28 Things I Wish I Knew Before I Started Traveling When you first head off to places in the world that are a lot different from where you live, a number of things change. You have to learn to adapt. I still make a lot of mistakes everywhere I go, but I try to learn from each of them. Here’s a short list of things I wish I knew before I started my routine of extensive overseas travel, especially in countries in Africa, South Asia, Eastern Europe, and Latin America that are not part of the tourist circuit. Healthcare 1. 2. Money 3. 4. 5. 6. Taxis 7. Update: as a few readers mentioned below, there are exceptions to this rule, especially in places like Mexico or Colombia. 8. 9. 10. Safety 11. 12. 13. Planes, Trains, and Buses 14. 15. 16. 17. Culture 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. Politics 26. 27. 28. Lastly, remember that there are not many “undiscovered” places left in the world. Obviously, each place you go to will offer unique challenges, but following this list will get you off to a good start.
Sensitivity - Hurt Feelings - How Not to Overreact There was a carpool mix-up: I thought it was my night to pick up the kids outside the gym; another parent thought it was his. "What happened?" he snarled, shaking his head. I admit, I can take things too personally. The hamster wheel in my head runs something like this: First, my feelings get hurt. I consider myself a sane, logical person, yet I fall into this cycle again and again. The downside: By reading too much into what others say or do, we can over-react to innocuous remarks. In evolutionary terms, being sensitive to criticism could be a lifesaver. Despite this primal instinct, people may be growing less sensitive over time, says Jerome Kagan, Ph.D., a psychology professor whose lab at Harvard has studied traits like sensitivity for decades. I'll say. It turns out that my gender doesn't help matters, either. So will I ever be able to get through a week without thinking, Was it something I said?
Phrases in 5 common languages to know when traveling in Europe Traveling abroad this summer? These helpful phrases will open doors and help you gain immediate acceptance. You don't need to be fluent in the language of the country that you are traveling to, but learning some key phrases makes a great impression. From saying hello to asking how much something cost; knowing some important phrases will set you up for an amazing trip. Your pronunciation doesn't have to be perfect, all that matters is that your trying and that means a lot the locals. Here are some helpful phrases in 5 common languages to know when traveling in Europe French, Italian, Spanish, German and Dutch The Basics: Hello: bonjour (bohn-zhoor) Please: S'il vous plaît (see voo play) Thank you: merci (mehr-see) Goodbye: au revoir (oh reh-vwar) Where is the bathroom? Do you have a menu in English? How much is it? I’m lost, can you help me find ____? I would like: Je voudrais (zhuh voo-dray) Some Phrases Just for Fun: I drank too much, can you call a taxi? Can I climb the Eiffel tower? German
7 Habits of Highly Effective People In his #1 bestseller, Stephen R. Covey presented a framework for personal effectiveness. The following is a summary of the first part of his book, concluding with a list of the seven habits. Inside-Out: The Change Starts from Within While working on his doctorate in the 1970's, Stephen R. However, during the 150 years or so that preceded that period, the literature on success was more character oriented. The elements of the Character Ethic are primary traits while those of the Personality Ethic are secondary. To illustrate the difference between primary and secondary traits, Covey offers the following example. The problem with relying on the Personality Ethic is that unless the basic underlying paradigms are right, simply changing outward behavior is not effective. The Character Ethic assumes that there are some absolute principles that exist in all human beings. The Seven Habits - An Overview Our character is a collection of our habits, and habits have a powerful role in our lives.
Going Local Travel » Top 50 travel websites Top 50 travel websites The Independent published their list of 50 Best Travel Websites last week. At the time, I was off exploring Misiones, northern Argentina, so this is a belated catch-up. As some readers have pointed out on the Twitter, it’s frustrating that the online version isn’t accessible as a straight list and instead you have to click through 50 times. The list was curated by travel writer Rhiannon Batten, with input from Mr & Mrs Smith‘s Juliet Kinsman, Pat Riddell from National Geographic Traveller, TravMedia‘s Howard Salinger, my one-time boss, Time Out‘s Ruth Jarvis, and me. Unusualhotelsoftheworld.com – Bringing together treehouses, igloos and coverted trams, this is a fun site that’s worth exploring, even if you’re not planning to go anywhere. OneFineStay.com – This cleverly named site matches up paying travellers with out-of-town Londoners. Hipmunk.com – I included this one before the company started putting adverts everywhere you look online (a la Groupon).
