or buses, the next one would be much emptier. Pickpocketing is less likely to happen on an empty subway car or bus, and when you are crammed in a little space, it's easier to get jostled and let go of your belongings for a minute.
• When I was traveling with my friend, on the bus and subway, we would solidify which stop we were getting off on - and how many stops that was from where we were getting on - BEFORE we got on. Because a lot of pickpockets on public transport grab and run at a stop, if they don't know where you're getting off, they're less likely to grab your stuff. Also, I'm not sure how much this matters or not, but then we could avoid speaking English - and obvious "tourist talk" at that - on the transportation so they'd be that much less likely to know we were not locals.
  
• Locks: I used little combo locks on my backpack (laptop was inside) and suitcase. Maybe it was an unnecessary extra step, but it was also not an inconvenient one, just adding that little bit more safety.
  
• Be aware of your surroundings before you head out sight-seeing. I used small maps that I could tuck away - like Streetwise, Popout Maps, and Eyewitness Pocket Maps & Guides, among others - for each city. I would do my research during lunch or I would sit on a bench and do it, but I never pulled out my map to look like that obvious lost tourist unless I was really really lost. Likewise, I tore out the pages of my guidebook so that if I had to or wanted to look at something, it was less conspicuous. I think a confident traveler is less likely a target. If you walk around like you have a purpose and like you know where you're going, not only do you have more energy to focus on being alert as to your surroundings, but you are less of an easy target.
  
• Read up on the particular methods and scams in the place you're going. The thieves in a street market in Mumbai are probably different from those in Barcelona, etc. Obviously, we all need to be alert everywhere, but find out beforehand if there are specific things to look out for wherever you're going.
  
• Last but not least (though probably most DUH-worthy): BE SMART. Find out the neighborhoods in your destination cities that are less safe. If you are out at night, take the better-lit, bigger, or busier roads, even if they take a little longer. Etc. Just use common sense - it really goes a long long long way!!
  

I know this sounds like a lot, but I took all of these precautions and never felt it was a burden. Aside from telling myself "oh, just be careful on the subway" as I entered the stations, I did not worry as I went about my sight-seeing, nor did I let the possibility of pickpocketing prevent me from doing anything I wanted to do, and these precautions really just became a part of my routine as my trip went along so that it was second nature instead of a concern. In fact, I didn't even see anything shady in over 6 weeks of travel throughout Europe (and I used an awful lot of public transportation in every single city). I think with these precautions, even if you are pickpocketed, at least it will just ruin your day and not your trip.

For more safety advice and useful products, check these links out:

• The Safety Section on the Rick Steves Travel Tips page - various links for different types of safety
• The Tourist Scams discussion on the Rick Steves Graffiti Wall - tips and warnings from other tourists
• Pacsafe - products for safe traveling (metal-lined, etc.)
• Eagle Creek Security items
• Lewis N. Clark security items
  
• 8 Travel Scams You Need to Know - from Fodors
• Money Safety - Independenttraveler.com
  

Why you should plan your own trip

One of those eternal questions in traveling seems to be... to take a group tour or not? I'll preface this by saying I have a strong opinion about this. I think the vast majority of people should plan and research their own trips, and I will go on to explain why. But I realize that, for some people, they simply don't have the time - and it really does require lots of time to do it properly - to plan a trip. I understand that. But there are tours out there that allow you more free time than others. Some tours merely provide your hotels and transportation and leave most of the sight-seeing up to you. For some, maybe this or using a travel agent is the best of both worlds. But I will start with a story.

