Turns out, while I was able to adapt the plugs to fit into the wall sockets of other countries, I didn’t actually convert the power. So there I was, sending 220 volts through a water boiler meant to transfer only 110 volts through. There were no resulting electric sparks or electrocution, but I may have fried the water boiler.

Of course, I also spent an entire season in Paris plugging my computer through the adaptor without ever converting the power, but it seemed to be fine. Of course, I did have a surge protector and all that, so that might have helped – I don’t know (I’m not an electrician).

In any case, for our upcoming trip to Kenya and Tanzania, I’ve invested in a little converter to plug into the adaptor which plugs into the wall socket. It was only $5.00 on eBay. It will come in handy in the places that actually have electricity – where we’re staying in Kenya may not have such a luxury. If you live in the United States, you’ll want to make sure you purchase one that takes 110 volts and converts it OUT to 220-240 volts, NOT the other way around. The other way around might cause a little electric surge and a power outage.

USA Today

For example, you’ll need to book a flight for the Fourth of July at least 2 months in advance for the best deal. But for Labor Day, the best deals tend to show up almost 3-4 weeks in advance instead. That’s because by Labor Day, kids have all gone back to school, whereas over Fourth of July, their whole family is in the air. But if you wait until the very last minute, like a week before, the tickets will inevitably rise up again.

And because of the recession, people hesitate before booking expensive destination trips. Those who book, do so well in advance. You’re taking a bigger chance, but if you’re willing to, you might be lucky to score a better price closer to the departure date than way back when. People are less likely to book flights late, and because fewer people are booking expensive trips, the planes aren’t filling up and the airlines start marking down their flights. Airlines also know that people with expensive vacation destinations in mind will tend to book earlier, and they’ll mark up the prices then.

Kayak offers a great historical outlook on ticket prices. Let’s say I wanted to go to Paris in September (but really, I’d like to be in Paris anytime). I enter a flight to Charles de Gaulle, some potential dates, and then it begins searching. Once inside, you click on the top left rail to “show fare charts” which will pull up a nice little chart showing that the historical lowest priced time to go Paris in September from the Washington, D.C. region is September 6-9, with another dip around September 15. It also charts the prices up until now and where they peaked and dipped. If you have a budget in mind, you can set that and a fare alert, and wait for Kayak to let you know when the fare has dropped. The only risk is it may never drop, so you’re still taking that gamble.

I’ve been reading and reading about various safaris around Tanzania for our upcoming trip, and the comments that people have. “Our truck broke down in the middle of the park and we had to sit and wait for the driver to fix it. Why couldn’t the company send another truck out? We lost valuable time.” Etc. The company apparently offered to give them a free tour of another park after they complained, but they couple could not comprehend why the company didn’t send another truck to them. The response from someone else: This is Africa. You think these companies just have trucks lying around to send to people in the middle of the wild?

I’ve heard of people getting upset when hotels change reservations on them, flights change, routes alter, menus change. You can’t argue it. You can try, but you’ll just get yourself more worked up over it. In the Caribbean, you’re on island time. Things will happen when they feel like it. In France (and Italy, and other parts of the Europe), meals are supposed to be eaten slowly and enjoyed. The restaurants are not there to turn tables as quickly as possible. So you can’t get upset if the waiter appears to be ignoring you. He’s probably just leaving you alone. In China, you can’t expect to wait on an organized line for your turn. People don’t wait on line – they push to the front. I’ve been yelled at it several countries by waiters, salesclerks, hotel attendants, flight agents, cab drivers – and they don’t care. In their minds, I messed up and they shouldn’t have to do extra to get me out of the mess, whatever it was.

At the same time, you’ll sometimes come across customer service that is above and beyond what you’d expect.

