Good Deed Travel (Mexico here I come): Packing list justification

by Jamie Rhein on

Tomorrow I’m flying to San Diego on Southwest Airlines and on Sunday I’m going by bus to Mexico to build houses with more teenagers (one of them my daughter) than I’ve been around in awhile. That’s the plan anyway. I’ll fill you in on how that goes.

With Southwest Airlines’ woes of having to ground planes and cancel flights, I’m wondering about the first leg of this endeavor. Since I’m supposed to be at the airport at 6:30 AM, I’m hoping that there are no snafus. I plan to dress appropriately for my time with Southwest, and I will be very polite so, I don’t think I’ll have problems there.

Last night my daughter and I headed to the store with our packing list to pick up the items we don’t have, or don’t know where to find in our house. Questions like, “Do we need a toothbrush holders?” came up. Big trips always seem to need a toothbrush holder. This trip counts as a big trip–an occassion. For smaller trips, I use a plastic sandwich bag since I can’t seem to remember in between larger trips where I put things like toothbrush holders.

We always buy more batteries too. For this trip we need flashlights since we will be sleeping in tents and without electricity. It’s not that we don’t have batteries, but they are stray ones rolling around in drawers–maybe a half dozen. Who knows if they are any good? A big trip says, “I need a fresh pack.” Same with the band-aids. I don’t want old ones with wrinkled wrappers. A trip big trip says, “brand new.” No half-filled bottle of shampoo either. Maybe for a short trip, but not for a big one.

Big trips are occasions like a Junior prom or a wedding. If one gets married a second time, you don’t wear the first dress even though it’s perfectly good and still fits. Brand new gives a level of importance–a fresh start. The possibility that one will have a life changing experience. Since we’re building houses, I didn’t get new old clothes. I’m taking my old old old clothes, the ones with paint splatters. I have packed a new shirt that I was given as a present. Perhaps I’ll wear it on the plane tomorrow. It is not revealing.

No matter how much I travel, I overdo. If I could use one package of Wet Ones, three might work better. While building houses in Mexico, I’ll be back to my bucket bath days from the Peace Corps period of my life. Also, when traveling with a large group of teenagers, if you’re using a Wet One, you have to share. It’s an unspoken rule. Then there’s the chewing gum–another item to share. Same with cough drops with vitamin C.

Of course, I could buy any one of these items in San Diego, but it’s the control factor. I can control variables like going to the store on this side of a trip. I have a car here. Once I step on a plane, all bets are off. I’m in new territory where anything can happen.

Tonight we’re packing using our handy packing list as a guide and I’m still wondering if perhaps I shouldn’t head to the store one more time. For what? I have no idea, but when I see it, I’ll know. Then I can buy more than one–just in case.

Measles on a Plane

by Erik McLaughlin on

Passengers on a flight from San Diego to Hawaii were expecting to have a safe flight followed by, hopefully, some relaxing time in Hawaii. Instead, they were exposed to measles.

Measles is a highly contagious disease and is characterized by the famous rash that first develops on the face and head, spreading downward to the torso and arms.

The San Diego Union-Tribune reported that an 11 month old child from San Diego is under isolation at a military base until the risk of infection subsides, in 3-4 more days.

The origin of the infection believed to be from a visit to a pediatric clinic in La Jolla. San Diego County has reported 5 cases of measles, in 2008.

Travelers on the plane, as well as those at the gate, are at risk for contracting measles if not properly immunized. The MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine is commonly given to children over the age of 12 months. The 11 month old child was not able to receive the vaccine.

Any person who is believed to have been in contact with measles should visit their doctor.

Concierge’s IT List: Places for upscale tastes, but maybe cheaper

by Jamie Rhein on

There’s The New York Times list of 53 places to go in 2008 (see post), the 40 travel tips and suggestions from London’s Times (see post )and now Concierge.com has an IT List of 10 more suggestions, all with sound reasoning behind each one.