On my last night in Rome, my last night in Europe after 6 and a half glorious life-changing weeks, I returned to Da Francesco's - a little trattoria/pizzeria off Piazza Navona that had come highly recommended to me by the dear people over in the TripAdvisor Rome forums. I went there my first night in Rome and the pizza was so amazing, so memorable, that for my last night in Europe, I just had to go back. On this lovely evening in this little beautiful piazza, I was sitting next to a lovely American mother and her adult daughter, we hit it off because they were from the Boston area, which is where I grew up. They were with a group tour (hint: company begins with a G) and since they did not want to do what the tour was doing that evening, they asked their tour guide about a place to go, and he suggested this one. Only one problem - they didn't know the name of their hotel, they didn't know it's address, and they didn't know how to get back there. WHAT?! How can you go to a big foreign city and not know where you are! Needless to say, we chatted throughout or meals, and really they were lovely people, but after our meal, we had a gelato together and I showed them how to take the bus back to the train station (they thought their hotel was near there). They were very grateful and of course I was happy to help. They couldn't believe how much I knew; I couldn't believe how little they knew.

This bothered me on many levels. Besides the fact that these otherwise intelligent women were blindly trusting a tour guide for everything, because they did no planning or research of their own, they learned nothing about the culture or how Romans live on a daily basis, nothing about the geography or orientation of the city, nothing. I'm sure they had a great time, but did they have the same experience as someone like me who learned the buses, wandered around just to explore and experience and learn? I doubt it. Maybe they didn't want to. And that's OK. But forgetting all that esoteric cultural profundity, what about the fact that it was at night after dark in a huge city where they didn't speak the language and they were essentially lost and had no idea how to get back to their hotel!? I mean, that's a safety issue. What would they have done if I hadn't been there? I'm sure they would've safely found their way back somehow, but how long or frustrating would it have been?

But we're all different. If I took a tour with even just 15 other people, my opinions are completely ignored. Why should I pay thousands of dollars to speed through things I might like or spend a lot of time at places I don't like? Why should I spend this much money on what might be a once-in-a-lifetime trip to be rushed through cities and herded around like an animal?

Like I said, I know that some people really just have to take a tour. But at very least, research the tours. Find ones that fit with you and your interests. And at very least, don't blindly trust the tour for everything. If you venture out on your own - which I hope you would - at least take a business card from the hotel! But if you have the time, do it yourself. You will learn so much more and have a much richer and more fulfilling trip. I really believe that.

Leaving Your Comfort Zone

I'm back!

Something that was important to me on my trip was leaving my comfort zone a little, trying new things. I've come to believe this is a really important aspect of traveling, and I'm not sure if it's really possible to get a truly great experience if you don't leave your comfort zone a little to really be able to immerse yourself in the places you're going. Obviously, we all have different comfort zones. If you're already someone who's open to everything and never apprehensive to try new things, I guess this doesn't apply to you. But I don't really think there are all that many people like that; by our nature, we are creatures of habit and we like what we're used to. So here's what I tried to do and some things I learned on my trip.

Of course, for some people, just going to a faraway place would be leaving their comfort zone. Especially for those of us who travel alone, that in itself is a huge leap out of the comfort zone - I had certainly never eaten in a restaurant or stayed in a hotel all by myself, nor had I really ever taken a train before. But I did my research and pushed the apprehension to the back of my mind and I think allowing myself to be free made my trip a better one.

Food

I'm a picky eater. OK, I'm a REALLY picky eater. I'm a REALLY REALLY picky eater. So I knew, going to places I'd never been before, places where I didn't speak the language or really know their foods, that I'd have to be a little adventurous. Obviously, we are all different kinds of "eaters" - but I think the important thing is for us - especially people like me who are really really picky - to try to get out of that a little bit. I didn't go crazy. But for me, I tried lots of things that I never normally ate - like artichokes in both Barcelona and Rome, chicken prepared in ways I normally wouldn't have thought I'd like, some wines here and there, pasta with sauce (yes, I'm THAT picky.), fruits I'd never seen, heck, i even tried a MUSSEL (I HATE seafood!).

Some of it I liked, and some of it I didn't, but for me, the important thing is that I tried. I pushed myself as much as I could - for me being so picky and apprehensive, my food "experiments" might seem laughable to some but for me they were a big deal. For others who normally like more things that I do, stepping out of the food comfort zone may not be as big a deal. For me, it was.

