A Traveler's Travel Guide: Who, What, When, Where, Why - and How

By Jane Weber

Anyone, of any age with any budget, can become a smart traveler with advice from an experienced, lifelong, solo, global wanderer like Jane Weber. A Traveler’s Travel Guide offers first-hand tips on who can travel, where and when to go, how to plan and prepare, what to take and how to pack.
Sample itineraries range from the USA, Canada, Ireland, Iceland and Greenland to the Galapagos and South America. Maps and personal anecdotes enthrall would-be travelers and adventure addicts alike. Practical tips on how to stretch your travel budget are insightful. Learn about the world’s special places, easy-to-visit destinations around the planet, trips-of-a-lifetime and even how to spot and photograph wildlife on road trips.
Sprinkled with more than 100 full-color photographs taken during Weber’s journeys, this traveler’s guidebook will intrigue, inform and inspire readers of all ages, seniors and students, would-be journey seekers, solo wanderers and seasoned travelers alike. Weber’s travel adventures demonstrate how important it is to live in the moment. Take nothing but pictures and leave nothing but footprints. Go with the flow as your reading adventure unfolds. Travel, even the armchair variety, will change the way you see the world and the 7.5 billion people you must share it with.
As the ultimate global traveler, Mark Twain advised in 1869, “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness.” Weber explains the “Who, What, When, Where, Why and How” in a casual but informative style in this witty, appealing book.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Oct 6, 2017
• ISBN: 9781543915464

Book preview

Sunrise, Fernandina Beach, Florida

edited by Bob Cooper, www.bob-cooper.com

Contents

Introduction

Who, what, where, when, why, how, accommodations, cruises, tours, bus tours, factory tours, travel agents, tips

Planning

Guidebooks, tips, magazines, catalogues, package tours, travel agents, maps, thumbnails, strip maps, Appalachian Trail, Internet resources, highway maps, rest areas, Walmart, atlases, history, The Rock, Saint Pierre et Miquelon, documentaries, tours, add-ons, car rentals, Ireland tour, travel companions, cash kitty, travel insurance

Preparation

Passports, internet and in person, UK passport anecdote, London to Paris train, US passport and passport cards, lost passport anecdote, money belt, visas, entry requirements, proof of funds, onward ticket, arrival and departure fees, itinerary document, credit cards, ATMs, debit cards, travelers’ checks, cash, money exchangers

Itineraries

Toronto, family, neighboring countries, Central America, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama, consider a longer trip, NW South America, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Galápagos, Colombia

Packing List, Luggage and What to Take

Checklist, luggage, clothing, money and cards, electronics, miscellaneous items

Gear and Electronics

Rolling case, backpack, carry-on size and weight, daypack, security money belts and pouches, cameras, cell phones, digital and cloud storage, external hard drives, SD memory cards, tablets, cases, chargers, Facebook

Health, Safety and Other Issues

World Health Organization, toilets, drinking water, hand laundry, prescription medications, supplements, sun protection, hats, footwear, insect protection and diseases, head nets, bed nets, first-aid kit

Road Trips

Adirondacks, International Drivers Permit, right-hand drive cars, women drivers, circling Ireland, Hawaii by road, Pan-American highway, Carretera Interamericana, Brazil’s Rodovia Transamazonica, Brazil-Peru’s Interoceanic Highway, The World’s Most Dangerous Road in Bolivia, Western Europe road trips, Trans-Canada Highway, Klondike Highway, Dempster Highway, Iceland, Greenland, New Zealand, Australia, China

Nature and wildlife

Watching and photographing wildlife, national wildlife refuges, national forests, Corps of Engineers sites, trails, Mt. Olympus National Park, Inca road system, West Coast Trail, Milford Track, Appalachian National Trail, Trans-Canada Trail, manatees, Humpback Whales, sea turtles, Alaska Marine Highway, Kodiak, salmon runs, Bald Eagles caribou, muskox, pingos, polygons, brown bears, bison, Yellowstone National Park, Australia, birdwatching, Ramsar, Sandhill and Whooping Cranes, Birding Pals, Snow Geese, Beluga Whales, Tundra Swans, Semipalmated Sandpipers, Peregrine Falcons

Special Places

UNESCO, World Heritage Sites, Machu Picchu, Grand Canyon National Park, Everglades NP, National Park Service, Endangered Species Act, CITES, Parks Canada, cities, public transportation, hop-on-hop-off buses, walking tours, city passes, eating well, transit passes, taxis, tidal bores, striped bass, Schubenacadie River

Quotes

Suggested planning and reading

Acknowledgements

About the Author

Disclaimer

Rights

Image credits

Introduction

The journey not the arrival matters.

– T. S. Eliot

In 1869, Samuel Langhorne Clemens (1835-1910) wrote: Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. As Mark Twain, Clemens penned the line in his humorous, longstanding, bestselling travel book, The Innocents Abroad.

