Make your life more like travel: Gadling’s 10 tips

by Jeremy Kressmann on

For many Americans, the reality of vacation days is grim. Except for those meager 14 days we hoard each year, we’re confined to an office, tied by a phone cord or stuck at home mowing the lawn. With the drudgery of daily living before us, we sometimes forget travel isn’t always about going places: it’s also about how we perceive the world.

When we travel, something imperceptible occurs in our brains. Our senses are more acute. We are more open to new experiences. We crave adventure. If we use these same traits during the other 351 days of the year, it can have a profound impact on our mood, our energy and our happiness. With that in mind, Gadling has compiled 10 simple tips to help you take a vacation from everyday life:

  • Use your senses – Ever noticed the tiny sculptures on the facade of the post office? Or really smelled the vegetables at the farmer’s market? We notice the sounds and sights and smells of traveling because we want to “take it all in” – but vacation does not have a monopoly on rich sensory experience; take a few moments as you go about your daily routine to stop and notice life around you.
  • Walk – Walking goes hand-in-hand with your senses. You notice more when you’re not behind the wheel of a car. Walking slows you down, allowing you the leisure to notice the tiny details you might miss when you whip past in a moving vehicle. You’ll even get some easy exercise.
  • Bring culture to you – experiencing a foreign culture doesn’t require a plane ticket. You can interact with faraway lands and strange languages down the block. Host a foreign exchange student. Learn a language. Watch an international sporting event that starts at 3am. Eat a delicacy you’ve never tried before.
  • Be a local tourist – there’s a monument or landmark near your hometown you’ve never visited. It’s so close by and filled with tourists, that we pay it no heed and plan to visit later. Go check out that place. You might find you enjoy it, or even learn something new about where you live.
  • Take a detour – admit it, you take the same route both to and from work. Don’t sweat it – humans are habitual by nature. But next time, take a different side street. Instead of driving to work, take your bike. Fly there by helicopter if you have one – you’ll notice landmarks, buildings and new scenery you’ve never seen before.
  • Be a reporter – the writers at Gadling may have the luxury of a travel blog at our disposal, but we don’t have a monopoly on self-publishing. Capture what goes on around you as if it was a trip – write down your thoughts on a blog, take some digital photos or make your own movie.
  • Take a risk – there’s something about the brevity of trips that forces us out of our comfort zone. Perhaps it’s because we have no time to waste – decisions we agonize over back home are made in an instant. Don’t be afraid to do the same thing when you’re not on the road, whether it’s at your job or a new flavor of ice cream.
  • Improvise – you remember how you missed that train in Italy and ended up staying up all night with new friends at the bar? Somehow everything works out, even if it’s not how you expected it. Travel teaches us to adapt to changing circumstances. That goes for life at home too – even if you didn’t get that promotion at work or your weekend plans fall apart, the unexpected can be a positive if you choose to embrace it.
  • Adopt a new persona – it’s easy to fall into familiar traps around family and friends because they expect you’ll act a certain way. That disappears when we’re far from home, where we’re free to try on new personas and act in unexpected ways. Nobody knows you, so what’s the difference? Don’t be afraid to be more self-confident at home as well. The expectations of who we should be and what we do are largely self-created. Don’t be bound by expectations!
  • Be amazed – we stare in awe at the Grand Canyon and the Great Wall because they are truly amazing sights. But all around us lie amazing stories, interesting locals and technology that would have boggled our ancestors. Go seek them out. Admire them. Just watch this video if you need convincing.

Ten things that can (and will) spoil your vacation

by Scott Carmichael on

Vacation is meant to be a fun time – a chance to get away from it all and enjoy yourself. But things happen in life that can really mess up those plans.

In this gallery, we’ve collected ten of the worst things that can happen on a trip that will really screw up your vacation.

If you are lucky, you’ll only run into one of them, but the really unlucky traveler may be thrown a combination of problems, turning a fun vacation into a horror vacation from hell.

Check out our lineup of ten things that can spoil your vacation here.

London Underground strike brings chaos

by Sean McLachlan on

Londoners found themselves walking or taking crowded buses today as a strike continued on the London Underground, popularly known as “The Tube.”

The strike started just after evening rush hour Tuesday at 6:59 pm and will last 48 hours. Not all lines have been affected, but most have been and the remaining lines are filled to capacity. For up-to-date information, check Transport for London’s website.

This is just one of numerous strikes in recent years as the Rail, Maritime and Transport Union fights a longstanding battle for better pay and job security. Both sides in the dispute point the finger of blame at the other, but London mayor Boris Johnson insists they are close to an agreement.

Extra buses have been ordered, but traffic is heavy and travelers should expect delays. BBC has written a handy guide to getting around during the strike. The best option for visitors would be to walk, which is the best way to see London anyway. Here are five areas that make for an enjoyable stroll.

Bloomsbury. Lush parks and long lines of Georgian houses make this one of the most scenic areas in London. Exhibits at the British Library and the British Museum provide interesting places to hide from England’s nasty rains.

