A resident visitor

It's interesting going back to a place that you used to live in as a visitor. (See what I had to say about it here.) In a way the nostalgia gets to you. Because you don't live there anymore. You ARE an outsider now.

Relaxing with some fish pedicures

On the other hand, it's really nice to be able to visit somewhere just to relax and see the people you came to see without worrying about running around to all the tourist attractions you have to see in the five days you're there.

A gorgeous day at Kew Gardens

There's always something new to discover, especially in a city like London, so my recent trip there was far from boring. I actually spent most of my days wandering around parts of the city I hadn't been to in the three months I lived there four years ago. It was great to be able to relax and wander around with my friends, and to see the things that someone just visiting probably wouldn't bother to see.

Strolling in the old 'hood

However, it is nice to visit your old hangouts and neighborhood. It's fun to see what's changed and comforting to note what hasn't (like my favorite sandwich shop with the best sandwiches ever right by Hyde Park). It's brings back good memories of good times once had.

All in all, a great trip to a place I love with wonderful people. What could be better?

Regarding the compromise

Alas, my honey decided that he can't financially justify my planned trip to Ireland.

Yes, I'm disappointed, but such is the life of someone bitten by the travel bug. You can't expect others to fully understand or be able to comply with your craziness, passion, however you want to put it.

Because of my own strapped wallet, I have had to scrap my original plan to see the Irish countryside and instead will be venturing solo to good ol' London in April. Different, yes, but nevertheless exciting, especially since I'll have the opportunity to see and catch up with old friends.

As a traveler, you have to be willing to not only compromise to accommodate the itineraries and interests of others, but you also have to be willing and flexible enough to accommodate unexpected changes that are inevitably going to happen to your own itinerary, no matter how well planned it might be.

My Ireland trip is not canceled — simply postponed indefinitely at the moment. I will go and see the Irish countryside and it will be lovely. Just not this May. And I'm OK with that.

Saving money is always a good thing; being cheap is not

With airlines consistently cutting back on their customer service, why the hell do prices keep going up? It used to be that you paid for the flight and got a free pillow, blanket, headphones and semi-decent meal (if you were flying far enough), or at least a snack. You were able to check two pieces of luggage and have a carry-on and personal item on board for no additional cost. I understand the airlines are in serious financial troubles — I get it, really — but if you’re cutting back on all the frills, then charge the same prices as no-frills airlines do. Why are we paying more than ever for no-frills flights and then paying extra for the frills on top of that?

In Europe there are several no-frills airlines that offer inexpensive flights to most cities. They provide a great way to save money on the actual travel part of your adventure, and you’re not sacrificing all that much comfort seeing as most destinations in Europe are no more than 3 hours apart. If you get particularly hungry, you can purchase a meal on most flights. But remember to factor in a fee for your carry-on. Don’t worry, the flights still cost WAY less than any major airlines flight.

RyanAir and EasyJet are two popular options, but prepare to be creative with your travel plans, since the two mostly fly through London to get to other destination. For example, there are far fewer direct flights from Madrid on EasyJet as there are from London. So, if partaking in these cheaper travel alternatives, allot yourself enough time for the catches.

Also, I’m a much bigger fan of EasyJet as it actually flies into the main airports of the cities you want to visit. RyanAir, with the exception of Dublin, flies into East Bumbfuck Nowhere — case in point, Reus, Spain. “Fucking Reus,” as it fondly became known amongst my group of friends, is a very small town outside of Barcelona. I’m sure it’s a fine town, but our experience at the airport consisted of a broken ATM (so we couldn’t take out Euros) and a closed down exchange booth (so I had to exchange our pounds for Euro at the café — you can imagine the exchange rate I got). The only way to get from Reus to Barcelona was on a bus — the bus cost us 11 euro each. That same 11 extra euro could have booked us a spot on an EasyJet flight that would have taken us into Barcelona’s main airport, from which it is possible to grab any number of modes of transportation to get to our location.

Another example is Amsterdam. I don’t know from personal experience because by that point I had learned, but RyanAir flies into Eindhoven, not Amsterdam. Have you ever heard of Eindhoven? I certainly hadn’t.