Short of being ripped off, take it as part of the experience. If you go somewhere and are treated the way you “expect” – people waiting eager to please you, waiting hand and foot, then you’ve missed out on some of the true cultural experiences of dealing with people. At the same time, sometimes you’ll deal with individuals who want to make sure your trip to their country is memorable in a positive way. Take it as it comes and don’t over-expect people to cater to the ways you’re used to back home.

Fortunately I’d already been vaccinated before traveling to India and Paraguay, so all I needed was a shot for yellow fever and a prescription for malarial pills and some Cipro. Jon had been vaccinated for a few before he traveled to Ecuador, but he wasn’t sure if he had completed his Hepatits A, exactly when he had his measles-mumps-rubella finished (likely in childhood), whether he’d had a tetanus shot recently and he thinks he might have had a meningitis shot once in college. We’d both brought the only immunization records we had, which was from a few years ago, but they were missing information prior to 2006.

There were a lot of questions: “I think I was vaccinated for Hepatitis B? Or was it A? Is TB the four-prong thumbtack one?” Yes, the nurse could have just shot me with another dose of Hep A and I wouldn’t come down with the disease, but it also cost $100 per shot of Hep A and B. Yellow fever was $130. Rabies series cost $740, which the nurse said we should just deal with if we ended up getting bitten by a monkey or dog and perhaps we shouldn’t try to pet any wild animals while over there. In addition, insurance did not cover any of it, except the basic childhood ones. Malarial pills should be covered. Our total was $615, including a consultation so we understood not to eat raw salads, to sleep under mosquito nets treated with DEET and to contact the embassy if we get sick.

For this reason, it’s a good idea to go straighten your medical history, especially if you’re a regular traveler, and make sure you’re covered for all the different vaccinations that may be required in different countries. All you need to do is contact the previous doctors and travel clinics you might have visited and get copies of your records sent to you. Several of these vaccines, once completed, protect you for life. Others may require a re-dosage after 10 years.

You can also opt to have your blood tested for immunity and see which ones have already been covered. This is only ideal if you’re missing information on several and not just one. It costs to have your blood tested and then you may have to pay just as much to be vaccinated for the one that you were searching for. Also, it’s possible to select your vaccinations. The nurse said that Tanzania falls into the “meningitis” belt but that it should be updated because it wasn’t a problem anymore, but Kenya was out of the meningitis belt. We decided to forgo the meningitis vaccination. However, if the nurse strongly recommended it, we probably would have bought into it.

Malaria is a pain because even if you take malarial pills, you’re not completely out of harm’s way. You should still exercise the same caution as if you haven’t been vaccinated against anything. Sure, people live in these countries and seem to handle life fine without any shots or medications, but be aware that they’ve also had a longer time (than your vacation) to develop these immunities. I’ve read about morons who travel over and want to develop the immunity the “natural” and organic way, but were probably sadly disappointed when they came down with malaria fairly quickly. 

Lastly, it’s just good practice to wash your hands frequently, don’t drink the water or eat the ice, don’t eat anything potentially washed in that water, don’t try to feed random animals, don’t do drugs and don’t sleep with strangers. But do have fun!

Some good resources:

CDC
MD Travel Health
World Health Organization

Fortunately, airports are so cool now that killing time in them is so easy. Here are some ways to pass the time.

1. Shop. Seriously, move over, Duty Free whose products haven’t changed since 1981. So many of your mall favorites are right here. Sure, you have to figure out how to cram it into your carry-on (although anything purchased after going through security is allowed as an extra carry-on). I actually, really, purchased a gift at Brookstone in an airport instead of at the mall because I knew I wouldn’t have to bring it through security and have it counted as an extra carry-on. You can also pick up clean shirts and a tie at  Brooks Brothers, shop for a new cell phone, buy movies, toys, anything. Overseas,  sometimes I just wait to get to an airport to do any of my shopping. In developing countries, the products are cleaner and better quality than those sold on the street (though maybe a little pricier, but what else are you going to do with your leftover currency?)

