Patrick and Katrina do the Globe

Baby Jack

2011-03-26T12:03:00.000-04:00

Yesterday we celebrated baby Jack's two month birthday! It's been a whirlwind few months full of discovery... of voice, smiles, his own hands... and absent of much sleep for anyone but Jack. So please forgive us for the unreturned emails.

Thanks for all the warm wishes from near and far!

Question:

2010-11-24T11:36:00.001-05:00

What does

Answer: Scrumtrulescence

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Especially for Katrina since she is 7 months pregnant and eating for two (regardless of what the books and doctor say...only 200 extra calories per day whaaaaaat?). Our little boy is due January 20th and we have been very busy getting ready for his arrival.

We also wanted to let you know that Katrina is up for a blogger award of sorts. So be sure to follow this link and cast your vote for Katrina! Too bad they didn't use a pregnancy picture....she would be a lock right?

Our Next Big Adventure

2010-07-14T21:00:00.002-04:00

One year ago today we were celebrating Bastille day with the French in Paris. We'd just gotten married and set out only days before on our six-month honeymoon. One year later, we are getting ready for our next big adventure: parenthood. That's right, Katrina's pregnant and we are expecting our first baby in January!

As we prepare to expand our family, we're looking forward to introducing our baby to the world and to some awesome family vacations. But for now we are on a travel hiatus--including our hoped for trip to Peru. (Apparently hiking the Inca Trail is not on Katrina's doctor's list of recommended activities.) We may still stop by the blog every now and again, but we anticipate being...distracted. And as always, feel free to contact us at patrinadoestheglobe@gmail.com.

Thanks for joining us on our travels; we loved having you along. Happy trails.

Freelance Friday: Travels with Vivi, Cambridge Massachusetts

2010-07-02T13:05:00.002-04:00

We last left off when the family moved back to the United States from Germany...

In Fort Sill, Oklahoma, George finished his course of duty with the military, and the family returned to his native Cambridge, Massachusetts, where George took a position as a librarian at Harvard’s Yenching Institute. They moved into an apartment in Hammond Street, a unique community of Harvard graduate students and employees, some with young families, and many with international backgrounds--all of them idealistic, intense, and politically engaged.

The stories of the life on Hammond Street are legendary – the mutual support in times of crisis, the wild and crazy parties, the amount of champagne consumed, the raucous meetings of EOS, Inc, (membership only open to those who do not live up to their potential), and the happy evenings sitting on the stoop with all the neighbors...the list goes on. The small apartment had also, again, become a haven for all who needed a place to stay – recent immigrants and visiting scholars from the Far East, partners during break-ups, children during family feuds, and of course a never-ending series of visiting friends and relations from Europe. Vivi kept the tradition of absolute hospitality alive, as she had learned and experienced herself in Japan.

The family eventually moved to a new Cambridge home: a coop in Putnam Avenue provided a similar community as the Hammond Street apartment. They soon became a drop-in center for the coop members, and were known for their readiness to provide an open ear to anyone, accompanied by a cup of coffee or a glass of wine, depending on the time of day.

The last three years of Vivi’s life were affected by tragedies: In 2007, George died suddenly of a heart attack, on the day of their 61^st (military) wedding anniversary. Later that same year, her oldest nephew sustained significant brain injury in an accident. One year later, her son Jan committed suicide. Meanwhile, it was apparent that Vivi was experiencing progressive stages of Alzheimer's. It is not clear how much she was able to really take in the extent of these sad events.

In her last year of life, she was cared for diligently by her many friends, who enabled her to stay in her house until her death. She enjoyed life to the last moment and reflected on how good it was. She passed away quietly on April 26^th, the day of her 64^th (church) wedding anniversary, thus bringing to an end a truly remarkable life.

This is the final installment from guest blogger (and Katrina's mom) Kerstin Potter.

Where Next Wednesday: And The Winner Is.....

2010-06-23T22:40:00.000-04:00

.....Peru!!!! Thanks to everyone that participated in Where Next Wednesday....we are very excited about your choice and look forward to planning our next trip! Stay tuned for future Where Next Wednesdays where we will post updates regarding our trip planning.

And we would be remiss to not give a shout out to the other big winner from Wednesday....

Mailbag Monday: June 21, 2010

2010-06-21T09:14:00.000-04:00

One of the things that I also read was that you can find English speaking Russians waiting outside the Kremlin to be guides - less expensive. Did you see this? My question now is what did you do for visiting places in further out Moscow. That is Sparrow Hills, University, Izmaylovky Park, Gorky Park, Novodevichy Convent & Cemetary, Cathedral of Christ the Savior, any other suggestions? What is the best, most efficient, safest way to do those? Does the subway have English lettering to make that an option? Taxi? Hire a private car without a guide? Find a group tour at the hotel?
-Bruce S., Charlotte, NC USA

We didn't notice English speaking guides outside the Kremilin but we wouldn't be surprised if there were a few. All the subway maps have the stops in both the Cyrillic and Roman characters so that made taking the subway a little easier and therefore that was our primary mode of transportation. The chaos of the subway and its beautiful stations are a sight in itself!

We actually walked to Cathedral of Christ the Savior from Red Square (took about half an hour) and then from there visited Park Iskusstv which is filled with sculptures and statues from the Soviet Era. Then basically across the street from there is Gorky Park which was entertaining enough but definitely could be skipped. There are two subway stops not too far from there including Park Kultury.

On a separate day we took the subway out to Novodevichy Convent & Cemetary and that was definitely worth the trip. Also make sure to visit the park outside the convent walls to the northwest....very pretty and peaceful. From there we walked back into the city along the Moscow river but it wasn't a very scenic walk.

Those were the major sights we saw outside the city center and overall we would say the subway is your most economical option for getting around.

Where Next Wednesday: One Week Left to Vote!

2010-06-16T20:16:00.000-04:00

It is neck and neck right now between four destinations in the vote to decide where we travel next. Will Peru maintain a narrow advantage? Will one of the three other contenders surge ahead? Or will Panama shock the world and score a dramatic come from behind win? There is only one week left to vote in the poll (on the sidebar to the right) which will close this coming Tuesday at 11:59pm and then on Wednesday we will announce the winner!
For more details on Where Next Wednesday click here.

Mailbag Monday: June 14, 2010

2010-06-14T12:23:00.000-04:00

We are planning a trip to Moscow and St. Pete in July and I was really curious about something. For central Moscow, do you REALLY need a guide. I've done my research and mapped out everywhere I want to go within walking distance of the Kremlin. The issue is that a Russian told me that you can't simply walk up to the Kremlin, St. Basil's, etc. pay your admission fee and enter. You cannot enter unless you are accompanied by a licensed tour guide or on an official group tour. It would make sense if they were trying to protect their tourism industry, but is this Russian misleading me to help out a tour operator friend? Or is it not required, but highly recommended? That is, you get to jump the line with a guide. Or can you simply walk up, pay and enter?

-Bruce S., Charlotte, NC USA

We did not have a guide for any of our time in Russia and did not have any issues accessing the sights. I don't think there are any situations where a guide is required.

As you mention below, tourists with guides are often able to jump lines so that is something to consider. I think the biggest challenge is that not many people speak English, and in our experience people were not really willing to try to communicate with us. So again, having a guide would certainly be an advantage in that regard.

The key to doing Russia independently is to do a lot of research ahead of time and map things out for yourself--which it sounds like you've already done. We think you should be fine without a guide!

You can send your own questions for the mailbag to patrinadoestheglobe@gmail.com

Freelance Friday: Travels with Vivi, a Young Family in Germany

2010-06-11T12:36:00.001-04:00

We last left off with with Vivi booking a cross-Atlantic passage to reunite the family with George, stationed in Germany...

In Germany, Vivi divided her time between George in Frankfurt and her mother and sister in Hamburg, taking the children along wherever she went. In 1955, her daughter Lynn was born. It soon became obvious that Lynn had Down Syndrome. There followed a difficult time during which George and Vivi tried a range of approaches and alternative “cures” to deal with the diagnosis. Meanwhile, their house became an open haven for the many friends and relatives displaced during this post-war time: Vivi’s mother moved in, as well as her uncle, including a number of his girl friends, as well as other friends in need of housing. While the children were being taken care of by the numerous house guests, Vivi and George, often accompanied by Vivi’s sister, went on adventurous camping trips through Greece, Spain, and France.

In 1957, orders came to return to the US, this time to Texas. In Fort Hood, Vivi became the center of the neighborhood social life. She especially cultivated friendships with new German wives, giving them support as they adjusted to life in the US. The prevalence of these friends was so high that her children thought German was the language spoken in Texas, and had no difficulty maintaining their language skills. Vivi also consciously promoted German traditions, such as songs, crafts, and holiday activities, as well as readings in German literature, in order to promote an awareness of what she considered “Culture”. Regular art evenings, during which all family members painted together, were also a part of this effort. It soon became clear that while her daughter improved her ballet, her son Jan had exceptional talent in art, a source of real pride for her.

Two years later, the family was sent back to Germany, first to Schwaebish Gmuend, then to Bad Toelz in Bavaria. In this picturesque town with the backdrop of the Alps, the family tried to settle in once again. Meanwhile, the pressure of adjusting to life with a child with special needs was taking its toll. Vivi’s daughter Kerstin was sent to go to school in the north, living with Vivi’s big sister, and her son Jan was considered for placement in a boarding school. Meanwhile, orders came to return to the US, and the family traveled to Oklahoma, leaving Kerstin behind to complete her education in Germany.

Next up, the family returns to George's native Cambridge, Massachusetts...

This is the fifth installment from guest blogger (and Katrina's mom) Kerstin Potter.

Where Next Wednesday: Polls Are Open!!!

2010-06-09T10:05:00.001-04:00

You have given us your suggestions. You have read the destination profiles. Now the time has come to select where we travel next! You will find a poll on the right with the five Where Next Wednesday finalists. All votes must be cast by midnight on Wednesday, March 23rd so we can announce the winner that day. Thanks for your vote and be sure to keep checking back to see how your pick is doing!

For more details on Where Next Wednesday click here.

Travel Tip Tuesday: Stashing Cash (and Other Valuables)

2010-06-08T20:35:00.001-04:00

My dad's parents lived in New York City for as long as I knew them. They lived in a not so nice neighborhood in a building where Grandpa Peter was once mugged for his hearing aid in the main elevator. Grandma Margot was pretty savvy and developed a great system for storing her valuables in a sketchy environment: she carried her money about town in little pockets that she hand-sewed in her underwear. Margot carried a purse, of course, as well, but it was just a decoy. It was always empty.

I fully agree that when in unsafe or unfamiliar environments, it's best to keep your money close. I haven't gone quite as far as underwear pockets but every day of our trip I wore a passport holder filled with our money, credit cards, and (duh) passports diagonally across my body, under my shirt and bra, tucked in to the back of my pants. No one was going to be able to pull that thing off my shoulder or snip the string to allow my valuables to fall. Of course things get a little bit sweaty and gross, so it's good to keep at least the passport in a ziplock inside the pouch to keep it fresh and dry. But in six months on the road, we had zero pickpocket issues.

Side note: yes I wore the passport holder every single day. Neither I nor Patrick trusted him with custody of our valuables.

But for those of you who really like the underwear idea, no reason not to go for it! Pull out that needle and thread! Or, take it to a whole 'nother level with the underwear Diversion Safe. These babies feature a secret velcro closure and "special markings" to deter thieves. As the website boasts, "even the most hardened burglar or most curious snoop will 'skid' to a screeching halt". Pretty clever, but I'm not sure Grandma Margot would approve.

Freelance Friday: Travels with Vivi, Back and Forth Across the Pacific

2010-06-04T12:31:00.012-04:00

We last left off with Vivi and George's wedding and the birth of their first daughter, Kerstin...

In 1949, George brought his new family back to the US, only to be shipped out immediately to Okinawa. Since the Korean War was going on, families were not allowed to follow. Vivi took the opportunity to book a passage to Germany, where she was reunited with her mother and sister and introduced them to her new daughter. Vivi’s 19 year-old brother had been killed on the Eastern front, and her step-father had not survived the war years in Germany.

Finally, the Korean War ended and families were allowed to follow to Okinawa in 1951. After returning to the US, crossing the American continent in a train and booking a passage across the Pacific, the family was finally reunited. Here, the adventures continued, with numerous almost fatal outings on a de-commissioned PT boat, which George had acquired in the mean time, strandings on coral reefs, confrontations with pirates, and general post-war chaos. A year later, her son Jan was born.

When orders came return to the US, George decided to sail his little family across the Pacific in the unreliable PT boat, but Vivi summarily refused and thus saved her family’s life. Back in the US, the family drove across the States the long way to get to the new assignment in Alabama; camping illegally in a reservation, running out of water the desert, and almost getting washed out to sea on a Florida beach.

In Alabama, the family lived in a one-room hovel with gun-toting young boys next door, threatening to shoot us for fun. Soon, George's unit was sent to Germany and while waiting to follow, Vivi moved her family out of the dangerous Alabama neighborhood into a relatively safe trailer park in New Jersey, living in a tiny Air Stream trailer. From here, Vivi undertook twice weekly trips into New York with her infant son on her arm to take her daughter to ballet lessons. These all-day trips involved several busses, subways and were a testimony to Vivi’s concern for her daughter’s education. With the beginning of winter, the quality of life in the unheated trailer began to deteriorate and all were suffering from colds and flu.

Since no military order to follow to Germany was to be expected anytime soon, Vivi decided to take matters into her own hands and went to book a passage to Germany on her own. Since there was not a lot of money available, she met with the agent and booked a bunk for single passage. When that had been confirmed, she charmed the agent to let her take her little daughter along for the same price. When that had been ok’d, she admitted to having a very, very small additional child she needed to take along...at this point the agent threw up his hands and said “Just go!”

Next up, Vivi and George are reunited in Germany...

This is the fourth installment from guest blogger (and Katrina's mom) Kerstin Potter.

Where Next Wednesday: Lucerne, Switzerland

2010-06-02T22:19:00.000-04:00

*Photos courtesy of Lonely Planet and Tripadvisor

To Do List
When we first opened up this contest, we were surprised to get so many votes for such a specific location. As opposed to sprawling Antarctica or the massive country of China, what do the 11 square miles of Lucerne have to offer? Apparently an utterly charming medieval city located on a picturesque lake surrounded by majestic mountains. Not too shabby.

Old Town is the main attraction, with a labyrinth of little streets and squares and building murals abounding.
Or for a real puzzle, the Gletschergarten (aka Glacier Garden, but doesn't it sound way more awesome in German?) has a mirror maze that sounds super fun! And also a park full of glacier potholes and scratches.
Ascend Mount Pilatus, the peak hovering over Lucerne, by either a four hour hike or a ride up the world's steepest cogwheel railway.
Tour Lake Lucerne by steamboat.
Walk over Chapel Bridge, the oldest wooden bridge in Europe.
Visit Lion Monument, described by Mark Twain as "the most mournful and moving piece of stone in the world."
The Swiss Transport Museum, for lovers of all things trains, planes and automobiles.
The Richard Wagner Museum, for the music buffs.

Yum
Cheese and chocolate. Need we say more? We have it on good authority that Lucerne produces the best hot cocoa in the world.

Get Me There

There is no airport in Lucerne itself but the convenient Swiss Railway easily connects you to the major national hubs. Flights to Geneva or Zurich from Boston in September are currently going for $626 on United.

Did You Know?

In 1471 a Swiss chicken was found guilty of laying a brightly colored egg and it was burned at the stake.

The Word

Away Together - The bridge leads to the Old Town square, full of Alpine architecture with flag-topped turrets and gold-rimmed clock faces that must have inspired the designers of Disneyland’s Fantasyland...

We interrupt our regularly scheduled blog posts...

2010-05-26T10:33:00.000-04:00

You may have noticed (or maybe not) that we've been delinquent with our posts this week. We have an excuse! We are currently in the middle of the stressful, crazy, detail-oriented, signature-filled, exhausting process of buying our first home. Don't worry, we'll be back to doling out travel tips as soon as we get our heads back on straight and plan to round out the Where Next Wednesday features with our post on Lucerne next Wednesday.

Freelance Friday: Travels With Vivi, Love and War in Japan

2010-05-21T09:09:00.002-04:00

We last left off with Vivi settling in to her new life in Yamaguchi, Japan...

During this time, members of the “foreign community”, many of them Europeans and Americans teaching at various colleges, met regularly for parties, outings, and other wild and crazy events. One of these was a shy young American called George Potter, who had recently graduated from Harvard in Far Eastern Studies and was teaching English at the Kotogaku in Fukuoka. True to Vivi’s style, their relationship was initiated by her challenging him every morning to swim a mile in the icy ocean at dawn. While reluctant to get up that early , or to get involved with anyone (George always carried a photo of a fake “fiancee” with him for safety), they soon developed a warm friendship.

When the Second World War broke out, life became difficult. Food rations were distributed to the Japanese and to friendly foreigners, but not those of Jewish origin.

Vivi and her uncle survived on a small garden and with the help of many Japanese friends. When the US joined the war, George was interned in a Japanese Concentration Camp and was eventually returned to the US as part of a prisoner exchange in 1945. Vivi and George lost sight of one another.

Meanwhile, as the Japanese war effort was failing, all foreigners were to be evacuated and kept in holding camps. On the way north to the camp, Vivi’s train was to pass though the main hub of Hiroshima. As the train approached the outskirts, there was an abrupt stop – the tracks had vanished, - Hiroshima had vanished. The passengers got out and were confronted with the horror of the immediate aftermath of the bomb.

As the emperor announced Japan’s capitulation and the end of the war, all foreigners were sent back. When she returned to their home, the garden had been harvested and the house had new occupants. Again, with the help of friends, she survived the next few weeks.

When the first US occupation soldiers arrived in the town, they were astounded to find a young European woman and immediately hired Vivi as a translator. Severely malnourished, she now had access to food and to regular employment, and began to look forward to life again. A few months later, she received a summons from US Occupation Headquarters in Tokyo. With trepidation, she took the trip north, only to be led to the office of young Lieutenant Potter, who asked her to marry him.

Vivi and George were married in April 1946; the military wedding took place on April 12th, and was followed by the church ceremony on April 26^th. Almost nine months later, their first daughter Kerstin was born. For the next two years, they stayed in Tokyo, helping rebuild the lives of their friends and the community.

Next up, the post-war years...

This is the third installment from guest blogger (and Katrina's mom) Kerstin Potter.

Where Next Wednesday: Peru

2010-05-19T12:50:00.003-04:00

*Photos courtesy of Lonely Planet and Tripadvisor

To Do List

We would definitely want to hike the Inca Trail to visit Machu Picchu. Hiking permits are in high demand and they only dole out 500 for each day so we'd need to book well ahead of time. The cost is around $400-500 for four days including entry and various transportation costs. Hikers have to go with a tour, and the trail is closed every February. Lots of advanced planning required for this one.
Lake Titicaca, on the border of Bolivia and Peru, is located at over 12,500 feet which makes it the highest navigable body of water in the world! There are several islands with Incan ruins and sacred sights on the lake, as well as the floating islands of the Uros people, where everything, including houses, boats, carpets and more are constructed from reeds.
Arequipa, a nine hour bus ride from Cusco (the home base for Machu Picchu), is supposed to be an incredible sample of mixing colonial and indigenous cultures--many of the buildings were made from volcanic stone.There is also Colca Canyon and El Misti for those who want to summit an Andes peak. We hear that La Iberica Chocolate Shop is pretty yummy, too.
Lima is reputed to be a pretty cool city itself, not just a transit point on the way to Machu Picchu. Plaza de Armas is the ceremonial center, Cerro San Cristobal offers great views of the city, Huaca Pucllana is a clay pyramid dating back to 200 AD, and Fountain Park houses the tallest public fountain in the world!