The way a destination ends up on this list is that it’s had enough people show up to increase the odds that it has some sense of what travelers like, therefore it can deliver a vacation to write home about–or it’s a place people have gone to for years, but has something new to offer. In the case of this list, it’s luxury.

When I looked over the Concierge list, it occurred to me that there are places I’d like to go on a vacation if I had A LOT of money. Any place could be spiffy.

Oman, a place I never thought of going, but now that I’ve seen what it has to offer, I think it’s an option. For one thing, everyone I know who has gone to the United Arab Emirates talks about how expensive Dubai is. Oman, from Concierge’s description, seems to be a cheaper version of a place to travel in the Middle East that can provide some Western comfort, at least when it comes to lodging. Oman, like the UAE has luxurious hotels that I’d venture to guess are less expensive because a lot of people are not heading there yet.

The history of Oman is what attracts me the most.The 14th century explorer Ibn Battuta passed through here and from what I read, even though tourism is being developed, it’s possible to get a healthy dose of traditional culture.

If you’re looking for something tropical–like Bali, but not Bali since much of Bali has loads of tourists, one suggestion is Hainan Island, China. You can stay in luxury here too, but what caught my attention was the description of mountain villages. I’m not a more than a day or two beach person, but give me an afternoon of wandering through a village and I’m happy. Since I’ve been to several places in South East Asia, this would be a choice based on a place that would be different but familiar.

Mozambique is also on the list. I love the word Mozambique. Say it. Doesn’t that sound lovely? The trendy hotels and a beach scene are part of the draw, and the political stability has helped it excel. I’m intrigued by the Portuguese influence, plus the national parks and the music. I bet the traditional architecture is also fabulous. Besides that, I’d like to see how it compares to the other African countries I’ve been to.

Although I love Tuscany, Sicily, the Concierge.com’s suggestion of where to head in Italy this year, would be the place I’d pick to go if I could pick just one. The thing I like about this choice is that there is so much variety in not such a big place. I have a tendency to want to see everything. If there’s not so much ground to cover, it feels like the vacation can be interesting and restful.

After watching the Amazing Race teams navigate Croatia, Montenegro, a country that has been compared to it in looks and feel, seems as if it would be a fabulous choice. It’s also supposed to be cheaper than Italy and Croatia.

Paris, San Diego, Ecuador, St. Lucia, Puerto Escondido and the Oaxacan Coast are also on the list.

For some more details about what Ecuador offers, check out Aaron’s post on his trip there. For St. Lucia, check out Adrienne’s series St. Lucia There & Back. She has the ins and outs about all aspects of travel here. She did it all.

As for San Diego, Erik presented a list earlier in 2007 that tells you what to see there, a good place to start. He’s a guy who lived there, so he should know.

If you head to Paris, another possibility is a houseboat stay on the Seine, as Martha did with her mother.

As for the Oaxacan Coast, my dad, who has been to Mexico several times loves this section of Mexico. If I ever go to Mexico on an extended trip, Oaxaca is where I’m heading.

10 of the 53 places to go in 2008

by Jamie Rhein on

I already mentioned Detroit as being number 40 on the list of the New York Times places to go in 2008. Sad to say, I have only been to the airport in Detroit. After posting about this city, I agree that the capital of the automobile and Motown is indeed a place to see this year.

Places to go lists such as the New York Times version can either make a person feel as depressed as hell that one can’t possibly see all of the places mentioned in one year, or fairly smug that one seen as much as one has. As for me, I’m happy I’ve been to some places, but still tipping towards the so many places, so little time and not enough money to even make a dent reality check.

1. I’ve been to Oslo, although I was young, broke and can’t remember much about it except for this Canadian guy I met who I was enamored by to the point that meeting him was far more important than any glacier I may have seen. I still have the sweater I bought.

