Perhaps the most useful skill I travel can carry is knowledge of the local language.
It can open up a startling range of opportunities, ease the strain of logistics and planning, and allow you to develop a deeper connection with the place and, more importantly, the people you are visiting.
With a little advanced planning, and an introduction to the basics, it can be surprisingly easy to pick up a language on the road.
I am a sucker for train travel. What other transportation alternative offers ample leg room, no security lines and no traffic jams?
In fact, the mere mention of the word ???rail??? evokes romantic thoughts of long afternoons spent gazing at gorgeous scenery while happily chatting with the person in the next seat.
Unfortunately, I have also had my share of nightmare train experiences. I??ve spent hours sitting on cold station floors, I??ve been stuck in a cramped fetal position in Eastern Europe because I thought the cheaper ticket was the better deal, and I have dealt with my share of screaming babies.
Hunger is a necessary experience of travel (and life). When blessed with a budget, there is very little fear of hunger.
It is commonplace in a strange land, on a strange form of transportation that might last for days, to wonder when you’ll stop for your next meal.
True, the local markets do provide wonderfully, as with the vendors along the streets and the friendly strangers who invite you in to quench your thirst, and hopefully (cross your fingers), feed you.
Tags: Dumpster, Diving, The, Easiest, Way, Find, Free, Food
I know a bugbear of many of you is being charged for internet access at luxury hotels.? You’re already paying a top rate and perhaps understandably don’t expect to have to be charged for your internet usage.? Marriott has announced that five of its brands (Courtyard, Residence Inn, Fairfield Inn, TownePlace Suites and SpringHill Suites) now offer guests free WiFi hotels in the U.S. and Canada.? That’s great to hear, but what about extending this to other locations and other brands?? What about Ritz-Carlton, JW Marriott and Bulgari?
Tags: Should, internet, access, top, hotels, free