Language

Before my trip to Europe, I had never really been to a country that didn't speak English. I'd been to Quebec, but I was too young to really get all of the cultural significance. Aside from the fact that it's simply polite to learn a few words of the local language when you're traveling in a country, for me, it was important for me to push myself too. In some places it was more difficult - the language is harder or sometimes even (especially in Amsterdam and Copenhagen), people actually addressed me in English. But in some countries, particularly Italy, I really pushed myself to learn as much Italian as I could.

Of course, 2 days before I left for Europe I took the bar exam, so I couldn't really study any languages, but while I was en route to a country, i'd pull out my phrasebook and learn the important things. By the time I made it to my last country - Italy - I really wanted to try to speak more of the local language - and because I was staying in the country for a good 2 weeks, I had time to. By the time I made it to Florence, I could sit in a restaurant and barely have to speak any English for the basics - ordering, asking for the bill, etc. By the time I was getting ready to leave Italy, "si" and "grazie" became just as natural to me as "yes" and "thank you." I think pushing myself helped me as a person but also gave me a better perhaps more "authentic" experience while I was there.


In the end, it's the little things. Taking a bus or the subway or the train for the first time, eating one or two new foods, buying a piece of clothing you never thought you'd wear, speaking some words in a language you never thought you'd speak; these are just a few of the countless examples. And they can really be life-changing. If I come home and try more new foods or if I try to recreate the foods I tried and liked while I was away, if someone comes home and takes a bus for the first time or signs up for a language class or even a photography class. These are the things that, if we keep our minds open when we travel, we can have more than a vacation. It can become a life-changing event, even in a small way.

Sorry!

Hi all,
Sorry for no new posts in the last few days - my parents are in town visiting, which has kept me more occupied than usual. I have some ideas that I've started to write about but haven't had the time to finish them up... but I hope to soon!

Thanks!

Interesting things to do with Travel Pictures

I went to Europe for 6 weeks and came home with 3,200+ digital pictures. Somehow, I wanted to display or show off some of my favorites. I'm no photographer and I'm certainly not that creative, but here are some of the things I did or thought of doing with my pictures and some websites I think are cool.

In the Danish Design Center in Copenhagen, they have a little shop which is geared towards travel and other things like that. I saw these things called Fotoclips, but didn't buy them. They're neat little plastic things that connect photos so you can make a photo wall or even a lampshade or box or pretty much anything your head can imagine. When I got home, I bought some.

What I did was went through my pictures and I picked about 200 of my favorites. My 2 favorites, I blew up to 8x10. My next 15 or so favorites I got 5x7s and the rest of the ones I thought were good I got regular 4x6. I used Snapfish for my prints as they offer good deals on shipping and have great prices when you order a lot of prints. I also like them because you can get matte finish, which I got for all of my prints. I'd also recommend signing up with Shutterfly and some other picture printing sites - I got an email from Shutterfly not long after I signed up offering a free 11x14 collage - so I could put many of my pictures together (I did 16 little squares, but there were many options), and only had to pay the $2.99 shipping - great deal, and it came out lovely. These companies and others also offer tons of things you can do with your pictures, from prints to posters to cool things like coffee mugs and calendars and the list just goes on and on.

A couple other sites related to travel pictures I like are:

• Photojojo - they have a great little store with fun products, lots of really cool tips and other photo links
• Flickr - already in my list of Cool Travel links, Flickr is my favorite site for storing photos. You can put them in sets, control the access with Guest Passes, make collections, slideshows, etc. Check, because your ISP might include a free pro account! Mine (AT&T Yahoo! DSL) does, and that gives you unlimited storage!
• IrfanView - a great FREE photo editing program to organize, edit, clean up, rename, and do whatever else you need to do to your pictures
• Gorillapod - it's a bendy tripod for getting those great night scenery shots in weird situations. It comes in various sizes depending on your camera. I don't have it yet, but I hear it's great and I definitely won't be taking another trip without one
• DPReview - a great site for incredibly in-depth reviews on digital cameras. Has a lot of technical stuff but also shows samples and discusses the basics to help people of all levels of experience and knowledge decide whether a particular camera is right for them.
• HP Digital Photography Center - surprisingly, HP has an entire mini-site for digital photography, with tons of tips and even free online classes with message boards that cover the basics. Site and classes include lots of tips for us travel photographers too and a free program called HP Photosmart Essential!
  