2. Eat. There’s Legal Seafoods in Boston Logan’s airport, Obrycki’s in BWI, Gladstones at LAX, Billy Goat Tavern at O’Hare, etc. etc. BBQ at Dallas Fort-Worth, Rocky Mountain steaks at Denver International, and so on. In addition, the service is speedy fast because they know you have a flight to catch, and sometimes a receipt from the restaurant gives you access to first-class lines at security so you don’t have to spend an hour waiting in the steerage line.

mindwell.ie

3. Massages. Whoever first put a massage chair at an airport was a genius. Sure, it’s one of those chair massages where they pull at your shirt and the world, literally, walks by and sees you being prodded and plied like a piece of dough. But when you’re stressed out, tired, sore from sitting in an airplane seat, so what better way to be relaxed than have someone punch your muscles into pulp? Aaaaaah.

4. Catch up on your sports. Sports fans, there are multiple sports bars in airports allowing you to enjoy the game and a brewsky of your choice. Sometimes you’ll have to contend with the local teams, which you may give two rats’ behinds about, but if you’re like Jon, you don’t care. You’ll watch the cricket championships if it’s all they have. The next thing you know, the agent is paging you to proceed to the gate.

Wine-taste. Yes, there are a number of wine-tasting counters at airports. Who knew? Indulge your palette before your flight. Vino Volo is opening a number of wine-tasting counters throughout the United States, with existing locations at JFK, BWI, Philadelphia, SEATAC, OAK, Newark, Detroit, San Antonio, Dulles and Sacramento. Try wines and bite-sized amuse-bouches before you take off on another journey.

I do this every time I go into Manhattan, even when I lived there. I think, you know what, I’m going to drive there. I’m going to deal with the snarled traffic on the FDR and try this new trick by taking the Willis Avenue bridge, or if I’m coming from New Jersey, I’ll be lucky and there won’t be any traffic going through the tunnels. And then, I’ll find parking within reasonable walking distance to my destination. Of course I’m always, ALWAYS fooling myself.

Tip: don’t try to bring a car into Manhattan. Take public transportation.

When I lived in Manhattan, I compared it to Hotel California – you can check out anytime but you can never leave. And no wonder. If you’ve ever tried to leave Manhattan through the tunnels or the George Washington bridge, it can be so awful that you consider giving up and staying stuck on this island forever.

Getting into Manhattan costs money. How much money? Well, if you’re from New Jersey or south, you get to pay $8 to cross the Hudson. $8!! And about 30 minutes of your life sitting in traffic waiting to go through. And, as my friend Grace recently pointed out, you risk your life each time you go through those tunnels, eeking through those tunnels like toothpaste in a tube. Who knows what could happen down there, under the Hudson River, with nowhere to swim or run? I tried not to think about it as I edged my way into the city this past Memorial Day.

Then there’s the issue of parking. You can circle for hours, literally, especially since you can’t turn on red anywhere in the city and pedestrians take up all your green light time. If you do score a spot, you have to make sure it’s not a street-sweeping day, or a meter that will expire within an hour and there will be a meter maid standing there waiting for your meter to tick to 0. She’ll probably have your ticket written out in advance. Then you are always worrying whether someone has broken into your car and/ or driven it away. Or, you can park your car for $35 for the first few hours in some lot.

Heed my advice. Take the subway/ PATH/ Metro North/ Long Island Railroad/ New Jersey Transit/ Amtrak/ the bus into Manhattan. You can even park & ride. Here are some links to those forms of public transit.

PATH (to/from New Jersey)

Metro North Railroad (to/ from Westchester or as my cousin Sean says, the “Bestchester”, Connecticut and upstate)

Long Island Railroad (to/from Queens and Long Island, or as my friend Steve calls it, “Strong Island”)

New Jersey Transit (to/from NJ, duh)

Boltbus (to/from NY, Boston, Philly, Baltimore and DC)

Amtrak (Eastern Corridor and nationwide)

Photo credit: www.tysto.com.

brothersoft.com

It’s easy to take advice from others while on vacation: Eat here! Go there! That place has the best mojitos! Don’t miss the incredible tour of this!

