Brace yourselves, it’s almost August

        In less than 14 hours it will be August.  Oh boy.  I can’t speak for other agencies (or even other branches of my agency), but over the past four years, if something weird is going to happen at work, it’s gonna happen in August.    Paperwork going missing, technical problems, a client breaking her arm, a client’s mother going missing in the US and being featured on America’s Most Wanted…  some days we just look around the office and think “damn, we couldn’t make this shit up!”  

               This is our quiet season, as people are either away on vacation already or just mentally on vacation (come on, we all know those people who wander around all summer in a foggy daze, as they’re surfing in Bali in their mind instead of focusing on their grocery shopping).  This lulls us agents into a happy sense of calm while simultaneously attracting all the strangeness to us like a dog whistle at the pound.  I mean, would you think to ask a travel agent how to say tomato in Spanish?  Really?

          So we’ll see how this year plays out.  I’ll keep you posted.  I’m getting my crash helmet ready now!

Tags: summer, travel agent, weird

“Travel Temperatures”?

               Right now we’re having a serious heat wave here in Vancouver, where today we set the all-time heat record, beating the previous champion, which was yesterday.  Before this week, we hadn’t had temperatures like this since the 60’s.  Granted, what we call an unbearable heat wave is what most cities call “summer”, but that’s just not how we roll here on the wet coast    Daily life has become a chore and all anyone talks about is how hot it is outside, or how you can’t sleep at night in your un-airconditoned apartment.    The thing that gets me, though, is how much the heat here flattens me, but I know I’ve recently been in weather just as hot (if not hotter) in Southeast Asia, and don’t remember it being this big a deal.   Does my body react differently to the same weather depending on what continent or time zone I’m in?  Is there such a thing as “Travel temperature” versus actual temperature?

              Last night I once again couldn’t sleep, pacing the living room at four in the morning to generate some motion in the air around me for relief.  And to avoid rolling over and accidentally touching the bf,who generates too much body heat and feels like cuddling a heated rock.  I know I’m not alone in walking around 24/7 at home in nothing but my underwear.  In Singapore, where they didn’t even bother giving weather reports on the news because it was always 32 degrees and humid as hell with a chance of thunderstorms, sure, I remember it being too hot to wear sunscreen (because you just sweat it off anyway) but I don’t remember it impacting my daily plans.  Of course I stuck to the shade as much as possible, everyone did, but standing out in the sun when you needed to, was just something you did.  Here it’s something you do and complain about it.  One day in Kuala Lumpur I even put up my umbrella to shield me from the sun (I know this is a good idea, but it just seems so… cheesy.  At home only Asians – who do have lovely skin well into their eighties for a reason- and seniors do that.  I need to get over that stigma, but that’s neither here nor there). What I mean is that it was so scorching that I had to get over myself and put up the umbrella, but that’s not what I remember about the day.

            Some of it could come down to hot countries having better air conditioning because they need to, or the fact that I knew in advance it was going to be hot and mentally prepared myself for that,  but I think the big difference is that when I’m on vacation, I have a checklist of things to do and a limited amount of time to do it in.  Nothing, particularly something as insignificant as the weather, is going to stop that.  I can collapse from heat exhaustion once, and only once, I’m at the top of the stairs at the Batu Caves.  Conversely, here at home, it’s the daily grind.  I’m doing similar things today as I do every other day, so the one really bitch-about-able standout is the freaking heat.  

        So maybe it’s not “travel temperatures” as much as it’s “travel attention span”.  I have to stay focused on the sightseeing goal, I didn’t fly fourteen hours next to that screaming baby for nothing!  Keep going!  Back in the real world, if I move too fast it means I sweat through my work clothes and have to greet clients all day with a shirt smelling like a gym sock, so the motivation to run and catch that bus is gone.  

          So the secret is to go on vacation.  Immediately.  Like leave now.  That way I can wake up tomorrow just as sweaty and uncomfortable and not notice as I’m too busy checking to make sure I have my camera in my pocket as I run out the door.

Tags: Heat, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, travel, weather

You’ve come to visit, now what?

             Okay, friends/relatives have come to visit.  Great.  It’s so good to see you.  Now what the hell am I going to do with you?  Why is it always so hard to find things to do with out of town guests?  

