The Capuchin Catacombs of Sicily
Skip the haunted houses on Halloween and take a trip instead to a real life spooky destination. Smithsonian Magazine has a few suggestions for some places to visit that have a dark history, such as the Blair Witch Forest and the hotel that inspired The Shining. What spooky places have you visited?
As someone who usually gets sick when visiting less-developed countries, this article from Budget Travel on how to avoid illness peaked my interest.
It provides the usual advice, like do not drink the water, eat only fully cooked foods, and stay away from raw vegetables. But there are other suggestions as well:
Many of the article’s commenters balked at the suggestion of staying away from street food, believing that is part of the cultural travel experience and that being cautious takes the fun out of traveling. My response to that is being sick and bedridden for days (or weeks) of your vacation also takes the fun out of travel (and I’m speaking from experience!). Generally you know how strong your gastrointestinal system is so use common sense. I get sick easily, while my husband has never gotten sick while traveling, so he can try things that I would not.
One more word of advice – don’t get complacent just because you’ve been in the country for a week or so and haven’t gotten sick. It would be easy to think that since everything has been fine so far, it would be ok to try some exotic cut up fruit or forget about the ice cubes in your drink. Stay vigilant and stay healthy. And again speaking from experience, if you do get sick, cipro is valuable!
I chose not to purchase lunch from the food vendors while shopping at the outdoor markets in Buenos Aires.
Food vendor at a flea market in Buenos Aires
Most of us attended summer camp as kids, and if you’re a parent are aware of the plethora of summer camp options available for children today. But what’s available for adults? Do you miss the summer camp experience? Week long adult experiences such as the pricey rock & roll fantasy and baseball camps are well-known, but did you know that there are over 800 adults-only summer camps? There are some that are age specific, like the Senior Summer School for those aged 60+, and gender specific, such as the many camps for women only. For just about any interest or hobby you can think of, there is some type of summer program.
Like trains? Attend the Nevada Northern Railway Railroad Camp. Fancy yourself an armchair detective? Attend Forensic Science Camp and delve into blood evidence and fingerprints. Love books? There are many programs at the Rare Book School where you can learn just about anything book-related. Afraid of a zombie apocalypse? Attend Zombie Survival Camp where you’ll learn survival skills. Are you a mom that’s sending your kids off to camp? Attend your own Mom Camp where you enjoy spa treatments, scrapbooking, and yoga along with your arts & crafts and canoeing. There are camps that center around juggling, the circus, birding, camping, cooking, weight-loss, and prayer.
Would you spend your vacation at a summer camp? If so you can find something of interest here, while Next Avenue has tips for picking the right camp.
Participants enjoying Space Camp, Courtesy of the U.S. Space & Rocket Center
Saturday, September 29, 2012 is National Museum Day where select museums around the country admit you and a guest for free! You can’t just show up, however. You must get your Museum Day ticket online beforehand. This event is sponsored by Smithsonian Magazine. Go to their website to find a list of participating museums near you and to register for your free tickets.
One of the things that can make traveling tough, especially with flight delays, long layovers, and those long flights over seas, is lack of sleep. Even while wearing headphones on a plane, sleep can be elusive with all the chatter, electronic devices, light, bustle in the aisles, etc. (I once got bumped up to first class on a flight to Europe and was giddy with delight at the thought of having the extra room to actually sleep on the plane. However, it turned out that sitting across the aisle from me, was a lady with a baby. The baby cried. all. night. Bummer.)
Kawamura-Ganjavian: Ostrich Pillow
That is why when I read about a new product called the Ostrich Pillow at It’s Nice That, I thought this could be a traveler’s best friend. Described by its designers, Kawamura-Ganjavian, it is neither a pillow, nor cushion, bed or garment, but a bit of each all at the same time. It’s soothing cave-like interior shelters and isolates both your head and hands creating the perfect micro environment in which to take a warm and comfortable power nap.
However, the only way to obtain an Ostrich Pillow is to make a pledge of $75 or more at kickstarter.com by October 18. Kawamura-Ganjavian need $70,000 by this date for their project to be funded. (They have 460 backers thus far.)
Is the Ostrich Pillow something you would purchase?