The Nazca Lines are an eerily precise pattern of engravings in the ground that were left by the Nazca people circa 200 BC. Think the Inca ruins are old? These people were long gone before the Incas showed up! The plane we'd take to see them is apparently miniature and the ride often nauseating, but supposedly entirely worth it to see the spider, monkey, and astronaut carved into the earth!

Chan Chan is home to the largest adobe city in the world. It's estimated 30,000 people lived there in its day.

Yum

Peru is known for having a bit more variety and spice in its food than some of its neighbors.

Guinea pig, an andean specialty.

Anticuchos, a kebab of marinated spicy beef heart. A common street food.

Mazamorra morada, a purple custard made from purple cor.

Picarones, a sort of donut made from fried yams dough.

Pisco sour. Raw eggs and liquor.

Chicha morada, a soft drink made from boiled purple corn, sugar, and spices.

Mate de Coca, a tea made from the leaves of the coca plant. It's the prescribed medicine for adjusting to the altitude.

Get Me There

No visas are required for tourist stays of up to 90 days, but it is necessary to show evidence of return or onward travel. Yellow fever vaccines are recommended--we'd have to find out if the ones we got last year are still good.

Flights to Lima from Boston are currently going for as little as $550 this summer. The cheapest option at the moment is on Delta, with one stop in Atlanta.

Did You Know?

The Peruvian root Maca is the key ingredient in an American favorite: Viagra. It's been around for hundreds of years.

The Word

The Brink of Something Else - I've never been much of a believer in magic...And here I find myself in the Andes. Here, ancient Incan beliefs mesh perfectly with Spanish-imposed Catholicism. Apus reside in every mountain. Baroque churches drip with gold...Despite my skepticism, I'll confess to a few chills at this point...
A Travel Diary from Mexico, Central America & South America - One of the things I like most about Cusco is the road signs prohibiting the use of car horns on certain streets and intersections. I really don't know how the average Peruvian driver copes with that. Imagine a sign in the UK forbidding the British from queuing in a bank or post office. It just goes against our instinct...

Travel Tip Tuesday: Blog Love

2010-05-18T17:36:00.000-04:00

One of our favorite sources of travel inspiration and information is travel blogs. And no, we're not just talking about our own. They're a great way to get the real scoop and up to date information with an added dash of personality sometimes lacking from the guide books. Plus if you find a blogger who matches your style--budget backpacker, lavish luxury, solo trekker, family in tow--you can discover tons of great tips to do the destination your way.

You may have noticed the little blue logo on the top of our sidebar that says "Lonely Planet Featured Blogger 2010". We're honored to be listed among these blogging partners in crime. Check them out...they may just inspire your next vacation.

A Lady in London
A Traveler's Library
A View To A Thrill
Adventure Skope
Africa Attraction
All Seasons Verona
Alpaca Suitcase
Are we there Yet?
Barefoot Inked
Bear Shaped Sphere
Big City Blog
Broke-Ass Stuart's Goddamn Website
Brooke vs. the World
Cheap Weekend Breaks
Ciao Bambino
Coconut Radio
Desperately Seeking Root Beer
Destination Anywhere
Diario de a bordo
Dotted Route
Ever The Nomad
First Time Travels
Florence Journal
Four Seas As Home
Freewheelings
Ginger Beirut
Grand Cycle Tour
Great Places in Bulgaria
Happy Time Blog
Heather On Her Travels
Hello, Pineapple?
Hole In The Donut
I Am Koh Chang
I Moved To Africa
I've Been Meaning To Tell You...
Indian Bazaars
Innkeeper's Blog - Dove Inn Bed & Breakfast
Inside the Travel Lab
Itinerant Londoner
Jeroxie - Addictive & Consuming
Jetsetting Joyce
JJ's Travelogue
Just Wandering
Kate McVaugh's Rambles
La Tortuga Viajera
Legal Nomads
Let's Do Something Different
Lex Paradise
Living the Dream
Love & Sex & Backpacking on the cheap
Malaysia Asia
Matthew's Travel Blog - My thoughts on everything
Midwesterner in Mexico
Museum Chick
Music Road
Muza-chan's Gate to Japan
My Bella Vita
My Kind of Town and Around
MyTrails
nateniale
No Borders
No Curry Curry
Orange Polka Dot
Ottsworld
Passed Ports
Photito
PocketCultures
Roving Gastronome
Scalarae
Seat of our pants
Send The Bugger Back
Sophie's World
Suzy Guese
Teach Travel Play
The Brink of Something Else
The Hussainity Defense
The Perth Project
The Planet D
the reX-Files.ca
The Saturation Point of Bells
The Silent I
The Turkish Life
The View from Fez
The World Is A Book
This is Ghana Guide and Blog
Tie Dye Travels
Todd's Wanderings
Trans-Americas Journey
Travel With DenDen
Traveling Naturally
Travelling Wakanoobies
Uncommon Travel
Unpopped Collar
Vagobond
Viva Latin America!
What Up, Vienna?

Mailbag Monday: May 17, 2010

2010-05-17T20:16:00.000-04:00

How come you have never been to Canada? You have something against your neighbors to the north?
-Rob, Ottawa, Canada

To the contrary, we love Canada! The poutine, the hockey, the "eh"... Katrina actually went to college in Montreal, which was, in fact, the first stop on our first travel adventure together back in 2006. Patrick also had his bachelor party there just about a year ago, but for some reason he never got around to blogging about it. Hmmm...

Katrina has spent some time in different parts of Canada and loves the seaside cuteness of Halifax, the empty wilderness of northern British Columbia, and the food at Gingerbread Cottage in Victoria. We hope to do some more exploring north of the border in the nearish future. We're open to suggestions :)

You mentioned the Admirals Club a couple times during your travels. Did you find the experience overall postive/worthwhile?
-Aubrey, Wilmington, DE USA

Given that we were planning to be in a crazy number of airports over the course of six months, that it was our honeymoon, and that we'd gotten a discounted membership offer in the mail, we decided to splurge on an Admiral's Club membership. Overall, we loved it. The comfy, hospitable, and calm environment to wait for our flights. Free food. Open bar. But there were definitely some cons

We originally thought the membership would be valid for any airline in the OneWorld Alliance, but this was not the case. We only got access to American, British, and Qantas's clubs.
We only got access to the club if we were flying that airline. This might seem like a no brainer, but when we arrived in Auckland, New Zealand on Qantas and had five hours to wait until our domestic flight to the South Island, we were not allowed into the Qantas Club since the flight we were waiting for was another airline. (Lucky for us we got a super nice guy at the door who let us in anyway, even though it was against the rules.)
The quality varied. Both Boston and London's Admiral's Clubs were under construction, crowded and really skimped on the food. While the Qantas Clubs offered hot buffets and full bars, the club at Logan offered up nuts, apples, and a single drink ticket.
It's a lot of money. At an annual (non-discounted) membership fee of $500, you have to spend a lot of time at airports to get your value.

You can send your own questions for the mailbag to patrinadoestheglobe@gmail.com

Freelance Friday: Travels With Vivi, The Trans-Siberian Railway to Japan

2010-05-14T09:02:00.003-04:00

We last left off when Vivi decided to leave Nazi Germany and received an invitation from her uncle to join him in Japan...

In early 1937, Vivi hitchhiked to Berlin to catch the Trans-Siberian Railroad that would take her across the wide continent in three action-packed weeks. She often talked about the interesting characters she met on this trip, the exotic foods offered by colorful vendors during the stops, the swim in Lake Baikal, after which she almost missed the train and would have been left on the shore without passport or money, and the danger of passing though territory embroiled in violent fighting; she vividly recalled local warlords armed to the teeth, and the steppe in flames from warfare, which the train routinely just passed through after dousing the wagons with water.

She finally arrived in Vladivosotck, said good-bye to the many friends she made in the past three weeks, and took the boat to Japan. Here, she was met by her Uncle Werner. who immediately set about educating her in the Japanese ways: Private language tutoring, lessons in Calligraphy, and formal training in the Tea Ceremony were all part of her Japanese education. In turn, she tutored local college students in English and German.

She eagerly embraced her new situation and settled in happily. From their home base in the little town of Yamaguchi, Vivi and her uncle undertook many adventurous trips; some to luxurious spas with full Geisha treatment, some to far away islands, such as Formosa and Sumatra. On these outings Vivi kept an open mind and took in the foreign ways in a matter-of-fact way; she told about walking along a beach and encountering a large wooden rack with severed heads drying in the sun. Vivi explained “That’s the way they did that then”, and she assured me that they had been safe because the natives never attacked tourists.

Next up, Vivi meets a handsome young American named George Potter...

This is the second installment from guest blogger (and Katrina's mom) Kerstin Potter.

Travel Tip Tuesday: Lessons from The Amazing Race

2010-05-11T10:07:00.000-04:00

The Amazing Race is pure, entertaining television. To anyone who knows us or has read this blog before, you know that it's one of our favorite shows ever. But aside from enjoying watching the comedy and the drama unfold, there is a lot to learn from the triumphs and failures of the contestants. In honor of Sunday's finale (do we really have to wait six months for the next season?) here are this week's travel tips:

Make new friends. Many seasons ago, some team realized that if they asked sweetly enough, locals might be willing to drop what they were doing and escort the team to whatever mystery location they were trying to find. Now, it's a staple. Teams that work their charm to get personally led or even just detailed, helpful directions are bound to succeed. This season, Dan took it a step farther and pulled out a move that won him and his brother the race--on the last flight to the end city, he chatted up a flight attendant while on board and got him and Jordan upgraded to first class. They were able to deplane with a significant time advantage that the cowboys were never able to make up. For a real life example of the new friend benefit, look no further than the Brenners rescuing us on Ilha Rasa.

Keep an open mind when it comes to food. When teams were challenged to eat a heaping mound of sauerkraut in Hamburg, Michael and Louie go into it with a determined attitude to destroy that food. They polish off the plate in record speed and lick it clean with gusto--and end up finishing first that day. Jeff and Jordan, on the other hand, get grossed out and try to nibble away while Jordan holds her nose in disgust. Big surprise, they don't finish in the allotted time, have to start all over again, and arrive to see Phil dead last. Maybe sauerkraut (or fried bugs or cow uterus) isn't your thing, but if you go into a meal with an open mind you'll get through--it's only food--and you might even enjoy it!

Pack light. Ever notice how the teams wear the same three outfits throughout the entire season? That's because they don't want clothing variety and cute accessories to slow them down. If they can appear that way on national TV, you certainly can on your private vacation.

Stay hydrated. Remember when Brent and Caite almost had to quite the race because they had to go to the hospital in Argentina? Well, I still claim they are weenies, but the bottom line is they got completely knocked out because they didn't do the simple thing of drinking enough water. When you are running around all day and distracted by your new and exciting surroundings--and especially when you have to pay for water--it's easy to forget about hydration. But turns out water is pretty crucial to your health. PS, that hospital looks way nicer than the one we were at in Udaipur.

Respect your travel companion. The most successful teams are those that work well together. Sometimes the bickering couples will miraculously survive until the end of the race, but I have never seen a team with significant communication troubles cross the finish first (though we still haven't seen seasons 6-11 so no spoliers please). Your best ally to have a successful and enjoyable trip is your travel partner; it's not worth it to fight over where to go next or who was right or wrong about directions--your both bound to lose on the vacation fun scale.

Mailbag Monday: May 10, 2010

2010-05-10T13:12:00.002-04:00

I know you are big fans of The Amazing Race. What did you think of the finale?

-Nick, Brooklyn, NY USA

From day 1 we were big fans of the cowboys (who wasn't?), so it was disappointing to see them get so close and fail to seal the deal. The Rhode Island brothers, though, pulled out a great last leg (save for the idiotic fighting over their place in line at the ticket counter which was made moot by the brilliant move to first class which may have single-handedly won them a million dollars) and we're happy for them. Jordan's fandom of the show really paid off, and Dan's reference to Boston sports made us happy.

But honestly, what we cared about most last night was that Brent and Caite NOT win. They wised up throughout the race and ran a lot smarter at the end, but they were whiny, snarky, bigoted, and overall miserable people who we did not want to see $1 million dollars. Hopefully more people will recognize Caite now not for her botched Miss Teen USA speech but for her meanness on The Amazing Race.

We're independent travelers, but Africa, let alone extended overland travel in Africa, seems best done with a guide. I know you had concerns about car-jacking, which thankfully, were not realized. I'm also concerned about the infrastructure (driving or busing) outside of South Africa. Not to mention self-guided safaris, and not just for safety concerns, but also just missing out on what could have been seen with a guide. Did you omit much of Africa for these same reasons? Should we hold off on including this on our round the world trip until we have some jingles to throw down for Africa done proper (Have you looked at some of the Intrepid Travel - Africa trips? Drool-worthy.)?

-Breanna and Jake, Madison, WI

Africa was totally incredible. Safari...there are no words. But we did come to the realization that we weren't going to be able to do that much there since the costs were so high. Independent travel just isn't much of an option there. It's also the kind of trip you need to really plan ahead, in a way that we couldn't do from hotel rooms in southeast Asia. Originally we wanted to do a big overland safari from Victoria Falls through Botswana and Namibia to Cape Town, but it was just way too expensive. We decided that some day we'll go back when we can really spend the money and plan everything right. I hate to say skip it for now, but especially if you are on a tight budget it might be the most practical option.

Freelance Friday: Travels With Vivi, Germany Edition

2010-05-07T13:36:00.002-04:00

I realize I may be biased, but my grandmother had a pretty incredible life. Her adventures took her all over Europe, across Russia, to Japan, and then on a crazy route around the US. To share some of these travel stories we have a guest blogger, Kerstin Potter (AKA Mom), who will appear in a series of posts.

Vivi was born on April 3^rd, 1918 in the last phase of World War One and was named “Wiltrud Siegfriede” (the one who wills magic to win peace) in hopes of an end to the terrible war. Her father Walther Preibisch , a music and Latin teacher, was fighting at the western front, while her mother Louise was teaching English and French in their home town, Stendal, Germany. Her father saw the infant Vivi on his last leave, and was then killed shortly before the war ended.

After the war the family moved to Upper Silesia. Vivi and her older sister explored the new surroundings. They lived next to the large and ancient school building with its long hallways, hidden attic rooms, and, most importantly, the gym. They regularly “broke into” the gym after hours and climbed the ropes, swung on the trapezes, and tumbled on the gymnastic equipment in an effort to outdo one another.

Due to a promotion to head a larger school, the family was moved to Wandsbek on the outskirts of Hamburg. Vivi began high school and joined her school’s rowing team, crewing on the River Alster regularly in early dawn. Her big sister had meanwhile graduated and started studying music in the Town of Luebeck. Vivi visited her regularly on week-ends, hitchhiking each way. As Vivi told recently, she learned quickly that pulling up the skirt a bit while thumbing for a ride made the cars stop a lot quicker. She never encountered any difficulties getting around.

Meanwhile, the Nazis had come to power. All citizens were now required to provide documentation of their ancestry to prove their Aryan background. Much to everyone’s surprise, it turned out that her father’s mother had been born Jewish and was baptized before her marriage. This fact completely changed Vivi’s life. While she was still allowed to attend school, she was ostracized in all other respects: no crew, no school dances, no social life--except for one friend with a similarly “tainted” background--and worst of all, no college after graduation.

Vivi graduated from her school in 1936, and waiting for the political climate to change, she got on her bicycle and rode north. She took a job as an au pair, first in Denmark then in Sweden. When it became clear that things were not going to change anytime soon, she received an invitation from her uncle to join him in Japan. Her father’s youngest brother had left Germany earlier (being “half-Jewish”) and was teaching at College in Yamaguchi, Japan.

Next stop, the Trans-Siberian Railway...

Where Next Wednesday: Panama

2010-05-05T20:30:00.001-04:00

*Photos courtesy of Lonely Planet and Tripadvisor

To Do List

For such a small little country, Panama's got a lot to offer! Beaches, culture, and the famous canal...

Panama City is, of course, home to the Panama Canal. We think it would be awesome just to see it and maybe hit up the Miraflores Locks Visitor Center, but we could also take an eight-hour guided trip across by boat for $175 per person. But there is a lot more to the city: historic, colonial buildings in Casco Viejo, old city ruins in Panama Viejo, and bustling nightlife in Calle Uruguay. For a quick getaway, the Parque Natural Metropolitano rainforest full of monkeys, sloths, and birds is just 10 minutes from downtown.
The San Blas Islands are just a short plane ride away from Panama City and sound like a really unique and exciting cultural experience. The 400 some islands are governed by the Kuna and a stay here involves meeting and learning about what might be the most in tact indigenous community in the hemisphere. Some accommodations are as simple as a hammock on the beach, others like the Hotel Kuna Niscua provide private cabins, transportation to and from Panama City, tours around the San Blas Islands, and all meals for $55 per person per day. Buying the local hand-stitched artwork called mola as souvenirs costs extra.
Bocas Del Toro is more about the traditional beach activities. Isla Colon is the bustling center of the action, Isla Bastimentos has remote, picturesque beaches, and Parque Internacional La Amistad is filled with more wildlife than tourists--jaguars, pumas, and anteaters, oh my!
For a change of pace, Boquete offers adventurous activities in a cooler, mountain climate. Hikes to see the famous Quetzal, visits to coffee plantations, canopy tours, and whitewater rafting are all on the itinerary. To rejuve, we can spend a day at the Pozos Termales hot springs for just $1. Boquete is just on the eastern side of Panama's tallest mountain, dormant Volcan Baru.
One of the really cool things about Panama is that we can do luxury on the (relatively) cheap. We've always wanted to stay in one of those bungalows built right over the water, but those are typically found in French Polynesia (a $1,000+ flight) for around $500 per night. In Panama, we can stay at Punta Caracol in a luxurious, private, over-the-water bungalow for around $360 night for the two of us including candlelit dinners. If you do the price comparison to Tahiti, it's a steal!

Yum

Panamanian cuisine has Afro-Caribbean, French, and Spanish flavors to spice up the Central American rice and bean standard. Some staples are...

Sancocho, a stew of meat, yucca, and avocado.
Plantains. Lots of 'em.
Culantro, a local plant that tastes like super-strong cilantro.
Chichas, their fresh tropical juices. If they are half as good as Brazilian sucos we'll be in heaven.
Cerveza Panama, the national beer.
Seco, the national sugarcane liquor, ordered "con leche" as the locals prefer.

Get Me There

Kayak shows that flights from Boston within the next six months come in around the $400s. Spirit has the cheapest option at $415 with one stop in Ft. Lauderdale, but based on our bad experience with them in the past we'd be inclined to "splurge" on American's one-stop $435 flight.

There are no visa requirements for Americans traveling to Panama, but we are required to buy a $30 tourist card upon arrival.

Did You Know?
Panama's national currency is the Balboa. Not only is it tied to the US Dollar, but Panamanians actually use US bills and just substitute their own Balboa coins to make change. That should make spending money in Panama super easy!

The Word
Viva Latin America - "Panama City is such a shock to the system... It has a skyline at which Manhattan wouldn’t turn up its nose, that astonishing canal, giant mega-malls and whole sections of the city made up of skyscrapers. On the other hand, it has countless areas into which you advised not to venture after dark, filthy and stinking streets, hundreds of homeless people sleeping in whole families in doorways and everywhere, everywhere, colonial buildings in varying states of decay, from crumbly and peeling to just plain shells of structures."
Hello San Blas Goodbye Panama - "There are over 365 islands in the San Blas, many are inhabited, some have resorts on them, some villages, some only 1 or 2 houses. After being welcomed by a pod of dolphins we dropped the anchor swimming distance from 3 small islands, one of which was where we were to have lunch."

