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Share your stories thread
Hey,wanderers of tildes it's time to share your travel stories.Are you on the move right now?
What was your last trip like?
Favourite food or hole in the walls you have come across around the world.
Share anything and everything.
Also any tip involving travels and scams you have encountered share it.
This is a tips thread that was on r/solotravel i found really helpful feel free to add more.
SHARE AWAY..
Kind of on topic:
I am currently in the planning stages of a euro road trip! The goal is to drive from Holland to Portugal using only coastal backroads. I always wanted to do one as a gift to myself for finishing college but life got in the way....
I have a massive travel bucket list that may never happen, but it makes me happy to add to it. From one person trying to get past life's many blockades to you having succeeded - I hope you have a wonderful and fully enjoyable experience!
Happy to hear you are doing it now..go out there my friend.
Also how long is the road trip planned for and can you share how you've planned it( what are the plans)?
Last trip was to the Caribbean island of Turks and Caicos. I love beaches and tropical destinations in general, have seen a number of other Caribbean islands and will continue my quest to see as many as I can. As someone who lives on the west coast (USA) getting to the Caribbean is a full day of travel. Our only options for tropical getaways are Hawaii - which is always fantastic and kind of the gold standard for me but I've been too many times, Mexico - I personally am not a big fan and rarely go, or Tahiti/French Polynesia - which is mainly for lovebirds on honeymoon.
I had heard Grace Bay in Turks & Caicos was one of the nicest beaches on Earth. It certainly is beautiful and will not disappoint most. I'd rank it in the top 5 that I've seen. Unfortunately I only got ~2 great days of weather, the other few were dicey with clouds, some rough surf and rain. The island is underdeveloped like many Caribbean nations. It is a pretty quiet island, not a ton to do or see. You go there to relax, like on a deserted island almost! So I recommend only go there if you want beach/water/resort activities. Overall, it was a fun relaxing trip, but I didn't like it as much as I expected I would. I felt like I enjoyed places like Aruba and Jamaica a bit more - those places seemed to have more unique cultures and identities. The locals I interacted with weren't all that friendly in T&C. Some at the resorts were overly-friendly, some kind of had a 'what do you want' attitude. Still happy I can I say I've been though!
The next island on my list is Bermuda. Have heard great things. With it not being in the Caribbean there are more limited windows of good times to visit though, so will take a little more planning.
Hoping work travel counts here for the tips. Feel free to label 'Offtopic' if not. Although I do a lot of these for personal travel too. I always travel with a backpack for my laptop and have the following in my carry-on:
If travelling only for a couple of days then I make sure that everything I needs packs into a small overnight bag that I can take on the plane. In the EU you can have one bag and a laptop bag. I know this is different in the US (learned the hard way).
A lot of hotels provide free slippers, or if you're lucky enough to be in business or first class, you also get free slippers. I scoop those babies up and always have a pair in my luggage. I hate walking around in socks or bare feet in a hotel. They're light enough so that I can always include a pair.
I also take the washkit if I get one. The small toothpaste tubes, tissues etc are great travel items for a short trip. The washkit bags are also a favourite with nieces and nephews - I've had some really good ones. Also great for cables, jewellery etc.
I pack as light as possible and bring only what's needed - with the exception of a good book. That's a must!
This is entirely dependent upon the ticket you purchase in the US. Because of my frequent flier status and credit card perks I can purchase the cheapest tickets that don’t allow a carry on (only a personal item/bag), but I will get free upgrades for me and up to 8 others with preferred seats, a carry on, and a checked bag (don’t get charged for heavy luggage either).
That sounds like a great perk. I had flown in to the US in business class and was returning the same way.
The local 'international' airport wouldn't allow 2 bags, so I ended up wearing a lot of clothes and my coat so that I could stuff one bag into the other. It was a very hot day and rather unpleasant journey.
At the gate, they were adamant that I wasn't boarding with 2 bags - no ifs or buts. I was told that it didn't matter that I had business class tickets. If I couldn't demonstrate that I was boarding with only 1 bag it was either leave one behind, or no boarding.
I don't understand how I was allowed to arrive with 2 carry on bags, but only leave with 1! It makes absolutely no sense.
Very interesting, haven’t heard of airlines doing this except on “Basic Economy” tickets. You typically get a bag that fits under the seat (if you’re not on a budget airline it doesn’t really matter how well it fits under the seat), as well as a bag that goes in the overhead bins (this part is excluded on Basic Economy tickets and budget airlines like Spirit and Frontier).
