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Jim's Cafe - Monday, October 14, 2024 "travel"
- Thread starter Angie
- Start date
ty for opening @Angie
If you could live in another country for a year, which one would that be?
Sicily... however i believe it would be permanent not just for 1 year.
What are your favorite travel hacks?
When i travel, i look at where i am staying and for how long. If multiple places, i try n use a smaller bag for the 1-2 night stays so i can leave my larger bag in the vehicle. Or at least so i don't have to unpack everything and repack it all again. Huge time saver for me in the long run. i also use a small tote for snacks. It keeps them contained and easily accessible.
If you could live in another country for a year, which one would that be?
Sicily... however i believe it would be permanent not just for 1 year.
What are your favorite travel hacks?
When i travel, i look at where i am staying and for how long. If multiple places, i try n use a smaller bag for the 1-2 night stays so i can leave my larger bag in the vehicle. Or at least so i don't have to unpack everything and repack it all again. Huge time saver for me in the long run. i also use a small tote for snacks. It keeps them contained and easily accessible.
Hey Angie, thanks for posting a cafe for today, cool theme too. Good luck with your school stuff too 
Today is also the Canadian Thanksgiving, we’re gonna be celebrating it tonight, looking forward to it a lot.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING to all other Canadian members of SF!
My answers to the q’s, then I’ll do some tags
1. Where I’d want to live if I could live in any other country for a year would probably be England. There’s so many awesome things there that I am very curious to check out, and it just seems like a cool and also beautiful place. My second choice would be Spain, cos I visited there for a couple weeks before and would love the chance to have a longer visit there again, it’s very beautiful.
2. Fave travel “hacks” hmm, well other than Spain and the USA (and technically Africa, but only for a day, not overnight either) I haven’t done much travelling due to not being able to afford it. Things I always do when travelling away from home for more than a day or 2 though is make a list of everything I need to bring, try to keep it all as organized in my bag as I can, always bring a water bottle, and be as prepared for any “emergency” kinds of things as I possibly can.
Some tags: @Witty_Sarcasm @MisterBGone @Lane @KM76710 @Citizen Insane @Lisa the Goatgirl @1Lefty @Kiwi2016
Today is also the Canadian Thanksgiving, we’re gonna be celebrating it tonight, looking forward to it a lot.HAPPY THANKSGIVING to all other Canadian members of SF!
My answers to the q’s, then I’ll do some tags
1. Where I’d want to live if I could live in any other country for a year would probably be England. There’s so many awesome things there that I am very curious to check out, and it just seems like a cool and also beautiful place. My second choice would be Spain, cos I visited there for a couple weeks before and would love the chance to have a longer visit there again, it’s very beautiful.
2. Fave travel “hacks” hmm, well other than Spain and the USA (and technically Africa, but only for a day, not overnight either) I haven’t done much travelling due to not being able to afford it. Things I always do when travelling away from home for more than a day or 2 though is make a list of everything I need to bring, try to keep it all as organized in my bag as I can, always bring a water bottle, and be as prepared for any “emergency” kinds of things as I possibly can.
Some tags: @Witty_Sarcasm @MisterBGone @Lane @KM76710 @Citizen Insane @Lisa the Goatgirl @1Lefty @Kiwi2016
Thanks to @Angie and @JMG. 
Definitely somewhere else in Europe.
Germany comes to mind. Gorgeous country, with a storied and fascinating history. And i appreciate their straighforward attitude.
Italy would also be appealing. So many historic buildings and so much incredible art. Not to mention the appeal of living in the place that's the true origin of my country's culture, and even the very language we speak.
Or France, also partly for the buildings and the art, but mostly for their culture. France has a lot of things figured out that England just hasn't yet. They view the meaning of life in a way i wish we could over here.
The real shame of it is that pre-Brexit, just up and moving to these countries was totally an option. I could simply do it if i decided that's where i needed to be. But now i'd have to justify my right to exist in one of these countries, the exact same as i would any non-EU nation.
Definitely somewhere else in Europe.
Germany comes to mind. Gorgeous country, with a storied and fascinating history. And i appreciate their straighforward attitude.
Italy would also be appealing. So many historic buildings and so much incredible art. Not to mention the appeal of living in the place that's the true origin of my country's culture, and even the very language we speak.
Or France, also partly for the buildings and the art, but mostly for their culture. France has a lot of things figured out that England just hasn't yet. They view the meaning of life in a way i wish we could over here.
The real shame of it is that pre-Brexit, just up and moving to these countries was totally an option. I could simply do it if i decided that's where i needed to be. But now i'd have to justify my right to exist in one of these countries, the exact same as i would any non-EU nation.
