My next post has been a LONG time coming and I know better than anyone that the cause to blame is pure, potent procrastination. Lucky for me that I wrote that I’d resume my blog content in July, but kind of shameful that it took until July of 2016 not July 2015 like I’d intended! A lot has changed since then, including a little bit of disillusion while looking for my “big why” in the world and in travel. I ended my trip early, and at the end of last year moved to Arizona to work and live in a better economy, and after almost 8 months I’m pretty happy with this decision. Really just keeping it a short and sweet update for the moment but I’ll check back in when I’m feeling inspired.
Category: Travel
Guess what! Blog posts to come post trip–beginning again in July–but still active on Facebook and Instagram. Here’s why:
Hey guys! Just dropping by to let you know that I will resume posting when I make my way back to the good old USA, sometime in July or earlier. I’ve been going back and forth with whether or not this is the right thing to do as I would really like to share my stories with you on the fly. Unfortunately, without a laptop on this trip, “on the fly” doesn’t really exist! Posting via iPad and iPhone, even with a keyboard, is pretty challenging , and I’d rather spend my time living this trip to be able to post later on rather than working on lots of formatting and tech issues that I could easily resolve from a computer and high speed connection rather than tablets with iffy wifi.
Thanks for understanding and in the mean time you should still definitely check things out on my Facebook page AND hop on over to my Instagram (user name is thejetsetjulie) where I’ll be sharing photos–they will make their way over to my Facebook as well and eventually photo albums to accompany posts on my site, but for now it’s the quickest and easiest way.
Also would love to hear your comments, feedback, and travel questions along the way. Thanks again, and until July please enjoy the bite-size snacks of my travels!
Jetset Julie and the Hostel from Hell
It was a hot and sweaty morning… I had just been woken up sledgehammers dancing in my dreams. I had no idea what time it was, only I expected it was still fairly early because it was so dark in my room.
I almost couldn’t believe it when it was in fact already 8:30 in the morning, and I would have gone back to bed despite the Drum & Bass Parade outside but my body insisted otherwise. So dark… and then I realized… I didn’t have a window. Funny, I didn’t even notice it after a long day of travel. Do they make things like that anymore? Does anybody live in a “modern” apartment in a city and NOT have a window in a bedroom…? BOOM… clap… clang clang clang… at least if there were a regular rhythm maybe I could ignore it more easily. Suddenly flashbacks of my last apartment in Cancun, Mexico, come into my head with loud crews slamming out a Mexica hat dance on the apartment tower next door, its awfully loud since they are building the same materials that were used for my apartment compex, papier mâché and straw.
Moving on, I get dressed and leave, hoping that my seedy red-light district neighborhood in Kuala Lumpur will be less sketchy in the light of day. Mercifully it is. I’ve pulled up a couple of options online, going for cheap here, and decide to walk sans backpack to scope ’em out. Within about 5 minutes of setting off in the “right” direction and every street name sounding the same to my ears (Jalan Ababasalalahamama and so forth), I do what I call “pulling an American” and just stand around looking lost. I don’t even have a map to pretend to decipher. I duck into a couple of “nicer” hotels telling them that I’m looking for and they point me in the direction of the same area I had just come from, but maybe I might consider them because this really is a nice, centrally located area or so it seems to my unfamiliar eyes.
I find a few options but they are just slightly out of what I was willing to spend. Kuala Lumpur is a huge city–I know there are is a pair of twin towers named after their oil and gas reserves, so marginally more than zero–and I may as well spend some time here. AAs far as hostels go, my first realistic option is a shoe box, with a bunk bed, in a closet, no window, a small partial length mirror on the floor…. and that’s it. The guy was very friendly and it’s all mine (privately, even) for less than $14 USD a night. But ehhh….
Option number 2, I have my own room, it’s more spacious, the walls are white and one is lavender, and I have not one but two wide windows with permanent “bamboo-like” shades. Same price. Deal. And that, dear readers, is how I found myself in Funkytown Guest Hostel… Yes, it’s a deceptive name.
Let me preface this by saying that in my former occupation, I worked in branding and quality standards for a very luxurious hotel chain and we kind of lived and died by TripAdvisor rankings, they were taken very seriously as they should be to some extent at a high level. Knowing what I knew about my hotels, I could see where some complaints were legitimate or at least plausible, and other people were just living in an extreme fantasy world or were digging for freebies. Not that I don’t personally take the reviews seriously, but this trip is more heavy handed on the element of surprise–imagine me, surprising myself every day, by being mostly clueless! It’s nice to mix things up a bit I suppose. Anyway, because I am so free on this trip, I don’t want to have a strict itinerary, since maybe some super cool change of plans comes my way and then I have to do double the work for changing future plans, if I’ve made any. I did not do my homework this time.
I just submitted a review on TripAdvisor because I think that it’s good to give constructive criticism (unless it’s given TO ME of course…) and even if the management doesn’t correct the wrongs, maybe it will be added to the STOP–WARNING–PROCEED WITH CAUTION signs which are th hotel’s legacy, dissuading any guests on the fence.
May I present to you my thoughts on this hostel/guesthouse with more of a literary flourish, eh?