That is ridiculous! Even with overbooked flights they usually give the option of checking one at the gate if they don’t have room in the plane.
I have to ask, how is the US different than the EU for carry-ons? I travel frequently for work within the US and I always have a backpack and carry-on sized suitcase with me. I've never had to check a bag. I actually had a problem connecting through Heathrow due to my toiletries bag not being clear - it was see-through, just not clear. In the US, they just need to see the contents.
For me, I add the following to my carry-on when traveling in general:
Last trip was a two week vacation to Italy in April with my husband, another couple, and my father. We basically spent 5 years planning it, since our original trip was booked for May 2020 (obviously it got canceled).
It was the second time my husband and I vacationed there, but the first time for everyone else. We did a lot of the same things we had done the first time, but added some things we missed, extended our time in a couple places, and went to places we wouldn't have gone to had we not had a more diverse group.
We spent three days in Cique Terre and stayed in Manarola while we were there. I had wanted to hike the trails we didn't hike the first time we went, but they were still closed due to a massive mud slide. We did complete the hike from Vernazza to Monterosso, which was the opposite direction than the first time and it was much harder. We spent some time in each of the towns and had amazing meals (we love to eat).
We spent three days in Florence in the heart of the city. We went to the Uffizi Gallery which was incredible. I'm not a huge art person, but the sheer number of exhibits they have was incredible. We had a tour guide for a day who showed us around the city, brought us to a wine cellar for a wine tasting, a paper shop, a leather shop, and a gelato shop where we got to learn how gelato is made. We also visited a 16th century wine window at Badae that was right outside our accommodations and had Bistecca Fiorentina.
We spent four days in the Tuscan countryside. We went back to visit the vintner we met and kept in touch with from our previous trip and she was able to show us around the vineyard (it was late fall the last time we were there) and held a tasting for us. We visited Montalcino and Montepulciano, two historic Italian villages that are still very traditional in construction. We had a guided tour of Siena that was just amazing. Learning about the Palio from a local was incredible and we visited the museum of one of the districts dedicated to the race.
We ended with three days in Rome. We spent time touring the Castel Sant'angelo, the Vatican, the Colosseum, and the Roman Forum. For the Colosseum and Forum we did a group tour and our guide was an archeologist - his insights are something we missed our first time there without a guide. We visited the Vatican at night with a private guide and it was incredible. We weren't rushed through the galleries and spent a lot of time in the Sistine Chapel looking at just everything. We had amazing pasta at local restaurants, including incredible Carbonara and Alfredo.
My wife and I just got back from a 2.5 week trip to Italy. I was not a big fan of the Cinque Terre region. For me, it was way too crowded and I prefer sandy beaches compared to the rocky ones there. I think it would have been more enjoyable if there were less crowds, but we were pretty much shoulder to shoulder with others the entire time we were not inside.
We also learned how to make gelato, but we learned while in Sorrento. My wife made some once we got back, ours sons said it was delicious but didn’t leave any for us to try 🤣
Having tour guides in Pompeii and the Roman Forum was definitely worth it. We learned so much that I never realized how advanced they actually were.
I was amazed at how different the food was compared to what we find back here in the states as Italian food. It was much lighter than the typical sauces and the variety of seafood was fantastic!
I think we have gone to Cinque Terre at the perfect times. October was incredible - very few tourists and great hiking weather. April was a little warm and the beginning of tourist season. We did stay in one of the towns and away from the shore, which I think helped. I had forgotten to mention how amazing the seafood was while we were there. We actually had an anchovy appetizer that was incredible, red pasta with lobster and tuna tartar.
The thing we learned from our tour guide at the Colosseum that fascinated me was the opulence that decorated the Colosseum when it was built being "recycled" from other palaces around the city. And the buildings built on top of buildings without really knowing it in the Roman Forum.
That astounded me as well. One of our guides made a joke that the reason you don’t dig in your garden in Italy is that you’re going to uncover ancient ruins and then your garden becomes a museum instead. It made me ponder if there was any further significance when you find temple ruins under 500 year old churches. Is there something more going on in that location than we realize, or did they know they were building on top of another sacred place?
I honestly don't know. Our guide was telling us that the Forum had basically become a dump during the 13th century and buildings were once again "recycled". From what he told us, it seemed that they didn't know they were building churches on top of temples, but the doors to enter the buildings are stacked on top of each other. It's either a very eerie coincidence or the tops of the buildings were visible enough to be used as blueprints of where to build.
