Insider’s Guide to Travel

This blog is by Jay K, who is originally from Thailand. She recently had the opportunity to go home for a visit. (Check out the trivia at the bottom of the blog.)

 Although I grew up in this fascinating country, I returned home with friends determined to see the country as a tourist, not as a native…elephant rides and all. Everyone knows that when you live somewhere, you never get around to seeing all the best stuff. (It’s a bit like New Yorkers’ who have never visited the Statue of Liberty.) In the next couple of weeks, I’ll share the highlights of my journey through the “Land of Smiles”.

 Day 1: My trek begins in Bangkok where I’m joined by several friends. Having never traveled to an Asian country before, let’s just say they were in for a bit of a cultural shock. We’re greeted with the ever-present aroma of fragrant-spiced delicacies wafting from the carts of street vendors. Occasional bursts of flames shoot from small grills as they prepare large steaming woks of Pad Thai, curries and skewers of satay.

This blog is by Betsy Mills...who had the misfortune of being stuck in Paris after volcanic ash grounded her plane. I should be so unlucky!

When I first heard that I would be going to Paris I thought sweet! Not just sweet but pastry sweet. You have to know that I am a girl that loves pastry. Tarte tartin? Two slices sil vous plait! Pain au chocolate? Bring it on tout suite. In my secret life (you know the one that creeps in around 2 pm most work days when my voice mail is full); I am a pastry chef, surrounded by butter, sugar and chocolate.

The fateful year was 1972 when I decided I intensely disliked road trips. This revelation was precipitated by a family vacation to visit grandparents in Florida. My twin sister and I had done everything possible to prepare ourselves for what we viewed as a prison sentence to be served in the backseat of an Olds ‘98. We had stocked up on peanuts and Archie comic books; then measured the back seat with a yard stick to draw chalk lines that divided the seat into thirds.

Recently, I found out that I’ll be going to Venice, Italy on business this July. Said business will be done with in 3 days, so I’m extending my stay to play. Once upon a time my married name was Bartolini and my travels through Italy were more authentic than I could appreciate at the time. Traveling with an Italian and spending time with his extended family exposed me to experiences that I have not been able to replicate since.

I'm in the market for a new suitcase and not because my old suitcase was damaged by the airlines or through the wear and tear of travel. I knew better than to pull out my suitcase and leave it open and unattended for my cat to get clued in that I was about to depart. Usually, I would wait until she was asleep before I pulled it out and hid it in the garage to be packed there. So at 10pm on a Sunday night, with a departure to South America the next morning...my cat's separation anxiety kicked in, and she brewed up something special, and deposited a veritable lake in my suitcase.

If you go to Nashville looking for all things country music, of course you won't be disappointed. But lovers of architecture and art, shopaholics, foodies, all of you can get your groove on in Nashville. I went there as a first timer—not quite sure what I was expecting—and what I discovered surprised me.

Whenever I take time out of the office, I'm invariably asked what my travel plans are. Being in the "Biz," it's assumed that I'm off to some exotic locale. My recent vacation was spent at home improvement stores in preparation for a much anticipated kitchen remodel. Hey, just my small contribution towards healing the economy.

Sharing my own "Rite of Passage" travel experience in my last blog triggered the touching memory of someone else's rite of passage via travel that I bore witness too. Many years ago when I was a travel counselor for AAA, a mother and son worked with one of my colleagues to book a trip around the world. That in itself is an atypical travel request. Certainly the majority of the population cannot afford such an endeavor, and those that are financially able may lack the time or inclination.

Recently, USA Today featured the ambitious sabbatical plans of Nicolas Rapp, Associated Press Writer and Art Director. Nick, 33, will depart on a year long adventure driving around the world. Details of his "year of living dangerously" can be viewed on his blog www.TransWorldExpedition.com.

Fact: Mont St-Michel is the second most visited site in France after the Eiffel Tower with 3.5 million visitors per year. Fact: You'll come to despise the accuracy of the first fact when you become one of those 3.5 million visitors that flock to the rock. Even off season, the crowds were as baah-d as this pun. Lest I be accused of whining, I'm going to share a few tips that will increase the enjoyment factor of a visit to Le Mont, but first a description, and a little history

Yesterday, I was catching up with one of my all time favorite travel industry associates, Michael. From moment one, we clicked. We like to attribute much of our belly busting, laughter filled conversations to our quirky Aquarian personalities that we can freely unleash on one another because we get it and each other. Business concluded, we moved onto the fact that he's turning 40 and I'm knocking on the door of 50. Big believers in self induced birthday presents, he shared his plans of an Infinity or Camaro filled birthday and asked what gift I was giving my self. It's Bhutan for me.

Let's pay tribute to John Muir and President Teddy Roosevelt, two conservationists and visionaries that shared a passionate reverence for nature. Muir's love of nature and desire to preserve it, spurred a campaign of letter writing that ultimately caught the attention of President Roosevelt. Inspired by the mighty Sequoias, Muir wrote, "Any fool could destroy trees, they can't run away. Unfortunately, God cannot save trees from fools, only the government can do that."

Overall, I take responsibility for my actions and shortcomings, but this is one instance that I would like to do some finger pointing and share blame with the Cinnaminson, NJ public school system.  

Its common knowledge that young children can easily become bilingual. According to Dr. Daniel Aman M.D, a top expert in neuroscience, by age one, a baby's brain resembles that of a normal young adult. By age three, a baby's brain has formed about 1,000 trillion connections, twice as many as an adult. The years of promise between three and 10 are a time of rapid social, intellectual, emotional and physical development. Because brain activity in this age group is more than twice that of adults, never again will the brain be able to master new skills as easily.

I'm sure your first reaction to the title is...so what? Or who cares? I can assure you that statement from me is symbolic of one of Frances' greatest attributes; serving food that focuses on the quality and freshness of its ingredients. 

During the 60's, I grew up in a household with 6 people and serious budget constraints. To save money, my resourceful mother sewed many of our clothes, cut our hair and served skim milk that was reconstituted from powder. I still shudder when I recall the weird bluish hue and foamy scum that resided on top of a fresh batch. To this day I won't drink a glass of milk. It has to be poured over cereal to overcome the aversion created by Carnation Powdered Milk.

My mother had a wonderful gift giving philosophy, rather than letting a calendar dictate her present purchases; she would wait until she happened across something that called your name. As the recipient, a gift from her became a serendipitous occasion, amplified because no expectations existed. Like so many things my mother did, I found this to be unique and altogether wonderful, so I adopted her philosophy and applied it to my travels. The stress of duty bound souvenir shopping no longer exists. It's very liberating.

Several years ago, I had the pleasure of revisiting Ireland, concluding my vacation with a stay at the stunning 5-star Ashford Castle Hotel in County Mayo.  Formally the Guinness family's estate, this lakeside castle is one of Ireland's most luxurious retreats.

Besotted…I was, I am and always will be…with Switzerland. My first trip abroad began in Lugano, Switzerland almost 30 years ago. My youth and lack of experience kept my appreciation at a superficial level. It was all about the chocolate, the chalets with their begonia filled window boxes and the magnificent Alps.

You may think my admission of not enjoying cruising inconsequential, but as a veteran of the travel industry; I hesitate because my comments may be misconstrued as a negative reflection of the cruise industry. Yeah, yeah cruises have the highest consumer satisfaction rating of any vacation type and I do “get” why they’re so popular. My distaste isn’t from lack of trying a plethora of ships; why I even excelled at selling them in my days as an agent. Frankly, if I were to play word association with the term cruising, the word “too” would pop into my mind…too much, too many, too big, and too artificial. Simply put they aren’t for me….or so I thought.