Tagged With "Road Trip"
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Re: The Worst Train in the World
Thanks FlashFlyer. The thing about adventures like this is you have no idea what an adventure it'll be until it happens and you can't get out of it even if you want to. So, no guts required. Yes, Burma will certainly change, has already. Currently not enough infrastructure for those wanting to visit but if you've traveled in Asia you know the entrepreneurial spirit is alive & well and it won't be long, I suspect, before it will come to resemble other parts of the region. So, good news as...
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Re: The Worst Train in the World
If I live it won't be my last. Just prior to that one, same trip, I'd gone from Guilin to Nanning, then after lunch got on another, overnight to Hanoi. Later overnight again, Hanoi to Hoi An. Now that I think about it I realize they got progressively worse as I went along, culminating in The Worst. I hadn't thought about it until just this minute, hindsight is a wonderful thing that way. A great disappointment to me several years ago was the apparently permanent cancellation of the Hanoi to...
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Re: The Worst Train in the World
That's a real cool story, PortMoresby! I like my wheels to rubber, not steel, but what a great trip!
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Re: Finishing college. Need help planning trip to U.K,
Hi everyone! I'm back. Just arrived at my parents home for Thanksgiving. Not had a lot of time to work on this trip since I last visited TravelGumbo, but some progress to report. I have a firm ticket reservation for Manchester, returning from Paris, though a few days off the dates we talked about. But 29 days in Europe! Whooppeee!! I have a guidebook from the Library which I'm going to go through this long weekend (one by Fodors). I think this will help. Anyone know of a good pocket size...
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Re: Finishing college. Need help planning trip to U.K,
England is only as big as Florida ! I haven't seen a Guide book that sub-divides us! Wales is full of Castles, Mountains and Lakes. Tourists often divide England between the North and South. The North is often cooler and wetter than further South. But your Dollar will go twice as far up here in the North! And we're much friendlier. Have a look at places you'd like to visit. York (the old one) will keep you busy for 2 days. Train or Bus from Liverpool. Or a day or two in Europe from Liverpool...
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Re: Finishing college. Need help planning trip to U.K,
Hi guys, hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. It was good to be with my family again. Visiting and catching up with everyone took longer than I'd thought, but did do a little research into the trip and came out with this plan. Basically, with GarryRF's advice, I think I'll focus my time in the north to save money cause my budget is limited. After that I'll finish my vacation in London and Paris. I need to find places to stay but more important now just to frame the trip. The details I...
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Re: Finishing college. Need help planning trip to U.K,
Hi Everyone! Hope you had a good Christmas. I spent mine with my parents, which was nice. I've been busy planning this trip that you've helped me with and I think I'm making good progress. Largely starting to arrange places to stay and developing a list of "must see" things for myself. Using the hostels and airB&B I've been able to get decent looking and affordable places for me. I still need to find something for London and Paris, but the rest of the trip is mostly worked out. Might...
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Re: Finishing college. Need help planning trip to U.K,
Thanks for the info on Snowdonia, GarryRF. Sounds like just the place I'd like to be heading towards the end of my stay in Liverpool, to clear my head a little in nautre after all that history and culture I'll be absorbing. Trip planning is coming along fine. I think I've got most everything I squared away right now that needs doing, and need to focus on completing my last months of university and my thesis. Will post again if I have any questions before I go and will give some feedback when...
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Re: Renting an apartment in Europe
After rereading people's comments/replies, I also wanted to mention that I deal with concerns about cancellation policies by buying trip cancellation insurance. Happy Traveling!
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Re: The Worst Train in the World
Fascinating read! If I do take this train trip, and it's currently included in the plan, for our hoped for trip to Mynamar later this year, I can't say I wasn't warned. Coming from a country that shakes, rattles, and rolls pretty much every day there were two things about the earthquake that worried me. First, it was big enough to produce screams!! Second, it seems that no-one bothered to check the tracks before the train left the station. And so as I was reading I expected a derailment -...
