-
CONTACT US if you have any problems registering for the forums.
Travel Hints - aka "Lessons Experienced the Hard Way"
- Thread starter Colo
- Start date
KeithfromVA
10+ Posts
This almost goes without saying, but I'm going to say it anyway. Eat and drink local. I may really like Brunello, but I'm not going to order it outside Tuscany. I may not even order it in Tuscany if I'm not in or near Montalcino. Also, if you follow Ian's restaurant advice, you can seldom go wrong by choosing the house wine.
Ian Sutton
1000+ Posts
Hi Keith
In general I'm in agreement and choosing local often gets you the widest selection at the best prices. House wines indeed are often very palatable, though wine is a hobby of mine, so unless we're just having a glass (when house wine often makes a sensible choice), I'll enjoy looking at the wine list and finding a wine that suits my dining companion(s ) and myself - and that if we like it, I can buy at home. I also have a partner who rather enjoys Barolo and it's hard to get her to look beyond that, but I persist.
regards
Ian
Jan55612
100+ Posts
Before leaving home, I make an itinerary with all travel information, like Pauline mentioned. I email copies to my children, print a copy for myself, and print a copy for my friend and next-door neighbor. When I give him the copy, I include copies of our passports and a copy of the list of credit/bank cards we are carrying, with the numbers to call if the cards are lost or stolen. I have that same information with me, but I feel safer with a back-up at home. Fortunately, I have never had to use it.
When we are staying in a house or apartment for a week or more, I strip out extra cards and our passports and hide them, unless the place has a safe. I usually opt for putting them between pots and pans in the kitchen. While theft out of a dwelling is a possibility, it feels safer than carrying it all around.
Like Cameron, I put cards in an inside zippered pocket of my cross-body bag when traveling or on the street. I never put my bag on a chair or the floor. While dining it stays on my lap, under the napkin.
I program all phone numbers into my phone with a + symbol and country code before departing, including all apartment owners, etc. and any family/friends I might need or want to call while traveling. I also program in the addresses of apartments.
I have a Skype Mobile app on my phone with a small cash balance for "emergencies." Like when I hit the airport in Munich a few years ago and my iPhone wouldn't work. I used the wifi connection and skype mobile to call Verizon and figure it out.
When I check into apartments or houses, I connect to wifi before the person checking me in leaves so that I can have assistance if it doesn't work. I learned that one the hard way.
I take my MacBook Air with me. It really comes in handy for many uses. Last year I developed a problem with one of my eyes just two days into a 6-week stay in Barcelona. I googled "English speaking ophthalmologist Barcelona" and found several--one was a 10-minute walk from my apartment and he saw me later that day.
I make google maps of the places we are going to be for a week or more. Since that shows up on my phone, also, I am able to use wifi to do a map to a restaurant or museum, etc. and then use the map offline to walk there.
Always check to see if there is a metro app in your city. Barcelona, for instance, has a great one. It is useable offline to figure out the best route.
When we are staying in a house or apartment for a week or more, I strip out extra cards and our passports and hide them, unless the place has a safe. I usually opt for putting them between pots and pans in the kitchen. While theft out of a dwelling is a possibility, it feels safer than carrying it all around.
Like Cameron, I put cards in an inside zippered pocket of my cross-body bag when traveling or on the street. I never put my bag on a chair or the floor. While dining it stays on my lap, under the napkin.
I program all phone numbers into my phone with a + symbol and country code before departing, including all apartment owners, etc. and any family/friends I might need or want to call while traveling. I also program in the addresses of apartments.
I have a Skype Mobile app on my phone with a small cash balance for "emergencies." Like when I hit the airport in Munich a few years ago and my iPhone wouldn't work. I used the wifi connection and skype mobile to call Verizon and figure it out.
When I check into apartments or houses, I connect to wifi before the person checking me in leaves so that I can have assistance if it doesn't work. I learned that one the hard way.
I take my MacBook Air with me. It really comes in handy for many uses. Last year I developed a problem with one of my eyes just two days into a 6-week stay in Barcelona. I googled "English speaking ophthalmologist Barcelona" and found several--one was a 10-minute walk from my apartment and he saw me later that day.
I make google maps of the places we are going to be for a week or more. Since that shows up on my phone, also, I am able to use wifi to do a map to a restaurant or museum, etc. and then use the map offline to walk there.
Always check to see if there is a metro app in your city. Barcelona, for instance, has a great one. It is useable offline to figure out the best route.
Bryan Gros
10+ Posts
Bring a toothbrush on day trips!
We also learned the advantages of staying longer in one spot and exploring. Once in Cologne, we took a trip down the Mosel and were pleasantly surprised to find numerous wine "festivals" right there in the vineyards. Clearly time to relax and hang out with the locals. (They even had sand pits in between the rows of grapes for the kids).
One kind winemaker offered to put us up for the night. No problem wearing the same clothes the next day, but we wished we had brought toothbrushes!
We also learned the advantages of staying longer in one spot and exploring. Once in Cologne, we took a trip down the Mosel and were pleasantly surprised to find numerous wine "festivals" right there in the vineyards. Clearly time to relax and hang out with the locals. (They even had sand pits in between the rows of grapes for the kids).
One kind winemaker offered to put us up for the night. No problem wearing the same clothes the next day, but we wished we had brought toothbrushes!
DDTraveler
10+ Posts
"When I check into apartments or houses, I connect to wifi before the person checking me in leaves so that I can have assistance if it doesn't work. I learned that one the hard way."
Great advice, Jan55612!
DD
Great advice, Jan55612!
DD