Selecting the perfect shore excursions – Cruise tip

by Gadling Staff on

I took the vacation of a lifetime last summer on an Alaskan cruise. Before I selected my shore excursions, I attended an informative session put on by the shore excursion staff. It was totally free to attend.

During the presentation, they showed me slides regarding the excursions and offered an excellent overview the hundred-plus shore excursions available throughout the cruise.

I was so inspired by the informative session that I went immediately to the shore excursion office to register for my excursions. I was not disappointed in a single shore excursion that I signed up for during the cruise!

Related: Purchase your excursions onboard – Cruise tip
Counterpoint: Research, and get off the beaten (excursion) path – Cruise tip

Stop to read the historical markers – Road trip tip

by Gadling Staff on

Every state has them — those roadside markers provided by the state historical society that highlights some piece of history that took place here, or some otherwise trivial piece of information about the journey through this area made by others.

Sometimes the markers explain a point of geology. Sometimes they provide insight to the name of a highway or region or valley or mountain. We’ve found the sites of shoot-outs with Bonnie & Clyde, of stage coach routes and of unbelievable natural disasters, and through each one have felt a little more in touch with the journey.

Restuarants may be closed during holidays – International travel tip

by Gadling Staff on

When traveling in Europe over major holidays, you may find the restaurants closed for dinner. Most hotels, even smaller pension-style places, will take pity on you, however, and let you use their kitchen or help you heat up food.

On a recent trip in Annecy, France, we bought delicious pre-made dishes from a gourmet traiteur (deli) and the hotel manager happily heated them for us. We set out a nice table in the hotel bar, shared a glass of champagne with another traveling couple, and the hotel staff brought us slices of Christmas cake for dessert: a wonderful Christmas dinner!

Post-It along the highway – Road trip tip

by Gadling Staff on

Memories can be preserved in many ways, and a family road trip is the perfect opportunity to capture those memories… with post-it notes!

Before leaving home, give each passenger a pad of post-its and a few colored pencils. Tell them to draw pictures or write about the things they see during the trip. They could draw a cool bird, a “Welcome to…” sign, or write about something they learned along the way. Encourage everyone to use all of their post-its.

When you return home, put the post-its into a scrapbook or make a colorful collage to display a collective memory of your family road trip.

Consider hitchhiking – International travel tip

by Gadling Staff on

On a recent trip to Ireland and London, I discovered that the best way to get to know the local people is to hitchhike. In addition to meeting some rather interesting people, it definitely beat paying for a rental car or idling away your time on a bus ride.

In many parts of the world, thumbing can be as safe as traveling on a bus or by yourself. If it’s your first time, then be sure to hitchhike with a friend as it can ease your mind, increase your security, and feel safer.

Be sure to learn the cultural norms before embarking on a hitchhike: learn whether the drivers expect to be tipped… or if they do it for karma points.