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Re: Capital of Culture Series: Liverpool
In Europe, I have had good luck finding value accommodations at Booking.com and Europe-Stays. com. Those sites list hostels with their ratings and prices. A quick peek for June shows several promising choices for around $ 21 USD per bed per night. Unless you just want company, you might budget hotels pricing similar to the hostels. They often charge per person, not per room, which is a big help for the solo traveler. Tune Hotels will work for the London part of your trip, but they are not in...
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Re: Capital of Culture Series: Liverpool
Thanks Red Rover. My last trip I was supposed to go to Edinburgh ,but went to Liverpool instead . I guess I remembered The Tune Hotel from the untaken trip .
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Re: Where in the World is Gumbo? #15
It's Friday evening here in Texas. I'm on the first stopover of a trip to Girona, Spain. The view is truly fantastic from the top of the space needle in Seattle!
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Re: Is Pre-check or Global Entry worth it?
I dunno...most of my overseas flights have come home through Kennedy in NY or gone out that way, and the way it's been sometimes, I think at $100 for 5 years, I'd take it. I'd probably even take it as a $50 per round-trip deal. When you get off the plane, you want to go home, not wait hours in a line...
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Re: Minneapolis in the winter
Hi Theodore! I am a Mall of America fan. You can easily spend an entire weekend (or many evenings) at the Mall of America. First of all, the mall is very easy to get to by train from downtown (CICAK did a wonderful job explaining that), and fares are quite cheap (fares go for about $1.75 to $2.25 one way depending on what time of day you ride). As CICAK also mentioned, there is something for everybody at the mall. If you just want to find a warm dry place to walk and people watch, I believe...
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Re: East Coast TGiving Travelers May Need a 'Plan B'
That is all part of Thanksgiving. Bad weather and lots of delays for Thanksgiving Eve are a long standing holiday tradition. Somehow, the flight delays always seem to happen on the way to grandma's house on Wednesday, not on the return trip on Sunday to go back to work.
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Re: Capital of Culture Series: Liverpool
I'm ready for a visit. The Beatles history alone is worth the trip! Liverpool has a "reputation" as being a "dirty, industrial" city. I presume that was not the Liverpool you experienced, Rob?
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Re: Do you Like these Hotel Tipping Tips ?
I just don't know what to think. Does every question to a front office staff or concierge deserve a tip? How many envelopes do I need to carry for three weeks for housekeeping? If you are fortunate enough to get twice daily service do you tip both times? On my last trip because it was low season, we spoiled ourselves with a very nice hotel.... I admit more times than one desperately searching my pockets for change or (gulp) even a five Euro note... I understand that hotel staff does not make...
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Re: Doctor List for Traveling
SueZee, I'm sure there is but, as I mentioned, I just don't think you need to worry about it. As a last resort you can call the embassy if the first line of defense, hotels & pharmacies, can't help. Very unlikely. Tell your cousins only rank beginners and sick people spend time worrying that could be enjoyed planning their trip.
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Re: Doctor List for Traveling
Mac says, a good travel insurance policy is an absolute requirement - The part he left off was "for me", for him. Insurance, any kind, is playing the odds. When you buy it you're betting you'll have a disaster. When you don't you're figuring the likelihood of a dire event is low. If you take an occasional trip of short duration and can afford insurance, sure, why not. When the number & length of trips begins to mount and the budget becomes more of an issue then maybe not. It's called...
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Re: Doctor List for Traveling
As with many things travel, insurance is a matter of choice. Travel Health Insurance seems to be a lot more expensive in the US than elsewhere. Policies in the US usually include trip cancellation and medical coverage and often run 5-6% the cost of a trip. Given the amount you travel, Mac, the investment of a few hundred dollars a year seems prudent to me. But when I was 30 the thought of insurance never crossed my mind. Not once. A few years ago I did start buying trip cancellation (and...