Travel Tip Tuesday: Water Safety

2010-05-04T15:52:00.000-04:00

Boston has just emerged from a three-day water emergency. On Saturday evening some sort of crucial pipe burst that forced the city to get its tap water from back up reserves described by officials as equivalent to "untreated pond water". Yuck. The entire greater Boston area was under a boil-water order--except for Cambridge. Those smarties at Harvard and MIT decided long ago to figure out their own fresh water source, so they were untouched by the chaos unfolding around them.

And let me tell you...people have been FREAKING out! Sure it's been inconvenient but the stories on the evening news are incredible: people waiting hours in line to get rationed water bottles from the National Guard, price gouging for gallons of spring water on Newbury Street, mob scenes at grocery stores getting so unruly that police details are called in. Did no one realize the crucial part of the boil-water order was that you can...BOIL your own water?!

Shortly after the crisis began, one of my friends posted to her Facebook wall: "How to deal with a multi-day ordinance to boil all water? Pretend I'm in India!" Great idea! Thus inspired this week's travel tips regarding traveling in countries with non-potable tap water:

If you have access to a kitchen, boil your water. Just put it in a pot or tea kettle and make sure it's fully boiling for at least one minute. Drink hot or cool in the fridge. Voila!
Buy bottled water--from reputable sources. We've heard reported stories of local vendors refilling used water bottles with tap water, so make sure there is a seal of some sort on the cap when you buy it. If we are unsure of the street vendors, we might stock up at a pharmacy instead. On a budget and eco-friendly but non-safety related note, we like to buy large water bottles to keep in our hotel room and use them to refill a small water bottle to carry around with us.
Travel with water purification tablets to disinfect your water on the go.
Eat off dry plates and cutlery. If you receive a freshly-washed, wet fork with your meal, dry it off thoroughly on a napkin before you put it in your mouth.
Avoid ice. Sorry, dealing with a warm Coke is better than a stomach virus.
Substitute beer for water. Alcohol is a natural disinfectant, so it's bound to kill any accidental water-born germs in your body too, right? Not sure on the accuracy of the science behind that, but you can at least be confident that your beverage will be bacteria-free.

What do you do to stay healthy when traveling in countries with non-potable tap water?

Mailbag Monday: May 3, 2010

2010-05-03T16:04:00.000-04:00

You guys certainly saw a lot on your round the world trip but looking back is there anything you wish you had done that you hadn't due to either time or budget constraints?

-Keri, Cheyenne, WY USA

There are definitely lots of things that fall into this category, whether it was not having the time to visit a Japanese onsen, the funds to overland safari in Africa, or the cojones to eat fried tarantulas in Cambodia.

One of the things that sticks out the most in our minds is not getting to see more pyramids other than those at Giza. We debated hiring a driver to take us to see others but the August Egyptian sun had just drained us too much that morning. We sought refuge at the Egyptian Museum which we expected to be air conditioned per American standards. Unfortunately it rated a 1 on the scale of 1 to comfortable.

How did you guys take care of laundry on your trip? Was it tough to find laundromats?

-Don, Burlington, VT USA

We learned very quickly that self-service laundromats are not very popular outside the States. For the most part, we had our laundry done for us--which was a cheap thrill in some places and an unavoidable expense in others. In Brazil, there were no self-serve laundromats to be found and we had to dole out $20 USD or so for a load (which realllly cut into our daily budget average). In India and Southeast Asia, we got it done for $3-4 USD.

On a side note, we are still not sure how Russians get their laundry done because we could not find a single laundromat of any variety in either Moscow or St. Petersburg during our two weeks in the country. Thus when we arrived in our next destination of Sao Paulo, we had little choice but to pay the high price for thorough laundering.

Freelance Friday: Boston's Bacon and Beer Festival

2010-04-30T13:01:00.000-04:00

Last Saturday was the 2010 Boston Bacon and Beer Festival. With a name like that, the event clearly sold out weeks ahead of time and when we arrived 15 minutes before starting time there was already a line. When we got to the door they handed us a spork and a plastic cup... which was all we needed for this massive exercise in gluttony.

Hundreds of people packed in to the SoWa Market's old brick power station to sample from dozens of local brewers featuring their ales and restaurants featuring their bacon-related dishes.

There were traditional options like pork belly sandwiches, surprisingly delicious concoctions like bacon cupcakes, and some shockingly intense bites like this goat-cheese stuffed, bacon wrapped fig:

It was a star-studded event. Seriously, recognize this Top Chef Season 1 contestant doling out bacon chips?

We can't wait for next year.

*Thanks to Heidi Mitchell and Evan Carlson for their photo skills (and good company!)

Where Next Wednesday: China

2010-04-28T22:45:00.003-04:00

*Photos courtesy of Lonely Planet and National Geographic

To Do List

China is huge! It's the third largest country by land mass and first largest by population--so we might just have to take another six months off to thoroughly explore (just kidding, bosses!)

Beijing could keep us busy for a week. The Forbidden City, a 980-building imperial palace from the Ming to Qing dynasty, sounds incredible. It's "forbidden" because no one could come or go without the emperor's permission. Tiananmen Square, like Red Square in Moscow, hosts a well-preserved revolutionary. We'd love to see Mao in the flesh. Those communists and their love of preserving dead bodies!
The Great Wall. Apparently the further you go from Beijing the less crowded--we'd like to go all the way to Shanhaiguan, the part that juts out into the sea, a three-hour train ride from Beijing.
Xi'an's Terracotta Army (pictured below): 8,000 terracotta warriors with 30,000 weapons built by 700,000 workers as a form of funerary art for Qin Shi Huang in the second century BC. It's a two-hour flight our twelve-hour train ride from Beijing.
Shanghai's old, wooden architecture, ancient gardens, and colonial buildings alongside a brand new riverfront and the Oriental Pearl Tower, one of the tallest buildings in Asia. A sleeper ticket on one of the overnight trains from Beijing will cost you $75--they run at ten-minute intervals starting at 7pm.
Zhujiajiao: the "Venice of China" recently featured on The Amazing Race. It's a two-hour bus ride from Shanghai.
Hangzhou, originally admired by Marco Polo for its beauty, is highlighted by mountains, lakes, tea fields, and pagodas.
Tibet: the home of Lamaism. Sights include the Potala Palce, Jokhang Temple, and the Summer Palace of the Dalai Lama. Buddhist monasteries everywhere. There's also Qomolangma National Nature Reserve on the Tibet side of Mt Everest. Tibet is much harder to get into than the Forbidden City: you must have a permit from the Tibet Tourism Bureau and thus must go with an organized trip.

Yum

Noodles: we love us some pasta and China, after all, is the original home of the noodle.
Peking duck
Hot pot restaurants: Chinese fondue! Cooking your own meat and veggies in spicy broth.
Dim sum: no, we did not get our fill of dumplings in Hong Kong. Not nearly.
"Imperial" cuisine: includes specialties like camel's paw, shark's fin and bird's nest.
Tea: the Chinese have been drinking tea for millennia (that's way longer than you've been enjoying your Starbucks chai latte) so they really know what they're doing.

Get Me There
As of this post, Kayak shows United as offering the cheapest flights from Boston at $868 to Beijing and $922 to Shanghai, both with one stop.

But there's some work to do before you hop on that flight. Visa applications require details like cities and dates of entry and exit, an itinerary, and must be delivered in person to your local Embassy or Consulate General--or you can add a $50 service fee to your $130 visa and have Travisa process it for you.

Did You Know?
Your favorite part of Chinese takeout isn't Chinese at all. Fortune cookies were invented in California in the early 1900s. So the "in bed" rule is not a traditional Chinese custom after all.

The Word

Orn's Travel Blog - "From Shanghai we took the very modern and fast fast-train to Hangzhou, described by Marco Polo as "beyond dispute the finest and the noblest in the world"... We can certainly accept Polo’s description of Hangzhou but we’re also sure that he came when the sun was shining and the mist/smog was a lot less then it was today."
Emil's Trip to China - "The next day began with a flat bottom boat ride beginning in Guilin and cruising down the legendary Li River, with towering mountain-like limestone peaks dotting the winding shoreline... We shared the relatively narrow river with fishermen on bamboo rafts who use large black cormorants to catch their fish, vendors on similar rafts who hook onto the side of the ship to hawk cheap buddhas, as well as water buffalo, cows, and children swimming in the water begging for money."
Tibetan Portraits - "While traveling and studying in Tibet, I met many Tibetans who generously shared their time and stories with me. Through Tibetan Portraits, I hope to convey the beauty of these people and their culture."

Travel Tip Tuesday: Lessons From My Grandmother

2010-04-27T14:10:00.000-04:00

Yesterday my grandmother Vivi passed away. You'd never have guessed from her quiet demeanor and 70-pound frame that she'd had a life filled with great adventure. As a young woman she escaped Nazi Germany by traveling overland to Japan on the Trans-Siberian Railway. That's where she met my grandfather and the story of their life together is full of pirates, tornadoes, and other wild experiences. I like to think I inherited some of her courage and spunk, and I hope to be half as amazing a role model for my grandchildren one day.

Vivi dancing at our wedding last July

She taught me many things during my life but my favorite lesson is her parting one. Her passing was not unexpected and my family had had time to say goodbye. Last week she was singing old songs with my mother, one whose lyrics were about getting old and having missed out on life and regretting it. Vivi said, "I certainly did not miss out on any opportunity, not one--and there is no sadness."

We love you, Vivi.

Mailbag Monday: April 26, 2010

2010-04-26T12:53:00.000-04:00

What type of luggage do you use when you travel?

-J.C., Cape Town, South Africa

We've seen a lot of travelers using the heavy duty, framed backpacks for long hauls, but our preferred luggage is actually categorized as a "day pack" by EMS. The Kelty is pretty much the perfect size--big enough to hold your needs for a six-month trek, small enough to fit easily in an airplane's overhead compartment (or maybe even below the seat in front of you, although I never checked). Its padded straps and compact dimensions made it very comfortable to carry for hours at a a time. Mine has lasted three years and shows no signs of giving up--it's a great investment at about $100.

For business trips I swear by my little Target Embark. It looks super tiny, but it's just big enough to fit 3-4 suits, 5-6 work shirts, a casual outfit, and toiletries. I normally can get my laptop in there too. I got my current one for $10 a year or two ago, but it looks like they are currently selling it as a part of a three-piece set for $20. These babies aren't as durable though (what do you expect at that price?) so you'll have to replace it every two years or so.

I'm taking a cruise departing from Valparaiso later this year. I'll need to fly in to Santiago first and I thought it could be fun to get there a few days early to explore the city. How much time would you recommend there?

-Luke, Golden, CO, USA

Santiago definitely has its share of interesting sights, but it was probably one of our least favorite South American cities. It might make sense to spend a day there to recupe from your flight and check out the Plaza de Armas, and then head to Valparaiso to spend a few days there before your cruise departs. It's a lot more charming than you might expect of a port city.

Freelance Friday: Recipe Wish List

2010-04-23T11:08:00.000-04:00

When we first got back from our six months abroad we were eager to get our fill of the old familiar staples we'd missed so dearly. Spaghetti and meatballs. Macaroni and cheese. Burritos. But now that we've readjusted (and gained a few pounds) I find myself longing for some of the yummy treats we subsisted on during our trip. We've managed to recreate bacon popcorn and empanadas pretty well, I make a pretty mean crepe, and I'm looking forward to wowing some guests with our spring roll recipe from Vietnam, but there are lots of recipes I'd like to add to my collection.

Surfing the internet and my new favorite site, Foodgawker, can be pretty overwhelming. Too many options! And how do two different recipes for the same thing call for entirely different proportions of eggs and flour? Below is my current recipe wish list:

Alfajores, the yummy little sandwich cookies from Argentina. No, not oreos or macarons.
Baguette, a really good and crusty one.
Garlic naan
Palak paneer
Falafel
Red curry, "Thai style"
Pho
Focaccia

Please let me know if you have a tried and true favorite to recommend!

Where Next Wednesday: Antarctica

2010-04-21T22:19:00.006-04:00

*Photos courtesy of Cool Antarctica, National Geographic, Lonely Planet, Stuart Klipper, IAATO

To Do List
Antarctica is all about ridiculous, over the top, breathtaking natural beauty:

Glaciers and icebergs: climb on them, kayak through them, gaze the day away.
Wildlife: all sorts of different kinds of penguins, seals, and whales. Plus an awesome bird called the blue eyed shag.
Mount Erebus: the world's southernmost active volcano.
Deception Island hot springs, where we could strip down (appropriately) in the middle of the great Antarctican outdoors.
Lemaire Channel AKA "Kodak Gap" for its photogenicness.
The South Pole. Awesome.
The sun: it's there 24-7 in the middle of the summer.

Yum
Since there is no native human population in Antarctica and it's never been populated other than the scientists and crews that live at the bases, it's pretty tough to point to a national cuisine or local specialties we'd have to try. The fact that base cafeteria food is probably the most authentic fare might make this our first destination without a culinary attraction.

Get Me There
By far the most popular way to get to Antarctica is by boat, usually departing from Argentina or Chile. There are several choices here, but the most attractive to us are the "small boats" carrying 100ish passengers. They offer an up close experience with landings and a minimal environmental impact. Trips range in price from $3,000 to $30,000 a person and up depending on the outfit. National Geographic has a fantastic-looking tour where you are accompanied by their experts starting at $10,000. The cheapest we found was Mountain Travel Sobek's $3,990 quote. We've also read that if you are willing to risk it, you can sometimes find last minute deals from Argentina (in-person) when companies are filling empty spots on their boats.

Large cruise ships, which are sightseeing only (no landings) and can't get to as many cool spots because they're so big, are for the most part now banned in Antarctica due to their environmental unfriendliness. Some yachts organize private tours as well, but since they haven't signed on to abide by the standard rules many base camps are unwelcoming to them. Maybe it's just us, but the idea of cruising around the end of the earth with the folks who live there and know the scene best resenting us does not seem appealing/safe/smart.

Also good to keep in mind that tourists can only visit in the "summer" from November to March. Even if it weren't freaking freezing and the sea wasn't crazy dangerous during the winter, the 24-7 darkness doesn't mesh so well with sightseeing.

Did You Know?
Q: Sahara, Kalahari, Antarctica: which one doesn't belong?
A: Kalahari, because it's not actually a desert. (It's planet Earth's largest sand basin.)

Which means that Antarctica IS a desert--and not only that, it's the biggest in the world! There is virtually no precipitation because water vapor is simply frozen out of the air. Mental note: remember to bring the chapstick.

The Word

Sailing the Forgotten Continent - "Let me just say one thing: every picture you see of Antarctica is pristine and white; the penguins are adorable and very huggable. What they don't tell you is that they smell-- a lot."

He Blogged His Way to Antarctica - "We started to hear some people screaming… but don’t get worried! They were just the first group to do polar plunge …yes, I’m serious… people were diving in the Antarctica waters…and we were next…"

For the full details on Where Next Wednesday click here.

Travel Tip Tuesday: Airport Comfort

2010-04-20T13:47:00.000-04:00

Choosing airports used to be as easy as avoiding O'Hare in the winter or Atlanta during hurricane season. But with flight delays and overbooking becoming more common, and now this Icelandic volcano wreaking havoc, I plan to add airport stats to the research mix in our travel planning. Just look how lucky the folks stranded at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport are.

But even if lava isn't spewing and your airport isn't laying out the red carpet (or beds and sleeping kits, as the case may be) there are still good and bad everyday options. SleepingInAirports.com offers a comprehensive guide to the world's airports and thousands of user reviews to help rate the best for safe and comfortable sleeping. On their top ten worst list is Frankfurt Hahn--which we can personally attest from the many painful hours we spent there IS a miserable airport at which to be stranded. There are about ten seats in the entire airport and I swear the floor is especially cold and hard. The #1 worst according to them is Paris's Charles de Gaulle. Reviewer Megaplayer writes "The SAS-people at CDG told us 'You are lucky, you can leave. We have to work here every day.'" Ouch.

Mailbag Monday: April 19, 2010

2010-04-19T13:30:00.000-04:00

I am going to be in Boston this summer for a weekend...what are the three must dos in your mind?

-Whit, Bellaire, TX USA

1. Walking the Freedom Trail is the perfect way to acquaint yourself with historical Boston. It's a two and a half mile walk to see sixteen nationally significant historic sites including the Boston Common, Faneuil Hall, the USS Constitution, and the Old State House (which, incidentally, is where we got married). A number of organizations offer guided tours at various costs, or you can do it on your own for free by following the red brick path through the streets of Boston. Stop in first at the Boston Common Tourist Info Center so they can equip you with plenty of brochures and information so you get the most out of your tour.

2. Home of the beloved Boston Red Sox, Fenway Park is also the oldest of all current Major League stadiums. Even if you are not a sports fan, catching a Sox game is a completely worthwhile and quintessentially Boston experience. If the team's on the road you can go for a tour of the historic ballpark instead.

3. If you are looking to shop, look no further than Newbury Street. Hundreds of boutiques line this character-filled avenue at the heart of the classic Back Bay neighborhood. And sitting at one of the cafe or restaurant patios is the perfect place to people watch. A seat at Stephanie's is by far the most coveted--the trick is to arrive just before they open in the late morning. Otherwise you'll be waiting 2-3 hours on a nice day.

I have contacted Sodispar Apartments in Krakow regarding a room. They were very helpful, and my first impressions are on par with everything I have read about them online. That they are a reputable business with excellent customer service and facilities. My only concern is that they did not require a deposit. Instead, they requested a copy of our plane ticket receipt. Was your experience the same? I am sorry for sounding suspicious, but I don't think you can be too careful. Any assurance, or confirmation you can provide would be much appreciated! Thanks!
-Beth R., VA USA

For us they did require an actual deposit but only because it was the week of New Year's. It was a bit of a hassle to get them a deposit because we had to do an international wire transfer through our bank. It was worth it though because it was very nice. I would not hesitate to give them the plane receipt, just make sure you black out any personal info like credit card or passport numbers, etc.

You can send your own questions for the mailbag to patrinadoestheglobe@gmail.com

Freelance Friday: House Hunting

2010-04-16T09:51:00.002-04:00

Like many young newlyweds in their first year of marriage, we are starting to look to buy our first home. What makes the search easy is that we love Boston, love our neighborhood, and have a pretty good sense of what we want. On the flip side, our ideal home in the Back Bay costs close to $1 million. Just a tad out of our price range. $500,000 doesn't even get you that much here--maybe 750 square feet with a second bedroom that doesn't fit a full sized bed. Or four parking spots. Seriously.

Those stats seemed a little wonky, so I did some digging and found out that yes, we do live in bizarro world. Four parking spots in Boston's Back Bay or...

A Tuscan villa. Five bedrooms, two baths, and nearly 2,500 square feet of old European stone and terracotta. It's located on a hillside and "close to a small hamlet". I'm not even sure what that means but it sounds utterly charming.

An Irish church. Sure it's not exactly set up for residential living at the moment, but you can buy this buttressed beauty for $400,000. With the half million dream budget we're working with, consider it a "fixer upper".

A Nicaraguan island. This 2.5-acre gem sits on the Caribbean Sea and includes a two bedroom house, an additional "caretaker house", a fiberglass boat, and an infinity pool. Asking price is $360,000. Are you joking?

A boutique resort in Bali, furnished and complete with ocean views.

Or by our calculations, you could stay in nice hotels, eat well, and live quite comfortably traveling around Southeast Asia for 27 years.

Happy open houses this weekend!

Where Next Wednesday: The Five Finalists!