The first incident was when I had them do my laundry–actually as this is the first time that I’ve done my laundry on the road, I am absolutely thrilled to not have to do it myself, and it’s a little under $2 USD for 2.2 lbs of laundry (or 1 kg, you’re welcome), so when I have 1/2 kg and it’s only $1? No handwashing of skivvies, which of course only smell like roses and summer days because I am a lady, dammit, and not hoisting them up a flagpole to dry in 80% humidity? DONE AND DONE. Now, I don’t expect them back the same day and I am going to be here for four, so for me it’s kind of a “whenever you get a chance” sort of thing.
But later on, I’m curious, and when I circle back with another guy at the front desk… it turns out they’ve given my laundry to someone else. I kick. I scream. I yell (unconvincingly). I make him care to take some action. It bothers me… but it bothers me that it doesn’t bother me more! I’m kind of just going with it so my anger is a little bit fake…? Also I may have just willingly unloaded a couple of clothing items in the last hostel since if I didn’t lighten the load of my pack I’d be returning a hunchback… But from Mexico I’ve learned that sometimes you need to scream to get shit done. I’m sorry but it happens. However, later at dinner I’m already working on what to write in my handwritten note–for the reason that I feel really bad for yelling at this guy who is genuinely apologetic. And also I don’t want to be kidnapped in my sleep. I wonder–have they beat me to the punch of selling all my used underwear to men in Japan? Can they cut me in on the deal? Could I possibly cover my trip costs by doing the same (and doubling up on the amount that I’m wearing)? When I return from dinner, the laundry has been returned. Am only slightly disappointed that it has not been embargoed to Tokyo.
The second transgression is the room itself. Now, it looked better than my other option in the windowless, bunk-bedded option that we’re gonna call Bachelor Number One, but in real estate many things are more attractive than (basic, rough-hewn) coffins. I sit down on the bed. SQUEAK. Legs on the mattress. CREAK. I crawl over the mattress on my hands and knees looking for a “safe spot” but there are none to be had, and if you were listening to me in my room, which you would by default since the walls were built with Playdough, you would assume from the sound of it that I was having way more fun than I was. I wasn’t having THAT much fun… At night, when I saw my fellow hostel mates sitting on the balcony, I decided to join them for a minute to experiment… unfortunately the makeshift bamboo shutters did little to give me any privacy, so peep shows were included. They also didn’t do much to buffer the late-night deep thoughts conversation that some French guys thought to have one evening until about 4 am. Le sigh. Room two was better–no windows but full privacy, and no squeaking bed. The hair on the sheets was a nice touch and I made my own voodoo teddy bear. I built him in the likeness of the reception guys. No, but seriously, voodoo was not the only type of superstitious business going on in that room. I recognized blood on the wall, possibly coming from a blunt attack on the last American female visitor who bitched and moaned about her laundry, either that or I was staying in Kuala Lumpur’s version of the Amityville Horror. In kahootz with the A/C unit, we tried to exorcise the demons from the room to no avail–I, instead, was sprinkled with condensation turned holy water. The power of Christ compels you (to seek alternative lodging).
The third issue that lasted for all of my days at the hostel was a POSSESSED CAT. I feel for this guy because s/he is a very skinny, scrawny, scrappy, likely malnourished and definitely unwanted third world cat. At night, she starts to yowl, and I have never heard a cat be so loud… I thought it was a baby crying. Not only did she cry, but she came into the hostel and sat on the balcony or on the adjacent roofs (ironically, the roof next to our hostel was made of corrugated tin, and in my head I laughed at the zinger of a cat on a literal hot tin roof). She continued to moan and in some cases FIGHT with other cats or animals–below, above, and right next to my room. On the last night I caved and bought her a bag of food from the convenience store, cause I’m a sucker for animals and because I thought she might shut up a bit. I know what happens when you feed a cat, thus I have a pet cat at home, but if she’s coming around anyway then it’s for a reason like someone feeding her in the past. When she ate, the screaming subsided. But seriously, here is a video of her screaming so you can see what I mean. It kind of reminds me of that creepy boy from the Grudge.
Act four, scene four, would be the non-stop tour-de-force of smoking coming from the hosts and all the guests. C’mon guys, you can’t possibly not know how bad smoking is, although I guess in theory you can hate yourself quite a bit–see “I stuck it out through four days at this hostel.”
And, last but certainly not least, there was the bombs over Baghdad moment where I wasn’t sure if they were finally coming after me, or if they were coming after someone else. After the elephants upstairs settled down around 1:30 am, a few hours before my departure from KL, somebody thought 4:00 am was a dandy time to light off a string of firecrackers for about a half hour. They weren’t right by my head though, so don’t worry about that. They were AT LEAST 20 feet away, on the street (remember the walls made out of confetti and silly string). During Chinese New Year (which it is/was), they say that fire, loud noises, and red, is meant to scare away Nian, the mythological monster that tortured Chinese villagers. Ironically, I wanted to scream loudly, light something on fire, and in short, I was absolutely seeing red. (It’s like rain… on your wedding day…)
In closing… I suppose that you get what you pay for and I suppose this should be a cautionary tale for backpackers using TripAdvisor (or any review site), I think that the backpackers tend to be a pretty resilient bunch who are shopping for the lowest prices but expect clean and functional basics. From experience in the luxury segment, I would probably say to take the reviews with a grain of salt if you’re booking a standard class of hotel and/or are traveling to an American tourist zone, and luckily there tend to be more reviews or sources you can check against accordingly as the price of the product rises, too. I feel for the two guys running the place since it’s always easier to have happy clients rather than the pissed off ones–they definitely saw that side of me on this trip–and unless they also own the place or are paid to maintain it, they aren’t totally responsible for the physical conditions of the place.