The City. The financial heart of London includes some of its oldest buildings, as well as remains of the Roman city wall. The Museum of London makes for a good stop, as do the many pubs.

Mayfair. Lots of high-end shops and fancy homes here, as well as Hyde Park on its western boundary. Good for cafe culture, fine dining, and generally pretending you’re a millionaire.

Westminster and Trafalgar Square. The Houses of Parliament and a short walk to Trafalgar Square and the National Gallery are the big draws here, but also stop by the often-overlooked St. Martin-in-the-Fields in Trafalgar Square, a beautiful church with an inexpensive cafe in the crypt.

Islington. An up-and-coming neighborhood with lots of bars, clubs, and international restaurant. Check out Islington High St. for nightlife, and Caledonian Rd. for Ethiopian restaurants.

10 places to enjoy May flowers for free

by Jamie Rhein on

When my daughter was about five we went on a wildflower hike for Mother’s Day. The hike was free and I remember the day’s loveliness even though this was over 10 years ago. May’s flowers are one of life’s great pleasures. It’s a visual feast with the world’s locations offering their own special palate.

With this weekend being the last chance to see May flowers as in “April showers bring May flowers,” head outdoors to look for gorgeous colors and lovely scents–urban areas are included. Go for a long, leisurely walk around a neighborhood known for flower beds–or find a city garden that’s in bloom.

Here are 10 flower hotspots that I’ve enjoyed in my travels. Besides being beautiful, I’ve included them here because they are free and flowers are part of their glory. The list is in alphabetical order. Even if you don’t find as many flowers as you might have hoped depending upon your timing, none will disappoint.

  • Hoomaluhia Botanical Garden, Honolulu, Hawaii. The first time I visited Brenda’s stomping ground, I was mesmerized by its lushness. This botanical garden was designed to “make a place of peace and tranquility.” Featuring endangered and rare plants from several geographic regions of the world that have tropical environments. Stroll here to take in a wealth of diversity, but in one location.
  • Inniswood Metro Parks Garden, Westerville, Ohio. The gardens are exquisite and the children’s area is quite well done. I never tire of going here. Because it’s part of the Columbus MetroParks system it’s free including the fabulous public events that are frequenlty held.
  • Jardin du Luxembourg, Paris. To escape the bustle of the city and tourists who flock to other landmarks like the Eiffel Tower, this is a place to head. People-watching also offers pleasure.
  • Lexington Cemetery, Lexington, Kentucky. Once, my history buff cousin and I spent a few hours walking along the grounds while he pointed out the burial spots of famous Kentuckians. I also noticed the gardens and trees.
  • Munsinger/Clemens Gardens, St. Cloud, Minnesota. Last summer when we were on our great American road trip, we spent an afternoon strolling through these two adjacent garden’s delights. Each section pays tribute to certain flowers in this park that was begun in 1915, enhanced thanks to WPA money in the Depression, and added onto in the 1990s. It’s sublime and a prime example of what happens when a community works together to create something that everyone can enjoy, even those from out of town.
  • Pino Trail in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The first section is a marked nature trail where signage tells you what you’re looking at. You don’t have to hike the whole trail to enjoy the scenery. Take in the smell of juniper and pinons. Wildflowers with a desert twist are on the menu.
  • San Francisco Botanical Garden, San Francisco, California. I strolled through here years ago. Irises, one of my favorite flowers, are in bloom right now.
  • The Singapore Botanic Gardens, Singapore at the edge of Singapore’s downtown is known for its orchids. This is a gorgeous place for wandering, particularly since each section has its own nuances.
  • St. Stephens Green, Dublin, Ireland. This Victorian-style garden in the center of the city has been adding beauty since 1880. When I was here, a group of school children kept wanting to play.
  • The United States Botanic Garden, Washington, D.C. Here’s a garden where a part of it was designed to give people ideas to use at home. Pop into the conservatory for a visual and olfactory explosion. The wonderful aspect of a conservatory is that flowers bloom year round. Paul Busse’s wondrous trains, along with their showing in New York, chug here in December.

For an article that lists sublime places to hike for wildflower viewing, click here. The range is from California to Tennessee.

The Longest Way: An awesomely bearded journey

by Mike Barish on


One of my favorite things about traveling is that I don’t have to worry as much about my physical appearance. You see, I vehemently hate shaving. So, traveling allows me to go from this to this with the occasional detour here. But the video above documents the amazing transformation that German traveler Christoph Rehage underwent as he traversed over 4000km of China by foot. He originally set out to walk from Beijing back to his home in Germany, but his plans changed after several documentation issues. Still, his experience, and this video, are fantastic.

As the days pass and the kilometers add up, Christoph’s physical appearance changes dramatically. You see places and people come and go while the one constant in the video, Christoph himself, becomes barely recognizable.

Travel can transform us in many ways, and Christoph’s trip seems to have made quite an impact. You can read all about his journey at his website.

The Longest Way