Hello good people
Speech class? That sounds like a nightmare! I hope you feel more comfortable doing speeches than I do. ^^
I love travel so much, and there are many places I have considered to live in for a short time. If I never get to settle there, I'd choose Norway. I want to immerse myself in the language, and both me and the hubby have family there.
I think a short time like 1 year could be awesome anywhere, it's perfect to really get into the local culture and language. I recommend it to everyone! I did that as an exchange student in Sweden and it changed my life for the better.
Travel hacks?
I have travelled a lot in my life, so you'd think I have many hacks. :p For the best experience, I would definitely recommend learning a little bit of the language and culture in advance, as well as about the places you want to visit. Looking at a piece of art you've been reading about and know the story of the artist already is so much more valuable and memorable. Speaking a few words in the language can teach you a lot about the country as well. You just notice so much more things when you know about them before.
Also, find a good balance between what you think is "too touristy" and what isn't. Some very touristy things are popular for a reason and worth seeing, whereas others are a waste of money and time (like going up the Eiffel Tower :p). Inform yourself well.
Speech class? That sounds like a nightmare! I hope you feel more comfortable doing speeches than I do. ^^
I love travel so much, and there are many places I have considered to live in for a short time. If I never get to settle there, I'd choose Norway. I want to immerse myself in the language, and both me and the hubby have family there.
I think a short time like 1 year could be awesome anywhere, it's perfect to really get into the local culture and language. I recommend it to everyone! I did that as an exchange student in Sweden and it changed my life for the better.
Travel hacks?
I have travelled a lot in my life, so you'd think I have many hacks. :p For the best experience, I would definitely recommend learning a little bit of the language and culture in advance, as well as about the places you want to visit. Looking at a piece of art you've been reading about and know the story of the artist already is so much more valuable and memorable. Speaking a few words in the language can teach you a lot about the country as well. You just notice so much more things when you know about them before.
Also, find a good balance between what you think is "too touristy" and what isn't. Some very touristy things are popular for a reason and worth seeing, whereas others are a waste of money and time (like going up the Eiffel Tower :p). Inform yourself well.
I can't imagine living a year somewhere else, but it could be fun. After the hot Summer I would be thinking of a place with cooler temps and definitely with them speaking English. I may be able to self translate myself from Redneck speak to English and be understood in some place like Canada which is a good choice and with the UK I think it would be fun to check out all the countries that make up the Kingdom there and see multiple countries and experience the cultures.
I never did travel enough even when younger to know any hacks.
I never did travel enough even when younger to know any hacks.
hi thanks for the interesting cafe @Angie - and sending good vibrs for your speech class.
I'd live in New Zealand, and hike, road-rrip, & if I could, learn the Maori language.
Havks: wear the most comfortable shoes & clothes you have while en-route. Bring less stuff than you think you need. Bring an empty, small daypack or strong shopping bag - comes in handy. After getting past securoty for the plane or train or whatever - stick your ID in a secure place where it won't get misplaced nor pickpocketed.
I'd live in New Zealand, and hike, road-rrip, & if I could, learn the Maori language.
Havks: wear the most comfortable shoes & clothes you have while en-route. Bring less stuff than you think you need. Bring an empty, small daypack or strong shopping bag - comes in handy. After getting past securoty for the plane or train or whatever - stick your ID in a secure place where it won't get misplaced nor pickpocketed.
I would love to live in Japan for a year. I love their culture and architecture. The farthest I've gotten out of the country (USA) is Mexico, where I visited family in San Miguel de Allende. It is beautiful there. My travel tip is to take a change of clothes in your carry-on. I had a 21-hour trip with 3 layovers and needed to change clothes after spilling a beverage on myself.
Thanks for opening @Angie and for the tag @JMG....day late I realize....but hope your prep for speech class went well...remember doing that and we had to do without microphone in auditorium with teacher sitting all the way in the back...sending you good luck wishes!!!
If you could live in another country for a year, which one would that be?
I like @seabird have to say New Zealand...visited there for 2 weeks and would go back in a heart beat..
and bonus question:
What are your favorite travel hacks?
Always bring snacks and if traveling on the fly e.g. with no real itinerary...an overnight train to somewhere lets you sleep rather than sleeping literally in the train station - have done both and the former is far preferable...
even though late will still tag a few folks who like me may be slow about getting here... @Bergerac @1964dodge @nobodyknows71 @may71 @Ivy100 @Butterfly @Ineluki @Lane @Shadowlands
If you could live in another country for a year, which one would that be?
I like @seabird have to say New Zealand...visited there for 2 weeks and would go back in a heart beat..
and bonus question:
What are your favorite travel hacks?