• IKEA - my favorite store in the whole world, they have a huge selection of inexpensive and interesting framing options.
  

Here's the wall of pictures I put above my couch with pictures from my trip. They're in chronological order, which makes it literally a mural of my trip (click for larger image):

Packing light - I'm now a true believer.

Before I went away, all I read about was the importance of packing light. But until I went and saw how big of a pain it is to travel with a suitcase that is either too big and/or too heavy, I didn't REALLY get it. But now I definitely do, and I am a believer.

Let me preface this first by saying, if you're someone who flies and takes private transfers and taxis and rides first class on trains and all this stuff, or if you are the type of traveler who goes to one destination for a more extended period of time, it doesn't much matter. But if you move around a lot or take public transport or ride 2nd class in the trains, I think packing light is an absolute necessity. I managed for 6 weeks with a carry-on sized 21 inch rolling suitcase. I was lucky enough to be able to get a quality bag for free, but my bag was a little on the heavy side (about 12 pounds empty). The lighter the case you start with, the easier you can move around, even with a smaller bag. Of course, make sure you get a quality bag that can sustain flights and the like. I know for my next trip, I will invest in a lightweight rolling bag that I can hopefully keep for years - and many trips - to come. Other people like those big backpacks and other kinds of suitcases. Pick whichever you prefer. I happen to like the rolling ones and had no trouble on Europe's cobblestone streets.

I've talked to a few of my friends about this, and they are always like "no i can't live without all this stuff, blahblah, i'm can't possibly pack light" etc. - I mean of course, we are all different, we all have things that we consider "necessities." but come on. Anyone who says "I can't pack light" is just saying "I refuse to be without the luxuries I'm used to" or they're just being too lazy. For a few days or weeks, doesn't the convenience of packing light outweigh the things like lots of makeup or that flatiron or the really heavy bulky jeans? To me it does, to other people I guess it doesn't. And to me, nothing is worth risking my luggage potentially being stolen on a train (for example in Italy, if you have anything bigger than a carry-on sized suitcase, you have no choice but to put it at the end of the car on a rack that is unmanned.).

Anyway, here are some things I did/used to aid in packing light:

• Took clothes that were lightweight and pretty fast-drying (aka not much 100% cotton and NO JEANS), about a week's worth, so that I could hand wash as necessary.
  
• Took clothes that all went together for easy coordination
• Repacked things in smaller containers to save space
• Used Space Bags to compress clothes (also helped organization. Several other companies make similar products, too)
• Made a Packing list to make sure I was not forgetting anything but also to make sure I wasn't bringing anything unnecessary
• As I packed each thing, I asked myself if I would DEFINITELY use this. Anything that was just a mere maybe got left behind.
• My suitcase was expandable, but before I left, I made sure I could close it comfortably WITHOUT expanding it. That way I knew I would have room for souvenirs and also since you can never pack as well when you're on the road as before you leave!
  

Here are a few resources to help in packing light:

• From Rick Steves's website:
• Graffiti Wall Packing Light Tips from other travelers
  
• Loads of Packing Tips and Lists for Men and Women at the top of this page
  
• Ebags - the selection is ridiculous and the prices are great, sign up for their mailing list and wait for a good sale
• Eagle Creek - by no means cheap, but they make lots of products that help pack light and organize your stuff
  
• Lewis N. Clark - similar to Eagle Creek, lots of solutions for packing and organization

Something else I feel I must comment on is this suggestion I see in a lot of discussions about taking clothes and throwing them out along the way. I have several reasons for opposing this. First, if it's something so nasty and gross that it needs to be thrown away, why would I wear it on vacation (or anywhere else for that matter!!?!)? I mean, if it's something I wouldn't want to wear at home, I wouldn't want to wear it away from home either. If it's just something I don't wear anymore, but is still in good enough condition, wouldn't it be better to give it away to someone who really needs it? I'm not a big tree-hugger, but that would just be wasteful to throw away perfectly good clothes. There are other ways to pack light - I did it and so do lots of other people every day - without being wasteful.