2010-04-14T20:07:00.016-04:00

We are excited to announce the five finalists for our next travel destination! The nominees are...

That's Antarctica, China, Panama, Peru, and Switzerland.

Click on the above flags to link to our profile on each destination.

For the full details on Where Next Wednesday click here.

Travel Tip Tuesday: Souvenirs

2010-04-13T10:12:00.011-04:00

The word souvenir comes from the French translation of "remembrance". I love the idea of collecting little items from travel destinations that bring back the memories, feelings, tastes, and smells of vacation. Choosing smart souvenirs is an art form: they should be things that evoke stories, that are somehow unique to where you got them, and most importantly should be items you'll actually use.

There are certainly things we've bought while traveling that don't fit this criteria, but we've gotten some winners as well. Here is a list of some of our personal favorites:

Clothing - The winter scarf I've used for the last two years is actually a gift I received while in the Khasi Hills of India. It has an unusual but beautiful weave and it keeps me very toasty. In the less artistic category, I'm really looking forward to bringing backpacker fashion to the streets of Boston this spring with the Aladdin pants I bought in Malaysia to refresh my destroyed wardrobe in month four of our trip.

Soccer Jerseys - A special subgroup in the clothing department. Patrick's collection is getting quite large and he wears them all the time. It's not rare to be approached with roars of "MENGA!" and Portuguese chatter when he walks around town in his Flamengo jersey from Rio.

Jewelry - I have a pair of earrings I bought on the streets of Granada, Nicaragua. There is something distinctly unusual about the stones and wire work and they always spice up an outfit for an evening out. We also did some bargaining for strands of pearls in Hoi An--I'm still not sure if taking a lighter flame to the pearls proves they're real but that seemed to be the standard demonstrated test in Vietnam.

Spices - What better way to recreate your favorite flavors from a recent trip? I went crazy at the Spice Market in Istanbul and still have some very hot pepper in my cabinet. The trick is not to get anything "living" or suspicious-looking so you can get through customs without a hassle.

What are some of your favorite souvenirs?

Mailbag Monday: April 12, 2010

2010-04-12T09:33:00.000-04:00

This week's questions are both from Breanna and Jake of Madison, WI who are planning their own six-month traveling honeymoon. We're so excited for them!

I'm worried about striking a balance between planning and over-planning. My natural tendency is to work out every connection beforehand, but I also don't want to set us up for a house of cards. How much of your route/transportation was planned beforehand? Heck, how many of your destinations were planned before? I think my biggest concern with overland travel is navigating local transportation, in another language, every leg of the route. It's daunting. How did you research local transportation?

The way our round the world ticket worked was that we had to book all 16 legs of the trip ahead of time, so where we flew in and out of was locked in. (We could, however, change dates of travel along the way.) So we knew, for instance, that we were flying in to Bangkok and out of Bali, but in between was open. We didn't book any travel between stops ahead of time. But we had done some very preliminary research about all the areas we would generally be to get a sense of what might be priorities to do and see. Most of our research was done while on the road, most often a day or two before we landed in a new city. We brought a netbook computer along on the trip and wifi was basically everywhere, so this was much easier than we even anticipated. (Highly recommended!) The language barrier was surprisingly not a big issue. There were a few communication mishaps, such as the one that led us to be stranded on that Brazilian island, but everything always worked out in the end :) I'd say don't worry about arranging local transportation on the fly.

We both have an unfailing wanderlust, but I'm still concerned about home sickness. Our travel so far has been limited to 2-3 week trips to Europe where the culture shock is minimal. Any advice there?

I think that overall moving around a lot kept us from being homesick, because there were always so many new things to see and experience. The constant novelty kept things fresh. But for keeping in touch, let me just say that Skype is amazing! To talk to and actually see your family is such a comfort. Again, the netbook computer was super handy for this. You could often find us on a street corner skyping halfway across the world.

You can send your own questions for the mailbag to patrinadoestheglobe@gmail.com

Don't forget to nominate a destination for our next trip!

Freelance Friday: Bacon Popcorn

2010-04-09T09:41:00.003-04:00

It's no surprise to anyone who's read our blog before that we are very into food. We've drooled over sushi in Japan, gorged ourselves on Turkish mezes, and eaten just about every animal organ you can think of during our round the world adventures. When we found bacon popcorn in Curitiba, Brazil, we thought: how have we not had bacon in popcorn before?

Look at him, he's so happy!

Everyone knows that everything's better with bacon! This was the first dish we attempted recreating upon our return home. It's obviously not rocket science, but we're pretty proud of our success anyway.

Patrick and Katrina's Bacon Popcorn:

1/2 pound of bacon (thick sliced is best)
1/3 cup unpopped popcorn kernels
vegetable oil as needed

Chop bacon into square pieces.
Fry bacon in a pan until crisp. Remove bacon from the pan and place in a large serving bowl, without draining/degreasing on a paper towel.
Place the bacon grease in a large pot with a lid (a spaghetti pot is perfect). You need about 3 tbsp of grease, so if it is less than that add some vegetable oil.
Pour popcorn kernels into the large pot, cover, and heat on high flame.
When the kernels start to pop, move the lid over a bit to let the steam escape but not enough to let the popcorn pop out. Believe me, those kernels can get some air. Shake the pot regularly as popping continues.
Remove from heat when the popcorn stops making regular pops. Pour into the bowl with the bacon pieces.
Toss it all together like a very unhealthy salad. Serve and enjoy!

Mmm...now I'm hungry.

In other food for thought, here is an awesome YouTube clip. Happy weekend!

Don't forget to nominate a destination for our next trip!

Where Next Wednesday: Week Four

2010-04-07T10:23:00.004-04:00

This is the final week of open nominations! Make sure to get all your suggestions for where we should travel next in the comments by Tuesday, because in next Wednesday's post we'll be announcing the official top five and starting our destination profiles. For more details of how this works see the Week One post.

We recently got a question from reader Ashley (who has a great blog you should check out) that others may be wondering about as well:

How are are you guys feeling about the price factor? If Antarctica wins, for example, that's a big ticket... And do you have a specific time when you'll travel, or do you have flexibility? How much time do you have for the trip?

The "when" will be largely influenced by what destination wins. We'll want to take into account seasons (both weather-wise and high v. low in terms of tourist traffic and price), ticket prices, and of course our personal lives. We'd have a lot more flexibility around a trip to Lucerne, just a hop over the Atlantic, than a flight halfway across the globe to China. And Patrick works in politics, so this fall through Election Day on November 2 is pretty much out for us. As for price, we tend towards budget travel so some of these destinations would pose some major challenges. But we feel confident that there is always a cost-conscious way to plan any trip.

Check out the current standings below and see if you think there should be any additions. This is your last chance to nominate an unmentioned destination or support other standing suggestions! Leave a note in the comments section today!

View Where Next Suggestions in a larger map

Suggestions So Far:

Place	Suggestions
Peru	7
Antarctica	5
China	4
Lucerne, Switzerland	4
Panama	3
Bariloche, Argentina	2
Bolivia	2
Croatia	2
Ecuador	2
Ireland	2
Macedonia	2
Riga, Latvia	2
Slovenia	2
St. Lucia	2
Turkey	2
Venice, Italy	2
Alaska	1
Armenia	1
Auvergne, France	1
Branson, Missouri	1
Bruges, Belgium	1
Greece	1
Guatemala	1
Jamaica	1
Kenya	1
Kerala, India	1
Llanfair..., Wales	1
Marrakesh, Morocco	1
Moscow, Russia	1
Namibia	1
Nepal	1
Porto, Portugal	1
Pyongyang, North Korea	1
Rome, Italy	1
Rwanda	1
Seoul, South Korea	1
Tanzania	1
Ticino, Switzerland	1
Trans-Siberian Railway	1
Uganda	1
Ukraine	1
Vancouver, Canada	1
Vanuatu	1

Travel Tip Tuesday: En Espanol

2010-04-06T10:18:00.012-04:00

Spanish is one of the world's most useful languages to know. For traveling, of course, but also for understanding awesome telenovelas.

For the last five weeks we've been enrolled in Boston Center for Adult Education's "Spanish for Travelers" class. It's been a lot of fun--Professor Carlos has run through basics like how to order food, shop, and arrange transportation. He also gave us some more obscure vocabulary, discussed linguistic differences between Spanish-speaking countries, and answered lots and lots of questions. In honor of our graduation, here are some phrases we think are most key when traveling:

The first word we learn in any language is "thank you". Gracias will endear you to your hosts and generally get you everywhere.

If you're from the States, declare your nationality by saying soy estadounidense. It's more polite to say in Latin America than soy americano, where they consider themselves American as well. It's also a really, really fun word to say.

The average person goes to the bathroom six times a day. Donde estan los banos? is pretty important for finding out where those bathrooms are.

Going souvenir shopping? Camisetas is the word for T-shirts. It's also the same word for football (soccer) jerseys, so if you collect them like Patrick you want to know how to ask for them.

Get the price on that by asking Cuanto es? People are way less into price tags abroad and so we find ourselves asking this a lot. It's also the intro to the inevitable negotiating game.

Deseo una cerveza fria is how you order a cold beer. Make sure to include "fria" in there so you don't get a warm brew...we Americans tend to be a lot pickier about temperature than our neighbors down south or across the pond. But if you're getting a soft drink or cocktail, ask for it sin hielo if you are unsure about the tap water quality.

Tocineta. Because everything's better with bacon.

Excuse yourself with perdone. We are constantly apologizing for our poor language skills, interrupting people to ask directions, and generally making social gaffes.

After five weeks, Carlos approved of our new language skills and wished us a buen viaje (good trip). We feel much better equipped for our next trip to one of the 21 countries for which Spanish is the official language.

Do you learn some basic vocab before traveling abroad? What words do you find most important to know how to say?

Mailbag Monday: April 5, 2010

2010-04-05T15:04:00.015-04:00

We have been several places in the world and are looking for our next adventure in December and January. We usually spend 5 weeks. Can you give me your top five. We have been quite a few places including most of Europe, Argentina, Santiago Chile and we did the Asia deal last year, about the same deal you did.

-RoxAnn, MN, USA

Our top five is always changing, depending on the food or landscape we are craving, but given where you've already been and taking into account a five week stay, here's what we came up with (in no particular order):

New Zealand - The natural beauty is just otherworldly--like nothing we've seen anywhere else. With five weeks you could do a road trip around both islands and really take in the different landscapes.

Turkey - The history, food, and culture kept us in Istanbul for an entire week, and we could have stayed longer. The country is so rich in historical sights and the pictures look absolutely gorgeous. We can't wait to go back.

South Africa - You've got safari on one end of the country and breathtaking landscapes on the other. In between there are beaches (it's summer there in December), winelands, sand dunes, and more. In five weeks you could really take a lot in.

Italy - You could limit your sightseeing to restaurants and come home happy. But aside from the food, the country is gorgeous and full of amazing historical sights. We'd love to work our way from the Alps to the toe of the boot.

Egypt - If the history of Italy or Turkey won't cut it, this is your place. Seeing the pyramids in person is pretty out of this world. We loved the bustle of Cairo and the laid back charm of Dahab. We think arranging a boat ride down the Nile would be an absolutely amazing trip.

We feel a bit sad that Latin America isn't represented on this list--you've already been to one of our all-time faves, Argentina. But if you are feeling like some Latin flavor, a Nicaragua/Costa Rica/Panama trip was super close to making this list.

We are thinking of taking a Mega Bus from Boston to New York. Do you have any experience with this or other inexpensive buses between these cities?

-John B, Mercer Island, WA USA

For years, the only cheap option between Boston and New York was the Chinatown bus. Now there are a multitude of companies in addition to Fung Wah and Lucky Star; no matter what it's a relatively straightforward four-hour trip. Our personal favorite is Bolt Bus, which we've found the cleanest of the pack. All the buses are wifi enabled and sometimes it even works--it's amazing how fast the time flies when you can YouTube videos! They advertise $1 fares for the first ticket bought on each bus, but we've always gotten the more expensive $10-15 fares in our last minute planning. That's generally the same price you will pay with any of the Boston-New York bus companies. And though it has less panache than flying, there is no getting to the airport two hours early, no security, and many more colorful characters to entertain you along the way.

Send questions for the mailbag to patrinadoestheglobe@gmail.com

Don't forget to nominate a destination for our next trip!

Freelance Friday: Boston's Ten Tables

2010-04-02T11:04:00.000-04:00

We are in the midst of a family bonanza: we have seven out of town relatives visiting at various points over the course of two weeks. Last weekend it was my dad and stepmom, who love trying out new restaurants. When they suggested the highly reviewed Ten Tables we were delighted; this restaurant had been on our "to go to" list for ages.

The original Ten Tables is located in Jamaica Plain at a tiny establishment that fits--get this--ten tables. Since its acclaimed success had led to far in advance reservations being required, they opened a second location in Cambridge. From everything we'd read the quality remains the same at the new outpost, and because reservations in J.P. were once again impossible to get, we headed across the river to Harvard Square for a Sunday night dinner.

Ten Tables Cambridge has significantly more than ten tables (more like twenty) but it still has an intimate and cozy but elegant atmosphere. The only reservation we could get even at this location was for 5:00, so we were the first to arrive for their Sunday night, three-course supper, a weekly prix-fixe affair that costs $33.

But before I get to any of the food, a note about the wine. Since our wine-tasting adventures in Argentina and South Africa, we know a little bit more about wine and certainly appreciate it more, but we are way intimidated when it comes to the extensive wine list of a nice restaurant. Even more intimidated by the prospect of discussing wine with a sommelier. My dad, however, not so, and not only did he request to speak with the sommelier but then proceeded to have a ten minute discussion with him about our tastes, pairing with food, and his recommendations. The result was something delicious that went really well with our food, but as the whole transaction was so above my head I don't remember the name. But the point is their sommelier is really good (and patient).

So for our first course we were all delivered significantly portioned plates: I got the merguez with quinoa and tomatillo sauce. The sausage was spicy and delicious but what surprised me was how yummy the quinoa was! I've made quinoa before as a healthy experiment (did you know it's one of the only starches to be a complete protein on its own?) but it tasted nothing like this wonderfully light, almost popcorn-like dish before me. And Patrick's cavatelli wasn't too shabby either. The ricotta-dough pasta was paired with a light cream sauce with an essence of fresh peas. I chomped down about half his plate in addition to my own. Oops.

But I didn't even touch Patrick's main course because I was so enamored with my own. I got the mussels, which I love, but restaurants so often just throw them in with some garlic and wine and call it a day. This was incredible. I swear each mussel was hand-picked they were so huge and juicy! They were cooked up in a spicy chorizo cream sauce that I slurped down like a soup. I let Patrick have all my fries to make up for the first course. Everyone else at the table got steak, all requested at a different done-ness, and each one came out perfectly to order.

My chocolate terrine with Thai basil ice cream dessert was as interesting as it sounds. I'm a huge ice cream aficionado but had never tasted anything like this--it was kind of like a sweet, non-garlicky frozen pesto. Um, but that sounds kind of scary. Really it was way delicious. And the super rich terrine would make any chocoholic swoon. Patrick's creme caramel was OK but rather uninteresting, which made it the most disappointing part of the meal. My dad's bread pudding, however, was a great brioche concoction that was moist even without being drenched in creme anglaise and sweetened with dry fruit. Yummy, but I'd still go with the basil ice cream again.

We all left Ten Tables full-bellied and utterly impressed. It's definitely the best prix fixe menu I've had in Boston. OK, OK...Cambridge isn't actually Boston, but it is connected by the T and the original is in Jamaica Plain, which technically IS Boston, so I'm claiming this restaurant for Bean Town.

*Photo courtesy of Grub Street Boston

Where Next Wednesday: Week Three

2010-03-31T11:43:00.006-04:00

The nominations keep rolling in...Peru is now out to a commanding lead, but Antarctica has joined Lucerne in a tie for second.

And there are 36 more nominated destinations not far behind! Support your favorites and suggest new ideas by posting in the comments below! Need inspiration? Check out Budget Travel's Dream Trips 2010 issue. It left us drooling.

The recap: we're asking people to suggest destinations--anywhere in the world--for our next big trip. After a few weeks of open nominations we'll let you vote among the five most popular suggestions. For more details see the Week One post.

Will China make a play for second place? Will one of the nine tied for the fifth and final spot break away? Stay tuned!

View Where Next Suggestions in a larger map

Suggestions So Far:

Place	Suggestions
Peru	7
Antarctica	5
China	4
Lucerne, Switzerland	4
Bariloche, Argentina	2
Bolivia	2
Croatia	2
Ireland	2
Macedonia	2
Riga, Latvia	2
Slovenia	2
Turkey	2
Venice, Italy	2
Alaska	1
Armenia	1
Auvergne, France	1
Branson, Missouri	1
Bruges, Belgium	1
Ecuador	1
Greece	1
Guatemala	1
Jamaica	1
Kenya	1
Llanfair..., Wales	1
Marrakesh, Morocco	1
Moscow, Russia	1
Namibia	1
Nepal	1
Panama	1
Porto, Portugal	1
Pyongyang, North Korea	1
Rome, Italy	1
Rwanda	1
Seoul, South Korea	1
St. Lucia	1
Tanzania	1
Ticino, Switzerland	1
Trans-Siberian Railway	1
Uganda	1
Ukraine	1
Vancouver, Canada	1
Vanuatu	1

Travel Tip Tuesday: The American Steakhouse Happy Hour

2010-03-30T10:39:00.001-04:00

Everyone--especially Date Mike--loves Happy Hour. But Boston, with it's ban on discounted liquor, has to rely on cheap eats to insert the happy. Some time last year Patrick and I discovered the wonders of the McCormick and Schmick's Happy Hour. Every day except Saturday from 3:30 to 6:30, our local outlet serves deeply discounted full-sized portions of some of their more casual fare. We order their 8 oz burger for $3 and watch the suckers who come in at 6:35 get identical ones for $10. And their creamy, melty $2 spinach artichoke dip is a standard for us. Not only is this food cheap, but it's of really high quality. Opentable.com tells you to expect to pay $31-50 for a meal.

After several belly-busting, penny pinching dinners at M&S, we found out that The Palm does a similar deal on weeknights as well. Here the food comes out a bit more high-end with a penchant for the bite-size: burger sliders, chicken sliders, cheese steaks on the cutest little rolls you've ever seen. And in general it's not quite as satisfying, but we like to shake it up from time to time. We're pretty crazy.

But with hundreds of locations of McCormick and Schmick's and The Palm peppered all over the country, I really wish we'd known about this for our cross-country road trip, when we were living on dollars a day and had all the time flexibility in the world. There would have been way less nights of subsisting on granola bars and peanut butter sandwiches. So if you're looking to save money on an upcoming trip to or within the US, or just a nice little Sunday, call up your local steakhouse and check out their discounted bar menu times. It tends to be a very happy hour.

Unless Date Mike shows up. Or Prison Mike.

The Office - Prison Mike from Havasip on Vimeo.

Mailbag Monday: March 29, 2010

2010-03-29T06:37:00.011-04:00

I saw that you went to Ayer's Rock. We are currently planning our Australia trip, and aren't sure if it's worth it to travel all the way out to see that. What did you think? Any suggestions?

-Bob C., Vagabond3.com

We really do highly recommend Ayer's Rock. It was hands down the favorite thing we did in Australia. Sydney and Melbourne are cool cities, but honestly are very similar to America. Ayer's Rock is not only a beautiful area of the country, but really rich in culture and history too. We're not usually big fans of organized tours but would recommend one for this so you get the most out of your trip--learning about the aboriginal significance of the sights makes you appreciate it so much more. We did a 3 day, 2 night trip with The Rock company that was really awesome. Camped out in swag every night under the stars. You will never see as many stars anywhere as you will in the Outback.