I am pleased to tell you all that I am getting a good laugh out of this, reviewing my last couple of days in KL, and I am doing so from the complete comfort, quiet, and value of a hotel in another city. I would suspend judgement on this one except I love it already.
My love affair with long haul flights
There’s not much else to do at 4 am in Singapore when your body’s own circadian rhythm is still half a world away, and since I’m a little embarrassed that my last post was over a week ago I think this is the time to get crackin’.
Alas, this is the major drawback on long haul flights, the jet lag that comes with it and in my case I’m crossing thirteen time zones. And here’s a fun fact for you: “they” say that you need one day to adjust for every hour time zone that you cross. Too lazy to verify who the “they” are in this case but just keep that in mind for whenever you’re traveling overseas or even coast to coast.
So why do I love long haul flights? Part of it as with anything is the anticipation of it all, whether you’re new at it or a seasoned vet in this type of travel, I think it’s still exciting to experience the “time travel” effect, lie starting your journey on a Monday and arriving on a Wednesday (or Thursday!) and yet maybe you’ve only been traveling for a little over 24 hours on a technicality, but that’s before you factor in the door-to-door hours of getting to and from the airport. Science. Outstanding.
I also love the airport experience itself–in the interest of keeping it short and sweet, since I could go on and on about my most favorite and least favorite airports as if they were old college buddies of mine, let me generalize here.
I love that in the airport microcosm you can see such a variety of “social classes” and international people, all in one sealed dome as it were, traveling to parts unknown. Especially when traveling solo I sometimes imagine long and elaborate back stories for everyone around me in the security line. There are older people and younger people, whole families with some teenagers who are absolutely miserable to be up and alive at 6 am (I don’t blame them at all), and the families with the mom and the five children that all seem to be under the age of two traveling with a caravan of toys while the dad is conspicuously out of the line and “getting information/a coffee/the hell away from his screaming spawn”–and I secretly pray they are not on my plane though it often backfires such that they are sitting next to or behind me. I love watching people unload everything in their bag to comply with all of the TSA rules (preferably from the vantage point of a distinct line). I look at all the men in suits and wonder whether they are just starting out or they are the CEO of their company, then I look at all the slobs in pajamas and carrying pillows from home–no offense to you slobs but you’re not fooling me, I know you’re American and I also know that the pillow you’re bringing is completely unnecessary for where you are going 😉
I love standing in front of the departure and arrivals board as I confirm my gate but also sneak a peek at all the other destinations and flights today, and I don’t think I’m the only one to do so but I always roll around the crazy idea in my head, of what if I went back and changed my ticket and just decided to fly to a different place with some different feels?
Whenever I am being dropped at the airport my eyes are usually still glued shut from sleep, so I look forward to splashing some water on my face and putting on a little makeup in case it turns out I’m seated next to my soulmate (…or just someone decently cute… More on that some other time). Whenever I do this it brings back memories of getting ready on the go when I was younger.
Overpriced though it may be, I love having breakfast or some meal at he airport, usually I’m not standing around in a food court somewhere and with the exception of the flight crew and regular travel commuters, virtually everyone in the court is inexperienced with the food chains and brands in front of them, which also makes Starbucks a doubly attractive option. But I like to pick and choose, cross the terminal and take my damn sweet time. If you’re already there and waiting an hour or so before you can even board the plane, what’s the rush?
Like Starbucks, book stores and other concession stands become more attractive too. Even with a kindle or iPad loaded with books, I have to agree with the old school people out there that the patine of a book, the smell and texture of pages, ink and binding, is a much more enjoyable reading experience, and I love looking at all the glossy covers and front pages of books and magazines on the racks. What about the increasingly popular Best Buy electronics kiosks, for those who left something at home or just want to make an impulse purchase?
We’ve spent enough time in the airport and the flight attendants start to call you by boarding groups. I have a Pavlovian response to the sound of the scanner as it beeps twice before my ticket is handed back to me, and then it’s walking through a tunnel with often clever advertising making one last effort to reach you, dear solo traveler, honeymooner, family or business man, to alert you to the myriad of global possibilities with whatever company or whichever airline you’re flying, one last fleeting moment of excitement before you’re ready to sit in your sardine can for some 14 hours.
Sardine can?! I think you mean cozy little nest. Ok so just because I have weirdly (sadly) short legs and am otherwise fairly compact, the seat size doesn’t really bother me that much. If you are, however, at least of normal height and build, I can see how you would feel cramped, to which I offer my lay mans recommendation, same as for nervous flyers–take some Benadryl and call me in the morning (or when you land, ha!)
