Basic Travel Tips Part Two: Traveler's Guide to BYOB

First off, BYOB stands for Bring Your Own Blanket.

Second off, I am probably neither the first nor the last traveler to posit that the 24 hours before and first 12 hours of a trip are among the two most important time frames when it comes to a trip. These 36 hours set the mood for a trip, quite probably predict the smoothness of, and may very well be the most hectic interesting wackiest part of the trip outright. Of course, as people who I have traveled with will tell you, when you stay up until three in the morning doing nothing but talking, conversation quickly goes from philosophical to goofy to downright weird.

Moving right along, this is a magical time for younger travelers, filled with excitement and anticipation for what adventures are to come. The same can be said for anyone for that matter, if of course this isn't the dreaded College Road Trip that could potentially have things go from bad to worse in the blink of an eye. Trust me when I say: been there, done that, bought the pen and key chain, do not ever want to have that happen again.  But if you're here, this more than likely isn't what you're planning for, and with great planning even a college visit trip can be enjoyable.

Back to excitement!

Encourage your own excitement and that of the people around you. It will just make the time that most dread some of the best, before you even hit the road! Talk about what you're excited about, express any apprehension about things that you may have, and allow others to soothe said qualms.

Next, unless you're only going away for the weekend or a night, I'm going to assume that you've followed your packing list to a T and that you're ready to toss in your last minute toiletries and load up the car. Here's my next piece of valuable advice that I really should take myself: Invest in travel toiletries and a bag to put them in. When I say bag, I mean a real shower bag with plastic pouches to individually stow items and the like. It's a lifesaver. Also, when I talk about travel toiletries, I'm not talking about tiny bottles that barely hold enough conditioner for one hair washing. I'm talking about fully sized ones that you put in that bag and leave in there. I don't mean run out and buy one more of everything you own, but a bottle of shampoo, conditioner, face wash, a tube of toothpaste that you replace when you should, a bar of soap (or three if you're going away for a long while) and an extra shaving device if you are so inclined. This way, when you're running around on the day of travel and tossing things like mousse or shaving cream in your bag, you're not worried about sopping wet shampoo bottles getting everything damp in transit. Which brings me to my next point:

Unless you are going by air and have to put your shower bag in your suitcase, pack the car the day before. This can save you all sorts of hassle up to, and including, wondering if that one thing is in the car or not. As you pack, remember to check off things from your list, and keep said list handy the day of travel so you don't panic.Packing the car the day before means less hassle and more time for coffee, breakfast, and road time if it's a road trip. This, of course, can mean not having to wake up as earl for air travel, or even getting to catch an earlier flight.

This, of course, brings me to the title of this post: bring your own blanket! I do not care who you are, how you are traveling, or how old you are, bring one! If you're anything like me or even my mom, it's easy to get cold while making a journey somewhere, but it's difficult to get warm again. Having your own (clean) blanket can help combat this. It also can help you bring a piece of home with you if you're traveling far away. Me having my Delta blanket with me while I was in Germany was nice because it was soft, fluffy, and kept me from being homesick. Of course my sock monkey Fonzo (see my blog about flying overseas for more on him) helped too; this ties into letting a younger traveler bring their plushie with them. It combats homesickness! Believe me when I say that when I went to Boise to shadow I had to have my dad send me Fonzo to help me feel more relaxed while being far away. A plushie and a blanket can go a long way. A blanket will offer all these things (comfort, function, home) and then some, even if you're not a child/teen/young traveler.

Moving along, one of my last tips is know your schedule. I don't just mean dinner reservations and flight times, I mean know when you're leaving, when you're getting up, when you're supposed to get there, when your check in time is at a hotel, when your transportation is going to be there to pick you up if you aren't driving. It's all very important, and can be the difference between a good trip and a bad trip. I have an anecdote for this as well; when we went to Baltimore for my very first college visit, I had to make sure that I knew what we were doing, when we were doing it, and who would we need to talk to if we couldn't make it happen. Even parking! We had to get to the garage at a certain time so we could get and not have to pay since we were in the Early Bird Group to avoid the summer heat.

