Travel Facts

A bit of food for thought this evening:
http://www.bromygod.com/2013/06/07/20-random-and-interesting-travel-facts/

And I'm back!!!

Touched down a couple hours ago from a week in Belize and Guatemala.  I have some phenomenal pictures and recommendations for travel and flights which I'll post over the coming week.

Stay tuned!

The United Club (IAH) & Jules Verne

I was on my way to Belize this week and had a layover in IAH.  It was a couple hours and I decided to hit up the United Club for some snacks and some quality time in a leather chair near a sunny window.  These lounges aren't nearly impressive as others globally, but they definitely have more comfortable chairs than those at the gates.

Business offerings:

• Printing: Not available in this lounge
• Copying: Available
• Faxing: Available - oddly, they suggested this as an option to print my document.  I declined.
• Meeting rooms: there were 3.  They were locked so I couldn't glance in, but only 1 was noted "In use".
• Family room: Had a nice glass door and looked sound proof.
• TV room: With several layers of chairs
• Cubicles: Filled with businessmen that were chatting rather than working

Available snacks:

• Packages of carrot sticks & ranch dressing
• Fruit: Green apples, red apples, bananas - oddly, the apples are each wrapped in saran-wrap
• Cookies: Scottish shortbread, Pepperage Farm dark chocolate milanos
• Chocolate covered peanuts
• Mixed salty-bits
• Tillamuk cheese and Pepperage Farm crackers

There was also coffee, tea, Ghirardelli hot chocolate, and a bar where you could order pop, sparkling water, juice, and an assortment of booze.  United offers a couple house wines free of charge, and has a wide selection of other alcohols and wines they do charge for.  There are price lists widely available near the bar, with a number of wines costing $3 per glass, prosecco for $12USD and a cliquot champange for $14 (odd inconsistency in pricing on the bubbles - I will also note that the duty free had a bottle of Laurent-Perrier available for $40USD).

I grabbed a diet coke and sat down in a set of four broad, squarish leather chairs.  Beside me a man yammered in Korean to either a close business associate or his wife.  Either way, it was an argument.

In the chair across from me a man sat working on his laptop.  He was a business-type that was on vacation, complete with the collared polo shirt and fancy watch.  His hair was trimmed around his ears and sparse on top of his head, but he was smiling and didn't seem so frayed around the edges.

I would be fraying.  On the phone he commented to his wife that the airline was rerouting him and even though it was only ten in the morning it was unlikely he would be home that day.

His son was sitting next to him, his short legs tagged with Nike runners sticking straight out from the top of the chair.

"I have 278 pages to go," the little boy announced.  He hadn't started reading the book yet, he was just looking at the number on the last page.

"Oh my gosh, that's a lot," his father responded jovially, looking up from his laptop.  "I think you're going to like it."

I couldn't help but think of all the books I enjoyed reading in my childhood.  In many ways they helped form the person I am today.

The boy promptly put down the book and started playing with a plastic cup full of beer nuts.  That entertainment lasted for thirty seconds.

"I'm going to start reading," the boy announced.  Standing, he grabbed his book and marched off.

"Where are you going?" his father called after him, half standing then sitting down again.  He didn't get a response.  His son was on a mission, and how much trouble could an eight year old really get into in the little United Lounge filled with serious looking adults and their flashy laptops and iPhones?

He was back moments later, book in hand, being tossed in fact from one hand to the other but certainly not opened.  Dramatically he reaseated himself on the broad leather chair.  He sipped his apple juice, the sunlight playing off the golden sides of the glass.  It was fundamentally more interesting than the book.

I spotted the name on the blue-green cover of the book.  It was "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea" by Jules Verne.  If he read it, this eight year old would have one up on me.  I had never managed to open that cover either.

Immediately I started building complexes about this fact.  True, books had helped shape my philosophical outlook on life, but what opportunities had I missed by not reading this one?  Obviously the boy's father thought this was an important component of his education.

I seriously consider downloading a copy.  Ebooks are great for exactly this sort of instant gratification.  At the same time I tried to convince myself that I really should not be listening in on the conversations of people next to me, and I definitely shouldn't be making choices based on half-heard discussions.  I'm sure I'm a better person for not having read a few things, aren't I?

I suppose that last question is open to debate.  Perhaps I should have asked the eight year old.

The boy started blowing bubbles in his apple juice.

I glanced at the clock on my cell.  Time to head for the gate.  Cue exit, stage left.

For more information on the United Club, you can check out their website.

Where am I?

Update: this is a manor house located in Sinaia, Transylvania, Romania.  It's located next door to Peles Castle, the interior of which is absolutely spectacular.  Just watch out for vampires hiding in dark corners!

***

It was October and some friends and I were craving Europe.  On a few weeks notice we booked flights, a rental car, a few nights in various hotels, and we were off!  It was ironically a good place to visit in October of all months.

The roads wound through green fields filled with long grasses and stands of trees in the distance.  We sped through hills and valleys, the car fast against the smooth, unruffled concrete.  Signs were posted stating the speed limit, but no one followed them.  It was a pleasure driving there, where everything seemed to flow at its own pace.

Mid-morning we stopped for some sightseeing.  We were craving coffee and castles, and as we strolled the grounds we thought we had found our destination.  It wasn't until we were inside reading the signs that we realized we should have walked about five minutes farther.  The building was still a stunning example of a manor house, right next to what was a truly spectacular castle.

And this is in a land where you'll want to see at least one of the castles!