We're headed to Thailand soon and want to head south to the beaches to relax for a few days and take in the beach scene. And also make a trip to Phi Phi Island. Do you prefer Krabi or Phuket?

-Jean R.

We definitely recommend Krabi. We stayed in Phuket, Phi Phi, and Railay (in Krabi) and the last was our favorite. It has a very unique, laid back atmosphere, feels quiet and isolated (in a good way) and is so completely gorgeous. The backdrop is these huge limestone cliffs--unbelievable. There is also a large rock climbing scene there. Phuket is a lot more built up and commercial--we felt like we could be on Myrtle Beach, USA. On the other hand, if you want a big nightlife scene, Phuket would be more your place. Whatever you choose, a day trip to Phi Phi is certainly a great idea! It is so beautiful and we loved it there, and you get more of a taste of that beach luxury than in Railay. Great snorkeling in Phi Phi. We stayed at the Bayview which we can highly recommend.

If you are combining this with sightseeing in Bangkok and northern Thailand, just keep in mind that transportation takes a while down south...when we went from Phi Phi to Railay, it was a few hours on the ferry and then we couldn't dock because of low tide, so a longtail boat came to meet the ferry, we piled in there, putted closer to shore, and then waded to the beach with our luggage. Always an adventure! But you want to have the time to enjoy that and not feel stressed out, so think about adding an extra day or two to your southern itinerary.

Send questions for the mailbag to patrinadoestheglobe@gmail.com

Don't forget to nominate a destination for our next trip!

Freelance Friday: Dear Amazing Race Contestants

2010-03-26T10:36:00.001-04:00

Dear Amazing Race Contestants,

From South America to Europe...and more Europe...and more Europe...you might have one of the cushiest seasons of the Amazing Race so far. But though surrounded by Western culture and English speakers everywhere, you still manage to get lost, ignore clues, and get lost again. It's possible you have the lowest average IQ of all Amazing Race casts. But it doesn't matter; every Sunday night at 8pm I am glued to the TV to see what you do next.
Jet and Cord - Wearing your cowboy hats for all challenges and at all times, even when it means looking absurd with them covered in shower caps, is utterly charming. And every time you say, "Oh my gravy!" I love you a little bit more. Please get your swagger back soon.

Carol and Brandy - You might just have what it takes to be the first female team to win the Amazing Race (finally!) Especially now that the producers seem to have realized that it's not exactly fair to make all the detours about brute strength. But your bickering also has the potential to turn into a classic Amazing Race relationship meltdown. Keep it together.

Brent and Caite - I'm not sure how you've avoided being last to the mat yet, and when you do I'm confident it will end up being a "pre-determined" non-elimination round. [cough, cough, *comedic effect*] But between being whiny babies and going to the hospital when you were dehydrated and saying things like "I hate the lesbians", you may be the least sympathetic team in Amazing Race history. Models? Model idiots.

Steve and Allie - YES! Duct tape makes its first major Amazing Race appearance! Thank you Steve's wife for packing his backpack and showing the world how amazing that sticky silver product is! And thank you for painting the interior of that random house in Valparaiso...I'm sure those Chilean painters are, like me, laughing about that to this day.

Louie and Michael - I am not charmed by your rough and tumble detective charm. Enough winning.

Dan and Jordan - I'm still perplexed by Jordan's proclamation (or was it Dan? I still can't tell them apart) that he doesn't like traveling. Um....you know this is the Amazing Race, right? That you signed up to spend a month living out of your backpack performing crazy shenanigans all over the globe? Wrong CBS show: Big Brother doesn't start up again until the summer.

And major props to you, Phil, for keeping a straight face when these teams roll into the pit stop with trashed cars, without completing tasks, and not being able to count the number of fingers you're holding up. Or rather a Phil face. I love how the cocked eyebrow and curved lips says "polite" and "they do not pay me enough to deal with these ridiculous people" at the same time.

Sincerely,
Katrina

Don't forget to nominate a destination for our next trip!

Where Next Wednesday: Week Two

2010-03-24T11:10:00.019-04:00

Thanks to everyone who contributed to our Where Next Wednesday kickoff! Over thirty suggestions so far and counting...from adventure to relaxing to exotic destinations. We can't wait to see what else you come up with! Keep the nominations coming by posting comments suggesting where we should travel next!

Right now the front runners are lovely Lucerne:

and picturesque Peru:

To recap for those of you who missed last week, are new to our site, or are just having a major brain lapse: we're asking people to suggest destinations--anywhere in the world--for our next big trip. After a few weeks of open nominations we'll let you vote among the five most popular suggestions. For more details see the Week One post.

Don't be afraid to nominate more (and more and more) destinations even if you've already made a suggestion. The more input the better!

Below is a current leaderboard of suggested destinations along with a map for those who are more into visuals (or just maps in general, like Patrick).

View Where Next Suggestions in a larger map

Suggestions So Far:

Place	Suggestions
Peru	7
Antarctica	4
Lucerne, Switzerland	4
China	3
Bariloche, Argentina	2
Bolivia	2
Croatia	2
Ireland	2
Macedonia	2
Riga, Latvia	2
Slovenia	2
Turkey	2
Venice, Italy	2
Alaska	1
Armenia	1
Auvergne, France	1
Branson, Missouri	1
Bruges, Belgium	1
Ecuador	1
Greece	1
Guatemala	1
Jamaica	1
Kenya	1
Llanfair..., Wales	1
Marrakesh, Morocco	1
Moscow, Russia	1
Nepal	1
Panama	1
Porto, Portugal	1
Pyongyang, North Korea	1
Rome, Italy	1
Rwanda	1
Seoul, South Korea	1
St. Lucia	1
Tanzania	1
Ticino, Switzerland	1
Trans-Siberian Railway	1
Uganda	1
Vancouver, Canada	1

*Photos courtesy of National Geographic and Euro Buildings

Travel Tip Tuesday: Passport Photo Revolution

2010-03-23T09:35:00.015-04:00

Recently I wrote about the ridiculousness of visa fees, but what really gets my goat is what is hands down the biggest racket in international travel: passport photos. I'm sorry, two measly photos for $6.99?! I didn't realize that washed-out, inevitably unflattering pictures of myself in front of a pull-down white screen taken by a high school age CVS cashier were such a valuable commodity. My wedding photos didn't cost that much per picture. But even so, CVS's prices are a steal in comparison to $7.99 at Walgreens and up.
So when we were preparing for our round the world trip, we were pretty horrified by how much it would cost to get all the pictures we needed. Many countries require multiple photos with their applications (darn those visas again!), so we needed a good number before we even got on our first flight plus a healthy stock for border crossings along the way.

Enter ePassportPhoto.com. This awesome site gives you instructions for taking a compliant picture, has you upload it, and then formats six photos into a 4x6 frame ready to print--for free! You can then use Shutterfly, Snapfish, or even good old CVS to make the prints for as little as 10 cents each.

Added bonus: you can take as many photos at home as you want til you get one where you don't look like a zombie.

*Flickr photo by benoit.deckmyn

Mailbag Monday: March 22, 2010

2010-03-22T11:45:00.009-04:00

Your trip budgeting plan of having a separate slush fund sounds like a good idea. How did you decide what gets put in the slush fund versus your daily budget?

-Mike I., St. Paul, MN USA

We used our slush fund to pay for any big expenditure outside of meals, lodging, and general sightseeing that would skew our daily budget. For instance roundtrip train tickets between Moscow and Saint Petersburg were rather costly. But we didn't want that high expense to make us feel like we couldn't do anything else on the day we bought them because the purchase instantly put us over our daily budget.

The meal/lodging/sightseeing rule was not a hard and fast one, however. For instance, we spent a good deal of money on a buffet Thanksgiving Dinner in Ho Chi Minh City. Because it was a special circumstance we put it in our slush fund so the guilt of obliterating our daily budget didn't keep us from turkey. Of course the slush fund wasn't bottomless--we knew that at the end of our trip, in South Africa, we definitely wanted to go on safari. So we constantly were questioning, is this big ticket item worth it, or should we save it for something else? At the beginning of your trip you need to decide how much you want to spend total and set aside maybe 20%-25% into the slush fund. That way you can keep the high ticket objects from discouraging your attempt to hit a reasonable amount of money spent every day.

I've been reading your adventures all around the world during these months and now that I'm planning a trip in Argentina and Chile I'd like to ask you: how's the bus from Mendoza (Argentina) to Santiago (Chile)? I will do it on the other way (chile-arg) but I'm trying to understand how long it is and if it's worth doing it.. I'm going there on July (that isn't the best season because of winter, I guess..) and I'd like not to be stopped in Santiago for days and days of course I know that it's impossible to be sure of it now, but do you have some information? when you were there, did you know of people stopped for more than 2 days?

-Paola, Milan, Italy

We actually took the bus from Mendoza to Valparaiso, not Santiago, but the route is mostly the same and a similar distance.

The pros: The route is breathtakingly beautiful! Having a slow ascent like that is such a dramatic way to see the Andes. It was crazy to have mild temperatures in Mendoza, and then step off the bus into heaps of snow to cross the border in the middle of the mountain range. It's also a much cheaper option than flying, and you can avoid departure/entrance fees at customs by going by land.

The cons: We traveled in early September--so the end of their winter--and on the first day our bus was canceled because the route was impassable. They actually turned the bus around a few hours into the trip! It was no problem getting our tickets transferred to the next day's bus, but there was no guaranteeing that bus would be a go either. It's a risky option if you have time constraints because there is really no alternative route the bus can take if the road through the Andes is snowed over. July could be more unpredictable than September. Also, the buses only travel during the day due to the nature of the roads. It makes for great sightseeing, but it's an eight hour ride so it does take up a whole day of your itinerary.

We absolutely loved taking this bus ride, but if time is a big concern for this trip, you might want to consider flying instead.

Send questions for the mailbag to patrinadoestheglobe@gmail.com

Don't forget to nominate a destination for our next trip!

Freelance Friday: Happy Obscura Day!

2010-03-19T05:54:00.001-04:00

I have mixed feelings about the "stay-cation". Sure, staying home is a great way to save money on your vacation days. And I love the idea of discovering new things in your very own backyard! But on the other hand, what would motivate me to really get my sightseeing pants on when I'm waking up in my comfy bed in my own apartment with my stocked fridge? There is a danger it would turn into a "Real Housewives marathon-cation".

That's why I love the concept of International Obscura Day! A celebration of oddities is pretty fun in itself--but add to it that the organizers have highlighted weird stuff in everyone's backyard plus some one-time events, and you've got a recipe for a good stay-cation tomorrow. Chicagoans can go tour the world's largest 24-karat gold-plated object in North America and Baltimorians can join in a scavenger hunt at the American Visionary Art Museum. There is a museum near Kansas City displaying over 2,000 pieces of jewelry made from human hair. And for those of you for whom "home" is somewhere exotic to me, there are almost 100 events being held in different cities around the world tomorrow!

So go out, enjoy the weird, and then go home to your comfy bed at night. LuAnn's un-countess-ness is fueling some legendary Housewives catfights this season.

Where Next Wednesday: Week One

2010-03-17T09:32:00.024-04:00

Yep, that's right....after being stateside for only two months we have the travel itch again. It's much akin to Dexter's dark passenger, but obviously much less violent. We recently had begun thinking about where we want to travel next when we got a crazy idea...why don't we let our blog readers decide? They love to travel too, they're from all over the world....who better to make the decision than them?

So here is how this is going to work. We are going to open the floor to suggestions for four weeks with a post every Wednesday. Just post your suggestion(s) in the comments...all we are looking for is a basic description like Beijing, Machu Picchu, Athens, etc. Feel free to second or third someone else's suggestion and make as many suggestions as you like. We will keep a running tally in the posts and after four weeks, the five places with the most suggestions will move on to the next stage.

At that point each Wednesday we will do a feature on one of the top five places. This is where you can make your case for or against each place and offer suggestions for what to do while we are there.

After the fifth feature we will open up a poll and let you, our readers, decide where we are traveling to next!! It's that simple. Once the destination is selected we will keep you updated on our trip planning and offer up some more polls to help us decide what to do while we are there.

So start the suggestions flowing....we are excited to throw caution into the wind with no idea where we will end up next!

Suggestions So Far:

Place	Suggestions
Peru	4
Lucerne, Switzerland	3
Antartica	2
Croatia	2
Macedonia	2
Turkey	2
Venice, Italy	2
Bolivia	1
Branson, Missouri	1
China	1
Greece	1
Ireland	1
Jamaica	1
Kenya	1
Llanfair..., Wales	1
Marrakesh, Morocco	1
Moscow, Russia	1
Panama	1
Porto, Portugal	1
Pyongyang, North Korea	1
Riga, Latvia	1
Rome, Italy	1
Seoul, South Korea	1
St. Lucia	1

Travel Tip Tuesday: Young At Heart

2010-03-16T09:57:00.002-04:00

Turns out being young, broke, and unemployed has it's perks. All around the world, students are recognized as very a special class of traveler. They get cheap train rides, museum entry, and hostel stays. They even get their own discount travel age ncy and cut-rate flight search engines. Lucky ducks.So if you do happen to be a student, milk it for all it's worth! Make sure to get an International Student Identity Card (ISIC), really the only student ID recognized outside your own country, so that you can cash in on all the discounts. You just need to show that you are currently enrolled as a full time student at some institution; a current college student ID should be enough. Entry to most sights in Prague costs half as much for students, and in Russia, flashing your ISIC card entitles you entry to the Hermitage, arguably the best museum in the entire world, for free! And the Great Pyramids of Giza? About $3 USD for students. Ridiculous.

Non-students under 26 can get their very own International Youth Travel Card. The benefits aren't quite as extensive, but in some countries they don't know or care about the difference and you get the full student discount.

But what about those of us who are just young at heart?

Unfortunately that argument doesn't work at the Hermitage, or explaining that you are a "student of the world". They want to see the plastic. Shameless discount hunters that we are, we found a few loopholes, some more legit than others:

Completely kosher: are you a teacher? You qualify for your very own special card from the ISIC people. Lucky you!
Questionable morality: did you ever go to college? Check your old ID. Patrick graduated from Boston College seven years ago, but it turns out that his ID doesn't have an expiration date. Add to that the grainy picture, and he qualified no questions for an ISIC card which we then toted around the world for six months and used liberally.
Super shady: know an aspiring entrepreneurial youth? Those same kids that make each other fake IDs to buy cigarettes and liquor would have no trouble making a college ID. Way easier to replicate than a driver's license, and who knows what anyone else's college ID is supposed to look like anyway? This option will make you feel very young at heart. Bring your new ID to an STA office and have them whip you up an ISIC. Done and done.
Equally super shady: buy a fake ISIC on the streets of Bangkok. They make grade A knockoffs of just about everything.

Just keep in mind that if you are falsely posing us a young student, you might have to ham it up to act the part. When Patrick quit shaving for a while he looked...his real age. We even got rejected a few places because they said the discount was only for students under 26. (Yet if I handed over the card while Patrick lurked in the background, no one ever brought up the age restriction.) Have the youngest person in your group handle ticket transactions. Maybe bring a backpack as a prop. And if you have a college sweatshirt, wear it proudly.

Mailbag Monday: March 15, 2010

2010-03-15T09:31:00.002-04:00

I am planning a trip to Cairo this summer when I have vacation. Will it be too hot? Any comfort tips?

-Herman, Koln, Germany

We were in Cairo in August and the heat was tolerable, but just barely. Try to get to the sights earlier in the morning, take a mid-day break somewhere cool, and then go out again in the late afternoon/early evening. Don't make the mistake we did and assume that museums will be air conditioned. The biggest one in town, the Egyptian Museum, only has a few pleasantly cooled rooms. And there's only so long you can hang out in those--most of the museum is hot and muggy. Our other big mistake was that we chose to save $5USD/night by not springing for an air conditioned room. Believe us, it's worth every penny. Remember to wear loose and cool clothing and you should generally limit your physical activity. Cabs are cheap so don't hesitate to hail one instead of walking all over the city.

What is your favorite destination in Malaysia after Kuala Lumpur? I'll be on a business trip there soon and have an extra day for myself. It can't be too far from Kuala Lumpur but I want to experience some more Malaysian culture.

-Erica, Werribee, Australia

A great cultural destination is Melaka, just a few hours south of KL by bus, and you can easily get a lot out of a one day visit. Everything is quite close together so you can cover a lot of ground. There are museums, old ruins, and the colonial streets and buildings of Chinatown are fun to just wander. Make sure to be around after dark to experience the Jonker Street nightmarket--the whole place is taken over by food vendors hawking noodles, pastries, and steaming mounds of dumplings. Don't miss the local specialties of chicken rice balls and pineapple tarts. You could take an early morning bus from KL to Melaka, spend the day and night in town, and head back to KL the next morning.

Send questions for the mailbag to patrinadoestheglobe@gmail.com

Freelance Friday: Visa Woes

2010-03-12T09:32:00.000-05:00

I was 17 the first time I went through the visa process. I had just been accepted to McGill University in Montreal, and amid all the teenage angst of packing up my childhood room and getting ready for my first year away from home I had bonus drama: I needed a student visa. It seemed pretty straightforward at first...just fill out some paperwork and send along some proof of enrollment. But wait--I wouldn't be 18 until two months into my first semester! Which I guess flagged me as some kind of risky alien, because I had to get someone in Canada to write me a "sponsorship" letter first. So some poor soul on McGill payroll was forced to pinky swear I was legit to get me in the country. To this day I wonder how they determine who gets stuck with signing their name to the honor of unknown restless youth from faraway lands.

And let's be serious, that was to get into Canada. Since then I've dealt with plenty of other visa processes. They are unfailingly a massive pain in the butt. Russia requires sponsorship letters for ALL their visas, but luckily hotels are more than happy to vouch for you if you promise to stay with them. We had to visit the Vietnamese embassy in Kuala Lumpur three separate times to a) catch them at one of the few hours they are open each day and b) pay all fees in cash. The bureaucratic hoops one has to go through to get a Chinese visa deterred us from visiting the country altogether. Apparently, the current and former communists hold some sort of a grudge. And in the ultimate irony, India has outsourced their visa process to a company in New York.

I know the whole thing's reciprocal, so it's got to be just as big of a mess for Brazilians and Egyptians to get into our country as it us for us to get into theirs. And with the US recently announcing increases to visa fees things are definitely moving in the wrong direction. Is it just me or is the whole thing rather ridiculous? If countries are suspicious of international visitors they should beef up their questioning at the border to something more than "how long do you plan to stay in X country" and "are you carrying any cigarettes with you". Search my bag for agricultural products and illegal substances. Check my body temperature to screen me for swine flu. But please, don't test my worthiness by how well I can fill out complicated paperwork or how much I can pay. I promise to spend a lot of money on food, hotels, and museums once you let me in.

Send questions for the mailbag to patrinadoestheglobe@gmail.com

Travel Tip Tuesday: BYO Medicine Cabinet

2010-03-09T10:14:00.001-05:00

It's pretty miserable to be sick while you're away from home, but it really starts to feel desperate when you don't speak the language. I caught some kind of flu bug when when we were in Argentina and sent Patrick out to get me medicine. First he had to communicate my symptoms to the pharmacist through charades, and then examine the Spanish-only labels on the suggested remedies looking for buzz words like "hemoraggia" and "muerte" in order to make a final choice. I really wanted something where side effects were "dizziness and dry mouth" not "irregular heartbeat or loss of consciousness". Luckily his selection (whatever it was) did the trick and I was back on my feet after a day without any permanent damage.

But in order to avoid confusing and potentially dangerous situations, it's best to bring your own medicine cabinet with you on your travels.