Florence Is Not Just a City of Museums!!

I need to get this off my chest. FLORENCE IS MORE THAN JUST MUSEUMS!!!! I realize I touched upon this in my controversial Traveler vs. Tourist post, but I feel I need to say more after seeing several questions on message boards like "do I need to go to Florence?" "is Florence worth the time?" "what's there to do in Florence?" - you get the point.

Florence is such a wonderful city. These people who take a day trip from Rome or who just sweep in and see the Uffizi and the David. I really don't get it. I don't even LIKE art, but I still loved the heartbeat of this city, the undercurrent of the Renaissance. It's everywhere. It fuels this city and makes it special. Not taking the time to experience this is doing both the city and the traveler a big disservice.

There are so many wonderful things about Florence. The architecture, the food, the gelato, the shopping. There are several open-air markets every day - the Loggia near the Ponte Vecchio and the San Lorenzo market around the San Lorenzo church. The Central Market (see picture at left, click for larger) is a double-decker market with meat and cheese and wine and a cornucopia of luscious fresh produce. The Ponte Vecchio gold shops are a dazzling sea of gorgeous 18 karat gold. There's pottery, leather, designer clothes and shoes, souvenirs, you name it. There are so lovely churches that range from the tiny to the large. Gorgeous art and sculpture is literally inescapable, sometimes even resting on the OUTSIDE of buildings.

Let's talk about the food. Everyone knows that Tuscan food is great, I hope. But really, it is WONDERFUL. More meat-heavy than what I found in either Venice or Rome, I had lovely chicken and beef dishes several times in Florence. The Bistecca alla Fiorentina - a t-bone steak flame-grilled to rare perfection, is lovely. Country Tuscan dining puts people next to each other at big long tables. This makes dining at these little trattorias not just a meal but a real true cultural experience. And the wine, if you like wine, there are enotecas at every turn, and in restaurants the house wine is often down right cheap. Tuscan food is about simplicity and quality ingredients. The olive oil alone is like nothing I've ever had before, just pour it over toasted bread and you have an amazing delicacy. And the list just goes on and on!

Let's also talk about the gelato. It's an artform just as much as the art in the museums. Mousse gelato, fruit sorbetti and gelato, you name it, the gelaterias in Florence are famous for serving some of the freshest and most creative gelato available.

How about just the fact that Florence is just simply BEAUTIFUL!!! You walk along the river, see the stately dome of the Duomo rise above, and if you look in any direction and you can't escape the awe-inspiring Tuscan Hills (see picture, click for larger). It's also inordinately gorgeous at night. I think few experiences in life could possibly match watching the sunset up on Piazzale Michelangelo as it sets on a Michaelangelo-designed staircase, or sitting in the lovely San Miniato al Monte church listening to the Gregorian Chants or just simply looking down on the city as another day sets. It is a view, it is a feeling, it is a memory that I know I will never ever forget (see picture below, click for larger).



Florence is also compact and easy to get around. Its bus system is excellent and the main areas of interest are all within walking distance. The neighborhood south of the river called the Oltrarno is less touristed and a little more "real" feeling. Florence is very safe. The people are lovely. Other museum like the Bargello (a statue museum in an old jail that seems painfully undervisited) and the Pitti Palace/Boboli Gardens are lovely and worth a visit. Even within the oft-visited Accademia, where the throngs of visitors and tour groups surround the David, there is a truly lovely and unique exhibit of Italian musical instruments that I thought was worth the Accademia price of admission in itself. Better yet, while all those crowds surrounded the David, I had the musical instruments exhibit almost to myself.

I don't understand. the 4 or so full days I spent in Florence weren't nearly enough. I want to go back, I want to wander the area around the Duomo, which I somehow kind of missed. I want to taste more gelato and try more of those wonderful little restaurants. I want to buy a leather purse and some more lovely jewelry unlike anything I've ever seen in the US. I want to check out some of the little churches down narrow alleys. For anyone who reads this who's planning a trip to Italy. Florence is more than a couple of world-famous museums. It can be busy, but you can make reservations early in the day to get those sights out of the way before the daytripping crowds arrive. Get away from the congested city center and you see a place that lives and breathes its beautiful past.