               Don’t get me wrong, Vancouver is the best place on Earth (you don’t really think I’d live my whole life somewhere that sucked did you?), but the concept of showing someone around always causes my mind to blank.  What about the aquarium?  No, too dorky.  The art gallery?  Too boring.  Shopping on Robson St?  Cousin Steve would rather run out into oncoming traffic than endure that.   Hell, I even find myself vetoing things I’ve never done, and thus can’t make an informed decision about,  like hiking the Grouse Grind, just because I think it might involve too much nature.    It’s like suddenly dating your city again, where you look too closely at all the features that attracted you here, and suddenly you’re nitpicking them about that cowlick, faint odour of cheese or habit of playing with their forks at the dinner table.   

                It’s that pressure to be perfect, the “look, my city is so freaking awesome that living anywhere else is just a waste of space”.  Why do we do this?  Chances are Great- Aunt Bessie is just happy to see me, and my living room, a cup of tea and some chocolate digestive biscuits would make her happy as a clam.  I don’t have to spend a week’s salary on that boat cruise around Stanley Park.  But I want her trip to be memorable!

               The worst part about this is that I completely fail to take into consideration that my loved ones might actually know what they want to do already.  The wonderment of my company might have been what brought them out here in the first place, but that doesn’t mean they want to spend all their time with me playing tour guide.  God knows, when I’m the visitor I’m constantly trying to make sure I’m not imposing on them too much, while still seeing all the “must-see” attractions listed in my Rough Guide. 

           Aargh.  I know I’m not alone in this.  So what’s the perfect solution?

Tags: guests, sightseeing, Tips, vancouver

Cheap flights are waiting for you!

             They’re out there.  The cheapest seats on that flight you’re eyeing.  And they can be yours.  Yours!  Mwahhahahahaha (that’s the evil scientist laugh of victory).               

            Provided you book early, that is. 

           And by booking early, I don’t mean at 8:30 in the morning, I mean 3-6 months prior to departure.  Seriously.  Those last-minute deals you remember your Uncle Buddy getting in 1989 have gone the way of the dinosaurs (with the exception of charters, but I’ll get into that later), and now if you don’t act fast, the price of your flight will continue to go up with each passing minute.  Essentially, all economy-class seats on major scheduled airlines (like Air Canada, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, etc.) are identical, but price-wise they’re divided into anywhere from 5-20 different price ranges, with a limited number of seats at each range.  The earlier you book, the higher your chances of snagging one of the cheaper seats before they all sell out and you have to move up to the next lowest option.  This is also why last-minute tickets are usually the most expensive, as all the cheap seats have sold out and you have to suck it up and take whatever’s last.  No one wants to do that.  Unless, of course, you have gobs of money just sitting around in your Scrooge McDuck cash tower, and don’t care if you waste a few extra hundred.  But in that case, what the hell are you doing flying coach?  I can hook you up with all the cushiness of business class…

         Oh, and killer seat sales?  I really wouldn’t bet on it.  Every day another airline’s in the news as it struggles to stay out of bankruptcy, so giving away all their profits is not likely to happen any time soon.

            As I mentioned earlier, the exception to this rule is charter airlines.  They don’t fly nearly as frequently on limited routes, so having empty seats hits them harder financially as the larger carriers.  This is where we find the CAD$50.00 one way flights to London (not counting the CAD$275.00 tax, of course) and the awesome week at a Cancun all-inclusive resort for CAD$750.00 plus tax package deals.    Price-wise, charters are a great deal.   And with a lot of the smaller, unreputable charter companies not surviving the recession, the ones that remain are the ones with good service, good reputations and better financial footing, so they’re much less likely to go under between the time you’ve purchased your ticket and actually get to travel.   The flipside is that they don’t fly daily, so you need to be a bit flexible with your dates, your luggage limit is much lower (those gianttubs of gummi bears you want to bring home for each of the grandkids?  Perfect, as long as you have no clothes or other souvenirs that might push you past the free luggage allowance.  Over that, you’re paying crazy high fees per extra kilo – please see Scrooge McDuck note above.  This is a true story, too.  The passenger had to load all her gummi bears into a cardboard box, cover it in duct tape and pay extra to get them home from Frankfurt) and you’re more likely to have big screens instead of seatback TVs on your long-haul.  For the amount you’re saving, it can be a very even trade.

