The Best Comments Of The Month: October 2009

There have been quite a few active discussions going on this month on a number of posts. Here are just some of the best comments of the month I plucked out. Don’t be shy and hop in on some of the discussions with some comments of your own.

• Can You Stop Aging Out Of Travel?: “I have to say that when I have traveled I’ve found the older mature people more active and adventurous than the younger ones. Older people are up earlier, plan better, have more money and don’t stop until they have seen exactly what they want.” – Cate

• Overcoming 7 Major Obstacles To Traveling The World – #7 You Will Travel The World…Later: “I’m the worst procrastinator imaginable. Sure, when I’m at work I’m dreaming of travelling and at lunch I’m plotting and planning ideas for my trip but despite having many hours every week to plan nothing gets done at all. In fact, whilst I sit here in retrospect all I’ve done in 2 months is plot lines on a map and make a basic travel budget. Hopefully I’ll have it finished in 5 years time, although the deadline I have set myself is next year. Really good series, really helped me out and now I must sort myself out, which is the hard part.” – Christop

• Why You Need To Take A Motorcycle Trip At Least Once In Your Life: “I learned how to drive a motorbike (ok – I know it’s not as cool as a motorcycle) 6 months ago in Vietnam and it’s been the highlight of my time here. It’s a wonderful feeling when you do hit the open road (which is rare in Vietnam!)” – Sherry Ott

• Learn New Languages For Free Using These Online Resources: “One other suggestion before you travel is that libraries often have language courses for free (such as the Rosetta Stone ones) on video or DVD that you can take in the comfort of your own home before heading out.” – Mark H

• How I Got Robbed In Guatemala and Other Hard-To-Believe Escapades Part 11: “I’m really glad and really sad the story is over all at the same time! Since the first post, I’ve been anxiously awaiting the rest of the story.” – Carla Young

• Interview With Grant Lingel Author Of Imagine A Vagabond Story: “I also enjoyed the book but like you I did wonder what Grant’s parents, neighbors and friends might think about what he got up to. If I’d been one of those lovely girls he met along the way, would I have wanted to see my name in print?” – Heather

Many thanks to all of you who left comments this month bringing life to each of my posts.

[photo by: Cameron Maddux]

Handling The Ready-To-Go Gap

There are a well known gaps in travel – the gap year, the career break, and the ever popular 1 year round-the-world trip. Getting to these gaps is the hard part but once you’re there it’s easy (travel time!) There’s a harder and much more annoying gap that happens more frequently and is tougher to deal with; the ready-to-go gap.

The ready-to-go gap can be called anything really (I just made it up) but it’s the name I give that period of time before you travel and after you’re done planning and preparing. I tend to procrastinate and do things at the last minute so my ready-to-go gap is about 5 minutes before my next flight but most people are organized and have a few days or even longer.

Generally spare time is a great thing to have but good planners tend to try and fill this gap with even more plans which lead to stress. The key to handling the ready-to-go gap is to shift your focus temporarily and do less, not more.

Are You There Yet?

No matter how well you plan or prepare, there are some things that can’t be done too far in advance. Packing your bags or securing your house weeks in advance doesn’t make sense and there is such a thing as too much research about a tourist destination. You’re there now, in the gap. Fight the urge to plan more things in addition to all of the other plans you’ve already made. All you’ll accomplish is to stress yourself out by adding more things to do in the same amount of time.

Shift Your Focus

There are a few ways to go about this but the important constant is to forget about your upcoming trip temporarily.

• Start traveling. There is an entire countryside, town, city, etc. right around you. Take your travel planning skills and arrange a few small trips around town. Not enough time for that? Go out for a drink at a place you’ve never been to or change your focus and give your surroundings a new angle with your camera.
• Plan for your next, next trip. If you can’t get enough planning, set your sights on future travels. Don’t get bogged down in details and have some fun with it. You’ll be overcoming one of the obstacles to traveling the world too by figuring out where else you’d like to go.
• Take a mental break. Don’t drive yourself nuts by thinking about your next trip constantly, squeezing in “one last thing”, or get depressed because “this sucks, I’m ready to be gone.” We all get like that at times but the thing that takes the least amount of work can be the hardest. Let go and appreciate the moments you’ve got so you’ll enjoy here as much as there.
• Delegate. Instead of tracking your plans like a hawk ask someone else you trust to help you out. Put your fears that you’ve forgotten something aside by running your plans by a friend. If you’re traveling with someone share the responsibilities so you can both have an enjoyable ready-to-go gap.
• Write about it. It’s always fun to write down your expectations of a particular place before you go and see the differences once you return. If you have a travel blog use the ready-to-go gap to prepare and imaginary trip post.