My friends and me waiting for a train in Italy

Trains are another possible travel alternative. Though train tickets can be pricey, many train companies have discounts for students and/or youth (those under 25), or other deals. Trains provide you with entry into city centers (whereas airports are usually far outside city limits), and less stringent baggage limitations. While international train stations still have customs and security checks, you can bring back a bottle of French wine in your carry-on luggage (which you obviously no longer can do on planes).

Basically, explore all your travel options to find ones that will save you money, but don’t be cheap — it’ll end up costing you.

What are some of your favorite methods of inexpensive travel?

Fall-ing into travel

Why is it that summer is the most popular travel time? I really don’t understand that phenomenon, because all I want to do in the summer is hop from one air-conditioned enclosure to the next.

Beautiful fall scenery in upstate NY, just outside of Cornell

Now, fall travel is a completely different story. As most of this past week of NYC weather proves (excluding the random tornado that swept through Brooklyn on Thursday afternoon), traveling in the fall is simply delightful. A sunny day that is just breezy enough to require a light jacket is the perfect time to stroll down a foreign street gazing at beautiful architecture or simply enjoying your time sitting in a park people watching. And if it happens to start raining, just pop into the nearest coffee shop or museum or whatever other indoor activity grabs your fancy.

I’ve looked into going to London in the summer a few times (not really because I particularly wanted to shvits in another country, but because several friends across the pond have their birthdays in the summer months). Tickets were TWICE the price I paid to go over Thanksgiving a few years ago ... if not THREE times as expensive. I love my friends, but I’m not dishing out $1,000-plus on a ticket that normally should cost around $500 to sit in the same cramped seat for the same 5.5 hours eating the same fairly crappy airplane grub simply because it’s July rather than November. In this humble traveler’s opinion, that’s simply ludicrous.

A frozen lake on the grounds of a castle in Denmark

And because traveling in the summer seems to be so popular with everyone else, it just means that it’ll take you all that much longer to get through security at the airport; be that much harder to hail a cab outside the airport when you get to your destination; and be significantly more crowded at any attraction you’ll inevitably be waiting all day in line for to get into. NOT my idea of a good vacation.

I tend to like to make travel plans more around the mid-February/early March time of the year. I can plan my time off from work around the President’s Day long weekend and therefore conserve on days. I also plan to go places that most people avoid during the winter months — like Denmark. Granted, it wasn’t my best-laid plan to spend a week in an already chilly country during one its coldest months, but hey, the tickets were cheap, my friends were on break from school and able to take time off work to show me around, and there were no lines ... anywhere. A pair of thermal underwear under my jeans, and I was ready to explore Copenhagen as happily as if it had been 30 degrees warmer.

London's Regents Park in full spring bloom

Spring also is a great time of year to travel. Flowers are in bloom, people are happier, the weather’s usually perfect and tickets are less expensive — again — than they are in the summer (yet the weather’s much more enjoyable). My favorite time came at the end of my semester there in April and May, when I could sit in Hyde Park in jeans and a T-shirt with a sandwich and Coke Light, watching the kids playing and people walking their dogs. Perfect.

However, try and avoid the typical Spring Break locations, unless that's the kind of vacation you're looking for. For me, personally, butting up against college kids as they drink themselves silly in Cancun is not all that appealing — but no judgment here! Those spots also tend to be jacked up in price during that time of year.

So, if you’re like me and don’t really enjoy sweating during your time exploring, and you want to maximize your traveling by saving a buck or two when you can, please avoid European summer travel. And if summer happens to be the only time you CAN appease that travel bug bite, pick a place with an opposite seasonal schedule than ours so that you’re at least going during an off-season for that place.

When’s your favorite time to travel?

Easy fasting and yummy remembering

I wish an easy fast to all of my fellow members of the Tribe out there today.

Strange how fasting gave me the idea to write a post on my favorite meals that I've eaten during my travels. Here goes a mild form of masochism. Hope those of you who can eat today enjoy it, and for those of you who can't, I'm very sorry — though, come to think of it, you're probably not reading this on Saturday anyway, because that's not allowed, so enjoy it over your own yummy meal!



