Buying Gifts

"Bring me back something!" Those are the famous words that we all hear before starting out on our holiday. You're going to some exciting destination and your friends want a cool souvenir from there. The problem is: Gifts cost money, how many gifts should you buy and you only have so much room in your bag.

When I first started traveling I would bring back gifts for everybody: my family, friends, co-workers, neighbors. Very quickly I soon realized I wasn't getting that many gifts back in return! (Yes, it's better to give than receive, but everybody likes to receive every now and then!) So IF you decide to buy gifts, only buy for a select group of people. The guy at work that you barely talk to isn't going to be jealous when he sees you giving a souvenir to someone else.

So the souvenir is only a couple of dollars. But when you buy about 15 of them, that adds up quickly. This is your vacation! Don't spend all of your money on souvenirs. Set a budget on how much you want to spend on gifts. Make a list of people that you want to buy something for. 

Make sure you have enough room in your bag to carry what you purchased back home. Recently a friend of mine was bringing me something I requested back from Canada. Upon weighing his bag at the airport, he realized that the bag was overweight. What got discarded?? My gift!! Try to buy things that don't take up too much space and are not too heavy.

Buy original items, not a Starbucks mug with the name of the city. Buy something that's
traditional of the area. Buy something that you or your friend might actually use or need. Unless you have lots of room at home, don't buy a lot of junk for yourself. It will only end up collecting dust and eventually you might give or throw it away.  

Hitchhiking & Carpooling

Transportation can sometimes be one of the most expensive aspects of traveling. After paying hundreds of dollars to get there, you really don't want to pay a lot more to visit other neighboring areas. Trains and buses are known to be reasonably priced but there are still other cheap ways to get around.

 

Hitchhiking- The word alone evokes the image of someone standing next to a highway sticking their thump out with a sign indicating their destination! And yeah that's it! One of the disadvantages is that you never know if you'll be picked up and how much you'll end up walking! Once in the Bahamas in a group of 4 we tried it and ended up walking the entire way... In Romania and Bulgaria I tried it again with a friend and someone took us to our destination! 

Carpooling - In many cities and countries carpooling websites are becoming more and more popular. With the rising cost of gas, many drivers enjoy having someone to share the toll/gas expenses with. Unlike trains and planes, you don't have to reserve far in advance to find a cheap ride. Most prices are fixed and depend upon your start and destination. Once a train ticket from Paris to Lyon was going to cost me 100€. Instead, I carpooled and paid 25€!! 

 

Obviously, getting in the car with complete strangers or people you met off the Internet can pose certain risks! So be sure you ALWAYS travel safely!! With most carpooling sites, you can read reviews of the drivers to get an idea about them before choosing who you will go with. While hitchhiking, NEVER get in the car with someone shady. Alternative modes of transportation opens the door to be able to  learn more about the locals and the region while at the same time traveling on a cheap budget!! 

When to Buy Your Tickets

 Awhile ago I was planning a trip to Rio de Janeiro. For weeks I had been looking at ticket prices. Randomly one day I saw roundtrip NYC - Rio for $250. I was elated!! However, instead of buying the ticket right away, I made a mistake and waited... The following day the price went up 50 dollars... Still, like a fool, I waited. The next day, the ticket was over $600. What a difference two days make.    

We've all made that same mistake. We wait around trying to find a friend to come with us. Then we want to see if the price will drop again. Then we want to find the perfect place to stay.  Waiting around usually leads to the price going up and this time it meant that I missed out on a trip of a life time.

How can we avoid that mistake? BUY right away!! Ticket prices fluctuate.  Shopping around and talking with others gives you an idea of what average prices are. When you see a good deal, a price you're comfortable with, buy it! Don't wait around with dreams of grandeur that the price will drop. It might, but if it goes up you'll only be kicking yourself.

Don't be afraid to go alone if you can't find someone else willing to buy their ticket. Remember, this is YOUR dream vacation. Don't let others make you spend more money than what you need to. Talk about your budget with your travel partners. Tell them to be ready to buy the ticket once you find a price you're comfortable with.

 If you're going to stay with friend, give them the potential dates you might arrive and see when they're around. Having to wait for them to get back to you might mean you'll miss out on a cheap ticket.

Buy a Travel Guide Book??

We have all been to someone’s house and seen on the coffee table their collection of travel books. Some people use old travel books as a discreet way to show off all the places that they’ve visited, without having to come out and brag about it. Others use it just as a simple reminder of an amazing trip.

20 years ago you didn’t have a choice. The only way to get travel information was to buy a travel guide book. Nowadays, things have drastically changed. With the invention of the internet and smart phones, you now have all the information you want at your fingertips. So is it still really worth it to buy a travel guide book?