Lastly, breakfast is key. If you are following these tips, this shouldn't be difficult, but even then if you're not a big breakfast eater, it may still be hard. There is not enough that can be said about how important breakfast is in every day life, but it's even more important when traveling. It keeps you awake, keeps you focused on your day, and even can make you have more road time because you don't have to stop two hours down the road for food.

Well, that's the skinny on the 36 hour window from 24 hours before departure and the first twelve hours of it.  Keep excitement in the air, pack the car the day before, invest in travel toiletries, bring your own blanket, know your schedule, and breakfast! Until the next segment,
Cheers!

Basic Travel Tips Part One: Packing

      So, I'm a little bit bored and decided that since I'm writing on a travel blog, maybe I should share some of the madness that goes through my mind when I'm getting ready to leave home for any overnight sort of trip, or even just an extended day trip that will take me further than about and hour and a half from home. The first thing I will tell you is that a packing list is important, but generally only for trips lasting more than one night, and even then only when you are traveling further than about an hour from home. To make these lists (or just to make sure I have everything I need), there are several questions that I ask myself, and these may be helpful to you too.

1. How am I traveling? These may seem like an oddball question, but what I mean is what mode of transport am I taking? Am I going by car, plane, bus, or train or some combination of the four? This determines how you are going to pack, in terms of the number of bags you can take, what you can take, and perhaps most important do you need to leave room in your suitcase for toiletries. 
2. Where am I going? This determines what all you will have to pack, and also what you will pack for clothing. For instance, if I'm going to spending the weekend off the grid, then I am going to need to pack absolutely everything, from shampoo and conditioner to food as well. This is what I have to do when I go to State, as the hotel food is expensive and questionable, and it's just generally easier to pack most if not all the food I will need; I also have to make sure I don't forget toiletries as I can't just go somewhere to buy things I forget. However, if I'm going somewhere like Orlando with my parents, forgetting something isn't quite as big a deal, simply because I know my mom will have a replacement. 
3. How long will I be gone? This is another what will I pack question. However, for this question it is a matter of am I going to be packing one outfit per day, or will I be packing a few essentials to mix and match to create new outfits for an extended period of time? For something like State, there are certain things I have to wear each day, and it is in April so I have to pack a pair of pants for each day as well. But if I'm going somewhere for, say, three weeks like I did last summer, I pack generally five bottoms, five tops, a dress, and five sets of pajamas (or three, depending on if it is cold or not). 
4. What will I be doing? This is simple. If you're going for business, pack a majority of professional clothes with some casual pieces mixed in. If you're going for pleasure, vacation clothes and maybe a nice piece or two just in case a fancier occasion (like, say, Christmas). In terms of shoes, if you're going for business, nice shoes are a must; if it's pleasure you seek, comfortable footwear is a must.

     And that's it! These four questions are the basis for packing my suitcase for all my adventures. Stay tuned for part two of my Basic Travels Tips series. Until then,

Cheers!

The Journey's Will Continue...

Just not quite yet. It's really interesting how adventure comes in waves. At times, it's all around and one just can't seem to get away from it and relax. Then at other times, like these past few weeks, it just doesn't seem to be anywhere. Last weekend, my family and I made our way to Walt Disney World for one last hoo-rah before our annual passes expire. It was also a way of introducing me to the next wave of adventure to come.
Now about Disney...
We left early Saturday morning (as in so early we were there by 11:30).

Of course, we went straight to the hotel, got checked in, all that jazz, blah blah blah. Then the real fun began. We stayed at a new hotel this time, the Swan & Dolphin Hotel to be exact. It was super nice, and was in walking distance to everyone's favorite place, EPCOT! 

We had a bit of time to kill before our lunch reservations at Le Cellier in Canada at Epcot. First off, this restaurant is one of the most difficult to make plans for. We always wondered what was up with that, but, then we ate there. Hands down, it is the best meal I have ever had. I would recommend it for anyone going to Disney who doesn't want to dine with characters. It's a prime steakhouse, and a bit on the pricey side, but if you're looking for a great meal to treat you and your family to, this is an excellent place. There's also The Seas at Epcot too, but, that's another story for another day. 