But seriously, in this world where we are all WAY TOO CONNECTED for comfort (and even I’m struggling with it and yet trying to make a go with the whole blogging thing…), it’s kind of nice to have the option of some 100 or so movies or tv shows, flight magazines, your own entertainment and nothing more. You willingly give those 14 hours (more or less) and just go with it, knowing that you will be half a world away–half a planetary body–I’m less than one full days time. Incredible isn’t it?
And still, were missing the food. OH, THE FOOD. I will not lie to you that economy tickets will receive delicious gourmet meals, but I will tell you that, like cheating on your diet with some fast food, it feels good every once in a while to take a walk on the bad side. It’s kind of a surprise, whatever it is you’ll be eating, but it’s always hot and usually includes some kind of dessert (score). Compared to domestic flights in the US where you’re lucky if you find a rogue peanut (on the floor), it’s nice to know that at least you don’t have to worry about being hungry. Pro tip–you could always get some goodies before you fly. Calories don’t exist above 30,000 feet cruising altitude. Also, for $18 for a flight, I’m pretty happy with the meals, thank you very much.
And when all is said and done, even if you don’t sleep well on flights normally, by sheer consequence of time, at some point you will drift into a nap, maybe for an hour or two or maybe enough to span a continent or ocean, and when you do I wish you a deep sleep and pleasant dreams. You, with your head quite literally in the clouds.
Just wake me up when the beverage cart is coming through the aisle.
Traveling On a Budget: How I Scored the Cheapest One-Way Ticket, Ever
When it comes to tallying up the estimated total cost of my trip, I keep adding that into the “do later or never” pile. I wouldn’t refer to myself as “money bags”, and even if I did, I would be focusing on saving money where I can (to hold onto that nickname)! For now, let me tell you about a score that I found when I booked my flight from New York/Newark to Singapore, non-stop, one-way on United Airlines.
Since I am a frequent flyer with United, and once upon a time I accrued a lot of miles on a credit card (responsibly, of course…) I have something like 100,000 miles sitting around and gathering dust. I guess I haven’t used mileage as often as I could have in the past because, like George Clooney in “Up in the Air”, it wasn’t about redeeming mileage, it was just about amassing as much as you can.
Six weeks it became clear to me that the window for my “epic sabbatical around the world” was approaching, which wound up consisting of just five countries for now in Southeast Asia, and I realized it was time to either put up or shut up with my planning and actually purchase the air ticket(s). I went to my old standby, Kayak.com, which I use pretty much exclusively for looking up or booking airfare. I think that all travelers are a little cautious about the airline they choose, preferring to stick with a well-known brand at a higher price, than an unknown airline or one with a poor reputation (see: Malaysia Airlines…). The best price I found was in the neighborhood of $700, flying from New York/Newark to Singapore, with one stop, maybe in Frankfurt, Doha, or Tokyo–can you tell I’ve done this route a couple of times? Just to reiterate, this is for a one way ticket. I’m not sure exactly when I’ll be coming home, or even from which airport, so one way suits me for now.
Out of curiosity, I logged into United Airlines’ web site and pulled up “rewards travel”, leaving the whole month of February open for my travel. Why February, why not January or March? Some of the reasons are logical and some are complete nonsense, but for my memory and for your delight, here is my reasoning:
- I had the house to myself for the month of January (PARTY)! Actually, my idea of partying is putting the heat up to a comfortable temperature…
- I wanted to give myself enough prep time for the trip. Considering the time it took me to set up a great bank account (no foreign exchange fees!) and receive an assortment of time-specific vaccinations, this worked out pretty well. And if I waited for March, I’d be cutting my trip shorter and shorter since I need to be back at the beginning of August no matter what.
- Most importantly… I need to give myself a window to see 50 Shades before I declare an official timeout from America.
A few clicks and scrolls later, and I was looking at the pricing for my awards travel. A grand total of 40,000 points PLUS a whopping $18 USD in fees.
Now, I don’t know what the airlines would tell you, but for me I believe this to be accurate. You can consider 10,000 miles to be the equivalent of paying $100 USD out of pocket. Whether you’ve amassed those miles through flying, credit cards, or some kind of promotion. The taxes and fees can be as little as $2.00 but I’ve seen them as high as $150, and often when buying a round trip ticket you’ll see that the fees in one direction are very cheap whilst the fees in the other direction are very high, giving you an average of something like $60 to $75 in fees per flight segment.
In other words, for the same flight route I should have expected to pay a minimum of 70,000 miles plus a higher dollar amount in fees. While there are lots of secrets to shopping for tickets, including the day of the week that you purchase, a series of settings like cookies and geographic tracking in your browser(s), and lots of ways to beat the system (hint: the airlines have very sophisticated revenue models and like Vegas, the house always wins), and more. In this case, being flexible with my departure date, using mileage to my advantage, and just old-fashioned luck really worked in my favor.