              But for those of us who can only take certain days off and/or really want those 12kg worth of gummi bears (umm, this is making me hungry, I should have used an example I didn’t like), the only way to guarantee you’re not paying hundreds more than the guy next to you reading the in-flight magazine over your shoulder is to book early.  Think of it this way, the earlier you book, the more time you get to just chill and plan what you’re going to do on your vacation.  Or pay off that Visa bill.

Tags: airlines, BlogSherpa, charters, deals, Flights, luggage, price, savings, travel agent

Paris – They put their money in the left bank.

             Last year a friend and I were able to experience Paris when it sizzles as part of a Globus week in London and Paris package.  Our hotel was on the left bank of the Seine, steps from the spectacular Eiffel Tower and numerous metro lines.

               While our leader (who delighted in pointing out pickpockets and the exact spot where Princess Diana died) warned that the Metro was a confusing, potentially dangerous way to travel, we found it cheap, fast and easy, as well as being a great source of entertainment.  Buskers perform right on the trains, playing guitars or wheeling around Karaoke machines, complete with large amplifiers and microphones.

              Within hours of arriving in Paris we had ascended the Arc de Triomphe (shorter than expected, but halfway up the stairs you begin to think it’s huge), strolled the  Champs Elysses and people watched at a charming little sidewalk bistro. 

               A half day bus tour was included in the package the next morning and it was great, complete with a guided tour through the dirt-stained glory of Notre Dame, and a ride up to the first floor of the Eiffel Tower.

                 The tour dropped us off at a perfumerie near the Opera House (of Phantom of the Opera fame) for an optional shopping trip, but we chose to break away from the pack and take the RER rapid train to Disneyland Paris so we could compare it with the one in California.  When the tour leader found out where we were going, he actually turned up his nose at us and refused to speak with either of us for the remainder of the trip.

             Paris was in the middle of an unseasonable October heat wave and I was thankful for the pair of shorts I had packed at the last minute.  It felt, though, as if I was the only person in the country wearing them, as I got lots of stares and a street vendor followed me down the Rue de Rivoli making unsettling kissing sounds.  The Louvre heated up quickly, it’s only source of air-conditioning being large grates in the floor, and groups of tourists battled to stand on top to escape the oppressive heat.

               Our finale in Paris was enjoying a lunch of baguettes and cheese on the banks of the Seine, followed by a nighttime boat tour of the City of Lights.  The Eiffel Tower literally sparkled, a surreal sight that just makes you smile and realize “this is Paris.”

              A city of history leaning up against a modern world, I still see that glittering tower when I close my eyes – awesome enough to make dealing with the snooty tour leader worth it.

Originally published in the Vancouver Province

Tags: BlogSherpa, cruise, Disneyland, Eiffel Tower, Europe, hot, Louvre, Paris, public transportation, published, Tour

London Baby!

        London calling.  The Clash were definitely on to something when they said that, as London didn’t just call me, it left an indelible mark on my soul.  Initially I was hesitant about traveling someplace so old, concerned that a twenty year old like me would not find enough to do that didn’t involve graves.  Let me just state in writing that I was wrong.

              As this was my innaugral time across the pond, I began my trip actively searching out all the cliches: red phone boxes, med dressed like John Steed from The Avengers (bowler hat and ever-present umbrella) and fog.  The first one came before even touching down at Heathrow, with the plane breaking through the late-September clouds to reveal double-decker busses roaming the streets!  I was giddy with delight.  But it only got better from there.  Having alighted at the Charing Cross tube station (God bless the tube, it got me effortlessly around all of London for 4.10 a day and taught me the meaning of the word ‘alighted’) just after 8am on a Sunday, I found myself standing virtually alone in the middle of Trafalgar Square, Nelson’s Column at my feet, the National Gallery over my shoulder, staring at the top of the tower housing Big Ben peeking over the rooftops.  It gave me shivers and made me feel, deep down, that I was truly in London.  Absolutely charming.  I mean, where else in the world do they paint “look left” or “look right” directly on the road to prevent people from being hit while crossing?

              In my four days in London I managed to squeeze in the famous British Museum, Natural History Museum, Speaker’s Corner at Hyde Park, the Changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace, Harrod’s (heaven!), and St. Paul’s Cathedral, just to name a few.  On my last full day I met up with some local friends and we explored the left bank of the Thames, taking a flight on the London Eye, having “elevensies” tea at Royal Festival Hall, seeing Shakespeare’s Globe theatre and the Tate Modern, and eating at the Anchor Pub (built more than 200 years before the British North American Act created Canada!).  Then we took the ferry to Greenwich, past the spectacular Tower Bridge and David Blaine in his suspended terrarium, and up to the meridian where time begins.