I dare you to go and stay a few days and really get down and dirty and experience the real Florence and come back and say you didn't like it.

Money-saving tips for shopping and sight-seeing

As I mentioned in one of my first posts on the blog, and of course as we all know, money is a crucial aspect of traveling - both in the planning and while we are actually at our destinations. Here are some money-saving tips I discovered for sight-seeing and shopping along my European trip. With the dollar getting worse by the day, those of us who like to travel on a controlled budget need all the help we can get! Some of these are more common sense than anything else, but I'll just mention all the ones I can think of and hopefully something might help you save a little money on your next trip!

Before You Go:

• Sometimes you can book trains in advance to get discounts. Some of the national rail companies offer discounts if you book in advance. For example, Trenitalia, the Italian rail company, offers Amica fares if you book in advance. You can save 20%! Also, ÖBB, the Austrian rail company, offers deals on tickets to other countries. I picked up my ticket from Vienna to Venice for 29 euros by booking online in advance - a savings of nearly HALF!

• Sometimes flying on the cheap Airlines is actually CHEAPER than the train - and of course faster! Check out all the possible deals at Kayak or SkyScanner. We flew from Lisbon to Barcelona for about 30 euros including tax/fees, and it took 2 hours instead of overnight and probably 3 times the cost to take a train!
  

• Packing light can help curb shopping and in turn, spending. I traveled for 6 weeks with a chock-full carry-on sized suitcase. Quite simply, I didn't have the space to shop like crazy. And since mailing one relatively small package home from the Netherlands cost over 30 euros, I just toned down the shopping.

• Fly open-jaw (as in, fly into one city and out of another). I got a ticket flying into London and out of Rome for just over $1,000, which is not bad considering I was flying at peak travel times into and out of peak summer travel cities. The best thing is that flying open-jaw not only saves the time and hassle of going back to a place you don't need to go back to, but also the money it costs to get there!
  

• Bring whatever you can. I know there are many opinions on this issue. the die hard light packers say, buy the basics when you arrive. If money's no object, or if you are going to one destination and perhaps renting an apartment or staying in one place for an extended amount of time, of course, this is probably a wise idea. However, if you will be moving around a lot or if your budget takes precedence over a little suitcase room, you can save money by packing what you need at home. The basics - toiletries, first aid items, over-the-counter medication, and the like, are all significantly cheaper in the US than, for example, in Europe.
  

• Look for hotel deals. Some hotels offer deals if you stay a certain number of nights (my hotel in Florence offered a free lunch at a glorious little trattoria if I stayed more than 4 nights), like meals or admission into sights. Also, if you think about booking with Expedia or Hotels.com or one of the similar booking discount sites, try contacting the hotel and seeing if they will give you that deal or even a little less - they might be willing because they get to avoid paying the hefty commission to the middle-man! Also, book far in advance. I was able to get a couple of deals on hotels booking about 6-7 months before my trip where the price went up - in a couple of cases a LOT - not long after I booked. And of course if you book early, you are more likely to find vacancies at those "hidden gems" - less expensive places that tend to fill up early.
  

• Get a CapitalOne Visa credit card. They are the only major card (that I could find anyway) that charges NO foreign conversion fees (many charge at least 1%, some 2 or 3%). Think about it, saving 1-3% on EVERYTHING you charge can really add up at the end of a long trip (especially considering hotel costs). Plus, it seemed like everyone took Visa in Europe. Not always the case with Amex, and Discover is basically nonexistent overseas.
  

• Use ATMs to get cash. When you use your ATM, you can save money over travelers checks or exchanging cash beforehand or in the airport (never ever use airport exchange desks!). ATMs use the rate on the day plus a small conversion fee (usually 1% of whatever you withdraw). Some banks charge a fee when you use an out of network ATM, but it's still less than the other exchanging methods.
  