We got to ride Soarin', one of our favorite rides there, as well as Journey Into Imagination with Figment, and even Spaceship Earth with minimal wait. I take that back, there was hardly any wait at all thanks to the new Fast Pass+ that Disney is introducing. We were able to plan our days in advance, which really takes the stress out of a Disney vacation. We were even able to squeeze in riding Test Track before it was time to go find a place to watch fireworks! Look at me and my mom, aren't we adorable?

If you're looking for the best place to watch Illuminations: Reflections of Earth, I highly recommend both the bridge between France and the UK, as well as anywhere in Canada. Also, if the moon is rising when the show first starts, watch it. It will look like it is under water. However, this mirage cannot be caught on film; believe me I tried my best. 

After the fireworks, it was a short walk back to our hotel and we even stopped by a bakery at the Boardwalk Resort for a little pick-me-up after walking off our amazing lunch. We went to sleep early in preparation for day two of our adventure. 

You see, there's this thing in my family: nobody likes to sleep in any later than about 0830 in the morning, and when we're on vacation that time becomes 0700. It never fails; we don't sleep in. I suppose it has to do with the fact that we generally like to get as much into one day as we can. It didn't help that we only had two days. We were up, packed, and on our way to Magic Kingdom in absolutely record time. Until FP+, we really didn't like Magic Kingdom, because we never got to ride any of the rides. Now, it and Epcot are my favorites. 

One of my favorite things about Magic Kingdom? Why, getting to meet Merida of course! I don't think anyone except for curly-haired people understand what it's like to finally see a princess with truly curly hair, in all its unruly glory. Anyway, yes I got to meet her and yes it was in fact magical. 

hey look new hairs

Yes, here we go, meeting Merida!

Now, people usually guess correctly when the say that I am a Disney nut. We had some time to kill after lunch before going on the Little Mermaid ride, so what did I do? I went to meet Ariel of course...

Sadly, the weekend came to a close and we headed home again. Now, I'm enjoying a Snow Day in Florida (yes, yes, snow day, nobody knows how to handle cold and ice and bad road conditions). This is more than likely the only snow day I'll ever manage to get, seeing as moving north means cold and snow and ice are not such a big deal. I'm enjoying my day and also getting ready for Region Latin Forum this Saturday. Until the next adventure,

Cheers!

Day Nineteen and Twenty: That's a Wrap!

Sadly, my time in Deutschland is over and I am back in the ever wonderful United States of America. I know that I love Germany, but it is so good to be home. I never thought I would be so happy to hear an airport worker say "welcome home" to me as I was having my passport checked. January the 1st was excellent I must say. We had dinner at another traditional German restaurant, supper at the hotel again, and spent a good portion of the day packing and then with my great-grandmother. It was sad to say goodbye, but I was ready to be home.

Yesterday started early. I mean early. My mom was up at 0430, I was up at 0450, and my Oma was up at 0500. It was crazy busy, because my cousin's husband was coming to pick us up at 0600. It was a whirlwind morning, because when we went to sleep the day before my suitcase was still not all the way packed and locked shut. We threw in the shower bag, opened the gusset so my coat would fit, and zipped it shut and made sure it was underweight just in time for the knock on the door to come early. Needless to say we were halfway to our on-ramp when my mom and I realized our freshly toasted brotchens were still on the stove (the oven wasn't on, but our bread was in fact left behind). Of course, I managed to remember the gigantic water bottle.

We made it to Frankfurt in amazing time, giving us a whole extra hour to get through security and to our gate. Now, German security is much different from American security now. The Germans do not have the new machines where it goes whoosh and they either have to pat down the masses that show up on your body or you're free to go. Oh no. Not at all. The Germans have a metal detector and agents carrying wands. My mom and Oma beeped and had to be wanded and patted down and it was just uncomfortable to watch; I can't imagine how it was for them. To my great surprise, I didn't beep at all and was waved through to collect my carry-on bags. This was, of course, after having gone through

1. Bag drop with Delta where we were asked security questions
2. Boarding Pass Control
3. Passport Control

And then, after we were through main security, we had to go through another checkpoint at our gate. We had to show our boarding passes and passports again. It was strange because the gates are all cut off from the main area where you can buy things to eat and drink and souvenirs. To get out and back in (even just to take a bathroom break) you had to show your boarding pass and passport. Serious business I say.

