Travel without traveling.

Travel without traveling.

by | Apr 11, 2021 | 0 comments

With Covid realities, many people have put off traveling due to health and safety concerns.  For those who love traveling, however, Covid has not stopped them from traveling. I’m an advocate of traveling, but I highly advise doing it safely and with the thought of not only your health but the health of your fellow traveler.  Although staycations are great, here are a few more ideas to temper the travel bug without traveling long distances.

Visit local tourist attractions as though you were a tourist.  Often, we take our cities for granted and never take advantage of the local attractions those who pay to fly into our towns to enjoy.  One of the single most significant costs of a vacation is the flight.  Not having to pay for travel might cover the cost of a local tourist attraction you would otherwise consider expensive.  Additionally, you can go whenever you choose.

Read travel blogs like mine (shameless plug), watch travel videos, documentaries, podcasts, and all things travel. You’ll be amazed at the things you can learn from other people’s travels and experiences.  You will also be better able to plan your trips in the future by knowing some tips and tricks about your preferred destination.

Visit an international museum virtually.  One of the benefits of Covid is that museums worldwide now offer virtual tours.  A virtual international museum tour could save you time on your itinerary to visit something else or do another activity you might not have time for when you finally reach your destination.

Try dining out in different international restaurants in your area.  The world is so multicultural that it is almost a guarantee to have an international restaurant in your area.  Why wait until you travel far away to try the cuisine.  Dining locally might give you a better palate for the food when you do travel.

Try cooking an international dish at home, along with an international wine, or making a destination drink while you’re cooking will make you feel more compelled to complete the plans for your trip.

Have you tried any travel without going places? I’ve taken advantage of my home city Dallas Texas and seen places I hadn’t even considered.  How about you? Let me know.

Unexpected travel experiences!

Unexpected travel experiences!

by | Dec 2, 2020 | 0 comments

Every once in a while, travel brings some unexpected challenges. Recently my family had an unexpected travel experience. The current COVID policy with taxi services is that no passenger sits next to the driver. Therefore with 3 or more passengers an Uber XL or similar is needed. Unfortunately, this comes with third-row seating and unless you are familiar with the car you get, it is up to the driver to let the third-row passenger out of the car.

My brother, wife, and two nieces recently traveled to New York and took an Uber XL from the airport. As they arrived at the hotel, my brother, wife and one niece got out of the Uber waiting on the driver to let my other niece out of the third-row seat. As this was happening a random man jumped in the car and proceeded to carjack the Uber with my niece still inside. My quick-thinking other niece jumps back into the Uber and now both have been carjacked.

Everyone calls 911 and my brother tracking the Uber drive, jumps into a cop car with the Uber driver and the chase begins. However, the carjacker realizes he is being tracked and dumps the Uber driver’s phone. Meanwhile, my nieces are in the Uber screaming to get out, and as standard in NYC, no one pays attention. They demand to be released and the driver complies but somehow they decided they would not get out unless they had their luggage. The carjacking resumes and my nieces must have been screaming so much that the carjacker one again and stops and puts them out with their luggage. My nieces are then picked up by a pursuing cop who takes them to the precinct while the chase continues for the carjacker.

I don’t know how that chase ended but it was an unexpected trip and experience for my nieces and my family. I’ve never had anything remotely similar happen in my travel experiences. It was a reminder that in all travel we need to be vigilant and self-aware.

Have you had any unexpected travel experiences? I’d love to hear about it.

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