Depending from whom this advice is doled, we forget that opinions and tastes still vary greatly and then suddenly we fall into – the tourist trap. It happens often. Who do you blame? For starters, there’s some guidebooks, although those often will warn against tourist traps and some try to steer you away to “off-the-beaten-path” – sometimes a little more than you’d like. Then there’s friends who don’t know any better, concierge people who just recommend the same places to everyone, other travelers who are just plain excited to be on vacation that anything seems great, and then the dreaded Internet.

My in-laws just came back from a week in Puerto Vallarta where they’d experienced quite a bit of this. Now, my in-laws have very good taste when it comes to restaurants. They know what’s a good meal and what’s just for show. They’re not easily fooled by the  waiter making guacamole right before their eyes, even though they did take the suggestions of several people who raved about this particular restaurant and then it turned out to be a tourist trap with so-so food. They’d even tried a restaurant where only locals went, but even that turned out to be a disappointment. But they lucked out with a couple places suggested by some other travelers, and were happy with those.

I’ve learned never to ask the concierge for recommendations anymore. Each time I have, I’ve been directed to something that might as well be the Olive Garden.

So how do you know when to avoid a tourist trap or not? Well, some attractions are designed to trap a tourist (i.e. Ripley’s Believe it or Not, Hard Rock Cafe). Here is my breakdown of what’s touristy and what’s not.

• Any guided tour on a tram or boat
• Any observation deck of a tall structure or building that charges you for the elevator ride
• Any store doing a “demonstration” of how something is made (lady weaving a blanket in the front, man carving a statuette)
• Any street with chain shops and restaurants – because people tend towards what’s familiar (Times Square, Michigan Avenue)
• Any piers with more than just boats attached to them (Navy Pier, Santa Monica Pier, South Street Seaport)
• Anywhere with local people dressed up in period costume with whom you can take pictures for a small price.

Of course, sometimes the reason these places are so touristy is because they’re why the world comes to visit – like the Statue of Liberty, or the beaches of Mexico, or the top of the Eiffel Tower. And sometimes they’re really fun, like walking the entire Freedom Trail in Boston or part of the Great Wall of China.

Restaurants are harder, because sometimes the best restaurants are that good because they’ve been highly recommended by magazines, friends, guidebooks, etc. But realize that writers often get their news from other writers, so sometimes the reason that restaurant has been so acclaimed is because someone else acclaimed it, and hence a domino effect begins. However, guidebooks have become slightly more reliable in recent years, partly because of the competition, and none of them want to be known as the book that leads travelers to tourist traps. That being said, it is also the guidebooks who create the tourist traps, so really – chicken/ egg situation.

If you don’t want a touristy dining experience, then avoid:

Sometimes it’s best to ask a local who doesn’t seem sketchy (i.e. the kind who will try to send you off on a ride around town so he can earn a commission for referring you. This is practiced in India and Thailand frequently). He or she will usually give a “pshaw!” to a recommended touristy place and then direct you to one that is reputable in that city but probably little-known to tourists. Locals rarely go where tourists dine.

Happy non-touristy travels!

Now, Jon and I are cashing in on our trip insurance, which we bought for one purpose (anticipating the death of a family member) and are applying for another (not anticipating Jon would rupture his spleen while skiing). We had planned a quick trip to Tahoe for the end of Jon’s spring break at my cousin’s timeshare when we got wind of the potential family emergency, but then on the slopes of Alpine Meadows, a skiier got in his way and Jon ended up tumbling several times, skis and poles flying in four directions. After hearing Jon complain of pain in his abdomen AND shoulder, the medics called an ambulance and whisked him away to the local hospital for a CT scan. Apparently the combination of stomach and shoulder pain meant the spleen could be affected. They were correct: Jon was bleeding internally, and sent into surgery right away.