My travel tips to you: enroll in frequent flyer programs whenever you can and whenever possible do your shopping in such a way that it benefits you overall and your mileage in particular, shop around on a couple of websites, be flexible, and though I got lucky six weeks out you may want to try looking further in advance. Good luck and bon voyage!
What Does the Fox Say? OR, Why I Love Japan
I could go on and on (AND ON) about how much I love Japan, and don’t worry, because I will at some later date and time, in a series of posts (that go on, and on…).
But for now, let’s consider this an appetizer that I fell over on my Facebook feed. FOXES EVERYWHERE.
You’re welcome, world.
5 Things that I’ve Missed About the USA
I know I’m leaving in 11 days, and if you’ve been following me here or through a combo of my social media sites (and if you’re not, check out that little bar to the left…!), well then you also know that I’m leaving. So I understand the eyebrow raise when I talk about things that I have missed about the USA (as in, past tense; not “will miss”).
As I’m preparing to leave, I can’t help but compare the wealth of modern conveniences and (generally high) levels of customer service and satisfaction in the USA versus Mexico, where I was living for the bulk of the last 3 years and change. In, fact I’ve been so busy over the past few days seeing, doing, running, purchasing, booking, researching, and lots of other “ing”‘s, including reflecting (and obviously excluding writing), of my good fortune in this country. Also, disclaimer here, the things that I missed are specific to leaving Mexico for the US, as I know that each country in the world has its own unique pros & cons that stack up against your own homeland, wherever that may be.
Two other reinforcing incidents inspired me to write this article, written from my perspective as an expat and not a traveler heading overseas on quick and casual jaunts (wiki link included since this phrase is not all that common in the US). Reinforcing incident number ONE: Someone in a community Facebook page near me posed the question, and I’m paraphrasing here, which Caribbean island to retire to? The second incident was this morning when, after having taken the first dose of a live oral typhoid vaccine less than 24 hours ago, I was moaning in the fetal position with stomach pains.
The first incident–that question to the world–swiftly showed me that I am, in fact, a real DEBBIE DOWNER (wa, wa, waaaaa)). Thinking that it was a serious question to the world, and trying to kick aside all the “Aruba has the best beaches”/”Yeah but St. Maarten is so much fun”/”I really like the fruit juices in the Bahamas”/”Cozumel has great snorkeling” comments, I did my duties as a good citizen and good neighbor and informed my curious
comrade that, in fact, there’s an awful lot to consider with such a move, issues with banking, health care, insurance, distance from friends and family, safety, not to mention an isolation factor that far too many people tend to shrug off.
Say hello to your new BFF! xoxo
And the second incident? The one where I looked like this…?
Sick and/or hungover. PS Do yourself a favor and don’t do a “The Ring” google image search. Just. Don’t.
I had been questioning myself for a minute as to whether or not I was dashing all the children’s dreams of tropical paradise to pieces. But after getting sick, even though it was something mild, and even though I haven’t experienced particularly inferior medical care in foreign countries, I at least like knowing that I have access to educated doctors (I hope) and that I am protected by high healthcare standards in the US and in other Western nations, so I suppose. Note: Florida does not count, people seem to get away with everything there. I knew that my soapbox speech to the group about retiring overseas, at least when it comes chasing the “tropical dream”, was realistic and an honest cautionary tale, to go into such a decision with eyes wide open, whereas “Sand. Beach. Pretty. Snorkeling.” is not looking at the whole picture.
Please don’t despair if you, too, are/were a US expat who spent any length of time in Mexico and you think my list is incomplete–well, I agree with you, and decided to restrict myself to 5 to avoid an endless rant ;). And as soon as she goes public to the world I’ll be introducing a blogging buddy who is living the struggle still, out there in the Yucatan. Without further ado, 5 things that I’ve missed about the USA (from when I lived in Mexico):
- Easy Banking. In the US, you can do drive-through banking, banking online (in English and Spanish, thank you very much), you can check your statement history in detail usually for somewhere between months ago, you can have checks issued to you in your name (so, you can pay rent or other goodies with these!), banking hours often include “late” hours, with some banks or branches open until 6 pm and with weekend hours, and lots of other goodies. Most of these transactions take place within a matter of MINUTES. I’ve seen steam come out of my mother’s ears when there’s more than a 10 minute delay. In Mexico, on the other hand, when you come in, you better bring your thickest piece of reading, because you ain’t gettin’ outta there in less than 30 minutes. Bonus points if your transaction requires two or more days returning to the bank, or an hour and a half (whichever comes last).
- Ready to eat fruits & veggies; drinkable water. For some relatively straight forward reasons (basically the drinking water table mixing with the poo water table, + E. Coli somewhere in there), you can’t, or reeeeally shouldn’t drink water unless it has been filtered, as it usually is in most of the large and international hotels throughout the country of Mexico, and fruit & vegetables needs to be cooked/boiled/sanitized in an iodine bath, especially if it’s something that can’t be peeled (e.g., strawberries, lettuce, grapes, etc.). I like being able to pick fruit in the Northeast Summer and eat it right there in the field, and to not worry as to whether or not I soaked a piece first. While I think that Mexico has a delicious variety of tropical fruits, it wasn’t always convenient to eat it. So you win some, you lose some.