I’ve also been to San Francisco, New York, Prague, London, San Diego, Tuscany, Vietnam, London and Munich–all on the list at various points. That’s it. I have so much more to see this year and the two places on my itinerary so far, Mexico and Williamsburg, Virginia aren’t even mentioned.

When picking from such a list, here are my suggestions for making a choice based on the places I’ve gone. I’ve linked the destination suggestions with past Gadling posts. If you click on the links, you’ll go to posts with a variety of angles.

2. For a culture different from your own, but one that is affordable and accessible to tourists, I’d head to Vietnam. I’ve been here five times and have never been disappointed. If I were you, do not stay in a top-tiered hotel, but in a family run place. Much more interesting. Sitting downstairs visiting with the family who owns it is a cultural treat.

3. Laos is on this list though, as a place more edgy than Vietnam. I’ve never been to Laos, but know people who have and they’ve also had great experiences. If you want a place not so tourist ready, this would be more of an adventure.

4. If you want to be wowed by history, art, landscape and architecture, plus a sensual delight in food, I’d pick Tuscany, although according to some reports I’ve read, it’s getting filled to the brim with tourists. Still, if you rent a car and can drive out into the countryside, that might help offset the crowds.

5. For a place where you can easily see pomp and circumstance and a sweeping sense of a country that has had a huge impact on the world, head to London. The last time I was there, we only had a day. I was traveling with my husband, my then 9 year-old daughter and 1 1/2-old son. We walked, took a double-decker bus, took the Underground and took a taxi to make tracks, but managed to have a lot of fun and see what we wanted to take in without wearing ourselves out. I remember hitting the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace, the Thames River, The Tower of London, The British Museum and Trafalgar Square.

6. For a place that evokes images of traveling on top of a wedding cake, go to Prague. It is stunningly beautiful. If you do go, take some time for Josefov, the old Jewish Quarter.

7. Munich was another place I breezed through when I didn’t have much money. The beer hall was fun, and a contrast to the other things I did. I spent some time at Olympiapark thinking about the Israeli athletes who were killed here and seeing the pool where Mark Spitz swam. I must have been woozy on beer, bratwurst and a period of life when I was eating mostly bread and cheese to make the traveling dollars stretch. My shoes were taped together with electrician’s tape. Okay, this feels depressing and not why Munich made the places to see list. If you have wonderous Munich experiences, do tell.

8. Old Town in San Diego is a shoppers heaven. I’m not much of a shopper, but I love the shops here and the history of the buildings. We visit relatives in San Diego, so we don’t hit it up as a tourist destination. One thing I would like to do is take a fishing boat ride. We’ve only fished on a pier. If you go to San Diego, don’t miss Neiderfrank’s Ice-Cream. It’s special indeed.

9. San Francisco was probably my favorite city in my across the U.S. sweep after the Peace Corps. The most memory producing activity I did was the tour of Alcatraz Island. Highly entertaining and informative. The bonus is the chance to see San Francisco from the vantage point of across the water.

10. New York City, though, is my most favorite place in the world. If you don’t take the time to walk several blocks, say from 42nd Street to the East Village, your missing out on an interesting time.

Hostelling International Christmas bike trip around San Diego

by Kelly Amabile on

Speaking of hostels, the latest Travelbytes newsletter from Hostelling International recently appeared in my inbox, with news of a unique holiday bike trip. It turns out that for over 50 years, HI has been hosting a 400-mile Christmas Bike Trip around the greater San Diego area.

So, if you’re looking for something different to do this holiday season, consider ringing in the new year after an intense six day bike trip! It would be a nice nod to the region, and a great way to support businesses that endured a tough wildfire fall. Just don’t expect to stay in many hostels along the way — alternative accommodations available for booking during the ride include inns, ranches and lodges. But riders can stay at San Diego’s Point Loma Elliott Hostel the night before the race, which runs from Dec. 26 through the 31. The registration cost for non-HI members is $350, which includes a year-long HI membership.