By the time we got to our gate, we only had to wait about a half an hour for boarding to begin. We waited and waited and finally were in our seats with our bags stowed in the appropriate places. We were among the first in our zone to board, so obviously we had to wait a while before we pushed back. However, I did not realize that we were actually delayed by about four minutes thanks to a few passengers being late to the gate. I don't fault them however, because of the fact that I watched so many people get pulled away for further searching at security.

This flight took 10 hours(ish). Again it's weird trying to keep track of time when there's so little to do. I watched three and a half movies and that still only got me to where we were four hours out. I took another hour and a half nap, then stayed awake the rest of the time listening to music. I have to say, my favorite parts of the flight were landing, and flying over Greenland. The sky was so clear over Greenland that it seemed as though you could reach out and down and touch the ice and snow covered mountains. Of course this is irrational as we were 36k feet in the air. Here's how clear the sky was: we were able to see a boat in the water on the coast from our windows.

Here's a little something that nobody except me paid attention to: we were flying due south into a 200 mph head wind. Then, we turned in the sky to the southeast and had a tailwind of 200 mph. This completely changed the arc on the map, so my mom didn't believe me when I said we flew over the Great Lakes. We were supposed to come straight(ish) down from Michigan to Ohio to Georgia. I know I'm leaving out states but those were the big ones I remember. We ended up coming over Kentucky and Tennessee before turning to the south again to get us to Georgia and start making our approach. I don't think I've ever been so happy to hear a pilot say, "We are beginning our final approach into Atlanta. Please remain seated with your seat belt fastened for the remainder of our flight". I was a happy girl.

Something interesting about our flight: we had a fantastic pilot. There was a cold front moving over Atlanta when we were making our descent and he warned us that it would be a bit bumpy. But, we only bumped around a bit between 12k and 11k feet and all was well. I was not excited to be landing because I was scared, but because I was excited to get through passport control, baggage claim, customs, and to see my dad. I missed him a lot. I told my mom on our last day in Heidelberg, "I love it here and don't really want to leave, but I miss my dad". It made my day yesterday to come through customs and out into the arrivals gate and see him there. Random: I felt like Harry Potter trying to get all of his things to Platform 9 3/4 on the trolley luggage cart because I was wheeling four suitcases and two carry-on bags. That cart did not handle short, sudden stops to say the least.

Anyway, I got the first hug from dad (hooray!) and let him take over pushing the cart, as it was hea-vy. We made our way to the car, and I must say I don't think I've ever been so happy to see my mom's car, like, ever. We got out of the airport, out of Atlanta, and into another city. Don't ask me to remember the name, because all I know is it had a barbecue restaurant and I had ribs and I was so happy for American food. We then finished our five and a half hour drive (thanks traffic, that swell of you to add an hour) and got home. My cat Bellatrix met us at the door. That was a bittersweet moment because my dog Luna passed while we were in Germany. However, I was happy to be home no matter what.

This was an awesome experience, one I want to have again one day, Of course, next time I'll be able to pitch in and help pay for an American hotel. I want to do more international travel. My passport has two stamps in it, and I want more. There's so many places I'd like to visit! I want to visit the UK for sure, and hopefully Salzburg in Austria the next time I go to Germany. So many places to see! What's more, before my current passport expires, I will have the letters MD permanently affixed to my name. It's odd to think about, but it makes me super excited. This means that I might be able to do some more traveling post grad before I have to renew this thing.

Not sure if I'm going to keep up with this blog outside of travel, but perhaps I'll talk about the adventures I have. I know I'm going to have some unrelated to travel as I prepare for high school graduation. Maybe I'll make a campus visit to my top choices to see if any of them pull ahead in the rankings behind Hopkins, but that remains to be seen. Until next time,
Cheers!