First stop should always be your doctor or local travel clinic. Aside from generally making sure you are up to date with your boosters, two big concerns are yellow fever and malaria. If you are traveling in the northern half of South America or central Africa, you will likely need to get vaccinated for yellow fever. This is serious business. If we go to say, Kenya, and can't prove upon return home that we were previously vaccinated, they may not let us back in the country. Yikes. And on our first visit to the travel clinic last year, we were notified that there was a world shortage of the vaccine and they had zero available at that time to give us. We were put on a waiting list for over a month before we finally got our shots.

If you are going to any of the places shaded on this map, you will need malaria pills.

There are two options: daily or weekly. The benefit of daily is that it's easier to remember to take them and their side effects are reportedly much more mild. Weekly pills, on the other hand, are known for giving some people very intense nightmares. Since the weekly option obviously made more sense in the case of being on the road for six months (those dailies would have meant another piece of luggage entirely) our doctor gave us the weeklies to try well before our trip. That way we could see if we had any side effects while still in the comfort and familiarity of our own home. Getting six months worth of the weekly pills was still a huge hassle that involved numerous phone calls to our doctor and pharmacy, so leave some cushion time before a long trip to get this taken care of.

Depending on where you're going, the travel doctor may give you other destination-specific prescriptions. And while you are at the pharmacy picking them up, you should add the following to your shopping list for a well-stocked medicine cabinet:

Tylenol/Advil/mild painkiller of choice - for general aches and pains, headaches, and the mornings after you've sampled too much vodka/absinthe/local alcoholic specialty.
Cold and flu medicine - I learned this the hard way. It's really ideal to have one you know and like with you.
Benadryl - for allergic reactions and occasional sleep aid on long transport hauls.
Uristat/AZO/over the counter bladder analgesic - if you've ever had a urinary tract infection before, you know you don't want one while traveling.
Bandaids
Bug spray - in the smallest bottle possible to pass airport security.

Traveling is always full of surprises--medical or otherwise--but setting aside a small space in your luggage for the basics can make a huge difference in the quality of your trip. If only there was a DIY remedy for kidney stones we really would have had our round the world trip covered.

Mailbag Monday: March 8, 2010

2010-03-08T10:17:00.003-05:00

My boyfriend and I are spending two weeks touring the South Island of New Zealand this August and are spending an arm and a leg to get there. I know the New Zealand Dollar is a little weaker than the US Dollar but not enough to make things cheap. Do you have any recommendations for cutting costs while we are there?
-Melanie R., Bowie MD USA

Don't eat out. One of the great Kiwi preferences, and our biggest money saver while in New Zealand, is the "self-contained unit". You will see motels everywhere and they don't translate directly into American English--motels are a collection of rooms with their own kitchenettes. So we got in the habit of grocery shopping and cooking our own dinners (pasta is always a cheap and easy option that works in even the most basic kitchen setups) and carried the food supplies in our car between destinations. Since New Zealand cuisine isn't much different from American, you really won't be missing out on a cultural experience if you skip the restaurants.

Another thing to keep in mind is that you will be visiting in their winter, so the low season gives you more space to bargain for rooms. We were able to get $10-20 knocked off the rate a few times, and if you are willing to use one place as a home base for three or four days, you're sure to be able to negotiate a discounted price.

Or you could skip motels all together. A popular option in New Zealand is renting a camper van. We personally did not explore this, but Jucy, the discount rental company from which we got our car, also has RVs on offer.

I will be doing an itinerary similar to the one you guys did in Japan...basically just Tokyo and Kyoto with day trips from each. I know you have to buy the JR rail pass before you actually get to Japan and have already spent more time than I should have debating whether it would be cheaper to get the pass or to buy tickets individually there? What did you do and do you think it was the right decision?
-Mitch, Kingston ON Canada

Ah, the age old JR Rail Pass debate. We spent a lot of time thinking about this too, decided to buy the pass, but then forgot to buy the pass before we left Australia. Oops. So we took the pay-as-you-go route. And in the end, the cost was pretty much equal to the price of the JR Rail Pass.

The main cost is the train between Tokyo and Kyoto...especially if you choose to take the Shinkansen bullet trains (which we highly recommend at least one way for just the experience). If you want to save money on one direction, you can take an overnight bus that is a fraction of the cost. Other than that, regional trains are fairly inexpensive. Individual JR trains within Tokyo are cheap, and the separate city metro system is really comprehensive. In Kyoto, the metro and buses are vital for getting around and aren't included in the JR pass anyway.

And while you can't buy the national pass once in Japan, you can buy regional passes that are good for anywhere from one to four days. The JR Kansai Pass includes Kyoto, Nara, Kobe, Osaka, and Himeji and is definitely a good value.

So all in all, we recommend skipping the national JR Rail Pass for this itinerary. Flexibility is key because you never know what's going to come up.

Send questions for the mailbag to patrinadoestheglobe@gmail.com

Freelance Friday: The Joy of Planning

2010-03-05T10:08:00.003-05:00

My name is Katrina and I am a plan-aholic.

I love planning and all that comes with it. The research, the organizing, the checklists. Oh yes, the checklists are the best. Sometimes I put already completed tasks on to-do lists just so I can check them off.

So when it comes to travel I relish the hunt. Well before our departure, I'm on travel forums and Tripadvisor looking for the very best hidden gem hotel, learning about the cutest neighborhoods, and identifying the must-visit restaurants. It's not unusual for me to choose what I'm going to order at said restaurant four months in the future. Patrick's got the sights research covered, so between us we are pretty prepared once we step off that plane. And since many of our trips have been long weekend getaways, this really allows us to maximize our time there.

Maybe this sounds dull to you, or utterly unromantic. But as Anne of Green Gables says, "Looking forward to things is half the pleasure of them. You mayn't get the things themselves; but nothing can prevent you from having the fun of looking forward to them."

So when I look at a picture like this from our round the world trip, my stomach ties up in knots.

I remember so well that uneasy feeling as we pulled in to a new place every day with NO PLANS. It was all, here we go again... Where are we going? Where will I sleep? What will I eat? And yet...it all worked out. It always did. We adapted by walking into hotels and asking to see the rooms and choosing restaurants by the number of people inside. And the real moments of chaos--like being stranded on a remote Brazilian island with no luggage or knowledge of Portuguese--are what made the trip the adventure that it was.

So maybe for our future travels, I'd like to add some of that spontaneity. I'll have to plan it in. Check, check, check!

Remember to send questions for the mailbag to patrinadoestheglobe@gmail.com

Travel Tip Tuesday: Maintaining Your Dignity in the Age of Airport Security

2010-03-02T07:37:00.001-05:00

In the good old days I could board a plane, water bottle in hand, without taking off my shoes or displaying my toiletries to the world. My mom could even walk me all the way to the departure gate (hey, I said these were the good old days, I was like 8). But because TSA agents love smelly feet and they're dying to know what type of skin moisturizer you use, it's best to be fully prepared. Those long lines aren't because security is interrogating people; it's because it takes each passenger about 10 minutes to undress and unpack to an acceptable level. Here are some tips if you'd like to avoid the scorn of the frequent flyers:

When packing, don't even bother with those cute little toiletry cases. Security wants to see all your liquids in a ziplock, so show up that way. It's a good idea in any case--I have had many a lip gloss burst in flight due to changing plane pressure. I also once had a jar of hot sauce shatter into some neatly folded underwear; good thing I'd made my brother carry that one for me. And by the way, since the airport hands those ziplocks out you might as well stock up when traveling for extended periods of time. We found countless uses for them during our six-month trip.

Make yourself look like you didn't finish getting dressed that morning. Untie your shoes, remove your belt and take off anything coat-like, even if its just a cardigan. Maybe untuck your shirt for effect, too. Yup, that should do it.

Remove the metal from your body. Duh. This is a rule that was even in place when I was a wee lass, yet somehow there is always someone ahead of me who forgets they have keys in their pockets, change in their socks, an aluminum bra, whatever. And they have to walk through that metal detector again and again while the crowd grows angry and restless.

Hand over your most valuable items: lap tops and cell phones need to go through the scanner on their own. This is where the business travelers flash around their fancy laptops and iPhones, so you might want to consider cashing in on your New Every Two rebate before your trip to avoid an inferiority complex.

You get bonus points if you remember to wear your socks without holes and leave your most embarrassing/personal items at home. You bet your boarding pass that those TSA officers are going to tear apart your bag as soon as they see that nose hair clipper show up on their little TV.

Mailbag Monday: March 1, 2010

2010-03-01T07:51:00.003-05:00

We love answering questions and doling out advice, but we are no experts. Six months of travel gave us lots of great experiences, but there are still so so many places we've never been! Lots of people email us questions that we have no idea how to answer. So we thought we'd turn a few of these over to our travel-savvy readers for advice...feel free to provide answers in the comments section!

I have the opportunity to spend two days in Luxor this spring. With only 48 hours, what are the must-see sights?

-Bill S., Oregon USA

My husband and I are planning a trip to France and found your posts on Paris helpful in our planning. Do you have any suggestions for the Bordeaux region? Particularly can you recommend any wine estates to spend a few nights? -Christine, Ardmore PA USA

Send questions for the mailbag to patrinadoestheglobe@gmail.com

Freelance Friday: Boston's Best Cheese

2010-02-26T06:29:00.004-05:00

I open the door and the sweetest of aromas envelops me. It's warm and cozy inside on this winter day, and there are charming artisanal products all around. Red onion jelly, pastel pink petit fours, imported Italian pastas. And taking up the entire back half of the store, the glorious display case from which the perfume emanates, where hundreds of beautiful cheeses strut their stuff for the drooling customers.

I am slightly obsessed with the South End Formaggio. Everything about it is so delicious! It's always packed with customers who are deeply interested in the product, the staff of cheese mongers can find you the perfect match for any event, taste, or whim, and their case is filled with cheese you can't find anywhere else in town.

As someone who has a serious weakness for cheese (I may hold the record for youngest person alive to test for such high cholesterol I needed to be put on a cheese-restrictive diet as a toddler) I can drop a lot of cash at South End Formaggio. My personal favorite at the moment is Stichelton, an English blue made from unpasteurized milk whose importation is a bit restricted in this country, that goes for $30/pound. This is not the type of thing you

sprinkle on a salad. I typically don't even dumb it down with a cracker, just slice off bite size pieces to melt on my tongue. I was going to take a picture of the block I'm eating right now to share with you, but oops! It's all gone.

Get to South End Formaggio by taking the Silver Line to the East Berkeley stop and walk a block down to Shawmut, and two blocks west until you see the sign or smell cheese. While you're in the neighborhood, walk a few blocks further to get to Flour Bakery for dessert. Their sour cream coffee cake merits a whole post of its own...

Send questions for the mailbag to patrinadoestheglobe@gmail.com

Travel Tip Tuesday: Cracking the Priceline Code

2010-02-23T03:59:00.001-05:00

We love a good bargain. And one of the true places to find real hotel deals these days is Priceline, with it's Name Your Own Price feature. The user simply types in the intended dates and city, selects the neighborhood and desired star level, places a bid, and voila! You get matched with a hotel that will accept your price, often at more than half off its regular rate. But there is, of course, a catch. When using Priceline, users don't find out which hotel they've won until after entering their credit card information, and then there is no way out. This is a big drawback, because paying $100 for a $300/night four-star hotel room is a steal, but paying that for a dilapidated $100/night hotel holding on to its high star rating from better days is not. And the neighborhoods Priceline utilizes for searching purposes are often large, so not knowing exactly where you'll be staying can be a huge deterrent.

Luckily there is Bidding for Travel, a website that capitalizes on the human joy of spilling the beans. Here, successful users share the details of what they bid for what star level and where, and what they got. It is usually a limited group of hotels that use Priceline's services, so you can be pretty confident with what you'll get for what price if you copy these bidders' instructions. Friends of mine recently used Priceline to book the Park Plaza in downtown Boston. And what do you know, PositiveBear just got the Park Plaza last Friday for $63/night. Bidding for Travel was also the guiding light for our successful bid for the Conrad Centennial in Singapore; there had been a string of recent winning bids reported at a surprisingly low price so we hopped on the discount train and rode it all the way to five star luxury.

Mailbag Monday: February 22, 2010

2010-02-22T06:03:00.003-05:00

I'm planning a trip to watch three soccer games for the World Cup. My itinerary goes from Minneapolis - Johannesburg (overnight) to later drive or fly to to Nelspruit, three/for days there; then back to Johannesburg (another two/three days) then to Bloemfontein for two days. Would you recommend renting a car to drive or just fly between those cities? Any other useful website that you might now regarding South Africa hotels would be greatly appreciated.
Wilmer F., Minneapolis, MN USA

Sounds like you have a great trip ahead of you--we're so jealous you'll get to attend World Cup matches! In general, renting a car for this itinerary will be more economical. You can get a rental for as low as $350 for nine days, add another $150 if you want an automatic. (Katrina had a stick shift for years, but the prospect of using her left hand to shift gears while making sure she was staying on the left side of the road was a bit too daunting.) Add about $150 for

gas and tolls for your intended route. If you fly, expect to pay an average of $300 per round trip flight plus another $200 to get to and from the airport and whatever other transport you'll need, and you are at $800 for flying instead of $500 or $650 to drive. If you have company on your travels, that will only add to your savings in renting a car.

We drove all the routes in your plan and in general, the roads are in pretty good shape. They alternate between being two-lane and four-lane highways. There is very little lighting, though, so avoid driving at night if possible. Of course during the World Cup traffic could be a huge problem, so that is something to consider. But figuring out other transport once you're in a city if you don't have a car could be a bit nightmarish.

We stayed in Formula 1 hotels in both Nelspruit and Bloemfontein and can definitely recommend them. They have the most consistent standard among budget hotels and were often the cheapest thing in town--believe us, we spent lots of time shopping around. They offer the bare bones: a double bed and single upper bunk, a TV, and a bar of soap. But it's basically everything you need.

We're airline people and have a chance to hit a few spots in Southeast Asia this October. We prefer starting in Hong Kong or Bangkok. We have fab hotel deals for Conrad Singapore and Grand Millennium KL, so thinking about doing one or both. Our other option is skip Malaysia and go to Northern Thailand, then Siem Reap. I'm a foodie, he's history, both culture. We're in our 50's and we like upscale. What to do, what to do?

Shelley, Northern Kentucky, USA

Of those countries in Southeast Asia, our favorite was Cambodia, followed by a Thailand/Malaysia tie, and Singapore in last. So we'd recommend doing the Thailand-Cambodia option. The food in Thailand is amazing; if you can stand it, order your dishes "Thai style" to try some of the spiciest dishes ever. Both Thailand and Angkor Wat should give you a great big culture and history fill. In Siem Reap, shop around for a tuk tuk driver with good English skills who can double as your tour guide--some of them are very knowledgeable and can give you a much deeper appreciation of the temples.

Malaysia is rich with interesting history and culture, but Singapore is the most western feeling spot in Southeast Asia, and a bit boring compared to the others. We will say, though, that the Singapore Conrad Centennial is a pretty amazing hotel--the nicest we've ever stayed in.

Cambodia overall is the cheapest of these destinations, so you can live pretty well during your stay. Siem Reap has a huge variety of hotels and I'm sure you could stay in a five-star place for comparable rates to the Conrad. The Pavillion d'Orient is supposed to be super nice.

Send questions for the mailbag to patrinadoestheglobe@gmail.com

Freelance Friday: Ode to the Olympics

2010-02-19T06:10:00.001-05:00

For Patrick it's a given. He's a fourth generation Red Sox fan, run a couple of marathons, and reads ESPN.com religiously. I did not grow up in a sports-watching household. I was never a competitive (or even halfway decent) athlete. But let me tell you, I love love love the Olympics!

Maybe it's because the Olympians are all so bright-eyed and bushy tailed. They're not the too cool for school pro athletes you see being interviewed on PTI. Baseball players have 162 games each season, so each at bat isn't that big a deal. Olympians, on the other hand, get to compete only once every four years--for many it's a once in a lifetime chance to show the world what they're working with! And you can see it as they throw themselves into each race, triple toe loop, or Double McTwist 1260. The raw emotions, the stories behind the performances...I'm not ashamed to tell you I teared up when Lindsey Vonn got her gold medal.

And what I love is that the entire world stops to watch. They leave behind their debates over healthcare and taxes and rally round their athletes. And not just to rally around their national team; you could hear the multilingual roar in the arena when married couple Shen and Zhao from China performed their gold medal skate 18 years in the making. So often international competition is manifested in a negative way, be it protectionist tariffs or all out war. The Olympics is a much healthier and more entertaining dose of rivalry.

My friend Matt from college wanted to be a sportscast announcer. I once asked him why he liked sports so much and he told me, "When you turn on the news, you see poverty and fighting: people failing. When you turn on sports, you see people succeeding." That has stuck with me through every baseball, basketball, football, and whatever other game I am watching with Patrick. But I particularly think that is what the Olympics are all about: people around the globe coming together to celebrate amazing passion, strength, and success.

Remember to send your questions for the mailbag to patrinadoestheglobe@gmail.com

Travel Tip Tuesday: Sarong, Yet So Right

2010-02-16T08:09:00.001-05:00

Wear it, fold it, spread it...the sarong is the essence of versatility. A few years back I bought one as a beach coverup in Hawaii and since then, I've used it in a million different ways.

First of all, I basically live in the thing when spending a few days at the beach. Just a sarong twisted around over a bathing suit is an acceptable (and convenient!) ensemble for the walk to and from the beach, lounging around the hotel, and in many destinations, even strolling through town or eating at a restaurant. But beyond the bikini coverup, I've used it as a skirt, dress, and tube top when short on variety or clean laundry.

Once at the beach, you can simply unwrap yourself from the sarong and spread it out like a beach towel. This is a great substitute for when your hotel hasn't provided separate beach towels, but also as a supplement when you want to keep your towels un-sandy for more comfortable post-swim

drying. But they're not just for the beach. We pulled out the sarong for many a European picnic--the typical print on the fabric wonderfully disguises food and wine stains, too!

I mentioned how hotels don't always provide additional beach towels, but some budget options don't provide any towels at all, or ones that look sanitary enough to use. In the same vein, we found ourselves rather skeptical of one or two provided sheet sets. Easy solution: substitute the sarong!

And think that you get all this from a single item that takes up about as much room as a T-shirt and weighs hardly anything. It washes durably, dries quickly, and looks pretty snazzy. Whether you spend a buck or two on a sarong on the beaches of Thailand or splurge $10 in Hawaii like I did, you won't be disappointed in you investment.

Mailbag Monday: February 15, 2010

2010-02-15T10:47:00.007-05:00

I noticed you went to a River Plate match when you were in Buenos Aires. I love football and I am going to be in Buenos Aires next weekend when they play Arsenal. I would really like to go to the match. How should I get the tickets?

Felix T., Richmond, CA USA

River Plate has not had a stellar record for the last few years, so you can probably snag tickets the day of the match. Even so, we played it safe and went the day beforehand to the box office just south of the stadium and had our pick of seats. The seller advised us against the cheapest option, the standing room only, and we're glad he did because it looked like it got pretty rowdy up there (but if you're up for a real adventure...) Our seats behind the goal on the lower level cost us about $15USD each.

The one big exception would be if you're buying tickets for a match against their cross-town rivals, Boca Juniors. In that case you might want to arrange for tickets well ahead of time.

My girlfriend and I are planning a trip to Cinque Terre for this spring. She isn't really a big trekker and doesn't know if she would be able to do the walking between the towns. We are going to be staying in Monterosso and we want to go to all the other towns. How hard are the walking trails?

