I was comparing prices at the Duty Free shop when I thought I heard my name. At first I thought I might have imagined it since hardly anyone pronounces my name correctly, particularly in a foreign country. Then I heard it again.I was fairly certain I was at last an hour ahead of schedule of my flight. I was in a small airport with only 5 gates so I quickly ran...
I had never been to Cyprus and knew very little about the political situation when I landed at the airport. All I knew was that I had been able to get a ticket from Istanbul to Nicosia for $25. Let’s face it, there’s not a lot of planes that will leave the ground for $25. I booked my ticket and then started the process of renting a car online. Something was not right...
It’s easy. All you have to do is show up. Cancun all-inclusive vacations have taken the hassles out of planning a trip. They pick you up, they feed you, they entertain you; You never even need to leave the resort. If you’re just looking for a pool and unlimited drinks, you might just be happy with that sort of vacation. If your tastes run for a little...
When I first met Rudy I thought he might be missing an eye. It was a pirate party for a mutual friend and as we were talking I noticed his pirate eye patch didn’t really look like a costume eye patch at all. The leather looked like it might be grafted into his skin. The more I looked at it, the more I wondered whether it was some sort of well applied prosthetic...
I just did a trip to Vegas for $250. I didn’t go to any time share meetings and didn’t stay with anyone’s family. I didn’t drive there and I didn’t sleep under a bridge. I flew there, watched two great shows and stayed in an amazing hotel. Let me tell you how I did it. I’m a travel addict. I somehow have managed to squeeze in trips in whenever there’s a lull in my...
Part 1- Getting on a Plane I travel a lot. I sometimes feel like I’ve been on more planes than Edward Norton in Fight Club. After so many departure lounges and security checks, I started realizing that I had started evolving into a different kind of traveler. I was doing things different than most of the other passengers. They looked crazed and panicky; I was...
Every year around September I start seeing the deals. The kids are back in school, the traveling hordes of Americans slows to a crawl and Europe goes on sale. The cruise ships don’t stick around for long. As soon as it gets a little chilly, they start “repositioning” and heading for warmer waters. Hotels that were turning away tourists in July...
It was a warm night in the town of Luang Prabang. My traveling companions and I had just polished off some amazing Laotian barbecue and thought we’d have a little fun at one of the night clubs down the street from our hotel.I had forgotten my phone at the hotel and told Jeff and Kerry I’d meet them at the club in a few minutes. It was a good 10...
Are you a tourist or a traveler? Many of my friends think of these words as synonyms but I explain that they can be vastly different. You don’t have to be an etymologist to realize that a tourist takes tours and a traveler travels. Can you do both? Yes. I like to think of travelers as being the ” eco-friendly” version of a tourist;...
There’s an often overlooked strip of land below the United States called Central America. Although it’s only a short flight from the US, it’s been ignored for years in favor of the tropical islands in the Caribbean. While Costa Rica has been on travel itineraries for decades with it’s stable economy and peaceful reputation, names like...