Fortunately, he still has most of his spleen and is finally snoring away in his hospital bed. Tonight I am opting to sleep in the neighboring bed instead of at the house, which was  warm and festive with lots of people over the weekend, but after everyone left, it became a ghostly large house in the woods and the lightning did not comfort me much, all alone there.

Also fortunately, I was able to file a claim on our trip insurance which would cover any additional expenses that our health insurance plan will not cover, as well as additional costs to change our flight, daily expenditures, even phone calls. I was extremely relieved, and everyone – from the airline and rental car to the insurance agent, was very sympathetic.

Our insurance is through STA Travel, which is valid for travelers under 35 years and only cost us $48 a person for 8-day coverage. The coverage also extends a week after the last day of our trip, so any hotels, meals, and necessary costs will be covered up to that date without our needing to purchase additional coverage. Plenty of insurance companies offer trip insurance, and it’s important to review what you’ll need; for example, in a disaster area, medical evacuation is a good item to include. If you’re going on a trip, even domestically, that involves dangerous activity (I will now rate skiing on there – even though we’re fairly careful skiiers, those surrounding us are not. Jon was not the only spleen surgery this weekend from skiing). Also, any anticipation of cancellation or change of plans, or if you are bringing very expensive items in your luggage, trip insurance is a good idea to consider.

http://www.expedition360.com/

The worst case scenario in any travel adventure is that people can get hurt! Tourists wander around in a bubble, observing their new surroundings like visitors at an uncaged zoo, avoiding the water and washing their hands with alcohol wipes but never expecting that they can be just as vulnerable to accidents and injuries. And why should you?  Unfortunately, tourists get hurt all the time, whether from lax regulations overseas, reckless activity, bad earthquakes, new bacteria, or just from being human.

My friend Janice (who this picture is not of), who has one of the most serious cases of wanderlust right now, abandoned Corporate America for South America and now southeast Asia. Unfortunately, halfway through her wanderings in the Phillipines, she was in “a motor accident” (unsure if that means motorcycle, moped, motor scooter, tuk-tuk or automobile – she has not clarified) which broke her shoulder (clavicle) and re-directed her to rest up in Bali for a month with her arm in a sling. When she reached Bangkok and went to see a doctor for a check-up on her shoulder, he examined her and said due to complications, she would need surgery.

Jon, of course, was mortified: surgery in Bangkok?? I reminded him that Bangkok, which we had visited, was very modern and had real hospitals with electricity and clean water and maybe even a color photocopier. I could see him picturing Janice laid up in the back of some apothecary hut with a witch doctor hovering over her, chanting. She went through the surgery, and recuperated in the hospital, but has to cut her trip short and return to the U.S.

Here are some tips for handling emergency care while traveling overseas.

1. Prevention. Make sure your vaccinations are up-to-date and that you have received any required ones for the areas you are going to.

2. Pack a first-aid kit. I always carry one of these. It should include Tylenol (or equivalent), band-aids, neosporin or bacitracin, alcohol prep wipes, Pepto-bismol, laxatives, antacids, an Ace bandage, powdered Gatorade (it comes in little individual tubes and essential if you’re dehydrated and need electrolytes) and spare tissues. Ask your doctor about receiving Cipro for emergency purposes.

3.  Check your health insurance coverage. You should make sure you are covered internationally and for medical evacuation; if not, purchase additional insurance. Make sure the insurance covers different items as necessary: for example, if you’re skiing, you’ll want search-and-mountain rescue, ambulance and air costs. This would be in addition to your regular traveler’s insurance.

4. If you are injured, seek medical attention as you would in the United States. Go to the nearest hospital or clinic. Even if you’re in a remote part of the world, there are trained doctors who can help you better than you can help yourself (unless you’re a doctor). If you require hospitalization, call your country embassy for help too.