Day Eighteen: Goodbye, 2013

Well, well, well. Look what's here! The new year! Well, almost that is. I currently have about forty minutes left in 2013 and I couldn't be more excited if I tried. Well, I suppose a cup of coffee could have a bit of an effect, but I suppose it's just a bit late for all of that. Plus, I don't have a way to make any. Moving along!

We were originally going to go to the palace for fireworks, but we decided we would rather stay where it's warm and just have our own little celebration. We've got cookies, chocolate, and marzipan goodies for good luck in the new year. My personal favorites are the mushrooms, but I have a good luck piggy too.

These little guys are meant to bring luck in the new year. There is also one that the confectioneries make that is a chimney sweep on a domino, but I forgot about that one...oops. We also have these little guys, chocolate hedgehogs! 

It's a good thing I know the German word (Igel) because the chocolatier did not speak a lick of English! However, she was very patient with us. Here's a look at what it looks like when confectioneries make the little pigs. 

Truly, 2013 has been a wonderful year, and 2014 promises to hold bigger and better things. I will graduate high school, turn 18, and start college! Where I go remains to be seen, but I won't worry too much about that until letters start coming in again. Here's to a new year filled with adventure, good times, laughter, and all the good luck in the world! 

Cheers and Happy New Year!

Day Sixteen and Seventeen: Adventure Awaits You, Pt. 2

Adventure comes from all sides I say. Then sometimes you need a break from it. Day sixteen was all about rest and relaxation and a break from the adventure that kept coming. Oma went off doing things while mom and I stayed home. We had to buy provisions for Sunday, seeing as how the entire country shut down. Again. This happens every Sunday, every holiday, every time the country just decides to shut down. SO! We went off, we bought food, and we came back home. You know what happened next? We took a nap. It was glorious. Then we went to the main building for dinner and went home. We had a very empty, very welcome, day of rest.

Then the nonstop madness began again.

Day seventeen of this  journey started early, with my Oma running out of the house at around 8am (this is somewhat reasonable, considering it was 0630 when we left for Nuremberg) to make breakfast for her mom. Of course, her getting ready woke the whole place up and mom and I were awake getting ready soon after she left.

You wouldn't believe how long it took us to figure out what to do.

We spent a week going back and forth between taking a train to Worms, the bus to Speyer, and the streetcar to Heidelberg. We picked Heidelberg, as it's our favorite city and we just didn't get to spend as much time as we would have liked there. My mom and I also didn't make it up to the Schloss when we went to Heidelberg with Markus. So what did we do? We took a train up to the castle. That's right, a train. A train that was engineered specifically to carry people up the side of a mountain.

 If you think it looks like it's a long way up, you would be correct. The train wasn't so much built like train, but more of an engine-pulled elevator. It was quite interesting to say the least. It was super quick to get up there this way! A few tunnels, and we were there. We did a bit of wandering and saw some super neat stuff!

I maintain, Heidelberg is one of my favorite places in Germany. I mean, look!

 This city is beautiful! Anyway, we went around to the front of the castle that truly looks down on the city. I don't have a picture of it this time around, but if you look up form the walkway you can see golden gargoyle heads suspended at what I can only describe as disguised gutters. This may seem odd, but it served a defensive purpose. In times of distress, those who defended the Schloss used these to pour hot oil all over the hostiles. I apologize for my use of the word "hostiles", but that would be a result of my five years of translating Latin. Anyway, we made our way down the mountain and to the old bridge, just in time to see fireworks going off on either side of the castle. It was pretty cool, considering it was a bit unexpected.

We went home, had brotchens for dinner and went to sleep. Oma and I had an early morning to prep for. My New Year's Eve post will be up shortly.
Cheers!

Day Fourteen and Fifteen: Adventure Awaits You, Pt. 1

Where do I even begin to describe how amazing these past few days have been? I mean there's no way for me to possibly explain it in simple terms. But I can, however, share what I experienced and maybe you can feel the magic that I did too.

