Not Your Average Gal

Copywriter. Content Creator. Constant Sassypants.

Travel Prep

Preparation and Excitement

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They say preparing and anticipating for a trip is as exciting as the trip itself. I’m pretty sure TripAdvisor has some legitimate concerns about how often I’ve been logged in. Is there a TripAdvisor Intervention team?

“Dear Caroline, Your addiction to TripAdvisor has affected my life negatively in the following ways…”

These last few months have been incredibly stressful in our household; the culmination being this month with important exams occurring. I’m not sure how to describe medical school to everyone else other than saying it’s a slow form of torture. It’s tough to watch and very often, tough to be a part of.

Perhaps planning has been my outlet? The med school hubster doesn’t have time to help, so it’s been my responsibility and a way to “check out” from the stress. Either way, I think it’s safe to say we are both very happy to see this trip happen at the beginning of July.

Preparation:

– All of our visas for Vietnam, Myanmar and Cambodia have been approved online and are ready to be stamped once we arrive (pending an in-person approval)
– Extra passport photos printed:

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– Obnoxious To-Do list made

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– Make sure all of my travel docs are printed
-Buy all the last-minute travel size items (P.S.- Have I ever told you my love for travel-size items?!)
– Learn how to use my new GoPro!
– Plan out posts here while I’m gone

 

Excitement:

I very often walk a fine line of having just the right amount planned and not leaving enough time to explore or, you know, relax like normal humans.

I held myself back a couple times while preparing for this trip to not make reservations for every food or walking tour in site. I fully believe they are beneficial to immersing yourself and learning more about cultures. But, while I may struggle with it, I want to be a bit more spontaneous. Some of my favorite memories from Thailand or Cambodia were when we had nothing planned and just explored.

FOMO be dammed, I’m trying to be okay knowing we may not hit every single thing Trip Advisor…advises.

That said, there are some things that needed to be reserved prior to arrival and few things I’m just really looking forward to:

The Flights

kabar

To Hanoi, Vietnam:
We’ll be flying in the Prestige Class of Korean Airlines in their lie-flat beds and they. have. a. bar.

To the U.S.:
We’ll be flying home in First Class on Delta’s upper deck. I’ve always wanted to fly in the upper deck of a 747 and since most are going out of commission, I’m happy I’ll be able to. Plus, lie-flat beds!

 

Vietnam

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HanoiKids
This student-run organization provides tours around Hanoi and adjusts the half-day or full-day tour depending on what you want to see. The tours are free and used as a way for students to practice their English. How cool, right? I can’t wait for them to tell us the best place to get egg coffee.

Courtesy of Wikimedia: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ha_Long_Bay.jpg
Courtesy of Wikimedia: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ha_Long_Bay.jpg

 

Halong Bay
Not only am I so excited to check this beautiful place off my travel list, but we decided to splurge and reserve a suite on a eco-friendly junk boat overnight. (That’s the local term for the boats.) I’m excited to explore the bay, kayak and take beautiful pictures. Everything I’ve read says you get what you pay for, so I’m hoping that’s true.

 

Myanmar

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Bagan Temples
I just want to hop on an eBike, strap my GoPro on and explore, explore, explore. I’m hoping I don’t have my expectations set too high because this is really what I’m thinking the highlight may be.

 

Cambodia

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New Hope Cambodia
This NGO provides education, training, housing and health programs for impoverished youth and families. Many of the families cannot afford public school fees, clothes or food and are at-risk for human traffickers. I read about the training restaurant that has lunch and dinner for patrons cooked by students in training. I emailed to inquire more and it looks like we’ll be doing a tour, eating lunch as well as talking to the medical team. Med school hubster is very happy.  (Psst. I am too.) Read more here.

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Tour with Nat
The last time we visited Cambodia, we did a tour of Angkor Wat with a tour guide named Nat. We had such a crazy-fun time that I emailed him recently to see if he’d take us around again, and it looks like he’s available!

 

South Korea

I have zero planned here. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. But we only have about 48 hours and to be honest, I just want a video of me dancing to Gangnam Style to send to my dad while we’re staying at the Intercontinental COEX in Gangnam. It’s a favorite song of his. This is a judgement-free zone.

 

So I’d say that aside from some last-minute purchases and fitting everything into a carry-on (imagine me doing the sign of the cross right now and I’m not even Catholic), we’re well on our way to taking off in 3-ish weeks. What do you think of our plans?

 

The Sometimes Silly Reviews on TripAdvisor

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As you know, we’re heading on another adventure this July to: Vietnam, Myanmar (Burma), Cambodia and South Korea. Since I like to painstakingly go through detailed logistics of our trips, I spend a lot of time reading reviews on TripAdvisor.