Philip, Hamilton, ON Canada

The trails diminish in difficulty from north to south. The trek between Monterosso and Vernazza is quite steep and challenging, but on the other end, it's a simple seaside walk between Manarola and Riomaggiore. If you are not big hikers we'd recommend taking the train to Vernazza early in the morning, enjoy the town a bit before it gets crowded with day visitors, and then start hiking south. That way you are doing the hardest trails before the sun gets too high (it can get very hot on those trails) and with fresh legs.

The great thing is that a train connects all the towns, so at the end of the day you can hop aboard to get back to your hotel instead of hiking back on the same trail. It's also nice that if you get tired and want to call it an early day, there is a fast and easy way to get home from wherever you are.

Send questions for the mailbag to patrinadoestheglobe@gmail.com

Freelance Friday: The Amazing Race

2010-02-12T08:45:00.011-05:00

This Sunday is the season premiere of one of our favorite shows: The Amazing Race! We love the travel logistics, the culturally-specific challenges, and, of course, the drama. And as any avid fan knows, the success of each pair is heavily reliant on their ability to work well as a team. We'd be killer competition (are you reading, CBS?) because when we travel, we adopt very clearly defined roles that enable us to operate seamlessly as a team.

Patrick is the navigator. Katrina has always had a rather poor sense of direction, but she's grown so reliant on him that she now gets lost in our own neighborhood. Give him a map and Patrick can tell you where he is, where he wants to go, and the best way to get there in a matter of seconds. Actually, he usually doesn't even need a map. His natural sense of direction is so good that we'll come above ground at a subway stop and he'll innately know which way to walk to to get to a restaurant we've never been. Finding the next route marker would never be an issue for us on The Amazing Race.

Katrina is the communicator. She knows some German and French, and Patrick speaks a bit of Spanish, but overall our foreign language skills don't get us very far. What is much more advantageous, however, is Katrina's ability to pick up on the general message and mood of someone's words even if we can't understand their meaning. She's also good at choosing what English words to use that will be more easily understood or most likely similar-sounding in another language. And we're not sure if it's because she's less threatening as a woman or just more endearing in general, but strangers seem to take to her more. She'd be in charge of asking locals for directions and help in figuring out the clues' riddles.

Patrick is the negotiator. A tad more competitive and overall more patient, he treated the bargaining process like a game and after he learned the rules, was all about winning the best price. Katrina was much more easily frustrated and offended when the sellers would laugh at her suggested prices. Plus the fact that in many cultures, vendors really only approach and want to deal with a man when it comes to money. Patrick would be the one to make sure the dollars allocated at the beginning of each leg of the race took us far.

Katrina is the eater. The Amazing Race is known for making its contestants eat live octopus, four pounds of heart and intestines, and street fried scorpion. Patrick can generally eat more in quantity, but Katrina enjoys trying new (AKA weird) food much more whole-heartedly than Patrick. To his credit, Patrick tried pretty much everything Katrina did during our trip, but who ordered the whole pig knee in Prague? Who ate the first bug in Siem Reap? Who researches the local culinary specialties/peculiarities to add to our to-do list in any destination? Katrina.

We're looking forward to meeting the new contestants and seeing our old friend Phil Keoghan on TV this Sunday. We hope this season holds something even half as riveting as Mika refusing to go down the water slide. And Phil, if you are interested in meeting us too and maybe giving us a million dollars, you know where to find us.

Remember to send questions for the mailbag to patrinadoestheglobe@gmail.com

Travel Tip Tuesday: Negotiating

2010-02-09T09:29:00.000-05:00

Food, water, clothes, taxis: in much of the world, the price of most everyday items is entirely negotiable. In fact one of the things we most looked forward to in coming home was price tags! Negotiating can be exhausting, but once you get the hang of it, it can be fun, too. Here are a few tips to keep in mind when traveling to destinations where getting a good price is a matter of pride:

Get a sense of the market. In Turkey the prices were typically marked up 25%, in Southeast Asia they would ask for 75% more than what the item was worth. Take some time to shop around and find out what the average asking price is. In the most ideal circumstances, do some research (check online travel forums, ask other tourists) to learn what the real value of the goods are in the economy in which you are buying. I was shopping for a shirt in Kuala Lumpur and offered a saleswoman half of what she originally asked. When she jumped and agreed to that price immediately, I knew I had overestimated the real cost and was overpaying.
Get the seller to name the first price, and then start lowballing. Once you decide on your target price, offer an amount lower than that in the equal proportion to what the seller asked above your goal. Ideally you will inch your way down and up accordingly to reach what you want to pay.
Be patient. As uncomfortable as it can be for those unaccustomed to negotiating, this is the dance that makes many countries' economies run. There are all sorts of regional peculiarities that can be disconcerting--like how the Vietnamese laugh in your face at whatever price you offer as if it is the most ridiculous, impossible thing they've ever heard--but don't lose your cool. If you maintain calm, confident, and show that you have no emotional attachment to buying this item, you will be much more successful.
Don't be afraid to walk away. One of our favorite tactics was once we'd engaged in negotiations for a bit and the seller was being stubborn and not going any lower, we simply shook our heads and walked away. Nine times out of ten, the person chased us down and agreed to the last price we offered. Remember that in most cases the seller has a much more dire need to make the sale than you have to buy.

It's always frustrating to feel like you are getting ripped off, and seeing locals pay half of what you so exhaustingly won can be discouraging. But keep in mind that while you may be loathe to pay the extra tourist charge, sellers may on principle refuse to sell to you for the local price. We got caught in one such stalemate in India, when rickshaw drivers refused to drop their price below 50 rupees, when we knew locals were paying 10 or 20. But when we stopped for a reality check we realized that the 30 rupee discrepancy did not amount to even a dollar back home, and those extra few cents meant a whole lot more to the driver than to us.

Mailbag Monday: February 8, 2010

2010-02-08T08:05:00.003-05:00

I can't understand how someone can finance trips like these? Can you give some ideas how is this possible? Do you get payed for traveling? How can I do it?
Attila, Romania

We did not get paid for traveling (we wish!) but financed it on our own through our savings. Here is a breakdown of how we budgeted for this trip:

We bought our OneWorld Explorer round the world tickets for about $2,800 USD each in the Spring of 2009. The cost of these tickets is based on how many continents you include and from where you are departing. Even though we live in Boston, we purchased the ticket with London as our departure point because a) departing from Boston would have included North America in our ticket, which is one of the most expensive continents to include, and b) the British Pound was at a serious low against the dollar at the time. We then used Frequent Flyer miles to fly to Europe for free from Boston. We also got a ten percent discount on the price because OneWorld was running a promotion to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of their alliance.

We began our trip with a goal daily budget of $80 USD/day, and finished not too far off with an actual daily spending average of $85 USD/day. In more expensive destinations, like Europe and Japan, we spent far over the daily budget, but we averaged it out in cheaper places like Southeast Asia. On our most expensive day we spent $244 in Kruger National Park, South Africa; on our least expensive we spent $12 in India.

In addition to our daily spending, we put aside another $4,000 in our budget as a slush fund. This was intended to pay for activities we really wanted to do but would have skewed our daily spending average. For instance, we used the slush fund to pay for the boat ride through the waterfalls at Iguazu Falls and to cover part of our tour of the Outback in Australia. All the money came from the same overall budget, of course, but it helped us mentally figure out how and where we wanted to spend more.

It's important to note that a trip like this can certainly be done more cheaply--or more expensively--based on how you prefer to travel. We didn't stay in any hostels during the trip. If we had, we could have been spending $2/night for accommodation in Vietnam instead of $15 or $20. Transportation costs like buses, trains, and additional flights outside the round the world ticket add up. If you have more time to travel (the OneWorld Explorer ticket is valid for one year) and can spend more than a few days in one place or concentrate your travels in a smaller geographic area, you can save a lot of money.

Bottom line: traveling isn't cheap, but it's worth every penny.

You guys took sleeper bus from Hanoi to Hue, is there any route for the contrary?
Pixie, Indonesia

There are a few options to get from Hanoi to Hue. We chose the bus because it was the most economical at around $15 USD per ticket, but it was definitely not the most comfortable way to travel (those bumpy roads alone…) A ticket on the overnight train costs about $25 USD for a sleeper car and is supposed to be quite scenic during the morning hours. There is a daily Vietnam Airlines flight to Hue’s Phu Bai Airport—if you book a few weeks ahead you can get tickets for as low as $45 USD. You can take the bus from there to downtown for about $2 USD, or taxis should be fairly affordable as well.

Send questions for the mailbag to patrinadoestheglobe@gmail.com

Freelance Friday: The Perfect Honeymoon

2010-02-04T18:39:00.014-05:00

For my bridal shower last year, my cousin Gabrielle compiled marriage advice from family and friends in a little book she entitled "The Inside Scoop". On the very last page is a quote from someone married seven years that reads:

"Go on a long six month+ trip to faraway places on the cheap. Seriously. This way you carry nothing but what's on your back and you see the world and unplug from our society for awhile. It's great for the marriage because you get a chance to get to know each other more deeply and create a super deep bond for when the difficult parts of life come knocking."

Patrick and I had already been planning our round the world honeymoon, but reading this completely validated our decision to run away for six months together. Our hotel rooms may have been adorned with cockroaches instead of rose petals, and our meals not usually candle-lit or accompanied by champagne, but I wholeheartedly agree that a trip like this is the perfect honeymoon.

Honeymoons are supposed to be all about enjoying time with your new spouse. Well, on this trip we had nothing but time with each other. We woke up together, ate together, spent every minute of every day together. In fact the longest time we were apart was about two hours for Patrick's kidney stone removal surgery. It's remarkable we had anything to talk about.

So we had plenty of time to learn every little detail about each other. Not only can Patrick predict what I will order off any given restaurant menu, but I know at exactly what point he will lose patience with a pushy salesman or an unhelpful airport employee. We know what the other one appreciates most in a hotel, city, or maybe even in life. At least for right now.

And overcoming obstacles--from being stranded on a Brazilian island to dealing with the aforementioned kidney stone fiasco in India--brought us even closer together. Knowing that we can deal with unpredictable, stressful, and sometimes ridiculous circumstances gives me great confidence that we will be able to handle dirty diapers and mortgage payments. I understand how Patrick approaches problems, he understands my thought process, and we are an excellent (and impressively efficient) decision-making team.

So to all you enfianced girls and boys out there, consider a six-month round the world adventure for your post-wedding getaway. And to our married readers, it's never too late for a romantic second honeymoon.

Now we want to hear what you think...what is your idea of the perfect honeymoon? What honeymoon/travel experiences have brought you and your significant other closer together?

Travel Tip Tuesday: The Fabulous Foldable Bag

2010-02-01T22:27:00.009-05:00

Channeling Oprah's annual "favorite things" episode, today is the first in what will possibly be a series of doting posts about my most beloved travel items. At the very tip top of that list is an item that became so indispensable I can't imagine our trip without it: the fabulous foldable bag.

You've seen them at the grocery store, when the environmentally conscious shopper ahead of you rejects paper AND plastic and loads their fruit and veggies into a reusable bag. Before the trip I tried to remember to bring tote bags on my trips to Shaw's, but shamefully forgot them at home more often than not. When we opened our wedding gifts the morning after the reception, hours before our international departure, I was surprised to open a gift from our friend Betsy to find not a blender or serving platter but two little folded and snapped bags with a note about how those Europeans charge for shopping bags nowadays and she hoped we'd find these handy.

Boy did we ever. The folded nylon opens up to a sizeable tote that turned out to be a pandora's box of possibilities. Picking up a baguette and a bottle of vin for a picnic in Luxembourg Gardens? Just pull the bag out of your pocket and fill 'er up! We started to use the bag on a regular basis for carrying water bottles, snacks, and other items; once used and consumed, we could make the bag essentially disappear. For flights we'd avoid checking luggage with our backpacks as the single permitted carry on each, and after security we'd pull out the tote and pack an "airplane bag" of books, earphones, and the laptop to keep easily accessible during the journey.

We saw a lot of other travelers carry around a smallish backpack for their sightseeing days out. There is of course nothing wrong with this option, but it's nice to have more flexibility, a lighter load, and overall to stick out just a little bit less as a tourist. And every time we saw people on planes, trains, and buses pulling the "double backpack"--with a big one on back and a small one strapped on front like a Baby Bjorn--we gave a mental shoutout to Betsy and her amazing forethought.

I've gotten so accustomed to using these wonderful little bags that now back in Boston, they live in my purse just waiting to be unfolded and brought to life. Look who's rejecting paper and plastic now!

On a side note, thanks to Lonely Planet for featuring us on their home page yesterday! You made two amateur bloggers very happy.

Mailbag Monday: February 1, 2010

2010-02-01T11:01:00.002-05:00

What was the most entertaining sporting event you went to?

Evan C., London, UK

Patrick is a huge sports fan, so attending unique sporting events was an important part of our travels. We attended a rowdy soccer match in Buenos Aires and an intimate indoor version in Paranagua, Brazil. In Tokyo we went to a

baseball game with fans munching on edamame instead of peanuts and offbeat substitutions for familiar American traditions. In fact sports were such a priority in our planning that long before we bought our round the world tickets, when our honeymoon was still going to be a simple two week jaunt to Europe, we chose our Paris dates around the finish of the Tour de France. Watching Lance Armstrong and company zip by the 1 kilometer to go marker on Rue de Rivoli was probably the single coolest sports moment of the trip.

But our favorite sporting event overall has to be the Australian Rules Football semifinals at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. We'd never seen anything like it--the oval field, the bouncing football, the absurdly high number of players running around at once, and the random seagulls causing chaos and confusion. From start to finish we were riveted by the high-energy play against the roar of more than 100,000 fans cheering on their teams. It was insanity. And totally incredible. And something they just don't show on CBS at home.

Which country or region had your favorite food, the kind that made you think, I could eat this everyday?

Jen K., Concord, NH, USA

If you told us we could eat only one national cuisine every day for the rest of our lives, we would have zero issue with making it Italian. Argentina's beef was incredible, Japan's sushi was like popping little jewels of deliciousness in our mouths, and the tears brought to our eyes by the spice in Thailand's curries were also tears of joy. But for some inexplicable reason, every single thing we tasted in Italy was lip-smackingly amazing. Why do we still dream about the simple focaccia ligure we ate unadorned in Vernazza? How do they make pasta so al dente perfect every time? They might be putting something in the water, but whatever it is, we want it.

Send questions for the mailbag to patrinadoestheglobe@gmail.com

Freelance Friday: Why I Love My Netbook

2010-01-29T08:30:00.005-05:00

I am by no means an early adopter. My cell phone is four years old, I resisted the digital camera for years, I had trouble trading in my trusty discman for the suspiciously adorable iPod, and we only just bought our first ever flatscreen HD TV upon returning to Boston. But when my boss pulled a little netbook computer out of her purse in the security line on a business trip last year, it was love at first sight. I came home and told Patrick we needed one of our own immediately.

Shiny, black, and weighing in at just over two pounds, our Dell Inspiron Netbook is everything I hoped for and more. It was without a doubt one of the most useful items of our trip. Need to relieve our camera's maxed out memory card? Upload, sort, and delete the most unflattering pictures. Bored on a 14-hour plane ride? Hooray for Tetris and Five Or More! Oh yeah, and it made it completely feasible to write a blog, too.

One of the things that really amazed me was how accessible wifi was around the globe. We were wandering down the street in Jerusalem fruitlessly looking for a budget hotel, opened up the computer, connected to an open wireless network, and found a place to stay in a matter of minutes. It was the same all over South America, Asia, and Europe. Why pay for an internet cafe when you can Skype with family on the other side of the world, sitting on a sidewalk curb, for free? In fact the only place we really had trouble was New Zealand and Australia--something about a cable under the ocean connecting them technologically with the rest of the world. All I know is that internet was treated like a scarce commodity; even when we paid for connectivity we had limits on how many megabites we could download. Watching a sports clip on ESPN.com had the potential to crash entire web networks. Sorry Twizel, New Zealand!

I'm thrilled that America is entering the 21st Century of wireless web connectivity as well. Boston Logan, our home airport, has finally introduced free wifi! If the Phong Nha Hotel in Hue, Vietnam can do it, so can we.

As proud as I am about being ahead of the curve on the netbook scene, I think the iPad is still a bit too futuristic for me. I like having real keys to type (even if they are so tiny they take typing skills to a new level) and I feel like the bloated phone model is a bit awkward in terms of portability. If I want a high-functioning touch screen device I'll buy an iPhone. Or maybe in another year or two, once I'm well behind the curve.

Travel Tip Tuesday: Counting Calories

2010-01-25T16:54:00.017-05:00

As most diet books and glossy magazines will tell you, every calorie counts. I was obsessed with monitoring my food intake during our trip. But not for the typical reasons you might expect of a 26-year-old woman.Food, next to accommodation, was the biggest line item in our very tight travel budget. In order to save money for bus rides and museum entrances we needed to get the most out of every meal. I learned to think very strategically about food. It wasn't always pretty, but here are some food tricks we adopted to last us six months on the road:

The number one basic rule is to eat everything on your plate. When eating out at a restaurant at home it's pretty typical to not finish your meal. Some places it's even considered impolite to polish off your plate. And I don't know about guys, but as a self-conscious teenage girl it was almost a contest to see who could eat the least. Forget all of that--when we were counting every penny spent on our trip, we were darn sure going to eat every grain of rice off that plate. Don't particularly care for the fried fish heads that were delivered when you ordered a mystery item from a foreign language menu? Tough, because that's what you paid for and that's what you're eating. Plus remember how your mother used to tell you to eat up because there were starving children in Africa? Well, there are starving children in Africa. And in South America and Asia too. When you actually see people starving on your way to a restaurant it feels pretty despicable to throw out a plate of perfectly edible (if not delicious or entirely fresh) food.

Never turn down a free meal. Many hotels around the world include breakfast in their nightly rate. Sometimes it's a sad piece of toast and watered down juice, other places it's an all you can eat buffet. No matter what, it's worth getting out of bed to take advantage of those free calories. And if it is a buffet, eat like it's your job. Our mantra became "You never know when you're next meal is going to be." So yes, slather the butter nice and thick on that piece of toast.

You know where else you get free food? Airplanes. I've never eaten airplane food with such gusto as I have in the last six months. Mmmmm mushy pasta.

Even though we rarely had access to a microwave, toaster, or anything reminiscent of a kitchen, we still found plenty of options at the local grocery store. A loaf of bread and a jar of peanut butter? Lunch for a week! There are lots of fun regional specialties to be found, too, especially in the bakery section. Exploring different grocery stores became one of our favorite cultural experiences.

I rarely eat fast food in my regular life. Before this trip, I could have counted on one hand the number of times I ate a Big Mac in the last ten years. But fast food is cheap, generally safe, and the disgustingly high level of calories really fills you up. A value meal could last you all day! In more expensive destinations like Russia, we dined at local chains with blini at Teremok and potatoes at Kartofka. And it was never hard to find a McDonald's, KFC or Subway--plus the regional specials like McAloo Puffs in India are fun to try. I may still be trying to lose my Chicken Licken weight from South Africa, but ceding some meals to fast food giants saved us a lot of money.

It sounds a bit like we were treating restaurants as gas stations, just fueling up our bodies when on empty. In reality, though, eating and trying new, different foods is one of my absolute favorite things about travel. Be adventurous, expand your palate, and enjoy! Just keep a few tricks up your sleeve along the way.