               London is a vibrant city, with it’s old-world charm juxtaposed against a multi-coloured modernity, that I couldn’t help but feel comfortable.  I just wanted to buy a flat and stay forever.  From there I moved on to Paris, one of the most exciting cities in the world, but some of it’s attraction was lost in the  sadness that I was leaving London behind.  But not for long.  I know I’ll be back.

Originally published in the Vancouver Province newspaper.

Tags: BlogSherpa, British Museum, Buckingham Palace, Harrod's, Hyde Park, London, London Eye, Natural History Museum, pub, public transportation, published, Trafalgar Square

Hawaii – Lush Lahaina, leis and luaus

          For a first-time cruiser a 16-day Hawaiian cruise is like reading a whole book on cruising but getting only the Cole’s Notes version of the islands themselves.

          Cruising being only for the “newlywed and nearly dead” is a misconception for the most part but, with my sailing being during the school year, the first few days were spent assuring the other passenger that, at 21, I was not part of the entertainment staff.  And I was not going to break into song and dance to prove it, either.  On the upside, I stood out enough that the crew knew me by name and everywhere I went I was greeted with a smile.

           The sailing was an adventure itself, as the late November seas were hell bent on making the crossing from San Diego and back memorable.  You learn pretty quickly that the arms are on the treadmills for a reason and the cabin stewards are used to having to steam clean wallpaper in the middle of the night.  On the way back we were actually stopped in the middle of the Pacific for an emergency medical supply drop by the coast guard, as a sea sick man had ruptured something important and was loosing too much blood, but we were too far out for a helicopter to come and pick him up.

                 Filling the time was a never ending stream of games with a regular group of colourful characters, ranging from a woman who constantly squeaked with excitement to a couple who’s comments reaffirmed the notion that it’s the ones who look innocent who have the dirtiest minds. 

              And then there was trivia, the place to see and be seen on the Statendam, where “playing for fun” was the cover story for die-hard competition.  People would practically tackle one another for a Dam Mug or the coveted Dam Dark penlight (on Holland America, everything becomes Dam something, as the ships all end in -dam).

             Hawaii was as fantastic as the postcards, humid and friendly, with a constant rainbow overhead.  They can also claim Spam McGriddles and endless Magnum PI shirts.

                We hit Hilo on American Thanksgiving, so the entire island was shut down, but the next day in Honolulu was the American equivalent of Boxing Day and I got all my Christmas shopping done cheap at Ala Moana centre. Kauai, the wild chicken capitol of Hawaii, was our shortest stop to allow for a scenic cruise of the Napili coast, and Lahaina on Maui looked so much like Pirates of the Caribbeanthat you expected Johnny Depp to round the corner at any second.  Finally there was Kona, home of the hourly volcano-eruption reports.

              Hawaii’s old-world-meets-tourist-kitsch charm was fabulous and we sent just enough time there to wet my appetite.  My lei, once thrown into the ship’s pool, floated to the edge, so the Director said that meant I would return to the islands some day.  Maybe by then I will be part of the entertainment.

Originally published in the Vancouver Province Newspaper

Tags: BlogSherpa, cruise, Hawaii, published, shopping

Ooh, Ontario at Christmas…

              So this year I’m going to Ontario at Christmas to visit the BF’s family.  It’ll be my inaugural trip to Central/Eastern Canada (or if you live in Ontario, the Centre of the Universe!), not counting the seven hours I once spent stuck in the Montreal airport when my flight from Paris was delayed coming home.  Not to sound like a total dweeb, but, having lived in Canada my whole life, I’ve actually seen very little of this great land of ours.  I’m working on fixing that, but with such an amazing world out there, domestic travel has always taken a back seat to someplace that seemed “cooler”. 

           Speaking of cooler, I’ll also be my first time experiencing an Ontario winter.  Vancouver is the paradise of Canada, we may get some rain, but we never go too hot (over 30 Celsius and we’re melting) and never get too cold (below -4 or an inch of snow and the city ceases to function).  I’m sure all other Canadian cities are jealous and that’s why they send all their homeless here…  Anyway, I’m not sure how I’m going to handle the sub zero temperatures.  I don’t do cold.  Hell, if it’s below 15 Celsius I’m freezing.  Any tips?  I keep picturing the scene from “Cool Runnings” when the Jamaicans leave the Calgary airport wearing everything they brought with them, including their duffel bags, for warmth.  That has a very good possibility of being me!