Cava sangria and salmon topped with pineapple with a side of fresh vegetables on our first night in Barcelona made for the best meal ever in my European travels.

 

The next day in Barcelona brought a meal constituted of individual pieces bought from the awesome food market off of La Rambla, including a baguette, cheese, lunch meat and tomatoes, all for a whopping 2 Euro per person. The day ended with an enormous seafood paella split between the four of us.

                              

Edam cheese is super duper yummy, especially when you get it from a shop in Edam.

I could have eaten my way through Italy, and practically did ;-). Our trip started in Venice, where I had the best slice of pizza of my life at a hole-in-the-wall little shop in Ghetto Vecchio (the Old Ghetto). Gelato was EVERYWHERE ... this shot was taken in Rome.

                                          

In Dublin there was a lot of liquid nourishment, but this traditional Irish breakfast helped soak up some of that alcohol.

 I loved being in Prague. The effortless beauty of the city and its architecture was a pleasure to explore. As was the food, which reminded me so much of the food I have grown up with. This meat plate was enough to fill up two of us.

French food is renowned for its flavor and yumminess. Even this Parisian deli hot dog, smothered in cheese, and accompanied by delicious pastries held up its reputation.

I think the best meals are ones you create for yourself ... especially when they're made with the freshest produce. This simple but absolutely delicious meal of pasta with pesto chicken and tomatoes and some white wine was the result of a day of shopping at London's Borough Market. I bought the tomatoes, my friend bought the pesto, and we topped it off with some Waitrose pasta and chicken. It was yummy!

During my trip to Egypt, our group took a detour, on camels, to a small Nubian village where we had one of the best meals I have ever had. The delicious meat, potatoes and vegetables were prepared in a traditional Nubian fashion, slowly baked in clay pots in the oven. Seriously, YUMMY!

Eating Indian food feels like an explosion on your tongue. The spices and exotic flavors create a party for your pallet. And it tastes even better when it's the product of your own hard work. Below is a fruit pizza (not something you'd think would taste good, but totally is) from a small restaurant and the fantastical result of a cooking class, both in the little town of Orcha in India.

In Nepal, my tour guide doused his meals in hot sauce because he claimed they were too bland. For me, they were just right. Below is a Nepalese samosa, which was more like a burrito, covered in cheese (which is always OK with me).

Chicago's known for its deep-dish pizza. And rightfully so. The stuff is delicious. Now, I know that as a native New Yorker, uttering that phrase is probably blasphemous, but I'm not saying it's BETTER than my beloved NYC pizza. In my opinion, it's too different to compare. Below is a yummy steak and broccoli stuffed pie from Giordano's.

On my most recent trip to Grand Cayman, my boyfriend cooked a lot in our hotel suite. It was cheaper, and frankly, a lot more delicious than the on-site restaurant's cuisine. However, as food lovers, we absolutely had to try the local delicacy of turtle. And it was delicious. Below is my boyfriend's yummy concoction of chicken in hickory-barbecue sauce combined with peach preserves and broccoli, a meal of turtle steak from what we were told was one of the best restaurants on the island, and a coconut that we devoured at a coconut tasting at our resort.

             

For me, food is such an important part of travel. Experiencing local cuisine is a great way to partake in local culture — and it's yummy to boot!

What are some of your favorite travel meals?

It’s in the can ...

My friends often gaze at me and ask one, simple question: “How do you find the time and money to travel as much as you do?”

That simple question has a very simple answer — it takes a lot of hard work and dedication to ...

... tuna fish.

That’s right, tuna fish; you have to really, REALLY, REALLY like tuna fish, because that’s all you’ll be eating for several weeks to make up for the money you’ve spent on that latest plane ticket.

But, alas, such is the plight of someone bitten by the travel bug. I would forsake food for travel. Luckily, I LOVE tuna fish ;-).

In all seriousness, it takes a certain finesse to be able to milk every last minute of vacation time you have out of your company so that you can jet off to London for a long weekend, or craft a 10-day vacation out of just 3 days off of work.