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Re: WiFi on the way for international flights
I've been told that wi-fi over the ocean is a real technological challenge, because it requires constant re-positioning of 2 moving targets (the plane and satellite). In contrast, Wi-Fi over a continent only involves connecting one moving target with a stationary one, a simpler thing to do. Glad to hear this problem seems to be mostly solved. It would be nice to catch up on some wi-fi chores while on a long flight (although I usually manage to fill such flights watching movies or working on...
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Re: 25 Yr Old Wins $ 1M Picasso for only $ 135 US
Originally Posted by JohnT: I saw this in the paper this morning as well. Apparently there are only 10,000 tickets left... Gotta admit it's tempting...only way I'd ever own a Picasso...just wouldn't go with the rest of my decor though...clashes with "Dogs playing poker." No John, don't think it would clash with the Dog picture. Welcome back. Hope you've recovered from your jet lag and have settled into "life as usual" (ie. starting to plan your next trip).
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Re: Hi Everybody! I'm new here.
By the way, Mrs. Briggs, the question about a road trip in California is a good one. Why don't you start a separate forum page (thread) on that? One way to make it easier for people in the future to benefit from our discussions. Ted, if you have suggestions for Mrs. Briggs, keep an eye out for that and help her out.
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Re: Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart
Sounds like a great attraction Rob. I will certainly be adding this to my next Euro trip. I'm gonna have to Google it now to see more !
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Re: Is trip cancellation insurance really worth it?
My elderly mother bought it when she went on a cruise. For her, it made sense because her health is not so good. She might have had to cancel and did not want to lose her deposit. The policy that she bought was specifically for trip cancellation but did not cover health issues or other unexpected issues during the trip. That policy would have covered a deposit refund but not all of them do. There are lots of different types of trip insurance so one has to ask lots of questions. As it turns...
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Re: Hi Everybody! I'm new here.
Hi, Ted... Me and my family like to do road trips...we're planning one now from Atlanta to Denver...but we've never gone to California that way...too far. So if we wanted to fly somewhere in California and have a 10-day or so road trip with a few days stop at the end, where should we start and what should we see?
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Re: Traveling in the USA in the 1930s and 1940s
Thanks so much, DrF, for sharing these with us. I especially love the ones of San Francisco in 1940, where I can picture my teenaged father walking. And of Tucson, my own stomping grounds for many years. So many familiar places. Just fantastic.
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, March 18th, 2014: Chihuahua Man of Marsaxlokk
Island Man, just over a year ago I landed on Malta after my freighter trip from Singapore. I stayed first in Marsaxlokk for several days, at Duncan Accommodations, above the bar of the same name, which it appears Chihuahua Man is looking right at! I loved the town, especially fun on market day. Thanks for the memory.
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Re: Traveling in the USA in the 1930s and 1940s
Wow! I missed this the first time around...and while the scenics are great, it is the touching close-ups and groups of "ordinary" people that are truly outstanding; they remind me of the work of Louis Hine and Beatrice Abbott...but in color. Speaking of color...I'm also reminded of how much better early Kodachrome was at reds than at blues and greens...
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Re: Put Stuttgart on Your Travel List
Thanks Garry. Stuttgart really is a fun city.The Central Squares in Stuttgart do seem to have a lot going on. I did't get a chance to go to any Art museums there yet . Next trip!
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Re: Club de Regatas La Marina, El Tigre, Argentina
El Tigre was one of our favorite places around Buenos Aires. Cool breezes, interesting architecture (as you can see), and a great day trip from the city. And I agree about palm trees and cool old buildings. Here with a boat cruising down one of the river's many channels.
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Re: British Parents Prosecuted For Taking Vacation During School Time
I see a lot of value in parents taking the effort to take their kids on a trip . Thankfully in my case, the teachers always worked with me as a parent and were very supportive.