How to Travel Around the World for $40 Per Day What if I told you that it is possible to travel around the world on $40US/day for on the ground expenses (everything excluding airfare)? The mistake most make when dismissing the possibility of being able to go on a RTW trip is that it is simply too expensive. That is just not true. While you may not be able to travel to Western Europe or around the United States on a small budget, plenty of amazing regions around the world offer the chance to travel in relative comfort for rock bottom prices. Many may be thinking this only applies to college kids and hippies, and sure, you’re going to have to make some comfort sacrifices here and there. I will break down costs for traveling through eight countries across four regions, with plenty of tips along the way, and show how anyone, with some homework and organization, can travel the world on $40 per day (or less!). Plan your trip around these destinations Curious how much flights would be for a trip like this? Southeast Asia 1. 2. South America 3.
What Does a $4 Bungalow Look Like? Just what does $4 buy you in Laos? I stayed in a truly basic bungalow in Nong Khiaw and, though it lacked most amenities, I enjoyed it so much that I stayed an extra day. Another traveler had recommended the Bamboo Paradise Guesthouse, saying it was cheap and clean, but nothing fancy. For 30,000 kip ($3.75 US), I got a bamboo bungalow on stilts with a fan, my own bathroom, hot shower, a large bed, mosquito net, and a balcony with views of the Nam Ou below. There were cheaper options: I checked out a room up the street that went for 20,000 kip per night, but it was just a small, windowless wooden box with a bed and a door. The rooms had one shared bathroom and no views or common area and there was no breeze. There was plenty of room to move about and the bed was big, but hard — you could feel the springs under a thin layer of padding. A single florescent tube ran through a hole in the wall, providing weak light to both the room and the balcony — efficient, certainly, but dim.
Solo Travel Reasons and Resources Home » Lifestyle + Culture, travel advice Some people love to travel alone. Others are paralyzed by the thought. But just because those around you don’t have the money or desire to get out and explore the world doesn’t mean you can’t. Travel Alone – Where and How There are lots of reasons to travel solo. Independence. The Best of Solo Travel There are hundreds of resource articles on the Solo Traveler blog. A solo traveler’s manifesto To read more on why it’s great to travel solo, go to the Solo Traveler website. Have fun. Guest post by: Janice Waugh Shortest guide to free or radically cheap travel | ZZE.ST - inspiration & lifehacks to make life better I’ve been thinking for a long time of putting all the travel lifehacks in one place. Finally, I found time to give a birth to this post. Name speaks for itself. So, I hope you’ll enjoy! Basically, all travelling costs fall down in few categories: preparation, getting there, living there, eating there, sightseeing, having fun there & shopping there. 1. People often spend way too much money on preparation stage. Get started: Wikitravel is an incredibly useful crowd-sourced web-site that covers widest range of places and topic;Google maps will substitute those maps you would otherwise need to look for and buy;Youtube can also be a very useful tool for your research into the place you’re going to. 2. Tickets is always a significant part of a travel budget. Momondo.com is an incredible website I use each time I want to buy a ticket. 2. There are few options here as well. 3. Sometimes, costs for food will even be lower compared to your home country if you travel somewhere like India. 4. 1. 2.
How Much to Tip, by Country no offense, but that makes you a cheapskate and a bad customer. the fact that you would ask a question like that, clearly indicated that you know NOTHING about the service industry. the check most servers and bartenders get is for $0.00 literally. tips is how they make money. you don't wanna tip don't go to a restaurant. you wanna eat at mcdonalds fine no tip is required. you want premium service and knowledgeable staff, well that is what tipping is for. a server or a bar tender doesn't just plop your food in front of you. they can tell you about their beer and wine, and the food. explain what every ingredient is and where the beer or wine comes from. that's service and service should be rewarded. Clearly, you're not from the United States — there are armies of people in food service whose incomes rely on tips being an average of 15% (or more) of whatever the bill is. I'm not a cheapskate or a bad customer. I don't live in the US, and here people don't depend on tips.