First of all, TripAdvisor is fantastic. I can honestly say it has helped create some amazing memories on our adventures. They do a really good job of weeding out fake or paid reviews and leave it in the hands of “the people.”

Except, sometimes “the people” suck.

For instance, I was looking at hotels and guesthouses for our upcoming stay in Bagan, Myanmar.

Sidenote: If you have any recommendations, please let me know!

The accommodations around Bagan are a bit of a mystery. Traveling to Myanmar hasn’t been open to everyone until fairly recently. The tourist culture has essentially just started to exist, with hotels and tour companies popping up all the time. So there really are only a handful of hotels to explore and leaning on the reviews of other travelers is essential.

While narrowing down options for hotels, I came across a review that essentially said this:

This place was spotless, staff was friendly and we had a wonderful time. I would have given this hotel more stars, but they offered very few options for a western breakfast and that was truly disappointing. 

I mean, really?!

You’ve traveled tens of thousands of miles away from your normal breakfast and because they don’t have that as an option in their country, you’re going to dock points? We aren’t talking about an international hotel chain here people. We’re talking about a mom and pop guesthouse that is dealing with the sudden influx of tourism in an otherwise cut off portion of the world.

But, you didn’t get your damn omelet and bacon.

Live a little, lady. Try out that crazy Eastern breakfast. It may be delicious and dare I say, you may actually like it. Plus, worse case scenario, you go outside the hotel and get the precise breakfast you want.

The hubster and I like to take quick staycations sometimes and stay at local hotels in Fort Lauderdale. It’s the beauty of living in a tourist town— we can snag really good deals last minute. Since I have Hilton Gold status, I try to earn points staying with them, plus the chances of an upgrade are better.

One time we stayed at the Fort Lauderdale Hilton Marina.

Fort Lauderdale Hilton Marina. Fort Lauderdale Hilton Marina.

Looks gorgeous, right?

Well, let me tell you after reading quite a few reviews on TripAdvisor about how dilapidated this place was, I actually got sort of worried that even the $99 we were spending may not have been worth it.

That was until I stepped inside the hotel and realized people are ridiculous.

This hotel is near the cruise port, so a lot of cruisers stay here the day before they leave. I like cruises, it’s not my favorite way to travel, but I do like sitting back and going with the motion of the ocean. I’m not sure how people who enjoy floating cafeterias cruise can have such an acquired taste for first-class digs, but apparently it’s possible.

I just couldn’t see how this hotel was run-down and dirty. Granted, there is an older portion of the hotel but it’s easy to request not to stay in that part. That said, I can’t imagine it had the third-world conditions these people were speaking about. The complaints seemed to be more along the lines of it wasn’t precisely what they wanted.

Which leads me to my TripAdvisor tips when leaving a review.

1) Know your audience

If you’re staying in a small budget guesthouse, know that the people who are looking at reviews for that hotel, are looking for a bed, clean digs, a warm shower and a friendly smile. They most likely don’t care that breakfast doesn’t come with hash browns. Don’t bring your petty stuff ’round here.

2) Slow your roll with expectations

You pay for a certain level of service, certainly. But if you’re staying at a busy chain hotel for $150 a night the day before you leave for your cruise, you most likely aren’t going to have the red carpet rolled out for you with an offer for a massage poolside by a good looking chap who is simultaneously whipping you up any cocktail your little heart desires. Would be nice though…

Don’t let TripAdvisor be your medium for a travel power trip.

How to Survive Holiday Travel

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I’m traveling over the Thanksgiving holiday (NOT the Wednesday before, see below) and I figured I’d give you a few tips to make it through the mind-numbing process of waiting for someone to put their overpacked carry-on in sideways into the overhead bin.

 

How to Survive Holiday Travel

(without wanting to gouge your eyes out)

1. Avoid the busiest travel days

Unless you enjoy amateur hour, don’t travel the day before Thanksgiving or the day before Christmas Eve. People are trying to get the most bang for their buck with their time off and it shows. The Wednesday before Thanksgiving is the busiest day at airports all year. You’ll also often find that the Sunday after Thanksgiving and Christmas are incredibly busy too. I’m flying out super early on Thanksgiving to Vegas, to arrive just in time to squeeze these cheeks.

Adelynn Jo

Then, I’m taking a red-eye back to Ft. Lauderdale on Saturday evening. Sure, it’s not ideal. But I get a better chance of an upgrade with less people clamoring for seats and I’ll be home to see my hubby for longer. (Yes, I plan trips on upgrade potential.) Plus, I avoid the larger crowds and it’s often cheaper. Win-win.