Mailbag Monday: January 25, 2010

2010-01-25T12:47:00.010-05:00

One of my favorite parts of your blog was the pictures of all the FOOD! My question is what was your favorite street food on your trip?
Alonso R., Salamanca, Spain

Food was one of our favorite parts of the trip as well! We ate a lot of street food around the globe, but our favorite was the kofta we ate in Cairo. A fresh roll stuffed with super delicious, juicy meatballs sold for about 40 US cents. No one at the little roadside kiosk spoke English, so we just saw what everyone was eating, pointed, and ate whatever they gave us--this was the first of many, many times we used this strategy on the trip, with good results every time. Highly recommended. We were fairly worried about the sanitary (or rather, unsanitary) conditions we witnessed at the stand, but neither of us got sick and even if we had, it might have been worth it.

Honorable mentions go to Moscow's baked potatoes with all the fixings and Curitiba, Brazil's bacon popcorn. Patrick now refuses to eat vegetarian popcorn. And though technically beach food rather than street food, Thailand's chicken satay on Railay Beach was pretty unbelievable. But we'll admit that eating it on one of the most beautiful beaches in the world may have enhanced the flavor.

I have a question about taking the bus from Buenos Aires to Mendoza. Is it necessary to book a ticket ahead of time? I am going to Argentina in March. I plan on getting a cama-suite (overnight) seat, which from what I have read is the most comfortable. I looked at an Omlineas schedule and it looks like the buses run every day from BA. Also, I am a woman traveling solo. Will it be safe on the bus? I have heard positive things about traveling via bus in Argentina.
Rita J., Chicago, IL USA

I'd say it's not necessary to book ahead. When we took the bus from Buenos Aires to Mendoza we bought our tickets on the same day as travel. There are probably four different companies that travel that route, and they all have booths near each other at the bus terminal, so we hopped from one to the next comparing prices and features of their different classes. If you want to find the best deal and have flexibility in your travel days (in case you want to squeeze in an extra tango lesson in Buenos Aires!), wait to buy your tickets until you're there. If you are certain when and in what class you'd like to travel, it couldn't hurt to book ahead.

I don't think you should have any concerns about safety on the bus. In general we found bus travel in Argentina comfortable and convenient.

Send questions for the mailbag to patrinadoestheglobe@gmail.com

Freelance Friday: The Frequent Flyer Awards

2010-01-22T09:05:00.002-05:00

We took a ridiculous number of flights on our six month honeymoon. There were our frequent flyer tickets to get to Europe, the thirteen transfers of our round the world ticket, and a smattering of regional hops that add up to way more than we can count. If only we earned miles for them all… In any case, here are our nominations for standout flying experiences:

Favorite OneWorld Alliance airline: LAN

Our round the world ticket was through OneWorld, so we got to try out just about every Alliance member during the course of our trip. Our flight from Santiago to Auckland on Chile’s national airline might have been that plane’s maiden voyage. Everything was sparkly new and our personal TVs had excellent picture, were loaded with good movies and games. And unlike the standard practice these days, LAN did not insist on traveling at full capacity; we had our own row, and were able to fully lie down and actually sleep during the 13 hour flight.

Honorable mention: Royal Jordanian for their state of the art entertainment systems and always keeping us apprised which direction Mecca was.

Least favorite OneWorld Alliance airline: Iberia

It was basically the opposite of what we experienced on LAN. The planes were quite old, the seats uncomfortable, and no personal TVs all the way from Russia to Brazil. On the bright side, free wine to muffle the complaints of disgruntled passengers.

Dishonorable mention: Qantas for the non-existant legroom and old planes…we expected so much more.

Favorite discount airline: Smart Wings

We flew this Czech discount airline from Prague to Paris on the last day of our trip and were blown away. It was only an hour flight, and they still managed to get down the entire aisle doling out free drinks and sandwiches. At 6am. In contrast the friendly flight attendants on our last hop of the day, three hours from Dallas to Boston, didn’t provide a thing to eat.

Honorable mention: Air Asia for flying EVERYWHERE in Southeast Asia cheaply

Least favorite discount airline: Ryan Air

Ryan Air offers some of the best deals around Europe, hands down. Our ticket from London to Krakow cost about $5 before taxes. But the only way they can afford to do this is by offering the most painful flight experience around. First of all they primarily fly out of airports nowhere close to your actual destination. Going to Barcelona? Ryan Air actually drops you at Girona, about an hour drive from the city. Not only are the airports out of the way, but they usually contract with a single bus company that monopolizes the route from remote airport to city center for disproportionately high fares. The bus ride can cost you more than your plane ticket.

Furthermore, there is no assigned seating, which wouldn’t be so bad if there was some sort of order established or people respected lines. Instead, passengers stand in line as soon as they arrive at the gate, wait an hour or longer for the flight to board, and then push and shove in a gigantic, chaotic mass when the flight attendants begin accepting boarding passes. To top it all off, passengers are required to check in online before arriving at the airport or there is something like a $30USD additional charge (again, possibly more than the cost of the original ticket). The online check in, however, does not allow you to go right to your gate if you are an international passenger; you still need to wait in a horribly inefficient line for a “passport check”. Conclusion: we hate Ryan Air. But we will probably be suckered into flying them again when looking for cheap European travel.

Dishonorable mention: Ryan Air for being just that bad.

Best first class experience: Japan Airlines

Okay, it was our only first class experience. Ever. But it was totally awesome. Aside from the bells and whistles that we assume come as the first class standard, the flight attendants bowed to us at takeoff, landing, and every service opportunity in between and the Japanese meal option was a gorgeous display of colorful delicacies. Props to JAL for upgrading two grungy backpackers to join the black suited businessmen traveling from Sydney to Tokyo. Maybe they did it for their own amusement…who knows.

Travel Tip Tuesday: Packing Light

2010-01-19T17:09:00.003-05:00

When the woman working security at Charles De Gaulle Airport asked us how we managed to travel for six months with only our small carry on luggage, she didn't mean it in a friendly way. Though she was grilling us (and we were fairly intimidated), I couldn't help let slip a little smile of pride. Weighing in at 7kg each, our little backpacks had lasted us the whole trip.Before the trip I was asked, "How do you even begin to pack for six months on the road?" We made some good guesses, learned some lessons, and here are some basic principles in summary:

It's a careful balance between too much and not enough stuff. You want enough variety that you a) don't go bankrupt paying for laundry every few days, b) smell all the time, and c) be wearing the same thing in all the pictures you will obviously be taking. That's just embarrassing. But you also can't pack a two week wardrobe. What ended up being my survival kit was one pair sneakers, one pair flip flops, four T-shirts, one long sleeve T, one fleece, two pairs shorts/capris, one pair jeans, and enough undergarments to last me a week without washing. The biggest mistake was not packing enough socks--they take forever to air dry if you are washing them in a sink and they hardly take up any room in your suitcase. We did machine laundry about once every two weeks, which meant that we washed clothes by hand in between and also wore clothes often that were not freshly clean. I had to get over that pretty fast and honestly it isn't that bad. Now that I'm back, I'm finding it difficult at the end of the day to remember that no I don't need to save that T-shirt for another wear.

Pack for the trip you are taking. You may have noticed that missing from my survival kit was anything resembling formal attire. That's because realistically, I knew that we weren't budgeting for fancy dinners or the theater. Sure there were times I wished I had something a bit nicer, but it wouldn't have been worth carrying heels around for six months for the four times I would have worn them. Think about how when you go on vacation you normally pack a variety of outfits for different days and possible occasions. "I might just need this sequined top if we go to a nightclub..." Then think about how you end up wearing the same few items again and again because they are the most comfortable/weather appropriate/whatever. At least I do. So just pack only those items.

Don't be afraid to leave things behind. It's always nice to be prepared for every scenario, but the truth is that wherever you are going, people live there too. And they need T-shirts and toothpaste just like you. So limit yourself to the essentials. I wasn't sure if we were going to end up in a wintry locale so did not bring a jacket heavier than a rain shell. Obviously Poland in January was frigid, but since it is, there are plenty of very warm coats for sale! And in almost every case things were cheaper outside our native USA. My new winter jacket cost me about $17 USD. You can always shop to supplement your wardrobe for the unexpected events--and those new items will make the best souvenirs, too.

Mailbag Monday: January 18, 2010

2010-01-18T10:33:00.001-05:00

After reading about all your adventures I’m sure this is an impossible question but I’ll ask anyways-- what was your favorite place on your trip?

Sandra N., Brisbane, Australia

It certainly is a pretty impossible question, but it’s one we get a lot. Thinking about it in terms of where we’d want to return soonest, the finalists would have to be Argentina and New Zealand. Argentina had such a great combo of natural beauty in Iguazu Falls, vibrant city life in Buenos Aires, rural charm in Mendoza, and amazing food throughout. New Zealand’s landscape alone left us wanting more.

The biggest surprises for us were Cambodia and South Africa. Cambodia has a lot more to offer than just Angkor Wat—Siem Reap itself is actually a cute town, Phnom Penh is fascinating, and the countryside in between looked like something we’d like to explore. South Africa has such an intriguingly diverse landscape and of course the opportunity for safari scores it major points! We could stare at elephants in the wild all day long.

We would be remiss to neglect our favorite stops in Europe: Paris, Cinque Terre, and Krakow. It’s hard to believe that places as authentically charming as Cinque Terre and Krakow still exist, and as for Paris—it’s Paris!

Would you recommend changing money before visiting a country or traveling with travelers checks?

Derek C., Tulsa, OK

Neither, actually. Money exchange bureaus—whether at home or in destination countries—are notorious for charging exorbitant service fees. Even when they advertise “no fee”, it’s hidden somewhere, often not realized until you get back far less than you expected and the exchange is non-refundable. Your home bank may offer relatively more favorable rates but may be limited in the currencies they provide. As for travelers checks, to be honest with you I’m not entirely sure how they work as I’ve never seen anyone using them.

The best way to get cash is to use your ATM card once you are in your destination country. This is where you will invariably find the most favorable exchange rate and ATMs are everywhere—beginning with just outside customs at most international airports. It’s a good idea to withdraw cash in non-round numbers, ie 1900 instead of 2000, because getting change in some countries is often difficult and getting stuck with two 1000 bills is never fun.

There is often a standard withdrawal fee equivalent to using another bank’s ATM in the States (about $2-4USD) but even that isn’t always the case. Just make sure to check that your bank allows international withdrawals without extra charges on top of that. It’s a good idea to check in with them anyway so they don’t freeze your account when they see pesos being withdrawn in Mexico.

Send questions for the mailbag to patrinadoestheglobe@gmail.com

Back in the US

2010-01-14T10:43:00.006-05:00

Six continents, 25 countries, and more flights than we can count later, the honeymoon is finally over. We're back in Boston and wanted to lay out to both our first time and loyal readers the new direction the blog will be taking now that we have returned.

Since we often find that thinking and writing about our travels is easier to do removed from the actual traveling, and since we probably will be looking for any excuse to relive our trip, we are going to start posting three times a week under the following framework:

Mailbag Monday - During the trip we got a number of questions from you our readers about everything from eating raw fish to fresh fish eating us. Every week we will answer a few of our favorite questions . You can email questions for the debut edition to be published next Monday to patrinadoestheglobe@gmail.com.

Travel Tip Tuesday - We like to think we learned something from our six months on the road, and though we were destined to make the same mistakes more than once, we'd like to pass on the info to give some of you a better shot.

Freelance Friday - This basically gives us license to write about whatever the heck we want.

We hope you'll find this interesting or even useful. Don't hesitate to contact us with things you want to hear about or just to say hi. And as always, thanks for reading.

Prague, Czech Republic

2010-01-11T03:27:00.006-05:00

The last overnight train we took was a noisy, smelly affair from Agra to Udaipur, India and the next day began Patrick's two-week battle with kidney stones. So we were a bit trepidatious as we boarded the 10pm train to Prague. Luckily, however, the overnight aspect was where the similarities ended: we ended up with a private (six bunk) cabin, slept comfortably through the night, and we're happy to report that Patrick's internal organs are doing just fine.
We were delighted to learn that Sandeman's New Europe--the company that gave us a great free tour of Jerusalem--does a Prague introductory tour as well. Our guide James was full of interesting stories and facts (did you know that the Czech national anthem was actually written for a comedy festival 80 years before the country's independence?) and managed to do a very respectable job of covering some 800 years of history in three hours. We walked all over the city--from the famous astronomical clock in Old Town Square to the network of synagogues in the Jewish Quarter to the Estates Theatre where Mozart himself performed. Though we weren't able to catch a show there, we did get tickets to Swan Lake at the State Opera House. We felt woefully underdressed for the red velvet and gold interior and the elegant ballet on stage; luckily we got the cheap seats in the back.

Prague Castle, the largest Medieval castle in the world, looms impressively on the city skyline. Lit up at night, covered in snow, it looks like something out of a fairy tale. The halls and rooms inside don't quite live up to the external facade, but we did get a huge kick out of seeing THE window of Defenestration of Prague fame that began the Thirty Year's War. Props to Mr. Zimmerman and Mr. Blynt, our high school history teachers, for ingraining facts in our memories that lasted a full decade!

Another highlight of Prague Castle was the nearby U Cerneho Vola (The Black Bull) pub recommended by Katrina's mom. The decor was simple, with a few rows of long wooden tables to share, the beer flowed easily, and the fried cheese was delicious. Bohemian cuisine proved very fun to eat: huge roadside sausages smothered in tangy mustard; pork knee served on a cutting board with a knife stuck in its center; pots of goulash to ladel over bready dumplings. All washed down, of course, with a half liter of local brew. The word "pilsner" comes from the Czech town of Plzen after all!

And in that spirit, we celebrated our last night out of the trip with a pub crawl through the snowy streets of Prague. We started out slowly with half liters at Malostranska, took it up a notch with grog and a full liter stein down the road, and then knocked back a few more at Stara Praha with some food. But we were still looking for a full-fledged Czech bar. When we shoved open a heavy wood door at Divadelni Kavarna to reveal a smokey room with tackily upholstered chairs, and all the wooly-sweatered Czechs turned to look at us, we knew we'd arrived. It took several beers, some absinthe, and busting out the dance moves but by the time we closed down the bar, the regulars were giving us thumbs ups and even a kiss on the hand.

View more pictures from Prague here.

Krakow, Poland

2010-01-08T11:29:00.012-05:00

Our Cape Town-Krakow transfer was by no means a direct route. We started with two full days of driving across Africa to Johannesburg, followed by a redeye to London Heathrow, and twelve hours later we flew out of Stansted to Krakow with our old nemesis, Ryan Air. The high point was spending our London layover with our friend Evan who was in town visiting his family for the holidays. We got the real Londoner tour this time, starting with a freshly cooked full English breakfast at Evan's Notting Hill home, which incidentally is a historical monument, followed by a visit to the Rosetta Stone at the British Museum, finished off with pub crawling among surly old regulars who showed us that there's nothing wrong with drinking a pint (or two or three) at 11am on a Tuesday.

We finally arrived in Krakow after dark, fairly delirious, and somehow managed to make our way into town and bed. It was only the next morning that we started to take everything in. We found ourselves in Sodispar's cozy "Florence" apartment with soaring ceilings, fully outfitted kitchen, and tasteful decor by IKEA. One block away was the old town square looking like it belonged in a snowglobe: cobblestones, Christmas Market, and towering St. Mary's Church all covered in white dust. To say Krakow is charming is like calling Tom Brady attractive--a gross understatement. We were cast under its spell immediately.St. Mary's is the oldest gothic church in Europe and we had a vigorous debate going about whether its gluttonously gilded and stainglassed interior was more or less impressive than its towering presence on the square. The place is shrouded in tradition: every day at 11:50 sharp is the ceremonial opening of the famed wooden altar and a bugler predictably plays from the tallest tower to herald the changing of every hour. It's hard for the multitude of other cathedrals to compete, but many attempted by offering classical music concerts in the evenings like the one we attended at St. Peter and Paul's.

Nothing in town is very far. We experienced the Krakovian tradition of "Christmas cribs" with an exhibit on the square, explored the old Jewish quarter, visited Oskar Schindler's factory, and wandered through the stately state rooms at Wawel Castle. A #304 busride outside the city is Wieliczka Salt Mine, the oldest of its kind operating continuously since Medieval times. Everything--the floors we walked on, the cave chapels, the hundreds of sculptures--are carved entirely from salt. We were even invited to lick the walls for a salty treat!

To escape from the cold days of sightseeing, we'd duck into one of the dark little cafes found around every corner. Lucky for us Katrina's step-uncle was in Krakow just weeks ago and gave us the stellar recommendations of apple pie at Camelot and "drinking chocolate" at Pijalnia Czekolady Wedel. Their hot cocoa only further fueled the chocolate addiction we've been fostering on this trip, and once we discovered their cinnamon truffles we were done for. On the savory side of things, we ate zurek--the local soup specialty made of fermented rye flour, boiled quail egg, and varying pork product--all over town and found the best pierogies at Miod Malina filled with sauerkraut and mushrooms.

Just 65km outside Krakow is Auschwitz, easily the saddest, grimmest place we have ever been. The concentration camp looks exactly like all the pictures we've seen in the history books allowing us to paint in the empty yard with grainy images of victims. Some solemn spots along the tour route include Block 10 and 11 at Auschwitz I where Josef Mengele carried out his horrible experiments and the killing wall that sits between. At Auschwitz II-Birkenau are crumbled gas chamber ruins at the end of rows and rows of stable-like barracks. There are many visitors but the camp is eerily silent. And the tears come very easily.

History, both the long ago and the not so distant, has a tangible presence in the city's day to day. But Krakow is also famous for its heralding in of the new year with the country's largest New Year's Eve party. On December 31st we packed in with thousands of revelers from across Poland for "Wow Night: Music Square Session!" It was basically a giant rave. Unlike in Times Square, there was no giant ball and no visible time, so our only clue that midnight was near was when the crowd began chanting in countdown fashion. Our unfamiliarity with Polish numbers made the unanticipated cork-popping celebration that much more exciting as we rang in 2010. Happy New Year!View more pictures from Krakow here.

Cape Town, South Africa

2010-01-03T12:49:00.005-05:00

After a week of ambling through the southwest we arrived in Cape Town on Christmas Eve. Gorgeous, sparkling Cape Town. Flanked by miles of shimmering shoreline, there are many ways to enjoy your time along the water. Restaurants and tourist shops define the bustling Victoria and Alfred Waterfront (yes Alfred, not Albert), an unadorned yet very entertaining putt putt course occupies Green Point, and there are plenty of white sand beaches to choose from in all directions. We even found penguins twenty minutes south in Simon's Town! Now we saw a lot of animals on safari, but we never expected to find penguins in Africa. They seem to have gotten a better deal than their arctic cousins, waddling around in their little tuxedos on the sunny, sandy shore.

The best waterfront destination, however, is the Cape of Good Hope. It felt as if we just might be at the edge of the world. We hiked out to the southwesternmost point in Africa, looking down the cliffs to the crashing waves of the Atlantic ten stories below. It was fun to think that home was just across the pond...only a few thousand miles away. To a certain extent we found the best way to experience Cape Town was to just drive and take in the awesome scenery all around. Imagine taking the most scenic bend of the road on the Pacific Coast Highway and creating an entire peninsula based on that panoroma. Cape Town...more like Gape Town.

To get a 360 degree helping of Cape Town we took a cable car up to the top of iconic Table Mountain, which is about as aptly named as sprinter Usain Bolt. It was a thrilling ride racing up along the sheer cliffs of the massive mound, the car turning all the while to maximize views. Our plan was to head up for sunset and we were surprised, delighted, and slightly bewildered to find out that after 6pm tickets are half price. Why should we pay less for the city's best panoramic of the pink and orange sunset sky? Because it's freaking cold up there, that's why! It was like another season at the top of the mountain, and we had to be careful not to be blown away as we anxiously prayed for the sun to dip below the horizon.

View more pictures from Cape Town here.