Don’t Fight It, Enjoy It

Traveling takes work for most people. You’ve got to save money and make sacrifices (financial and otherwise) to do it. Don’t mope too much before your next trip and enjoy the fact that you were diligent and planned ahead. Reward yourself for being a good planner and take the time to relax, catch up on some other things you’ve been putting off, or go out to that local museum you never knew about. You may even find yourself enjoying and planning for the ready-to-go gap one day.

[photos by: Marcin Wichary, erix!]

Do You Bother Learning Any Of The Local Language Before A Trip? [POLL RESULTS]

I’m glad that nobody responded they rarely learn any of the local language, especially since there are so many free online resources you can use. I wonder though, do you think that most travelers would admit that they don’t learn even a few basic words if they didn’t?

If you are going to stick to the bare minimum though, there are 4 word combinations you shouldn’t neglect to translate.

10 Things To Know Before Your Next Trip To Panama

This is a guest post by Sean, a spirited traveler with a interest in all things Panama property. He has traveled to more than 30 countries and currently works for a website marketing agency, Website Consultants Inc.

If you are planning on spending some vacation time in Panama you are certainly in for a wonderful experience. Panama is a great place to visit with amazing scenery and friendly locals but if this is your first trip to Panama there are certain things you must know in order to have a safe and pleasant trip. We’ve compiled a list of 10 things to know before your next trip so you’ll be ready before and after you get there.

1. Pack Shorts and Sandals

Panama is hot regardless of what month you travel and it is best to pack for the climate. If you are doing any walking or hiking a good pair of sandals will make your time in Panama that more enjoyable.

2. The US Dollar is Accepted in Panama

Aside from the local currency, the Balboa, the US Dollar is openly accepted for services and goods and the exchange rate to the Balboa is 1:1 meaning you don’t have to worry about exchanging your US currency and paying exchange fees.

3. Taxis are Convenient and Affordable

A regular short taxi ride will cost only a few dollars but it’s important to negotiate the fee before you begin your journey. Try to get cabs away from hotels and the airport, you’ll get a reduced fee and won’t have to barter as hard with the taxi driver.

4. Water is Good, Drink it Up

The local tap water is perfectly safe to drink while spending time in Panama. Certain smaller villages can be questionable and if you venture out it’s probably best to play it safe and drink only bottled water.

5. Most Beaches are Remote

That being said you should plan on bringing all the necessary supplies with you for trips to the beach, including food, water, and sunscreen. It’s much wise to pack everything that you’ll need as there are no stores around the beaches from which to get supplies from.

6. Don’t Worry About the Language

The majority of Panamanians speak English and Spanish, if you know either you will do just fine. Panamanians love practicing their English with visiting vacationers and are happy to teach you some Spanish phrases as well.

7. Relax, You’re Really Quite Safe

With the exception of the border area with Colombia, Panama is a relatively safe place to visit. One should be aware of their surroundings and practice common sense as thieves and pickpockets do prey on tourists. When traveling at night it’s advisable to stick to taxis instead of foot travel.

8. Americans and Most Visitors Do Not Need Visas

Travel to Panama by Americans, British, Canada and several other countries do not need Passports of Visas to travel to Panama. All that is required is a Tourist Card that can be obtained for under 20 dollars at the airline.

9. Don’t Forget Your Camera!

Panama is a beautiful place to visit and it would be a shame if you couldn’t capture the stunning visuals. Think about purchasing a disposable underwater camera as the views below the ocean are just as stunning as the ones above.

10. Relax, It’s a Vacation You Know

Don’t plan too many things to do while traveling in Panama, after all you are on vacation. Spend some time relaxing and unwinding on the beach with a cold drink, you deserve it.

Thanks for the guest post about Panama Sean. If any of you have ever been to Panama feel free to add your own tips in the comments below.

[photos by: hamron, shby, coba, limonada, thinkpanama, Geir Halvorsen, tobym, clappstar, tamaki, Willaert]

A Quick Note

Last week when I introduced Travel Blog Advice (my new blog) I mentioned I’d be announcing a new project today. It wasn’t quite ready so I’ve decided to push it back a week. It think it will be worth the wait though and you can look forward to it next Tuesday.