2. Carry-on only

You can do it. I promise. Even if you’re gone for an entire week, you can do it. I will write a post about how I packed a carry-on for 2 weeks for Thailand & Cambodia soon.

How to Survive Holiday Travel
That’s my blue backpack/carry-on behind me in Tokyo-Narita Airport on the way to Bangkok, Thailand.

But in the mean time, grab some of my favorite eBags packing cubes and go at it. You’ll save time at baggage claim and more importantly, you’re forced to pack less and therefore have less to lug around.

3. Get to the airport early

My flight leaves at 6:45 am on Thanksgiving. We live about 15 minutes from Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood Airport. It’s REALLY tempting to take advantage of that. That said, my anxiety prevents me from ever living on the edge and leaving for the airport late. I will try to get to the airport no later than 5:30 am. I have Global Entry, which also includes TSA Pre-check so if security is a breeze and I have a lot of time to kill, I’ll grab a Bloody Mary Starbucks.

4. Find your happy place

See above. Starbucks is a great bribe to get me to the airport early. Similarly, if you have a long layover, check out the airport prior to leaving and scope out any place that may interest you. Somehow my nose always heads to the local watering hole, but airports have tons of things to do now. San Francisco Airport even offers yoga!

5. Remain calm

Don’t be the asshole yelling at flight attendants when things go wrong. Do you honestly think that will get you anywhere? And more importantly, do you want to be that guy? We’re all in this together. No one actually likes flying. Okay except me. I sort of love flying. Keep your cool, find your zen place and chill the hell out. More than likely you aren’t the only one delayed or inconvenienced. A crazy thought, right?

Fun side story: On my way back from JFK to FLL this September, I got upgraded. (SCORE!) I watched a lady with her toddler board the plane very last and in a rush. She was incensed that there wasn’t enough room for her baggage left in First Class. She took it out on the flight attendant and inferred that we all did this to her on purpose. Yes, lady, I specifically chose this precise flight because I knew you’d be on it and I wanted to take up “your” overhead space. Her poor son was being quite fussy, as kids get on planes, and she was on the struggle bus trying to calm him down. I felt bad for her, but the thing was, she was such a wretched person to all of us, including the flight attendant, that none of us offered to help. When the FA asked if I wanted another glass of wine (The answer is always, duh) he asked if he could have some of mine too and then moved his eyes towards the nasty lady. Ha! I feel like we could have done shots together in the galley… But, I digress. Just don’t be a jerk!

6. Bring entertainment

I bring a fully charged: iPad, iPad keyboard, iPhone and IV of caffeine. My iPad has all the books I have from the Kindle app and if push comes to shove, I’ll buy a trashy magazine. Only if push comes to shove though… I’m also a big people watcher, you can see a lot of funny shit just by watching people. Okay. That sounded creepy.

7. Don’t get hangry

Hungry + Frustrated + Hungry + Large Crowds = Angry. Hangry. The hubster has called me a squirrel because I bring nuts on long trips. If it prevents Hangry Caroline from emerging, I think he should count his blessings. amiright? I usually toss a couple granola bars in for good measure. Airport food can be awful. But granola bars and beer can be glorious.

So those are some things I’ve learned from years of traveling. Probably most important though, just remember how lucky you are to be flying and enjoy the view. Even if it’s for a brief moment.

Hasta luego, Ft. Lauderdale! ❤️

A photo posted by Caroline (@carolinemadethis) on

Have I missed anything?  Are you traveling this holiday and what do you guys use to survive?

Got Travel Questions? Give ’em to me.

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We interrupted the regularly scheduled #TravelTuesday post for a special announcement. I’m going to mix things up a little.

raiseit

Don’t worry, the details about traveling to Scotland will continue in no time.

You may not realize it, but I’m sent a lot of questions about traveling. So, I know you kiddos are reading and that’s freakin’ awesome! But, I want to open the forum for any of you shy guys and gals who may be nervous to send me a personal message. Knowing what you’re curious about or what you’d like to see more of is a huge benefit for me and also for any readers who may have the same thoughts.

It can be anything! I love sharing any and all information about travel.

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I’m usually an open book with traveling because, without trying to sound completely smug, I truly believe traveling is one of the most enriching things you can do in your life.

Ask me any travel questions:

Do you want to know how I pack a carry-on for 2 weeks?

How about the best thing to do in Chiang Mai, Thailand?

How do I get over jet lag?

jetlagged

Want to know what my favorite travel-size products are?