I recently spent a lot of time travelling around the south of Spain and Portugal in a converted minibus. The seats had been stripped out and replaced with… a bed, bench seating, a small kitchen with gas for cooking. We had a pipe on the roof which acted as a solar shower, an an awning to act as shade / a wind sail on hot days. Also, we had a solar panel on the roof attached to a controller and battery for overnight lighting, phone charging, and refrigeration.
Now, the benefit of this setup is, unlike a purpose built ‘obvious’ camper-van which has to park in designated camping sites, we could park anywhere without attracting much suspicion.
Waking up to the sunrise in a mirador lay-by on the side of a hill overlooking the vast valley below, or sitting and drinking coffee from out kitchen on wheels right on the beach… ahh, it’s an experience like nothing else.
If it’s something you haven’t considered, I’d highly recommend it. There are companies which will rent campers that you can try out, and if you like it, consider buying in and working on your own! It’s a great hobby!
EDIT:
Also, Definitely visit Andalucia if you have chance. The people are amazing, the food cheap, and the scenery beautiful. There is a huge islamic influence on the historic architecture, which makes for some cool contrasts. Driving makes this much more enjoyable as you can go off the beaten path, but Andalucia does also have a well developed, cheap and quite nice coach system. Trains are not great in this region, unfortunately.
I have been traveling frequently both domestic and international since my son died in 2008. It has been one thing that keeps me motivated to stay in the land of the living. During covid when travel was restricted I felt a sense of panic and unease that was difficult to navigate. I did some domestic travels and got by. International travels are my favorite.
This year so far I have traveled to Denmark, Norway and Aruba. Spent two weeks in each location.
We stayed in Bergen, Norway for a few days and did the usual tourist experiences there. My cousins live in the mountains about 4 hours from Bergen.
Norway's many tunnels and ferries amazed me. I can't count how many tunnels we traveled through to get to their cabin but it was somewhere in the vicinity of at least 15 to possibly 20. We also took at least one ferry along the way. I actually traveled through the longest tunnel in the world (Lærdalstunnelen) which was a little over 15 miles long. It was fascinating.
I was surprised how far up in the mountains their cabin was located but it was a magical place.
Surrounded by mountains, riding a bike along the lake, taking part in a Norwegian Independence Day (May 17th) parade in a small village with all the folks dressed in their traditional attire was a once in a lifetime experience. And of course meeting all of their family members who live in cabins in the same location.
I actually ate sheep, lamb and fresh caught fish that we hauled in on our own from their boat on the lake.
I am not a person who likes to try new foods but wanted to "fit in" and enjoyed it tremendously. My cousins' family commented that they were very happy I tried their traditional cousine. I drew the line at sheep heads though.
These tunnels were very different than the tunnels I am used to where I live in western PA. Pittsburgh has it's fair share of tunnels but these were dark grey & stony. The tunnels in Pittsburgh are lined with bricks.
In Denmark we mostly stayed Copenhagen which was a treasure of museums and other sites. I enjoyed figuring out and navigating the public transit systems although that can get dodgy especially when you are tired. Ate at some fantastic restaurants.
Aruba is always a world class beach experience. I go every year with a different cousin in mid June. This time we visited Sea Glass Island and had a fun time picking up bits of glass and pottery. We had many tranquil, uncrowded beach days which brought rest for the soul. I bought a new cover up, a post beach pre shower moo moo (lol) and a hoodie. The trip home, however, was a chaotic mess (I will never fly Spirit anywhere again - that's all I will say).
In September I am traveling with a friend for a family reunion in southern Germany for 3 days and then we have a trip planned through France, Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg. This is about a three week trip including our trip to Philadelphia from Pittsburgh to catch the flights. We hate flying through Dulles which is what we usually have to do for many international flights from our location.
I am retiring next year and am using up my accumulated months of vacation (at least 3 months) with some sick leave and personal time added in. At the end of the year I will still have at least 2 weeks vacation and 8 weeks of sick leave and will accumulate more so I am starting to get some planning on the books for 2024 trips aside from Aruba which always happens in mid June.
Would like to try Ireland and Scotland.
Happy travels.
One small travel tip that works well for me is to wear and/or pack a few items of clothing that I am ready to give away but are still serviceable. Once I am through wearing them on the trip I toss them and that leaves some extra room in my suitcase for purchases. I have been doing this for almost 10 years and I love it. My friends and family think I am nuts but it works or me.
Actually this year in one of the hotels near the Copenhagen airport there was a sign in the closet that stated to leave your throw away cloths on hangars (if good enough) and they would donate them to a shelter. Apparently lots of people are doing this now.