How I Got Robbed In Guatemala and Other Hard-To-Believe Escapades: Series Recap

Marina Villatoro’s 11 part series, How I Got Robbed In Guatemala and Other Hard-To-Believe Escapades ended last Friday, but I wanted to list all of the parts here in case you missed any. Marina writes the travel blog Travel Experta about everything you need to know about Central America, be sure to check it out.

• Part 1 – The Beginning
• Part 2 – San Marcos, My Reality
• Part 3 – A Respite From Cat’s Slum House
• Part 4 – Preparation for the Last Supper
• Part 5 – The Search
• Part 6 – The Police
• Part 7 – The Police Report, The Fight, and Other Stupidities
• Part 8 – Grapevines
• Part 9 – Head Back to San Marcos
• Part 10 – The Meeting
• Part 11 – The Finale

In addition to the great story there were a lot of good comments and reactions, here are just some of them.

• Dave and Deb: Ooh hoo, There were so many signs…I love how you are eluding to what is going to happen. I am so afraid for you! At least I know that you are safe, but you totally have me in suspense.
• Final_Transit: OMG, everything is going bad… From what I guess, this must have been traumatic to you for days.
• Erica: The best part: “It feels safe and clean. The key word is CLEAN.”
• Amy @ The Q Family: I cringe when I read the kid’s part. It’s so surreal.
• Daniel: Your description of what it feels like in the moment you come to the realization you’ve been robbed was very vivid. Do you get your bag back? C’mon, you can tell me!
• Heather on her travels: I thought that all men in South America had that macho streak that would make them take pity of a poor blonde girl..
• Shannon OD: I am loving this series – and getting chills every time I read it – can’t wait for next week’s installment…hoping that you didn’t go see Chico!
• Barbara @ Hole in the Donut Travels: OMG! I finally got around to reading this – the entire series in one setting. I laughed, I cringed, I was reminded of a VERY similar incident I had happen to me in Hawaii.
• Shannon: There are some horrible people in the world, but we often forget about the truly kind people out there.
• Carla Young – Where’s Carla: Since the first post, I’ve been anxiously awaiting the rest of the story.
• Mark H: What a great story and over so many parts. Marina did a great job in the situation.
• Meli: A -freakin- mazin’ Really great story!

Thank you again Marina for the sharing this adventure and everyone for their comments.

[photo by: photobunny, CarbonNYC]

How Would You Put $10 To Good Use For Traveling? [RESPONSES]

You can use small amounts of unexpected money you get as gifts, find in the couch, or otherwise for traveling, provided you make the small effort it save it. Below are some of the responses I received when I asked,

“What creative ways do you save or spend for traveling the small amounts of unexpected money you get as gifts or find in your pockets?”

• Stephanie: All my money generally gets lumped together in one mass sum but these smaller bits are useful for buying things like guidebooks or other travel supplies.

• Shannon: A friend donated cash to me while I was in Scotland for my trip and I very specifically used that money to see a Fringe show…with the extra $20 though I picked out one that I was sad that I wasn’t going to get to see, used the extra few dollars for a beer, and then enjoyed the heck out of it!

• Akila: Now that we’re traveling, we put any change or extra amounts we find into a bag and then spend it on internet charges or laundry. It’s not particularly romantic or fun, but it works!

• Mark H: I’m also a change in a jar (actually an old margarine container) person.

• Quickroute: I’d buy beer but then I’m Irish – What d’ya expect!

Considering we all tend to run into or accumulate these micro-quantities of spare money, it’s best to account for them in your simple travel budget.

[photo by: alamosbasement]

Interview With Grant Lingel, Author Of Imagine: A Vagabond Story

Grant Lingel’s story is an honest adventure of travel, partying, and exploration which I reviewed last week. As I was reading his book, Imagine: A Vagabond Story, I had a few questions about writing the book, his parents reactions to it (there’s quite a bit of drugs and sex), and his upcoming plans. I appreciate Grant taking the time to answer some questions I think many will have after reading the book.

How and when after your initial trip did you write the book?

I wrote the first chapter during February of 2007 and let it sit for almost a year untouched as I traveled some more and juggled other obligations and uncertainties at that time. I didn’t get things going again until May of 2008 and I basically wrote for 4 months straight before starting the whole editing and publishing process at the end of the year.

There are some touch-and-go moments, tales of partying and drugs in the book. Have your parents read it? If so, what were their reactions?