How do I know how to nab good seats on a flight?

poor

Curious as to what’s next on my travel bucket list?

Do I wash my bras in the hotel sink and hang them on the curtain rod to dry, horrifying housekeeping?

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What? Too far?

Ask me whatever is on your mind when it comes to traveling.

OR

Tell me what you’d like to see more of in travel-related posts.

Post those questions in the comments below and I’ll answer them directly or, if you’re lucky, write a lovely post for my response. You could be FAMOUS. Until next time, travel pals!

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Travel Woes: Delayed Baggage & Stolen Goods

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“Your bag isn’t here.”

No shit. “Let me take a guess, it’s at LAX?”

“Yes, how did you know?”

“Because I saw on the app to track my baggage that it was on the wrong flight during my layover. The agent at JFK was less than helpful about it.”

“I’m so sorry.”

And thus began 2 weeks of a delayed baggage and stolen goods headache.

I was a pretty good sport about it at first. Aside from the delayed baggage, I had just finished a great day of travel. 20 hours of traveling for me is fun. Maybe it will wear off for me someday, but for now, I’m a special kind of crazy that enjoys it. My flights from Lisbon to Amsterdam and Amsterdam to New York JFK were uneventful. I actually got some sleep, watched some movies, drank wine and chatted with my hilarious seat mate.

I breezed through customs at JFK because of Global Entry and picked up my luggage to be rechecked for my last flight to FLL (Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood Airport). When you arrive on an international flight and still have another domestic flight, you usually have to recheck your bag — it’s a simple procedure, just pick it up and take it to the baggage drop off point after you’ve cleared customs and as long as it’s been tagged all the way through to your final destination, you’re set. Easy peasy.

My bag looked fine. I re-checked it had been tagged correctly. Gave it to the Delta agent and I was on my way to my gate for my last flight.

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I was enjoying a beer and being back on American soil (No more seeking out free Wi-fi!).

While sitting back enjoying a brewski, I checked the Delta app to track my bag and I saw that my bag was on a flight to LAX, not FLL.

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Shit.

I’ll give you the cliff notes version:

The friendly agent on the Delta Medallion 800 line and the Delta app told me what I was seeing was correct, that my bag was on the wrong flight and could be pulled off. I was told to speak directly with an agent at JFK…an agent that told me I was wrong and she couldn’t (wouldn’t) help. She told me my bag was on my flight to FLL. I asked her to print that confirmation. She couldn’t (wouldn’t).

You know what happens next, my bag was indeed on it’s way to LAX. I took it in stride because, whatever, there was nothing I could do once I was home and my bag wasn’t. I was happy to see the hubster and I travel in a way that anything I check, I know I have to be willing to “lose.” So there was nothing in there like my expensive camera, photos, money, etc.

Except everyone’s souvenirs, including an earring and necklace set I bought myself in Barcelona and cufflinks I got the hubster in Lisbon were in that bag.

…and those did not arrive with my bag when it was finally returned over 24 hours later.

My bag had obviously been rummage through. If you know me, you know I’m an anal packer. Everything, I mean, everything has a place.

Before
Before, not my best game of Tetris.

My bag was opened, my TSA lock was torn off and not given back, either by TSA (no notice was left in my bag though), an airport employee or the company that delivered my luggage to my house.

After
After

Oh yeah and they stole my shit.

The jewelry set and cufflinks were in the same portion of one of my eBags packing cubes. It would have been a relatively easy “grab” once you opened it to see what was in it.

That’s when the bitterness set in. This stuff can be replaced. It simply is materialistic crap. But the feeling of being taken advantage of is what sucks. This ONE agent set the whole thing in motion that I tried to prevent. Not to mention the ahole who took stuff.

I really adored that necklace and earring set. I rarely buy “nice” stuff like that for myself. When I travel, I usually find myself looking a fun jewelry and scarves. I don’t buy a lot of the touristy souvenirs. Except for cheesy shot glasses. That’s our “thing.” I have no idea where we’ll display them when we grow up. In fact, I’m not sure I want to. We look like world-traveling alcoholics. Wait a minute…

I absolutely will not let this situation ruin my opinion about an airline. You have one bad apple in a bunch. Shit happens. I have always had great customer service with Delta. Say what you want about airlines, but the people who serve you food and answer your dumb questions are people too, and more often than not, I’m met with a friendly smile and helpful answer. Everyone at Delta I had to go through, except the one lovely diva at JFK, was apologetic and helpful.

I filed a claim, heard back about 10 days later and will be reimbursed for everything. I should expect a check in about 14 business day. I’m very thankful for that. The frustration in most of this was that it took quite a few calls to get a status and a few too many emails explaining the situation, but it got resolved. It was too time consuming for my liking, but it’s finally all figured out.