Planning around holidays is the first trick. True, ticket prices and hotel stays might be more expensive, but that’s not always the case. If you have a Friday and Monday off for, say Labor Day, try taking two days at the start and two days at the end, so you end up flying out and in during the middle of the week, rather than on the holiday, which usually is much cheaper. If that’s not an option, try searching for destinations that simply are cheaper to get to. Or, for example, do what I did a few years ago and fly OUT of the country on Thanksgiving, when most others are flying IN. True, I missed Thanksgiving dinner, but while my aunt’s turkey is phenomenal, Thanksgiving is not such a big holiday in my family, so it wasn’t all that much of a problem.

Yummy pastries at Portobello market

Street sausage in Prague

The money thing is a bit trickier and I certainly have incurred some credit card debt in my vast attempts at scratching that nagging travel itch. But looking for deals on any site you know of, combined with making friends in a plethora of countries, combined with traveling at odd times throughout the year helps to patch up that hole that’s burning in my wallet. Staying with friends certainly saves a lot of money, and you have to be willing to survive at least a few meals on international street grub, which can be quite tasty.

On the first-class overnight train
to Aswan, Egypt

Also, for certain countries, it makes a lot of sense to book a tour through a travel company. You pay one flat fee at the start and don’t have to worry about booking transportation or accommodations. There are varying levels of trips, ranging from budget to luxury. I opt for the budget trips, though not the very budget trips, and have yet to be disappointed or disgusted with any accommodations or transportation I’ve encountered. I actually would say that I was pleasantly surprised by many of the places I stayed in, in Egypt, India and Nepal. Also, be sure to see if there are any discounts you can take advantage of, such as student discounts or youth discounts — most European railways offer a youth ticket for those under 25 at a significant discount.

In the end, if you’ve truly been bitten, like I have, by the travel bug, you’ll find a way to book that next trip. Whether it means surviving on tuna fish and Wonder bread for a few weeks, calling out “sick” for a couple of days around a weekend or thoroughly planning out each vacation day before the year has even started, you’ll be on that plane going to that exciting, new destination, no matter what — because you can’t imagine life any other way.

To swipe or not to swipe ...

In an article on NYTimes.com’s travel section, Susan Stellin discusses how to use credit cards while traveling abroad. Stellin discusses avoiding a freeze on your account, rejection of cards abroad and the growing trend of chip and PIN cards abroad, as opposed to our American magnetic strip cards.

Stellin mentions how most travelers know to call their financial institutions to let the banks know of any upcoming travel plans so that they don’t freeze an account. I would say to also let your bank know EXACTLY what day you will be leaving any particular city or country. A friend of a friend recently had a problem where her account was emptied in Italy, several days after she had left the country. She now is having issues working out the situation with her bank. I also would say to warn your bank about a cap on spending or withdrawals so that if your information is stolen while you are abroad, your bank still will know to freeze your account and not assume it was you who made a $1,000 withdrawal in a rural village of Italy.

Another growing problem abroad, according to Stellin, is the increased use of a different kind of card in other countries that incorporates a chip and requires cardholders to enter a PIN number; unlike our cards, which have the magnetic stripe that you have to swipe. The credit card companies that Stellin spoke to said that travelers should insist that they still can use their magnetic cards, but trust me, it’s very difficult to argue with a store employee, even in England where they speak the same language.

The chip cards were just starting to come into play when I was in London, but my problem was with the store clerks’ demand that your signature EXACTLY match the one on your card. Now, we all know that those little strips they leave on the back of the cards for your signature are practically impossible to write on. And, obviously, your signature does not look exactly the same every time you sign something. Frankly, I think they should be more worried if it DID look exactly the same. That would be a much more sure sign of forgery or fraud. Anyway, it took about 10 minutes of convincing the Sainsbury’s employee, and two more forms of ID, that it was indeed my signature and I was indeed the cardholder.

Most credit card companies also charge exorbitant out-of-country swipe fees, so make sure whatever you’re buying is worth it. Honestly, credit cards should be a last resort while traveling abroad. Cash is the best option and often presents fewer complications. But be careful with cash, as well. Keep smaller amounts in many different pockets or carry a money belt that lies flat against your body and is invisible to passers-by. Also, don’t go fishing around your money belt in public.