They have both read it. I think they expected some of it but didn’t realize until reading the extent of my partying. I have always had an incredibly open and honest relationship with both of them and they knew of almost everything that happened before reading anyway. There were a few surprises and I know my mother skipped over some parts of the story, but overall they have always been pretty cool and understanding. They were both hippies who did their share of experimenting back in the day so like I said, they expected it.

How about the other travelers you came across in the story, have you been in touch with them?

I am in touch with a majority of the people I met from the trip. I have gone to Montreal several times and returned to Mexico twice to see friends. Also, living in New York City makes it quite easy to see travel friends because it is usually a likely stop on most people’s journeys. In a world of Facebook, Skype and email it’s insanely easy stay connected no matter where you are.

Is there anything you wish you had or hadn’t included in the book?

When I initially finished writing the original manuscript, it was 30,000 words longer than it is now, so I did take out quite a bit. I don’t really have any regrets, that’s a heavy word, but it would have been nice to have talked about everyone I met along the way, but that just wasn’t feasible. Sometimes I wish I didn’t talk about all of the sex or drugs but hey, that’s how it was and it is what it is. I’m happy with how it all turned out.

What are you up to now?

I live in New York City with my girlfriend and our dog. I spend most of my time promoting the book. I have a couple other things in the works right now as far as other jobs/projects but I would rather wait for them to be in action before discussing them.

Do you have any upcoming travel plans?

There is a very good chance I will spend a good amount of 2010 in Africa. The plans are so completely up in the air so I can’t get into any details but that’s what it’s looking like at the moment. I have tickets to a World Cup game in Durban, South Africa in June so that is the only set plan for the time being.

Any advice for other travelers looking to write a book about their journeys?

I found that keeping in touch with my friends from the road and looking at photos from my trip really helped bring back memories when I was writing. Try not to fill the story with things that don’t progress the story. Everything from your trip may seem interesting to you, but only some of the things will seem interesting to others.

One last question, what ever happened to Noret?

Noret still lives in Mexico City. We keep in touch though I wish we could speak more frequently. She works in public relations for the government in Mexico City and is taking an intensive language program that will certify her as a translator for English, French, Italian and Portuguese.  I have seen her multiple times since my time in Mexico. We met up in Tulum, Mexico in 2007 and she has visited me twice in New York. She is an amazing friend and I couldn’t be happier that I have her in my life.

Grant, thanks again for taking the time to share a bit more about the book and yourself. Readers can purchase a copy of Imagine: A Vagabond Story from Amazon and check out some pictures from Grant’s trip in the video below.

Introducing Travel Blog Advice

Last week I mentioned that one of the things I’ve been up to recently is creating 3 new travel-related blogs. I’d like to introduce you to my next project, Travel Blog Advice. It’s a site that’s all about travel blogging, something I’ve been doing for over 3 years now.

Why?

The idea came about from the response I’ve gotten about several posts on foXnoMad about the subject. If you’ve read 15 things about foXnoMad you know that I have anywhere from 50 to 100 blog post ideas in a list at any given time. There are enough items on the list to dedicate to its own blog and that’s what Travel Blog Advice is for.

Here are some of the first posts already on the site:

• Why You Should Start A Travel Blog
• How To Use Social Networks to Expand Your Travel Blog
• How To Make Money With Your Travel Blog

I’m not the most successful travel blogger or know everything about it. I’d like to share my experiences and recommendations about travel blogging to help you develop yours and learn from my mistakes. I’ve also got a lot to learn from all of you travel bloggers which is why I hope you’ll share your personal advice and comments on Travel Blog Advice as well.

A Bit More About Travel Blog Advice

The site will be updated every Friday. You can subscribe to the Travel Blog Advice RSS feed to get the latest posts as they are published. I’ve also got a budding Links page on Travel Blog Advice. If you’d like to swap links with your travel blog please feel free to contact me.

How You Can Help

• Your feedback! Let me know what you think of the site, posts, or anything else. Constructive criticism is always welcome.
• Comments. I do hope that Travel Blog Advice becomes a place where we can all learn new things about travel blogging by sharing our combined knowledge. Even if you don’t have a travel blog you’re reading one so please do share what you like and don’t.
• Guest Posts. If you have an original post you’d like to submit send me an email and I’ll gladly return the favor.

No More Travel Blog Posts on foXnoMad?

No! I’ll still be posting about travel blogging and writing here on foXnoMad from time to time. Travel Blog Advice will just be the place that’s all about the subject and more focused on the nitty-gritty of travel blogging for travel bloggers.