So where am I?  Any guesses?

The Joys of Budgeting

On Friday I'm flying south for a week in Belize and Guatemala.  It was a last minute decision and because I still have other plans on the books for 2013, it's important that I stick to a reasonable budget for the trip.

Trip Highlights:

• Trip length: 10 days
• Flights: UA J Class return flights YYZ-IAH-BZE
• Tour: 8-day Land of Belize with Intrepid Travel

I'm usually all for taking the independent path, but life kept me busy through September and left little planning time.  Hence the tour, which conveniently left on exactly the day I needed to it.

The budget I set for the trip was $2,000 CAD.  I set this budget before I began serious planning, however I often adjust if I find a valid reason to do so.  I also allowed a 25% overflow before I was going to get anxious.  Thus my upper limited was $2,500 CAD all-in.

When I first started travelling I was a student in university.  I remember an early trip to Europe for six weeks where I tried hard to stick to that $100 per day maximum.  It was tough at times but do-able.  Today I would say I'm lazier and while I can travel on that amount I don't usually choose to.  This is an important point I want to make:

Know your travel style.

Regardless of the trip, the amount you'll spend isn't inconsequential.  Don't spend those important days worrying about your choices monetarily.  Spend them living your dreams!

Three Suggestions:

• Book your transportation and accommodations in advance, in possible.  This allows you control over how much you spend in these areas, and usually the best deals are found in advance rather than onsite.
• Identify in advance the key sites you absolutely need to see.  Confirm the costs of entry for these sites in advance (most major sites have websites, otherwise search forums such as Lonely Planet's ThornTree).  Balance the costs of these with other sites that are less expensive.  
• Know what makes you happy and even if it costs a bit more, don't cut it out entirely.  For example, a major cost associated with most trips is accommodation.  You may not have the funds to stay in all five star hotels, but selecting a good one in the middle or end of your trip leaves something desirable to look forward to.

Following my own advice, I identified the key sites I wanted to see (snorkeling off the coast and visiting the ruins near Tikal in Guatemala).  I then found a tour that covered these, booked extra nights hotel and found a flight I could live with.  The resulting costs amounted to:

• Flights: $868 CAD - not bad for J class, eh?!
• Tour: $963 CAD - last minute rate with Intrepid
• 1 night extra hotel in Belize City - $80 USD
• 1 night layover hotel in Houston - $110 USD

The total currently sits in a good range for my budget, with incidentals pushing it towards my cap.  I'm happy with this.

At the end of the day the trip is what you make of it, so do what it takes for you to enjoy yourself.  Don't spend your entire trip looking at your budget, have back-up funds prepared in case plans go awry, and when that fails, call and beg your parents for a loan.  It's not always possible to stick to your budget, but it is always important to try.

Good luck, and for more suggestions check out a recent post by Frugal Travel Guy.

Where am I?

Update:  Apparently this was a tough one!  The city you're looking at is Valetta in Malta.  Look for a post on Malta to come!

***

Fresh back from Banff and I'm already pining for my next big trip!  Flipping through some old pictures, I came across this shot and had to smile.  What a wonderful place it was to visit.  Truly stunning scenery, amazing seafood, and some of the friendliest people I've met in Europe.

Any ideas where it is?

Craving Views? Try Banff!

Some of us crave champagne truffles or rocky road ice cream (yes, I'm guilty!), others crave salt & vinegar potato chips or fresh tomatoes with salt and pepper.  The good things in life, the things that get us through the hard days.

I had a hard day today.  It made me wish for solitude, for a world with no people and infinite peace.  It made me dream of endless skies, of evergreen trees and snow capped mountains.  A place without people and without obligations.

Luckily Canada has an excellent selection of empty corners I can fly away to.

Banff is a small town located a couple hours outside of Calgary, Alberta in the Rocky Mountains.  It's a town built for skiers, filled with quaint shops and tasty restaurants.  You can use it as a gateway to visit Lake Louise and Jasper, or just go for a weekend and relax in the hot springs.

Plus, if you want to get away from your friends, coworkers or other tourists, the gondola awaits to sweep you up the mountain to a place where the silence is pregnant with speechless awe.

Details:

Transport: A taxi costs ~$8CAD from town and it's a short drive but a bit far for walking.  There is a large parking lot if you have a rental car, and public transit is also available.

Cost: $35+tax per adult

Length of gondola ride: I wasn't timing, but about 5-10 minutes each way.

Total time: Give yourself a couple hours total to wander around at the top, take 1,000 pictures, pause for a hot chocolate, and then take 1,000 more pictures.

Website: http://www.explorerockies.com/banff-gondola/hours-rates.aspx

Best for: All ages.  It's a nice walk, or you can just sit with a cup of tea in the main lodge.  You are at altitude, though not to a degree where it would be troublesome.  Just noticable.

Added benefit: This is located right next door to the Banff Hot Springs.  The parking lots literally back onto each other.  So pack your bathing suit, go for a hike, and when you're either frozen or energized, go relax for a bit in the pools.

Pictures: Just a few to give you a taste of why you should book your flight right now and get away from those evil coworkers who seem to think they know everything but in fact help with nothing.

Gondola up the mountain.

View from the gondola.

The valley and Banff lie far below.  If you look closely, the Fairmont Hotel is the taller building.

The area at the top of the mountain offers a pleasant hike over wooden pathways.

Each turn promises white capped mountains, even in the summer.

And even in the height of summer, if the wind doesn't take your breath away the views will (but still, pack your mittens!).