- MAIL. This is something so basic, so ubiquitous in the world we live in, that surely you must think I am kidding. Surely I am not. Whereas perhaps you can receive postcards in Papua New Guinea, and boxes in Burkina Faso, good luck Sr. Chuck when it comes to mail in Mexico. I don’t really have pen pals (does anyone, nowadays?), but it would be really nice to be able to receive a care package… or even an online purchase. Your shipments are not safe whether they are entering, exiting, or even traveling within Mexico, and how do I know this? By trusting all of my Mexican friends who’ve shared with me their own horror stories about parcels and pieces disappearing forever. Furthermore, the concept of an address is a little foreign, too, and I never got the gist of identifying where I lived in at least four or more address lines – a lote (lot), manzana (block), supermanzana (???), and so on and so forth. Google Maps people, if you’re listening, please make an adjustment to your product in Mexico because even the locals don’t know how to identify or write their own address…!
- Marshalls, Target, and return policies. It’s hard to leave your favorites behind. Between these two stores, I could (probably) do without all others. I’m so NOT a mall shopper, but in Mexico the shopping options include malls (and the stores that populate them), or free-standing boutiques. For the average wages in Mexico, the price/quality value was shocking to me, and me being a pretty well-paid girl. Not only that, but I would wind up never buying anything because “return” is a foreign word (as it is in most countries that are not the US, I’ve learned). It’s not so good for MY pocket, because return policies make me feel like it’s ok to actually spend more, but I feel like I’m empowered to do so, whereas with no return policy I have to rely on my first impression alone, without being able to see a garment/electronic/piece of furniture/whatever outside of the showroom. I tried to return a shirt once to a Mexican department store, picking it out amongst other bias-cut slop designs in the department, only to later reconsider its $55 USD equivalent price tag. Three days later, I was told that I had to file a return request, that the store was not capable of dispensing cash back as a return without a 24 hour notice period, but that this was the first step in the process. I could go on about that one time, but you get the idea.
- Drivable roads and plausible parking lots. Compared to some places within the city of Cancun (and that goes double, triple for Puerto Vallarta), driving in the US has been a luxurious experience. Here highways are marked with directional information and the government takes care of things like potholes and weather conditions that effect driving (e.g., snow), whereas in Cancun and Puerto Vallarta, the roads would flood sometimes by more than a foot of water during any average storm and road signs few and far between. Parts of major highways in Cancun were free from any type of lighting for 10 mile stretches at a time. The conditions of the cars were just as bad as the highways, and it would not be uncommon to see cars with broken windows, no brakes, and no directional lighting (and if it were a taxi it’s likely that all of these features were conspicuously missing in the same car). Considering Mexico is right behind the US for obesity, the parking spots might be a little wider, too, compared to the generous 6 inches of space on each side of my car, for myself and my passenger to open our doors and exit from. God bless the spacious parking of the USA!
Yes, the water’s beautiful, but whatcha gonna do when you’ve finished swimming?
More to come soon! If you have ever lived in another country or would like to know about what it was like to live in one or if you have any particular travel Q’s, please let me know in the comments and I’d be happy to answer your question through stories! Thanks for reading.
How I Became a Leader by Accident
I wasn’t trying to stir the pot. I was just trying to get some feedback on my blog! Long story short, I was a part of a women’s local/town Facebook page – it was just a general page for talking to the other ladies, no networking. You know the kind of sites, you can’t come right out and advertise a service but if someone asks, you can fill in the blanks. I guess I toed the line a little bit—I admit it!—by mentioning to the women that I was starting up a travel blog, and since these were my sisters I was talking to, if they wanted to check out the blog and give me some honest critique and/or request for types of stories they would like me to write about, well, that would be fine with me and give me some direction.
But no! In that one moment of excited, unbridled enthusiasm, lo—the admin cameth down upon me with a vengeance, banishing me from Never Never Land, striking my hand when I reached for the forbidden fruit, casting down rain and hail (and sleet and snow)… actually she probably didn’t have a hand in the latter, I’m in New Jersey and we’re having what I will opportunistically refer to as a British summer.
I had my fingers crossed that maybe there was some mistake. Facebook went down. I suddenly didn’t remember the name of the group or how to type it. Maybe I broke the Internet (see what I did there?)! No, there was no mistake, the admin told me when I tracked her down. No, she didn’t feel bad for me. I should have known better. Make your bed and lie in it.
They were after me.
I’m vengeful. I’m also someone who has been bullied one too many times, in real life and on the Interwebz. So rather than shrug it off (I didn’t), or move on and forget about it (REALLY. REALLY. PISSED.), I decided to build my own field of dreams (if you build it they will come) and launch my own Facebook group. It would not be limited to just my town, but it would be for my whole county here in the Garden State, and I would welcome commingling of business with personal with open arms.
A few minutes later, I announced the group was live, cheerily suggesting to the women in my community that, should they want to break free of communist-style censorship, they ought to pop on over to my group’s page. I posted via another community page, one that was more open to the idea of this kind of promotion. I got trolled moments later by another self-righteous admin of the same former women’s group, trying to slam me as a violator, as a rebel, and as a hypocrite. I acknowledged her comments and moved on, trying to be the bigger person in this case. The admin of the group where I posted it in, however, saw that she was trying to pick a fight and jumped to my rescue (for which I am so very grateful!)