Everyone I bought gifts for got their things, too. (Except the hubster and his cufflinks. I bought him other stuff too and he’s got me…GRAND PRIZE!) But the one bottle I bought myself of cherry liqueur from an area in Sintra, Portugal world renowned for it…smashed into a million pieces on the floor this past weekend when I dropped the bag it was in.

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of

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I wasn’t meant to have gifts from this past trip. Just freakin’ awesome memories. And I’m pretty sure I’m okay with that. You can’t take any of this crap with you when you’re gone.

I also may or may not have busted out some straws and started sucking the cherry liqueur off the floor…

Worth it.

The Anticipation Before a Trip

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I imagine Portugal will be much like this:

protugl1portugal

What? Your thoughts don’t usually involve Colin Firth? How sad.

This is my favorite time in travel planning – the days before. Some studies say the very act of anticipating your upcoming travels can be more exciting than traveling itself. I actually agree. You can only imagine what things will look like or feel like. And very often, the reality can be a painful letdown OR so different than what you imagined, that you’re way out of your comfort zone. That happened when we went to Siem Reap, Cambodia. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but my first couple days were an adjustment, but I left wanting to go back immediately and still think of Cambodia as the highlight of our honeymoon.

Right now I’m a bundle of nerves and pure excitement. I’m full of internal conversations.

“How will I fill my time with that silly 10 hour layover in JFK? Oh yeah, they have the new SkyClub there. I’ll just park my booty and write. And free beer!”

“Wonder who my seat-mate will be on the flight to Barcelona? Hope he or she doesn’t crop dust.”

“Should I just take a taxi to the hotel when I arrive to Barcelona? Maybe just arrange it with the hotel. No, that’s so lame and touristy. Get a cab. Experience the people, Caroline! Maybe I’ll arrange it through the hotel…”

“What if the girls’ flight is delayed into Barcelona I’m left with the Sangria all by myself? Dreams can come true.”

“I have 2 whole nights and 1 whole day alone in Lisbon…what if Colin Firth really IS there?”

It’s totally normal to answer your own questions, right?

I’ve been to Barcelona before, around 11 years ago, when I had an internship in London and just jetted over to Barcelona for a weekend. I intentionally wanted that to sound as snotty as it did. I don’t think I’ll post pictures from those days, to of course, save the girls I traveled with some embarrassment. I would never be caught in a tube top with giant, thick-heeled, chunky sandals from Steve Madden. Never… So that said, I sort of know what to expect with Barcelona.

Lisbon, Portugal, on the other hand, will be totally new. It’s been on my list to travel to for a while because of the exceptional reviews I’ve heard from fellow travelers. So when my girlfriends told me they were heading to Lisbon at the tail end of their yearly, 2-week European getaway and wondered if I wanted to come along, I very quickly contemplated and booked a ticket within a week. I’ve been eagerly watching them post pictures on Facebook from the first part of the trip to Turkey and Italy. They freakin’ met Tim Gunn at the airport too! Can’t wait to meet up with them in Barcelona. I absolutely would have regretted not going, especially with these two nutbags. That’s an endearing term, you guys.

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Sas, Caroline & Lu. Only nicknames of friends have been provided to protect the innocent.

That’s what travel is about. Living your life in a way that you can take up the opportunity to travel, sometimes even on a whim. I actually didn’t need to spend a week contemplating it, but I’m an over-thinker by nature. This was sort of no-brainer opportunity.

Below is the basic itinerary.

Day 1 – Travel: US -> Barcelona, Spain

Day 2 – Day 5: Barcelona, Spain

Day 5 – Day 8: Lisbon, Portugal

Day 9 – Travel: Lisbon, Portugal -> US

So I essentially have a week of seeing new things, meeting new people and of course, drinking some Sangria and eating tapas with my girls. (Okay, probably lots of Sangria.) This is my thing, people! I’m so excited!

I anticipate that I’ll still blog while I’m on the road even if it is a quick trip because I’d like to give you a peek of what I’m experiencing. I’ll probably be posting more on my Facebook page as that’s easier to access abroad, so be sure to follow that. I’ll definitely be doing a full Spain and Portugal post in the near future. After Scotland, of course.

And with that, I must bid you adieu to get the last of my things together.

Hasta Luego!

(French AND Spanish in two sentences. I’m muy smarto.)

I’ll leave you with one last, inspiring video. It captures the many reasons why traveling is so fulfilling for so many people.

Travel Is from The Perennial Plate on Vimeo.