Always bring snacks and if traveling on the fly e.g. with no real itinerary...an overnight train to somewhere lets you sleep rather than sleeping literally in the train station - have done both
and the former is far preferable...even though late will still tag a few folks who like me may be slow about getting here... @Bergerac @1964dodge @nobodyknows71 @may71 @Ivy100 @Butterfly @Ineluki @Lane @Shadowlands
What an amazingly perfectly synchronistic topic. I will be making notes since I am one known to pack the kitchen sink when I travel but not interested in doing that any longer. I am going to be making a trip for several months, haven't decided yet where to but Spain/Italy/Portugal, Ireland/Scotland or Australia/New Zealand are at the top of the list. I will be firming up plans super soon. OR I could be really smart and head out on a road trip for Utah/Arizona since that's probably where I'm relocating to and need to explore the areas.... I was seriously headed for moving to Florida but the hurricanes have cured that. I'm tired of them here in Houston too. The last trips to India and Thailand a few years ago really hit me hard when I returned from the jet lag so my hacks would be a focus on assisting myself through that kind of thing if I go overseas.
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If you could live in another country for a year, which one would that be?
That'll be Switzerland. I've been there a few times in the past and I've always found it to be peaceful. Scenery is pretty damn good also!
What are your favorite travel hacks?
Lets see now as I've got quite a few...
1. Make copies of passports and travel documents. Upload them to Onedrive/Googledrive/front drive
or even just email them to yourself. Backups are good in case the originals go walkabouts.
2. Inform your credit card/debit card provider that you'll be travelling abroad and for which period of the year. - Reduces the chance of your card getting blocked by them for mistakenly suspecting fraudently transactions.
3.Check what vaccinations you may need well before you travel. Some may require a course of shots over a set period of time (2-3 months) so give yourself plenty of time.
4. Pack about 2 large plastic bags or zip lock bags for dirty clothes/shoes etc. Last thing you want is to marinade your fresh clean clothes.
5. Pay in the local currency - either shops/restaurants or ATMs. Avoid dynamic currency conversions as you'll get stung.
6. Pack a spare toothbrush and keep it in its original packaging. In the unfortunate event that your room has been broken into or even if you suspect that it has, discard the current toothbrush that you're using and break out the spare. Trust me, the horror stories I've heard on no less than two occasions..
7. Dress smart casual for the flight including a decent pair of shoes and be friendly and polite at the check in desk. That increases your chances of being offered a free upgrade.
8. Eat where the locals eat. The foods better and won't come at tourist targeted rip off prices.
That'll be Switzerland. I've been there a few times in the past and I've always found it to be peaceful. Scenery is pretty damn good also!
What are your favorite travel hacks?
Lets see now as I've got quite a few...
1. Make copies of passports and travel documents. Upload them to Onedrive/Googledrive/front drive
or even just email them to yourself. Backups are good in case the originals go walkabouts.2. Inform your credit card/debit card provider that you'll be travelling abroad and for which period of the year. - Reduces the chance of your card getting blocked by them for mistakenly suspecting fraudently transactions.
3.Check what vaccinations you may need well before you travel. Some may require a course of shots over a set period of time (2-3 months) so give yourself plenty of time.
4. Pack about 2 large plastic bags or zip lock bags for dirty clothes/shoes etc. Last thing you want is to marinade your fresh clean clothes.
5. Pay in the local currency - either shops/restaurants or ATMs. Avoid dynamic currency conversions as you'll get stung.
6. Pack a spare toothbrush and keep it in its original packaging. In the unfortunate event that your room has been broken into or even if you suspect that it has, discard the current toothbrush that you're using and break out the spare. Trust me, the horror stories I've heard on no less than two occasions..
7. Dress smart casual for the flight including a decent pair of shoes and be friendly and polite at the check in desk. That increases your chances of being offered a free upgrade.
8. Eat where the locals eat. The foods better and won't come at tourist targeted rip off prices.
If you could live in another country for a year, which one would that be?
That'll be Switzerland. I've been there a few times in the past and I've always found it to be peaceful. Scenery is pretty damn good also!
What are your favorite travel hacks?
Lets see now as I've got quite a few...
1. Make copies of passports and travel documents. Upload them to Onedrive/Googledrive/front drive or even just email them to yourself. Backups are good in case the originals go walkabouts.
2. Inform your credit card/debit card provider that you'll be travelling abroad and for which period of the year. - Reduces the chance of your card getting blocked by them for mistakenly suspecting fraudently transactions.
3.Check what vaccinations you may need well before you travel. Some may require a course of shots over a set period of time (2-3 months) so give yourself plenty of time.