It turns out that there were a lot of other women that could relate to my experience and that saw value in a group like I had created. Every time I refreshed the page, another woman thanked me for creating and admitting them into the group. And within the next 36 hours of launching the group, there were over 100 members that had requested and been admitted to my group (hey, the only key requirement here is being female—sorry, fellas). And growing.
I may not be a leader if you are thinking of it in terms of a high-powered, high-paid executive, or any type of trend-setter, or anything along those lines. But in my mind I see myself as someone who has created something of use value; I’m carving out a niche in and for my community, even if it’s marginal.
After mulling over my results for a bit, here are some nuggets that I’ve learned about being a leader and/or an entrepreneur, in a handy list format:
- Be passionate. I think this is the first and most important quality in leadership. There’s no action without passion. Ideas without passion are rarely more than fleeting fancies. I was passionate about sharing my ideas and my brand while connecting with women, and to create a safe space where they could do the same. And I surely wasn’t about to be c*ckblocked for deviating the status quo, especially when I didn’t start out to break any rules.
- Be relatable and charismatic. I don’t believe these words to be exactly interchangeable. In my understanding of the words, relatable means that I can see that we are cut from the same cloth in some way and share many of the same opportunities and adversities, whereas being charismatic means that you have an infectious personality or character traits that make it hard to dislike you. Relatable = reality TV series, charisma = the golden boys and girls of Hollywood. I was relatable because I am a woman appealing to other women in my same age range and geographic location, and I am interested in personal and professional networking. I was charismatic by making sure that the women in my group feel welcome to participate in a group that acts like a democracy, not a monarchy.
- Break away from the old way of doing things; be a rebel. Don’t apologize or hide your greatness or great ideas—shout it out to the world and attract other rebels who would see your ideas and qualities for all its potential.
- Be passionate about what you stand for, but respect others. Ok, so maybe when I called the former women’s group the Third Reich that wasn’t so nice, but before I took action to make an alternative women’s group, I spoke with the admin who had given me the boot. We spoke calmly, if not a little bit detached, and I tried my best to see things from her point of view while also defending myself. But when that doesn’t work…
- Have a positive outlook and don’t be a victim. Eleanor Roosevelt said, “no one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” Sometimes it’s REALLY hard to follow through on this one all the time, but it’s a fantastic mantra. Rephrased, you only enable a bully by allowing yourself to be a victim. Then how should you avoid becoming a victim? Take the problem in front of you, find a point of view or approach you are passionate about somewhere in that issue, and repeat steps 1-5.
I have high hopes of seeing the group grow. In the worst-case scenario, it stays at its current size (129 members, last count) and it’s a useful source for the handful of members that are in it. In the best-case scenario I can get to know some of these women more personally, expand my own perspectives, and enrich my personal life.
All for taking a shot in the dark and leading by accident. I plan on doing it again and if all else fails, just remember: haters gonna hate.
Well-behaved Women…
7 things you should NOT pack for long-term travel
21 days to go and I’m already packed. I am ready to get out of here! Winter wonderland though it may be, cabin fever hits hard in less than 24 hours. Besides, although I’m making efforts to be productive (we may have a different version of what that word means), I feel like I am just trying to make the time pass more quickly.
Isn’t it magical?
To make the time pass faster I’ve been browsing through some blogs, where, shocker, I’ve come across the ubiquitous “what to pack” list filed away under travel tips. I’m gonna do you one better and tell you what NOT to pack when you’re traveling, and better yet, I’m going to talk about personal effects and equipment AND the mental baggage that you should make sure to leave at home (see what I did there?).
This is a general list and it’s going to depend on your circumstances, but since I’m a single gal traveling, you can bet that it’s going to be pertinent to at least this glorious and savvy demographic, if I do say so myself.
Let’s start with the obvious, your physical luggage. Do not bring…
- Too many clothes. We’re all guilty of this. Whether you’re going away for a short trip or a long trip, try and pare down your wardrobe so that you don’t exceed any weight limits–for the plane or for own back. Black, white and neutrals are almost always appropriate for any time of the day, with a splash of color in the form of a scarf, t-shirt or an occasional accessory. Stick with comfortable, more conservative basics that you can layer easily and mix and match. Go for comfort with shoes for the activity you’re going for. Note that this recommendation might go completely out the window if you’re packing for a long weekend trip and/or need to pack a variety of 6 inch heels for Las Vegas. Been there, done that.