I would suggest exchanging at least a few hundred dollars for local currency before you leave because exchange rates at airports are horrible, and if you need to grab a cab or a buy a ticket for local transport, you’ll need the local currency on hand. And find out if your bank has an international counterpart that you can withdraw money from without being charged a fee. For example, when I went to London, I found out from Bank of America beforehand that they had an agreement with Barclay’s — one of London’s biggest banks — where we could withdraw money charge-free. Also, don’t assume that just because you have a Citibank account and there’s a Citibank in St. Petersburg, Russia, that it won’t charge you a fee. Make sure of everything beforehand.

In the end, budget yourself, be smart, do your research and use credit cards as a last resort.

Have I missed anything? What have your experiences been with using credit/bank cards abroad?

Missing London

"I am homesick for Paris, although that’s where I am. It happens to me every time I visit. I grieve for this great city I have lived in and left, precisely because I’m only visiting. Like having a drink with an ex-lover: We don’t belong to one another anymore," writes Nancy Kline in Missing Paris, an article on WorldHum.com.

What I like to call "Iconic London,"
Big Ben flanked by an Underground sign.

Boy, do I know how that feels. My 3.5 months in London were some of the best of my life. I felt like I belonged there. The city was MY city ... oddly enough in a way that New York never was, though I grew up living around that metropolis for the majority of my life. And yet that amazingly strong connection I have to the city, the one that makes me anxiously anticipate every possible subsequent visit back is precisely what makes me realize that it isn't my city anymore.

The picture to the left is what most people would consider "iconic London." But that's not the London I know. It's definitely a part of it, but my London starts in South Kensington, the neighborhood in which I lived throughout Spring 2007.

On my two visits back since leaving (so far) I have attempted to recreate what my typical day was when the city belonged to me. I went to the same cafe on Gloucester Road that offered a free croissant with coffee purchase. I walked down the same streets I walked down three years ago, but they weren't my streets anymore. I was a tourist, not a resident. And yes, it may be presumptuous and ignorant to think the city was mine after only 3.5 months. I wasn't a local by any means, but I sure did feel like one. I lived there. I knew it. It was mine.

On my visits back I found myself doing the touristy things that I didn't even think to do when I lived in London. I didn't see Westminster Abbey in the entire 3.5 months I was there. I went when I came back for my first visit. It's as if doing those things would help remind me of the feeling of belonging to the city and of it belonging to me, but all they did was make me feel more like an outsider than ever.

The only glimpses of that old feeling I get now when I'm back across the pond are when I am with my British friends. When I'm with them, it's like I've never left. We meet and talk and have dinner and I feel like I'm living in London again.

And then when I get on the plane to fly back home, I remember that even though it may never fully feel like my city again, those rare moments that it does make every trip back worth every second.

Do you have any cities you miss?

A particular traveler’s extroverted look at introverted travel — wait, strike that, reverse it ... wait ...

On her blog, RestlessNewYorker.blogspot.com, my friend Kristine recently wrote a great piece on being an introverted traveler, which she was inspired to write by a piece that appeared on WorldHum.com, Confessions of an Introverted Traveler.

Hostel beds in Amsterdam (above)
and Barcelona (below)

“I realize that all this pretty much defies all the tenets of solo travel or backpacker culture. Most of those who stay in hostels don’t go out exploring alone; they spend the day hanging out together and drinking in the common rooms. But I would argue that being introverted can be an advantage rather than a hindrance while traveling solo,” Kristine wrote.

Kristine’s point made me think of my experiences staying in hostels. I stayed in plenty a hostel on my adventures throughout Europe — not for the hostel culture, mostly for the price. I traveled with friends and none of us could understand how it was that our other “roommates” were in the room when we left in the morning and were there again when we got back after a full day of exploring. I don’t get what the appeal is of sitting in a hostel’s bar or game room for an entire day. For me, a hostel is there so I'm not sleeping on the street. I need clean sheets and a hot shower ... otherwise, you’re in a city that you obviously paid money and took time to get to. SEE IT!