While you're there:

• Take Public Transportation - taxis are nice, and sometimes necessary, but most of the time you can get by on public transport. Combo and multi-day cards can be an especially big money-saver. Especially to and from the airport, taxis and private transfers can be outrageously pricey, and many cities have excellent, cheap, frequent, and comfortable public transportation to and from their airports. Of course, if you are traveling in a group, sometimes a taxi can be cheaper, so check it out and do the math! And sometimes it's fun - like these trolleys in Lisbon. They're cheap and a great way to see less-traveled parts of the city (see picture, click for larger)!

• Check and see if there are buses that go between cities. Sometimes, especially in Italy where the train stations can sometimes be outside the city centers, the buses are actually a more convenient option, and they are usually less expensive. For example, between Florence and Siena, the buses leave right next to the Florence train station but take you right into the middle of Siena. If you take the train to Siena, you then have a long walk or cab/bus ride into town, and the train might be more expensive too. So check it out! Also, for your day trips, check and see if there's a discount for buying a round-trip (aka "return") train or bus ticket. Sometimes you can save money that way in countries that offer.
  

• Look into City Cards. Depending on what you want to see and how much the cards cost in a particular city, these cards can be a great deal. For example, I bought the Roma Pass for 20 euros, which got me into two sites (including the 11 euro Colosseum, AND it allows you to skip the line!) for free and provided 3 days of public transport. I figure I saved about 10 euros in the 3 days I used the card, since I used the bus and metro so much in Rome. In some cities, such as Lisbon and Copenhagen, their city cards include local trains within a certain area, so your transportation for some of the popular day trips is even covered; this makes these cards a particularly good deal. Some cards are not a big money-saver or they require you go to a LOT of sites to make it worth it. Look at each card for the cities you're going, think about the sights you want to see, and figure out if it'll save you money. Sometimes it will, sometimes it probably won't. Some cities also have combo cards which combine admission to several museums or sights.
  

• Prioritize your souvenir-shopping. I knew I wanted to buy jewelry in Florence and handmade masks in Venice. In the cities where there was no expensive souvenir I wanted, all I bought was a little commemorative souvenir magnet. This allowed me to have something from each stop on my trip but also let me save money for the more expensive things I really really wanted.

• Learn where it's appropriate to haggle/bargain over prices.

• Do self-guided instead of private tours. Sometimes you need to splurge, if there's a place that is particularly interesting to you, etc. But there are several places to find and print your own self-guided walking tours, which can help save money and also give you more freedom to tailor the tours to your own personality and energy level. Some of my favorites include Frommers (search for a city and check out the walking, and sometimes biking and driving tours) and the walking tours in the Rick Steves guidebooks. You can photocopy or tear out the pages before you go, so you can take the tours with you and toss them along the way!

• Look for sites that offer free entries. For example, some of Florence's main museums add free night hours during the year. Rome's Vatican museum is free some Sundays. Washington DC's fantastic museums are always free, as are some in London. During some of the summer, Brussels's Royal Palace is open and free to the public. Just be in mind that for popular museums that have one free day per week or month, these may be the busiest times. But if the budget requires, it's a great way to see stuff we might not otherwise be able to afford!

• Check out age-based discounts. For example, in Venice, the Rolling Venice Card costs 4 euros for people under 29, and that allows you to buy the 72 hour vaporetto pass for 18 euros instead of the normal 30, for a savings of 8 valuable euros. The Rolling Card is valid for a year and offers other discounts around the city, too. There are also often discounts for seniors, children are often admitted into sights for free, and some countries' train systems offer family rates.
  

• Get your VAT refund. Some guidebooks I read said that getting the VAT refund is too much of a pain. But if you are going to bother spending a lot of money (in Europe, anywhere from about $50 to hundreds of dollars depending on the country), you might as well get back the exorbitant taxes, which can be as high as 25% of the purchase price (in Denmark)! Check out the windows in stores for signs that say "Tax Refund" or "Tax Free Shopping," learn the minimums for each country you're going to, and if you spend over that minimum in one store in one day, ask the shopkeeper for the forms. You just have to make sure you don't use the items you buy before you leave. Stop at the Tax refund desk in your last airport, and get your money in your own currency! On my jewelry in Florence, I got about $40 USD back, and I barely spent over the minimum in Italy. So if you do spend enough money, it's probably worth your while to get your refund!