4. Pack about 2 large plastic bags or zip lock bags for dirty clothes/shoes etc. Last thing you want is to marinade your fresh clean clothes.
5. Pay in the local currency - either shops/restaurants or ATMs. Avoid dynamic currency conversions as you'll get stung.
6. Pack a spare toothbrush and keep it in its original packaging. In the unfortunate event that your room has been broken into or even if you suspect that it has, discard the current toothbrush that you're using and break out the spare. Trust me, the horror stories I've heard on no less than two occasions..
7. Dress smart casual for the flight including a decent pair of shoes and be friendly and polite at the check in desk. That increases your chances of being offered a free upgrade.
8. Eat where the locals eat. The foods better and won't come at tourist targeted rip off prices.
That'll be Switzerland. I've been there a few times in the past and I've always found it to be peaceful. Scenery is pretty damn good also!
What are your favorite travel hacks?
Lets see now as I've got quite a few...
1. Make copies of passports and travel documents. Upload them to Onedrive/Googledrive/front drive
or even just email them to yourself. Backups are good in case the originals go walkabouts.2. Inform your credit card/debit card provider that you'll be travelling abroad and for which period of the year. - Reduces the chance of your card getting blocked by them for mistakenly suspecting fraudently transactions.
3.Check what vaccinations you may need well before you travel. Some may require a course of shots over a set period of time (2-3 months) so give yourself plenty of time.
4. Pack about 2 large plastic bags or zip lock bags for dirty clothes/shoes etc. Last thing you want is to marinade your fresh clean clothes.
5. Pay in the local currency - either shops/restaurants or ATMs. Avoid dynamic currency conversions as you'll get stung.
6. Pack a spare toothbrush and keep it in its original packaging. In the unfortunate event that your room has been broken into or even if you suspect that it has, discard the current toothbrush that you're using and break out the spare. Trust me, the horror stories I've heard on no less than two occasions..
7. Dress smart casual for the flight including a decent pair of shoes and be friendly and polite at the check in desk. That increases your chances of being offered a free upgrade.
8. Eat where the locals eat. The foods better and won't come at tourist targeted rip off prices.
yeah; our minds are pre-programmed to get fearful.
Travel involves risk, lots of sorts of risk.
If you're concerned about germs and little critters biting you especially, maybe stay home. lol for ex., I was bitten in the eye by a tick mymph while walking in the rainforest in Australia. My immune system freaked out, but after a few days I was okay again. Having the stradiness to hold still while it was plucked out of my eye with tweezers was intense.
If one has a sense of this all being an adventure - all of life I mean - then adding in some measure of extra adventure means taking the not so good with the spectacular. I think that is what @Auri was saying too? 😊
Travel involves risk, lots of sorts of risk.
If you're concerned about germs and little critters biting you especially, maybe stay home. lol for ex., I was bitten in the eye by a tick mymph while walking in the rainforest in Australia. My immune system freaked out, but after a few days I was okay again. Having the stradiness to hold still while it was plucked out of my eye with tweezers was intense.
If one has a sense of this all being an adventure - all of life I mean - then adding in some measure of extra adventure means taking the not so good with the spectacular. I think that is what @Auri was saying too? 😊
Hey all,
I think it would be fun to live in the Netherlands for a year. It seems very nice. I've been to Amsterdam and enjoyed it. I just am not sure if I could get used to riding bikes like is so common with the Dutch.
Not sure of specific travel hacks, but I like to plan far ahead with flights and lodgings just to make sure I have something set up, but then when I get to my destination I'm pretty chill about finding stuff to do. I guess the best hack I have is that a small backpack can often be your "personal item" under the seat, and then you can put anything you might need during the flight in there (meds, books, etc), then pack the rest of your clothes in a bigger backpack which counts as your carry-on. (As long as you are on the kind of flight that allows you one of each.) Carrying 2 backpacks isn't really too bad. It's more of a pain to check a bag.
I think it would be fun to live in the Netherlands for a year. It seems very nice. I've been to Amsterdam and enjoyed it. I just am not sure if I could get used to riding bikes like is so common with the Dutch.
Not sure of specific travel hacks, but I like to plan far ahead with flights and lodgings just to make sure I have something set up, but then when I get to my destination I'm pretty chill about finding stuff to do. I guess the best hack I have is that a small backpack can often be your "personal item" under the seat, and then you can put anything you might need during the flight in there (meds, books, etc), then pack the rest of your clothes in a bigger backpack which counts as your carry-on. (As long as you are on the kind of flight that allows you one of each.) Carrying 2 backpacks isn't really too bad. It's more of a pain to check a bag.