              This will be a trip of new experiences for me, as I’ve never traveled at Christmas before.  Or high season, for that matter.  I’m in the industry, I know that when kids aren’t in school everything is super-crowded and three times the cost.  Growing up, my Mom knew this too and always opted for me to miss a week of school instead of paying through the nose and battling the masses.   Disneyland is awesome in January/February, by the way.  Small line ups, and lots of adults and Australians.  Back to the point, I’m kind of interested in seeing how the airports handle the rush first hand.  You know you’re in the right industry when stupid things like this interest you, but my curiosity is piqued.

           It’s six months away (book early to save money), but this’ll be fun.  I’ll keep you posted.  In the interim, I’m going shopping for the biggest, industrial-strength winter coat I can find!

Tags: Canada, Christmas., Cold, Ontario

Disneyland smackdown – California v. Paris v. Hong Kong

           Yep, I’m a dork.  Let’s just get that out of the way right off the bat.  I unabashedly love Disneyland, have been more times than I care to admit - and counting.  It’s pure fun.  Hell, just hearing the Disney music playing as I wait to enter brings a huge grin to my face.  Through my travels I have been lucky enough to visit parks on 3 continents (Disney World in Florida and Tokyo Disneyland are still on my hit list, but I’m sure it won’t be too long before I have them chalked off, too.  I’ll keep you posted) and am qualified to compare them head to head in this, my first Disneyland Smackdown.  

           For the purposes of this smackdown, I’m going to stick with just the “Disneyland” and not include the California Adventure or MGM Studios Paris, as they are  each so unique, and would put Hong Kong, a place with only one park, at a disadvantage right off the bat.  Also, I’m going to focus more on the differences between them than the similarities.  This is because, to have the “Disneyland” title, there has to be a huge amount of similarities to keep the Mousketeers happy.  If the formula ain’t broke, don’t fix it, right?  Every park has a Main Street, Tomorrowland,  Fantasyland, etc. and honestly, if you need a bathroom on Main Street, they’re in the same place in all three countries.  And so it begins…

          The first major difference any guest would notice is the Castle.  It’s smack in front of you and will undoubtedly require a photo stop at least once in every visit.  In California, the castle was intentionally built smallish and done in pastels as to be friendly and unintimidating to visitors.  In Paris, where the guests are going to be accustomed to insanely large and ornate realcastles in their home countries, the castle is much larger, more gothic in it’s architecture, and bright pink.  Oh, and it has a giant animatronic dragon beneath it.  Hong Kong tried to recreate the cuter California castle, and they did a good job, but it’s small-scale is highlighted by the mountains surrounding the park, making it seem, well, dinky.

           The coolest things to compare are the coasters.  Big Thunder Mountain in California is big and classic with the focus more on the animatronic goat chewing dynamite and bat-filled mines than the speed or the drops.  You just enjoy this ride, it’s not particularly thrilling.  Paris once again took this idea and cranked it up to the extreme.  Their Big Thunder is hands-down my favorite Disneyland ride in any park, as it takes up the entirety of the island in the middle of the Rivers of the Far West, and the start and end involves a dark, fast tunnel right underneath the water before you pop up on the other side. The “danger” factor is upped, too, as if you speed off the rails, you end up in the water.  They have the goat, too.    Hong Kong, unfortunately,  doesn’t have a Big Thunder yet, but I’m sure one’s in the plans somewhere.

                All three parks do have Space Mountains, though.  And all three are thrilling, fast and whip you around crazy turns in the dark.  For years the California one made me dizzy, as so many of the twists were in the same direction, but about five years ago they overhauled it, introducing new ride cars, a better soundtrack and new track configuration.  It made a huge difference in my books, as the dizziness is gone and it’s just a crapload of fun.  This is a great ride people who like the coaster experience without giant drops to contend with.  Hong Kong’s Space Mountain is a close counterpart here too, and the screamometer level is about equal to California, although this one, most likely due to the fact that it’s technology is only a few years old, feels faster and darker.  And then there’s Paris.  I went on this ride expecting it to be as simplistic (for lack of a better word) as the other two.  In hindsight, the over-the-head locking seatbelt should have tipped me off, but it didn’t.  This ride really goes up the screamometer right from the start, where they actually shoot you out of a cannon on the roof, going from zero to feaking fast in seconds.  Inside there’s also a full 360 loop and a corkscrew.  The intensity caught me so off guard that I bruised both knees bracing them on the back of the seat in front of me!  Once I knew what this ride was like, it’s great (still no big drops.  I don’t do big drops), but if you’re unprepared, look out :) 