On day fourteen, 27 December, we did some essential things. The first is going off to Mannheim to a store called Poco in the industrial sector to look for curtains. Say what you will, the Germans know how to make beautiful curtains. My mom and Oma managed to find the most beautiful drapes; I hope one day when I have a home of my own I'll be able to come back to Germany if for no other reason than to get drapes for my home. After the curtain escapade, we went to Kirchheim to pay our respects to my great-grandfather, may he rest in peace.

We were originally going to go visit a family friend, but that didn't work out. Instead, we were dropped back off at our hotel and left to our own devices. We decided since the sun was shining and it wasn't bitterly cold it would be a good day to finally visit the Schloss Garten in Schwetzingen. 

It's an exceptionally large garden for the palace here, fashioned after Versailles. There are many, many, many statues (almost all of which are currently covered to protect them from the winter). There is everything from a mosque to a temple to Apollo in the gardens. 

There is also mine and my mom's favorite place, the End of the World. 

I maintain, it wasn't bitterly cold. Take note of the hoodie I'm wearing instead of my usual coat or lighter jacket. 

We wandered a bit more, but of course at 4:30 in the afternoon the gardens are closing and the sun is starting the set. Fun fact: the sun doesn't get up very high in the sky at all during the winter. I didn't realize we were so far north because of the severe lack of snow (and overwhelming abundance of rain). Little did I know, we are not at the highest elevation. We are surrounded by mountains, and the ones that enclose the little (okay not little but you get the point) valley we are in are blocking the snow at the present moment. Come January and February, this certainly won't be the case, but we won't be here then obviously. 

Anyway, the weather was getting colder and my mom and I were freezing. So,we went for hot chocolate and cake before going back to the hotel. 

The next day, we were finally ready for a real adventure. My uncle had arranged for my mom and me to go top Heidelberg, sans Oma, and go all over the place with our own chauffeur cousin. We started out bright and early (not really). Our first stop was the main street that contains many interesting little shops that sell everything from cuckoo clocks to steins to formal dresses. Of course, that's not what we were there for. We were there for a day of history, architecture, and marveling. 

We had lunch at an interesting little joint, finally having something besides pork and mushrooms in sauce; it's actually really good but it was time for a change. I suppose that because we were Americans, the waiter was of a nice enough mind and mood to put (three) ice cubes in my drink. It was fantastic finally having an ice cold Fanta, even though it was chilly outside. 

Afterwards, we went over to the old church, looked around, lit a candle for our flight home on Thursday (thoughts/prayers/etc. are much appreciated thank you), and went on down to the old bridge. We got to see the monkey statue, before going out over the river. At each of the little lookouts, couples have locked locks together, leaving them on the bridge and tossing the keys away. 

After this, we made our way back to the car (after buying a new suitcase, but that's another story for another day when I tell people I travel with that their bags are either too small or they have packed entirely too much to go away with) and went on our next adventure. 

This one was not for the faint of heart.

Nor was it for the shy. 

Or the cowardly. 

We were off to the Thingstatte. This was an amphitheatre, built by Hitler into the side of the mountain. It was on the same hill as an old monastery and a Roman temple to the god Mercury. Before we managed to happen upon the Thingstatte, we found the remains of the monastery. 

I climbed all the way to the top of that tower. One does not simply get all the way back down before getting dizzy and thinking the tight spiral staircase is never going to end. Then, we trekked up the rest of the way up the mountain to the Thingstatte. 

We went in the back way, the way the leaders would have entered way back when. Me being me of course wandered out onto the stage, then all the way up to where the people coming to listen to propaganda would have come. Needless to say, it was a long way up. 

It was raining steadily, and once I was all the way at the top the wind was ridiculously strong and I had to close the umbrella I had :( But, it was worth it. 

Our adventure continued as we drove back home in the dark and the rain (eesh) and finally got back to my Oma who had spent the day with her mom and brother. We went to the main building for dinner, and called it a night. 

Part two of our four days of adventure to come soon. 

Cheers!