• This one may seem obvious - but get off the beaten track. Souvenirs cost a lot less - and are often better quality and more authentic - if you go where the locals go. Ask the people at your hotel for tips on places that offer good quality at good value - they live there and are in the tourism business, so they often have great tips and suggestions for places to shop or maybe even some undiscovered sights.

LA Sunset: Sometimes, Beauty is Right Under Our Noses

Yesterday at about 4:55pm, I looked outside my apartment's sliding door and saw the most beautiful pinks and blues in the sky at sunset. I grabbed my camera and meager little tripod and went outside and snapped a few pictures. They're a little blurry because my tripod's crap, but I didn't alter the colors at all. About 20 minutes after I took them, the sky was black.

Some of us yearn to go to places that are beautiful. Beautiful is not a word often associated with LA, but I think the sunset in these pictures is beautiful. Maybe it's a lesson to myself and all of us - we should look right under our noses for beauty, too, even in what we might think of as the most unexpected places. Maybe the bigger picture/lesson is that we shouldn't forget the places we live. For many of us, acting like a tourist in our own hometown is a great way to "get away" but not spend too much money.

So, without further ado and for a little diversion from my normal posts, please enjoy these pictures; if you click on them, you can see them bigger.

Laptop or No Laptop - that's the question

First off, Happy New Year to all the travelers out there! I hope 2008 brings new travel adventures and experiences to all!

Something that seems to come up in travel discussions a lot is whether to take a laptop on a vacation. On my 6-week trek through Europe, I took mine. All but a couple of my hotels offered some sort of internet access.

Just like every other bit of advice I've tried to give on here, the basic point is that ultimately, the decision is up to each traveler. I cannot make sweeping statements about laptops and laptop safety - that would be ludicrous. Instead, once again, I will share the experience I had and the opinions I've drawn from it.

From my experience reading several travel discussion forums, the people who suggest people don't take a laptop are maybe people who don't use laptops all the time. They say it's a pain, a hassle, an extra unnecessary weight. But those of us who are used to carrying our laptops in a bag or backpack all the time instead view our laptops as so important it's like a fifth limb.

I can't imagine not taking my laptop to Europe with me. It wouldn't have allowed me to do my blog every day - even if I had not had internet access, I couldn't have written that much detail every day in a notebook (I type much faster than I handwrite!). Also, organizing my photographs would have been more difficult - even with two 2GB memory cards, I would have had to find a way to empty them a couple times throughout my trip, and of course I never could have posted all my pictures so often.

Of course, many hotels and hostels provide a computer with internet access. This is fine for checking email and basic keeping in touch. If this is really all you'll need to do, then perhaps the laptop is not worth it. But if you are like me and would feel lost without your computer, I say bring it. Be smart, don't flaunt it in places where it might be attractive to thieves. Get a good backpack with a separate laptop compartment so it stays safe in the travel shuffle. For accommodation, I would lock my laptop in my backpack and put it in my hotel closet. In a hostel you can put it in the locker. I didn't have a problem but I also stayed at places that didn't appear to have any kind of problems with thefts. But it's no different from any other valuable - camera equipment, backup cash, etc. Some hotels even offer safes that are big enough for a laptop.

If your accommodations offer free wireless or ethernet, taking the laptop can be a money saver because internet cafes can be expensive. Something I enjoyed doing was using skype to keep in touch with home instead of spending money on phone cards or internet cafes.

So like I said, as with everything else it's a personal choice. If you know you will use your laptop a lot, if you have free internet in your accommodation, and if you are used to carrying your laptop places with you, then by all means I think you should take it. If you think it will be a hassle for you and if you don't mind figuring out what to do with your pictures a few times on your trip, don't take it. But I don't think anyone should be afraid to take it if you are careful and if it is the right decision for you.