5. After treatment you can decide whether to stay on or go home. It may be best to go home, so you can received further care from your own doctor and rest up in your own bed.

I had the itch after college to go over with the Peace Corps somewhere and single-handedly change the world, one village at a time. Sometimes I still have that itch, which has grown more while planning a trip to Tanzania this summer and while watching the devastation in Haiti. I had volunteered with Habitat for Humanity in Paraguay several years ago, helping some families build new homes. Of course, I still had to shell out about $1,600 and ended up playing with three toddlers the whole time anyway, ever since the local bricklayer looked me up and down and decided I wasn’t competent enough to build a house (and rightfully so – I would hate to be responsible for a house caving in).

However, I still believe in volunteer vacations. Why? I think it’s an excellent way to mix in with the locals, which is the best way to see a country. You don’t get to really experience the flavors and sites from an air-conditioned jeep shuttling you around on safari to your next luxury tent with electricity, but you will living in someone’s house and eating the meals with their family and taking their cold showers. And, in theory, you are helping out people who could use the help.

 Questions I’ve run into about volunteer vacations:

Q. Why am I paying to volunteer?

A. Because while your help is appreciated, your money is even more appreciated. Your money can buy supplies and medicines that, unless you are a pharmaceutical company, you as an individual can’t really provide. You are also not really trained in anything useful to them unless you stay for a long time and are hired for that purpose (i.e. nurse, doctor, teacher, systems analyst). Your money also pays for your food and housing during the time you’re volunteering. So, yes, you can also just donate that money and stay home, but at least you get a trip out of it, tax-deductible.

Q. Why do these organizations seem so disorganized?

A. Because many are underfunded and because they are communicating across cultural, language and distance barriers. You might show up at an orphanage ready to show these kids all the love and attention you think they’re missing, only to find that the orphange employees spend most of their time just watching TV with nobody to show you the ropes. When volunteering, a lot of times you’ll have to take the initiative to ask what you can do and even just jump in.

Q: How do I choose a volunteer group?

A: There are so many out there it’s difficult to choose, and depends on what you’d like to do. It helps to check with your local university for the more reputable ones. You also want to find one that is non-profit, rather than for-profit. Habitat for Humanity builds houses around the world. It is a Christian organization, so some leaders will make it a sort of biblical retreat (I almost went to Portugal on a trip that was going to pray before every meal and have bible study, but I ended up on a Paraguayan one where we drank a lot of beer and, well, didn’t pray). Doctors Without Borders look for doctors, nurses, public health professionals and also non-health professionals to help out in countries where medical care is critical. Cross-Cultural Solutions is another organization that provides opportunities for teaching, community development, healthcare and care-giving. Jon worked in a children’s hospital in Ecuador through Experiential Learning International and the kids just adored him and showered him with hand-made gifts. There’s also Global Volunteers, Global Citizens Network, EarthWatch, Partners of the Americas, to name a few other reputable organizations.

Q. How do I know I’ll be safe?

If you are researching online and having a hard time deciding, check www.abroadreviews.com which is a third-party site for various programs. You’ll want to check that an organization is legit and not going to disappear with your deposit, or put your in any danger or abandon you in the middle of a bad situation. HOWEVER, I am still leery of doing anything strictly online, because you’ll never know if the same people involved in the organization are the ones posting fake reviews on these other sites. Apparently, some are also run by corrupt companies with a volunteer facade, or even cults who may try to recruit you into their sect. You should also be aware how well your safety will be kept while you’re abroad, particularly women.

Note about Haiti and similar devastations in other countries: The best thing you can give right now is MONEY. Sure, it would be very nice to go there in person and hand out water bottles to the ravaged, but unless you know how to repair the concrete and asphalts at the sea and airports so aid can come in, you’re much better sending money. The time to go to these areas to help is maybe a year later, when the countries begin rebuilding.