“So… now is not a good time to come here,” the Vermont native told me, trying to break the news gently.
“What are you talking about?” I retorted. “I love Vermont! I’m sure any time of year is lovely.”
“See, the thing is…” the gal tried again, “April here is not like our beautiful Winter, Fall, or Summer. It’s just kind of… brown.”
“Pshaw!” I scoffed. With that, Colin and I piled our suitcases [...Read More!]
WOWZA did we have a lot of snow in Boston! Two feet, to be exact. Raging winds whipped the wet, fat snow of Blizzard Nemo all over our city. Windows shook, the view was waves of white, and schools were closed for three days. Driving was banned, and travel ground to a halt.
Being married to another teacher is splendid on a triple snow day like this. Colin and I ate tons of ice [...Read More!]
In two weeks, I will be standing across the world in India.
Am I now an emotional wreck like I was right before traveling to China? No, there are far fewer tears. Partially this is because we decided to travel with a well-respected tour group (since my decision in Spain last year that “tour group travel doesn’t stink“), thus removing the massive stress of itinerary planning and pre-purchasing transportation and entrance tickets.
But [...Read More!]
In your daily life, do you ever misplace your keys or phone, then spend hours looking for them? During travel, have you ever accidentally left behind pieces of clothing or toiletries… or even your passport? Do you ever arrive at work or school only to slap your forehead, wailing, “I can’t believe I forgot that paper at home!”?
Follow these four rules, and you will never again forget behind or lose your belongings.
RULE #1: [...Read More!]
Colin and I were sun-stroked and drenched with sweat by the time we made it to San Ignacio, Belize’s famous Mayan ruins, Xunantunich… but man was it worth it. Come cyber-join us on our journey!
It took us hours to finally reach Xunantunich from our San Ignacio hotel due to a “hilarious” misunderstanding of how time is quantified in Belize.
Several local people had told us, “Oh yes, you can walk to the ruins. It’s [...Read More!]
Article #7 in the Student Travel Stories Series from our tour of Beijing, China. By Nathaniel, Age 15, 10th Grade in Boston. Born in the U.S. to parents from Colombia.
Q: You really learned a lot about money and dealing with vendors on this China trip! Tell us some details.
A: The first day of the trip we toured Tienanmen Square, the Forbidden City, and the Summer Palace, and it was the first day [...Read More!]
As a hip, world-traveling American, I am supposed to run in the other direction when I see a chain store from my native country, especially if that chain is a monster like Starbucks or Dunkin’ Donuts.
Buuuuut… it’s not that simple. You see, rather than being disgusted by the tentacles of imperialism in corporate garb, I’m frequently fascinated and impressed.
For example, check out the lead photo of this article. Dunkin’ Donuts of [...Read More!]
You know that Green Walking Man icon that indicates (in most countries in the world) that it is safe for pedestrians to cross the road at a designated crosswalk, because oncoming cars must stop?
Take this China travel tip and save a life: In China, the Green Walk Signal actually means… absolutely nothing.
Unfailingly, in the two weeks I traveled through China, I would start to stride across the crosswalk, the Green Walk [...Read More!]
You’re hungry, you’re in Beijing, China, and you’ve stumbled into a restaurant where the menu is in pretty Mandarin characters with big pictures.
“Surely,” you tell yourself as you walk in the door, “pictures are all I need to order something yummy.”
Then you find yourself staring at the options on the wall displayed in the lower left photo in this article. Hmm… There appear to be six different choices, each with rice [...Read More!]
You’ve read my account of the Great Wall of China, the Forbidden City, and other China tourist attractions, but now let’s get into the darker side of my 17 days in the most populous country on Earth.
The reality is that China is the most intense country that I have ever traveled to, and I have traveled to over 30 countries across the globe!
Now, the intensity of China travel is actually good news, [...Read More!]