If you travel a lot and are looking to save money, DON’T buy the book! Go online and research everything you want to know about a place: read forums about what others did and saw, top 10 things to visit, where to eat, where to stay, nightlife, how to get around, what else is in the close proximity of the city you’re visiting and a plan B if your original ideas fall through. Once you compile everything you want to know, email it to yourself. You will now have it on your phone and your phone will now be your FREE travel book. Many smart phones also have a number of travel applications that you can download for FREE: city and subway maps, learn a new language, dictionary etc. You can also use your WIFI to get any additional information you might need while away.

However, if you only travel once a year, don't have a smart phone, want to show off to your friends that you’ve been someplace that they haven’t and the colors of the travel book match your coffee table, then buy the book!  

     

Travel Safely

Recently the travel world has been marred by reports of violence against tourists. A young mother from NY met an unfortunate death in Istanbul. A group of young men and women were brutally accosted and six of the women raped. In both of these situations, what started out as a vacation of a lifetime turned into a horrible nightmare.

Like most people do when traveling, it is always advantageous to think ahead and try to prevent from becoming a victim. Despite all the precautions you take, bad things can still come about. Hence the reason why it's so important to be as cautious as possible but not overly paranoid.

Before leaving, know where you're going! Know about what areas to steer clear of. Staying in heavily populated areas can help to serve as a protection. Don't be one of those tourists who have " Come rob me" stamped on their forehead.

Just because you're on vacation, this doesn't make you invincible. Don't think that it's OK to do drugs, vandalize property or do other stupid things that you wouldn't do at home. Partying until 3 in the morning sounds like fun, but when it's time to get back to where you're staying, choose the SAFEST way (which might not always be the cheapest, but in the long run, it could mean your life).

Like many people, I travel a lot by myself. However, being alone I try to be extremely alert to my surroundings. Let someone know where you're going, staying and what you're planning on doing. Don't let your guard down just because you're in a group either. Be alert to what the others in your group are doing and don't be pressured to go along with something that doesn't feel right.

Working Holiday

The vacation is over. All you can think is, "I wish I could stay here longer and not have to worry about going back to work." Being able to afford our dream vacation obliges us to work. What if you could find a way to survive and still stay on vacation?!              

Depending on your age and your nationality, some countries offer a working holiday visa. This will allow you to stay in a foreign country for 1-2 years. With this visa you will be able to work in the country and travel about. Find out if your parents or your grandparents were born in another country. After filling out a lot of paperwork, you should be able to get a passport and the right to work in a different country. Some hostels might also allow you to stay for free if you're willing to do a little bit of work each day.  

 

What skills do you have? Many countries are eager to employee foreigners who can teach a second language or maybe do some type of seasonal work. Part-time work as a nanny can also help you to stay in the country. Many jobs today offer the option to work from home. So what that your home happens to be 3000 miles away from the office! Talk to your boss to see if your job will let you do that. If not, check out the many freelance websites that are out there. Teaching English online, Graphic Design and translation has been a big sucess for many online workers.  

 

If all else fails, save your money. Then pick a cool and cheap place that you can go to where your money will go the farthest. While there, don't spoil yourself as you normally would while on vacation. Skipping that daily $5 Starbucks might help you to extend your stay a lot longer than you expected!

First Night in Tel Aviv

Around the middle of November 2012, with a group of friends I visited Israel. Our original goal was to visit Israel and Jordan. However, the Jordanian land border was closed due to heavy flooding and we were unable to cross it.

This was a trip we had been planning for many months and were thrilled about doing. However, this excitement quickly changed the week we were supposed to leave. Around the beginning of the week, the news reported more than normal fighting between Israel and Gaza. Rockets constantly being fired were becoming the order of the day. As the week progressed on, things only intensified and seemed to be getting worse.

As we were getting closer to our departure day, we all were getting bombarded by friends and family questioning our decision to go. We all were nervous and slightly hesitant. I called the Embassy and also a friend who lives in country. Both reassured me that it was OK and the media was over exaggerating the situation.

The day arrived for us to leave. I was still waiting for confirmation from some in the group if they were coming or not... Throwing caution in the wind, packing our zeal for adventure and preparing ourselves for whatever might happen, all 11 of us got on the plane and set off for Israel!  

Having only spent less than 6 hours in the country, it was already our first night in Tel Aviv and we were eating an amazing dinner at an awesome restaurant. A friend leans over and says to me, "Hey, those are sirens!" "No, it's just an ambulance or the police." "I don't think so..."

Then a calm falls over the entire restaurant which had previously been bubbling with energy and life. We asked the waiter if we should go to the shelter, the normal protocol when sirens start to ring out (sirens were an indication that rockets had been fired and were fast approaching).  He became unusually quiet and says "No, just sit here and don't move." .... Shortly thereafter, BOOM! followed by a shake. A couple of seconds later, a softer Boom and another shake!! (The rockets had been intercepted by the Iron Dome)

Seconds later, life was quickly back to normal like absolutely nothing happened! All of us Westerns look at each other, laugh with pure excitement and say "Welcome to Tel Aviv Baby"!!!

We go on to enjoy what turned out to be one of the best vacations of our lives!!