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Dromoland Castle, Ireland
TURNING OFF THE M18 and through the gates of estate lands in the direction of Dromoland Castle come hotel, there is uneasy feeling of ill-fitting puzzle pieces. Well-manicured rolling dark green and hardwood studded hillocks, the drive meanders through, no castle in sight. The least likely of pieces, an 18-hole golf course that snakes its way over the knolls. Golfers in their funny plaid britches and
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CDC.Gov
Check out CDC.Gov for all questions about potential health issues and suggested or required vaccinations for any country your travel plans will take you. The first time I travelled to Africa back in the nineties, I went to the local county health clinic to find out what, if anything, I needed. They brought out a large tattered book and opened it the Tanzania to see where I was going and what I needed in the way of protection. Now you have it all at your finger tips.
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Travel.State.Gov
We have used this site for a good many years now, still finding it useful, but its information must be taken with a grain of salt. This US State Department website is for world travellers and the one-stop place for passports and information on visas. What we usually find most useful are their advisories. However, the State Department has recently posted a Worldwide Travel Alert, which is, quite simply, absurd. Sure, it makes it easy for them. Now they can always say, “we warned you.” But such blanket assertions paint such a gloomy, isolationist picture that people won’t travel. Which then, by the way, harms developing economies, creating joblessness and,…
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SIM Cards, and the like
The question is always, “What’s the best way to stay in contact with friends and family back home?” The approach I take when travelling abroad is to purchase a short-term service plan through a service provider (AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobil, etc.) that allows me to text, use data and to make phone calls whenever in cell range. These plans and their service providers have agreements with many of the service providers in the country or countries in which you are travelling. I’ve found this to be a quite manageable solution, one that provides much convenience, but at a price. This approach works well in Europe and many other parts of the…
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It’s All in the Details
Know before you go is one of our primary goals. To afford to travel more often, we work hard at getting the best prices and look for deals and packages. Kathey is registered with Travel Zoo and a few other websites to keep an eye out for such deals and to know what things are going for. She receives weekly, or more often, emails with hot deals for airlines, hotels, rental cars and travel packages. Travel Zoo sends out their Top 20 travel deals every Wednesday. But, the devil is in the details. If you are looking at traveling from San Francisco to Washington DC for the spring cherry tree…
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Dr. Bronner’s Soap
Even on longer adventures a small bit of multipurpose liquid soap in a re-closeable plastic bag goes a long way. My hands-down, all-time favorite is Dr. Bronner’s Pure-Castile soap, in their 2 oz. bottle. Two ounces doesn’t sound like much, but during a recent three week thru-hike, I still had a tiny bit left over when I returned home. Dr. Bronner’s advertises on their bottle all kinds of uses for their soap. I use it to sanitize hands and showering of course and it’s great for washing clothes, but I draw the line at using it as my toothpaste, which they advise. Also, Dr. Bronner’s Pure-Castile soap comes in a wide variety of scents,…
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The Pub Scene
I’m not much for the American bar scene. Especially in the west, where I call home. The pub scene in Ireland is completely different. The pub is where friends come to meet, where community happens, where old men talk about the past and young men talk about hurling. It’s men’s night out (most nights) or lady’s night out. I once saw a group of women in Kilkenny that were headed out for a bachelorette party or some such event all dressed in short black dresses with white sashes, all with blonde Marilyn Monroe wigs. 20 or more. What a sight. What you don’t see is stupid drunks or fighting. You…
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Data Security
When it comes to the security of your data online there are only five words: Your data is not secure. That said; don’t go through life worried about it either. But, do take precautions and be aware. If you do find yourself in an Internet café on a public computer never use your personal passwords or do any kind of financial business, including purchases. Just assume there is software on that computer that is mining your information for less scrupulous types to use whenever and however they like. Realize too that avoiding the use of your passwords is hard to do and still be able to check your personal email…
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Phoning Home
When phoning internationally, the use of country codes is required. To place phone calls internationally from a mobile phone simply dial the “+” sign, followed by the country code, city code and local phone number. If you plan to use a number often, save it into your list of contacts including the “+” sign, saving time and hassle the next time. If dialing from a landline you must use the International Direct Dialing (IDD) number and the respective Country Code. Examples: Phoning to US with a mobile: +1 555 555 5555 Phoning to US with a landline: 001 555 555 5555 Phoning to Spain with a mobile: +34 555 55…
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Travel Info Recovery
An advantageous use of technology and one that also reduces the weight of your bags or backpack, is to store useful information and travel documents on the cloud, Internet based storage sites. There are various free cloud-based services on the Internet where documents, important phone numbers and addresses, even your pictures, can be stored. This method of storage allows for access almost anywhere in the world and is extremely secure. By secure I mean the data is stored under a user name and password only you should know, behind ultra high tech firewalls in redundant computer networks with reliable power supply and backup. When I’m making trip plans with other…