Kawamura-Ganjavian: Ostrich Pillow
A fun, autumn Central Florida occurrence is Magic Kingdom’s annual Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party held on select nights from September 11 – November 2. It provides a different experience than a regular Magic Kingdom visit, and whether you hate theme parks or are a Disney fanatic, it’s a fun and different way to celebrate Halloween.
Here are some ways that MNSSHP differs from a regular Magic Kingdom visit.
– Slightly cooler temperatures! The event is held in the evening, so the Central Florida weather is a bit cooler and bearable (that’s reason enough, right?). The party’s hours run from 7pm – midnight (though you can enter the Magic Kingdom as early as 4pm).
– Candy! Trick or Treating is not just for kids! Adults, too, can get their fill of candy. You can bring your own bags or MK will provide you with one.
– Costumes! Everyone is encouraged to wear a Halloween costume, though of course you don’t have to.
– Festive atmosphere! Instead of the wait-in-lines, ride-focused experience, there is more of a relaxed, party feel.
– A unique parade! This special MNSSHP parade runs two times per evening. Try to find a spot close to Main St. at least 30 minutes prior. You will know when it’s about to begin when you see the Headless Horseman run by! Then while the parade is winding its way along its route, a mini dance party will take place where children can get up and dance, dance, dance.
The Headless Horseman’s arrival signals the beginning of the parade festivities!
– A special fireworks display!
– Less crowded and shorter lines for rides, usually! This depends, of course, on the night you attend. Halloween night will be crowded (and more expensive). The weekends are also more crowded. A week night visit is best!
MNSSHP is not included in regular MK admission; it is a separately priced event. Tickets range from $57.95 – $69.95 depending on type of ticket and night of week.
For more MNSSHP tips check out the Disney Tourist blog.
Have you ever attended Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party? What are your tips?
Even the most organized person forgets to pack something when traveling every now and then. If you’re not organized? Well, there’s an app for that. It’s called Packing Pal and is a “comprehensive list maker that will help you get organized and ready for your next trip”. Sold in the App store for $2.99, read the review by Appadvice.
Then after you’ve compiled your list, stay organized when you pack. Here a packing infographic that can help: Pack Your Luggage Right.
Related to my previous post on how to critically read consumer reviews –
Conde Nast asked Tripadvisor executives how to best utilize their site. Their advice:
– Don’t automatically pick the #1 rated hotel. Delve a bit into the reviews and pick one that suits your travel style and budget best.
– Ask questions – privately message the reviewer or post a question in the forums.
– Look at the pictures that reviewers post. The pictures you view on a company’s website are going to be fabulous; you’ll see how things actually are by looking at reviewers’ photos.
– Read the Tripadvisor travel guides.
– Connect your Tripadvisor account to your Facebook account to see reviews that your friends have written.
You can read what else the executive had to say here.
How do you use Tripadvisor? Do you follow any of these suggestions?
Travel sites driven by consumer reviews like Tripadvisor are common vacation planning tools, but users need to read these reviews with a critical eye. Buzzfeed reports that while around 2% of all online reviews are fake, 4% of Yelp’s reviews are fabricated, and for the very popular Tripadvisor, the number of phony reviews increases to 6%. Consumer advocate Clark Howard suggests not relying on just one site for advice and offers the following suggestions to help weed out scam reviews.
— Products or services that have a lot of reviews are far more trustworthy. There is safety in numbers in this case.
— Reviews that are completely one-sided — either glowingly good or glaringly bad — should be taken with a grain of salt. The best reviews examine all sides of the issue.
— Sometimes, consider the source: For example, Clark tends to dismiss hotel reviews from those who live in New York City or London, as they are so accustomed to sub-par housing, any hotel where the paint isn’t peeling off will get a great review.
For further help, there’s a new tool available to help spot fake reviews called Review Skeptic. Developed based on research from Cornell University, simply cut and paste an online review onto the site and it will tell you whether it is an authentic review or not.
Do you use online reviews when planning your vacation?
Tripadvisor.com logo
Take in a colorful view of Reykjavik on top of the Hallgrímskirkja. (Photograph by Didier Jansen, Flickr)
A little bit of travel history today: check out this 1926 film of Reykjavik, the capitol of Iceland. The population has grown by about 100,000 since then and tourists no longer have to ride in the back of a horse-drawn wagon, but you can still tour the area on the backs of Icelandic “ponies.” For comparison take a look at this blog post containing photos of the city taken just this year.