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Re: AAA Premier a Good Idea for Budget Travelers
I've use the towing service several times over the years, as well as their locksmith service. Excellent service always. And I actually use a ton of their travel books and maps when planning my domestic trips (USA and Canada). Yes, you can check them out but this way you can mark them up and cut out what you need. In Canada, a AAA (CAA) offers a 10% discount on a national parks pass (annual), and their travel agents can help you plan out a road trip with great advice -- all for free if you...
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Re: Grand Central Terminal, New York (Where Gumbo Was #164)
Looks like you have a great liking for the good old days of the railroad. Loved the reference to the new complex - It was picking up steam in the 80s and 90s. Fascinating slice of architecture hidden away. But better a market hall than a memory.
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Re: Birmingham's Greatest Buildings
I enjoyed Birmingham's architecture a lot, it has changed and it is still changing in a pleasant way. Unfortunately many British people are stuck to the old image of other UK cities, the same can be said for other cities such as Manchester or Leeds. They are totally underestimated because people think they still are those kind of purely industrial minor cities devoted to production but it's not like this anymore. A weekend or day trip is enough to make you change your mind
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Re: Grand Central Terminal, New York (Where Gumbo Was #164)
Love the history and old photos! Nice post!
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Re: Grand Central Terminal, New York (Where Gumbo Was #164)
And thanks to you, DrF, for suggesting it to me as a topic!
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Re: 'Dude, Where's My Car?' for real!
DrFumblefinger, I think you're looking at this all wrong. This probably was the best part of this man's trip.
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Re: The easy life at Koh Kood island, Thailand
We love Thailand and this looks like another place to put on our "must go" list for the next trip. Thanks Linn for a great review!
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Re: It's a loooong way to the tip of the wing!
Welcome home! Enjoyed your trip! I felt like I was taking a few trips at once with TG !
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Re: How to not miss a connecting flight
Another thing I've noticed is I'm sometimes forced to go through Customs while transiting, even when the airlines tell me that won't be the case. On my last trip, I transited China twice and both times had to go through customs. I almost missed a connection because of that.
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Re: Air Miles vs Low Fare Airline
The AA-BA mashup is tricky, yes, but not as devious as it may seem. Between New York and Paris, for instance, AA has only two non-stops a day; BA has a half-dozen (or more, including Open Skies). And, BA has many seats LON-PAR, so availability is greater. A similar situation exists on this side of the ocean, where BA feeds many AA domestic flights. It's sometimes possible to get around better if you don't mind one stop...we've used AA to Madrid paired with Iberia to Paris (Iberia's charges...
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Re: Airbus opens new Factory in the USA
On my frequent visits to Philadelphia from England I always fly with US Airways. Not an exciting experience - just a reliable journey with convenient times. But my last round trip was an amazing transformation. AMERICAN AIRLINES and US Airways have merged and the staff were amazing. The plane was a new Airbus 330 both times. The legroom was more than enough. I usually purchase extra legroom and this time I'm glad I didn't. The food was good and served hot. Free cans of Cola and orange etc.
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Re: July 18, 2017: Marblehead Lighthouse, Ohio
Just back from a trip that included a Lake Michigan beach near Gary...this is so much nicer!
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Re: April 15, 2018: Pittsburgh Panther
You were there on a much nicer day. I made it to the Carnegie, the Warhol and the Matress Factory. I will have a piece up about my trip soon.
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Re: Prague's Jewish Quarter: An Emotional and Educational Journey
I also visited the Old Jewish Cemetery during my first road trip to Prague shortly after the Soviets departed. I stayed with a local family in their spare room where I learned some of their customs and foods. Many of the historical sites were still not available for viewing at that time, but fortunately Marilyn provided some exquisite photos and historical context.
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Re: The Best Thing to Order is What They’ve Got
Bob ... wonderful story. Your descriptions made me feel like I was on the trip too, and made me feel more grateful for what I have in my country.
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Re: The Lure of Stonehenge
Likewise I was enthralled to be standing there. There was no line on the chilly day of my entrance. Didn't want to leave, but just stare. I was on a road trip from London up north, but I just had to make this detour and it was totally worth it.