As a natural extrovert myself, I understand the desire and sometimes need to connect to other people. Unlike Kristine, I do enjoy small talk. I don’t necessarily delude myself into believing that the superficial connections I make with people over a beer at a bar will lead to lifelong friendships — even though, honestly, it’s happened to me a few times before. However, needing interaction to the point of foregoing the beauty of discovering the place you’ve spent your resources on to come and see seems like an absolute waste for me. My time in a different country was planned out as to maximize what I could see without being too overwhelmed.

I also think that while it’s great making connections with other travelers, there aren’t locals at the hostels — except maybe the people who work there. The whole point of traveling for me is to actually experience the people, sites and cultures of the place you’re in. Spending your time all day in a hostel is not the way to do that.

While I am extroverted, I also am a very particular traveler. My time is planned out as to see everything I want to see. A vacation spent lying lazily on the beach every day for a week sounds absolutely horrible to me — I’d much rather be so tired from walking around all day that I pass out as soon as my head hits the pillow at night.

So while I do enjoy traveling with others — I actually don’t think I’ve ever traveled completely alone — I don’t enjoy traveling with just anyone. My travel companion and I have to be of the same mindset. I have no problem splitting up and meeting back again later if my travel buddy wants to see something I don’t particularly care to or vice versa, but, ultimately, he or she has to want to see SOMETHING. (Luckily, I’ve discovered that my boyfriend and I are very compatible travel companions ::sigh of relief::.)

My friends and me in Park Guell
in Barcelona

While I enjoy the company of other people, I agree with Kristine that there are many advantages of being an introverted traveler. During my semester abroad in London, I traveled mostly with my two roommates and another friend from college — my roommates also were friends with whom I had requested to live with while abroad. And while our trips were fantastic and I really enjoyed not being alone, when we would get back after a weekend, I would be so ready to be alone that I would drop off my bags, grab a book, go to my favorite sandwich shop on Gloucester Road, get a sandwich and a Coke Light and then head over to a bench in Hyde Park and sit there for a few hours by myself, reading, eating and watching the dogs running around on the grass.

Even the biggest extroverts need their alone time sometimes.

Exploring Chicago on my own: Me reflected in the city on
the Bean, a.k.a. Cloud Gate, in Millennium Park

On a recent trip to Chicago with my boyfriend, he wanted to go to Comic-Con, I didn’t all that much. So we agreed that he would go there and I would go explore the city on my own. We had plans for dinner and a show later. Now, granted, this was Chicago and I wouldn’t necessarily go out exploring on my own in a lot of other places I’ve been to — but in this case, it was great! While I, of course, would have loved to spend that extra time with him, he had a great time doing what he wanted, I had a great time exploring the city, and everyone was happy. I do know, however, that after about a day-and-a-half, if I actually had been there by myself, I would’ve gotten lonely.

For me, a great trip has the combination of extroversion and introversion. I do really enjoy other people’s company and greatly enjoy meeting new people, especially when those meetings do sometimes turn into actual friendships. But every once in a while, I need my time to be just for me — whether that is a couple of hours in the park or a full day exploring a new city on my own.

I blame it all on my parents.

Mom, Dad and me on the Thames in London

It's all their fault that I was BITTEN by the travel bug. They are, after all, the ones who decided that instead of the normal congratulatory gifts that most parents give their kids on major occasions ... a.k.a. money, a car ... they would reward me with trips to mark the milestones in my life.

First it was Hawaii ... then New Orleans ... then a trip up the East Coast to Canada and back ... then Spain, hitting Barcelona, Madrid, Seville and a week in Malaga with a day-trip to Tangiers ... then a cruise to Bermuda ... then a road trip up the West Coast from San Diego to San Francisco ... then a trip across Eastern Europe, hitting up Kiev, Ukraine; Minsk and Borisov, Belarus; and St. Petersburg and Moscow.

And those were just the big ones. In between those trips were other ones that were just as meaningful in my growing obsession with traveling. Granted, the various trips span from when I was 12 to when I graduated college, but nevertheless, they shaped a lot of who I am (cheesy, I know, but hey, this is my blog!).

No wonder I fell victim to the travel bug.