           It’s a Small World (come on, you knew it was coming) is so synonamous with Disneyland that all three parks feature one.  You either love it or hate it, but everyone rides it.  Hong Kong was the first to deviate from the Small World mold, mixing animatronic characters from Disney movies (Aladdin riding his carpet in the middle east, Lilo and Stitch surfing in Hawaii, etc) with the ubiquitous singing dolls.  As someone raised on IASM(my mobile played the music when I was an  infant, no joke) I was worried this would detract from the simple joy of this ride, but it surprised me by being very seamlessly integrated into the classic format.  Now it’s kind of a “spot the movie characters” game as you go.  Especially great for the little ones.  As recently as June 09, California took a page from Hong Kong’s book and debuted their own new IASM, complete with the ”hidden” characters.  Paris, as of writing this, was still using the classic format.

           Naturally, the language is going to be different from country to country, but the Disney people do a great job of putting signage in multiple languages, and what isn’t translated is accompanied by pictograms to remove any confusion.  There is something that makes me giggle uncontrollably at hearing the PeeWee Herman voice of the robot in Star Tours entirely in French, though.  The Jungle Cruise in Hong Kong found a simple solution to the language issue by just running boats in Mandarin, Cantonese and English simultaneously.  All you have to do is make sure you get into the right line and you’re golden.

           Food is an essential part of any theme park experience, and, coming at it with a very westernized palette, I found this aspect a ton of fun overseas.  Sure, all three parks have the standards: hot dogs, burgers, fries, Mickey-shaped ice cream bars, etc. but the regional specialties make this interesting.  Hong Kong, for example, sells fish balls and Korean squid on a stick at the street carts right along with the hot dogs.  The Plaza Inn here sells wonderful Dim Sum meant to be shared in a lantern-lit restaurant.  Paris has frog’s legs and sells alcohol pretty much everywhere, so you can wander around with your wine and frog’s legs to your heart’s content. 

              In conclusion, the castle is bigger and the rides are more intense in Paris;  Hong Kong is smaller and newer with more of a focus on regional food and the smaller family-friendly rides;  And California is the original, so nothing can compete with that.  Plus, due to their age, they have the most rides per square foot.  But despite all their differences, Disneyland is still Disneyland, regardless of what country you’re in.  If you have kids or just like feeling like one, it will always be worth the price of admission.

Tags: BlogSherpa, California, China, Disney Specialist, disneyland and anaheim, France, Hong Kong, memories, Paris, roller coasters, theme park, USA

Vacation Anatomy part 3: The memories

                “Two weeks away, feels like the whole world should have changed, but I’m home now, and things still look the same.”  I think Dido puts it really well in this line from Sand in My Shoes, as that post-vacation letdown never gets any easier, no matter how often you travel.  It’s over.  You had spent such a long time anticipating this trip, and then you went and now… now what? 

          Now it’s time to develop those pictures, that’s what.  Just because the physical part of your trip is completed doesn’t mean your vacation is done.  Go through each exposure and laugh at the face you’re making in that one or how cool the Eiffel Tower looks in this one.  Take out all those cool new souvenirs and remember the story behind how you found that perfect vase in a tiny little shop down a dark “oh my God, why am I walking down here?” alley, but it turned out to be a total treasure trove.  Call up all your close friends and arrange to meet over coffee so you can give them the gift you brought back for them and describe all the cool things you saw.  Yes, your vacation might be technically over, but it’ll still be fresh in your mind for months, years to come.   Embrace this.   Use the words “remember that time…” as much as possible and milk every good feeling you can out of your trip.

           Of course, now that one trip is behind you, we can smoothly transition back  into the Anticipation stage again.   Travel is like a drug, once you get it in your system it’s hard to get out and it leaves you craving your next fix.   So do it.  Start thinking about where to go next.  I mean, you have to do something with those vacation days, right? 

Tags: BlogSherpa, memories, photos, souvenirs, travel agent