What’s Next

My next travel blog (the last one for a while) is about a subject near and dear to my heart. I’ll let you know all about it next Tuesday but until then I’d appreciate you taking a moment to check out Travel Blog Advice.

Many thanks in advance, -Anil.

Interview With Stephane Pingaud About New Service Cost4Travel

Stephane Pingaud recently got in touch with me about a new project called cost4travel. I was intrigued and wanted to learn more about this free service. Stephane shares some information about this new service which I think many travelers will find useful.

In a ‘tweet’ of characters or less, what is cost4travel?

cost4travel provides a way for travelers to record and reference their travel costs, so that other travelers can budget realistically for their future trips.

How did cost4travel come to be?

cost4travel is the result of a personal travel experience (a 2 month, country-wide, backpacking family trip in Thailand, back in summer 2007) during which we asked ourselves many times: are we being ripped off by this speed boat owner, scooter rental agency or dive shop, shall we search for cheaper accommodation? etc.

Upon my return to Europe, I felt the web would be an ideal platform to let travelers exchange and share between each other travel cost-specific information, to the benefit of the entire traveling community.

What differentiates cost4travel from other travel price comparison tools online (i.e. Kayak)?

Travel meta-search engines, while very useful in the travel booking process, do not offer a complete picture of the travel costs to be expected from upcoming trips. They rely on suppliers’ data gathered by spiders, and cover only the flight, accommodation and car rental components of travel, and do not offer qualitative reviews.

For these reasons, we saw an opportunity in developing what I’d call a ‘social’ travel search engine, where price information will come from the travelers themselves, not the suppliers. It would also cover an extensive range of travel-related products, from flights to accommodation, taxis, ferries as well as related services like restaurants, sports & activities, insurance, visa fees etc.

(The first version of www.cost4travel.com only covers flights, accommodation, car rental, ferry, train, bus & taxi and finally restaurants. We will add other services as we progress, starting with attractions.)

What stage is cost4travel now?

cost4travel is not yet a company; we’re still at project phase, managed entirely and exclusively by the two co-founders. If the adoption rate and data contribution are satisfactory, we hope to be able to secure a partnership with investors and establish the company.

We have a first (beta) version online, open to anyone, that shall help us define with the validity of the concept with the traveling community; it allows travelers to centralize and organize the costs of their trips in one place, and therefore be always up-to-date to what they’ve spent on their travel. With this information, we’re building cost4travel’s cost database which will in the future help travelers search for the lowest, highest and average prices for selected travel products, destinations and dates, by fellow travelers, and read associated comments.

However, the version currently online does include a very basic search module, which offers travelers the means to view specific trip and travel reports as data is initially inputted. It goes without saying the number of  trips from other travelers you can search is very limited due to the fact the number of travelers using the site to centralize and organize their own travel cost reports is still very low (we launched last week).

The site is only in ‘international’ English and targets any traveler worldwide who’s got a basic knowledge of that language; we’re planning to localize the site in many languages when we have secured financing and can therefore get more resources.

What do you hope or envision cost4travel to become in the coming months?

Our immediate goal is to get enough visibility with travelers in North America and western Europe in order to establish whether the concept of our web site can fly, i.e. leisure – and possibly un-managed business – travelers do want to better organize their travel costs and control their travel budget. If they do, we grow our cost database and therefore are in a position to provide relevant results to travelers that will use our future ‘social’ search engine.

If they do, it’ll also mean that:

1. Potential investors will be interested in cost4travel, leading to company creation and first round funding.
2. We will be able to speed up our development cycle, initiate the development of mobile applications, introduce a loyalty program for travelers, look at innovative product features etc.

I hope to be able to tell you in January that all these things are completed and/or their way.

Are there any cool features you’d like to share that you haven’t mentioned yet?

The truth is that the key features of our site is My Trips, which lets travelers create trips online, upload travel costs associated to these trips and then manage those as well as individual cost items as needed. For instance, you can check how much how much you paid in flights, hotels, car rental , restaurants etc for a specific year(s). This is the feature which will enable travelers to get a good grasp on their travel budget.

Now, regarding the feature that I have not mentioned yet, you’ve got My Alerts. All My Alerts does is to inform by email whenever someone has uploaded to cost4travel a travel cost for a service and a destination that you’re interested in, and obviously give you the details of that cost, and associated comments.

Thanks again Stephane, best of luck with cost4travel. I’d encourage any readers who check out the site to leave your feedback here in the comments to get your take on the site and thoughts on the idea itself.

Next Page »