- Too many electronics (and/or physical books)! We live in an age of data overload, and in my opinion gadget overload. If you’re not traveling for business, you can leave the laptop at home–actually, even if you are traveling for business, you likely can get all your e-mail and apps on your phone or a tablet. Laptops are bulky and just not that portable compared to other options that you probably already own or could access at a hotel business center, if you’re traveling for business. But aren’t you on vacation…? And unless you’re a pro photographer, you probably want to limit your recording equipment. Let’s be honest here, you’re probably just going to to use your smartphone anyway, but if you’re a klutz like me and would feel more comfortable toting a camera instead, go for a small digital camera. If you’re a bookworm, let’s not overlook the bulk of books. I’ll be the first one to agree that I prefer the patine of real book, I love the smell of the pages and the sound of the paper when you turn the pages, but for practicality, it pays to go digital and go with the least paper possible if you absolutely must bring a hard copy (travel guide, favorite novel or inspirational reading). It always depends where you’re going and what the activity is, but for long-term leisure travel, whether luxury or backpacking, a good general principle is to limit yourself in electronics to three big ticket items. Likely your phone is in the list, so you really have two more–think tablet, camera. Or camera plus big ass Bose headphones. And so on and so forth. And, don’t forget the chargers and converters if need be (whomp whomp). AND ALWAYS, ALWAYS keep your gadgets with you on your person when in transit (NOT IN CHECKED BAGGAGE!) and locked up somewhere safe when not in use.
- Going to sound silly, but leave the food at home! One of the best parts of traveling is eating EVERYTHING (mostly). I won’t forget that I made this mistake with my mother, traveling to Japan, where we wanted to save on costs by bringing some snacks with us since we were under the impression that food costs would be astronomical. We brought a bunch of Cliff bars and granola bars with us–needless to say, we were GIVING them away only a few days into our trip, and couldn’t stop eating all the goodies around us no matter how hard we tried. I’ve also met some people (hi sis!) who survived in Mexico on only Snickers bars. Her girlfriends all got sick with food poisoning on that trip so I guess there’s a lesson in there somewhere–and while you SHOULD DEFINITELY pack for a Montezuma’s Revenge or Delhi Belly moment (to all you Brits), that shouldn’t deter you from trying something new and, hopefully, delicious.
- Excessive beauty tools, accessories and grooming goods–ok so I lumped a few categories together, potato po-tah-to–if it’s not something you would wear or use on a regular basis at home, or even for a night out at home, think again before taking it with you. Bringing your own make-shift salon with you, complete with blowdryer, curling iron and curlers? If you’re going that fancy, I think you’re better off splurging for a professional than schlepping that with you and still having to do all the work! Glitzy, glamorous jewelry? If you’re going to the Oscars, I say. Enough makeup to turn you into all of those girls I envy on Instagram? Girlfriend, start embracing your natural beauty, all your goods are going to get tossed around and melty on the road anyway… but seriously bring a little for yourself. Since men only have something like 4 or 5 tools anyway (unless they are from New Jersey, of course), this doesn’t apply to them too much.
Nothing good came out of that rock around her neck.
Physical baggage, check. Now, onto your perceptions and attitudes, don’t take with you–
- Preconceived notions that you are any better than the people or the country you are visiting! Especially if you are going from a country of privilege, Westernized nation, or developed nation, whatever jargon you prefer for it, to a less privileged nation. Don’t make the assumption that the people around you are idiots, as so many
Americanspeople tend to do when they travel. Even going from one developed nation to another, you should be careful of criticizing the country you are in–you would be amazed at how patriotic you become when someone slams the politics of your country, whether you personally agree with it or not. You should treat people as you want to be treated, and it goes a long way. One precaution… - Don’t leave your wits at home! When meeting people abroad, you don’t want to be entitled, but you don’t want people to walk all over you either. If you think I’m telling you that there are people out there who want to screw you over while you’re away from home, then you’re 100% right. Especially on WOO-WOO Spring Break(!) vacations, we feel immune on foreign soil. You shouldn’t be paranoid but you should follow the same reservations as you would when at home when dealing with strangers, and if you subscribe to the Julie philosophy of travel–no sex with anyone!
And from personal experience, your caution should extend to locals as well as expats–just because someone moved out of their home country doesn’t revoke the asshole card if such is their actions and personality towards you. In fact, there is a distinct possibility they chose to emigrate BECAUSE of asshole tendencies; while the cool expats left because of their coolness. Unfortunately, there is no litmus test; there is no asshole border control, either.
You feel wonderfully free when you’re traveling, and that’s one of the beautiful truths about going away in the first place, but just don’t be stupider than you would normally be. And if you would normally be really stupid and a risk taker, just try and take it down a notch.
- Last but not least, don’t pack an aggressive agenda. I’m not against making plans, but I believe that you have to budget some time for your trip to just roll along naturally, AND for hiccups along the way–missing your ferry, train, bus, whatever. Bad weather, unexpected travel companions (good or bad!). If you go on a trip with a precise military regimen, you might be so engrossed in keeping up with your schedule that you don’t really get a chance to “soak in” your environment and you cut off your chances of being surprised–hopefully for better and not worse. You should definitely budget time for your must-see’s and must-do’s, especially if that requires coordinating a booking in advance, but leave yourself a healthy buffer to enjoy the place at an enjoyable pace.
There are travel tips innumerable from here until the end of time, but for those who are just getting started on their journey, I hope that these can help you in your trip-planning as I keep them in mind for my own trip coming up, and that this is a little nudge in the right direction for those of you who are procrastinating hesitating about your own trip!
Jetset Julie 