Who can travel? You, anyone: solo adventurers, couples, groups, students, young adults, families with kids, empty nesters, mature retirees and little old ladies like me. A trip can be as simple as driving to a beach, park or hiking trail for an outing with family and/or friends. An idyllic getaway could be a couple of friends watching the sun or moon rise or set over the sea, lake, forest or distant mountains while sipping wine. Groups of students or young backpackers may share a car, expenses and a hotel or dorm room during school break. Families may take weeks-long road trips and camp along the way. To avoid the single supplement penalty charge, solo travelers, new friends and recent former strangers can team up for bus tours or multi-port cruises on floating hotels with restaurants, activities, casinos and a big bar tab at the final port before disembarking.

What constitutes travel? There is an obvious difference in types of travel. Although I am a great-grandmother with bragging rights in 73 of the world’s 192 countries, my personal preference is still independent, solo adventures. As I get older I may soon take more organized tours. A length of time needs to be decided before any booking: a day trip; a one or two night weekend; a week to a close, easy-to-get-to destination; weeks tacked onto the start or end of an organized tour. Perhaps add an extra week in a capital or major city like London, Miami, Paris, Sidney or Victoria among a thousand other cities. Duration may be several weeks in a foreign country; a month or more touring several neighboring countries; or years on the road with a rolling small case or backpack. All travel is governed by time and money. After deciding how long you can travel and what your budget is, only then should you decide where to go and what accommodations you want on your particular trip.

Where to travel depends on time and funds available. If you have a low budget and only a few days, explore within a few hours’ drive or ride of home to a particularly interesting destination and stay in an family home, campground or small motel. Private home rooms are clean, friendly and safe and can be inexpensive. Do your own research first. Local travel agents can put you on a week’s bus tour or cruise with like-minded companions, and include air and land transport, attractions and entry fees, a local guide who speaks your language, rooms and some meals at group rates. OTAs—online travel agencies like Expedia, Kayak, Orbitz and Travelocity—are middlemen offering resort packages with flight, hotel and even car rental at affordable prices for groups, couples and families. Check multiple sites for discounts and bargains. Stop to think and reconsider before booking. Triple check everything before you buy. Be sure to erase cookies from your computer Web browser or browse anonymously. Take screenshots for a permanent record of what the site promises.

Airlines want you to skip the middleman and book directly with them but an expert travel agent can get the same or better deals, hassle-free, and make no errors. Borrow travel guides and DVDs from a library on the destination you think you would like to visit. Watch documentaries about the destination. Then browse the Internet for more information.

When to go? High season occurs during crowded holidays, in summer and when students are out of school on weeks-long vacation. Check also the dates of school vacations in the country or region of destination as these times vary largely between countries and even between counties of the same country. Rates are more expensive. Attractions are in full swing trying to part you from your money. Low season is in the coldest months of the year: January to March in the Northern Hemisphere when some attractions are closed or on shortened days and hours. But that is high season for ski resorts. High season south of the tropics is in the Northern Hemisphere’s winter. Shoulder season is the least expensive and least crowded time to travel. In either hemisphere, shoulder season is spring and autumn, when students are in class. Most attractions are still open but not in full swing, so may pay more attention to independent travelers.

Why travel? People travel for different reasons. Some go for sports: skiing, hiking, cycling, fishing, scuba diving, motorcycling, etc. Whatever your passion, there are destinations catering to it. Other vacationers go for rest and relaxation, to laze on a beach, play golf or read in a mountain cabin while taking a break from work, pressures and stress. Some tourists crave an exciting, expensive destination like a week in Las Vegas casinos, New York or London theaters, or perhaps Paris’s art galleries, Washington DC’s museums, Rome’s historic sights and architecture, or Jordan’s antiquities. Other travelers, like me, go for months to explore different countries, ecosystems, wildlife, cultures, foods and lifestyles. Your personal reasons are what customize your individual journey.

How to travel? I usually travel solo on a low budget, but sometimes with travel companions, as detailed in the following chapters. Some vacationers can afford to purchase all-inclusive travel packages, to avoid hassles. They pay to join a big company tour where all details are prearranged including round-trip flights through an airport near home, pickup at airports, superior hotel accommodations, some meals, a tour director, sightseeing, tours, activities, city guides, land transportation and intra-tour flights or coach rides. Tour participants must pay extra for optional excursions and could spend extra nights or weeks at the first and last destinations, as arranged by the tour company or a neighborhood travel agent. Because the big companies buy in bulk, there are some discounts and deals that can be alluring.

Accommodations are based on double occupancy, which does not necessarily mean two separate beds. Expensive single supplements are common and expensive for a small private room. Solo travelers could do better with a local travel advisor who may find a travel partner to share a twin-bed room. There should be a discount for triple occupancy where a third bed or pullout couch is in a double room. It is basically a place to sleep, so share a room and make new friends.

Places to sleep vary, depending on travel mode—tours, cruises, where you drive, bus, ride, cycle or hike—and your preferred budget. Guest accommodations at the homes of family or friends might be free of charge but be sure to contribute to chores, gas, food, sightseeing fees, etc. Tent, car or van camping may include free parking and camping, but you may have to pay at commercial facilities. Recreational vehicles, RVs, are self-contained and convenient but inefficient in fuel consumption and cannot be driven on small, narrow byways or off-road. Most city centers offer convenient and inexpensive hostels, Airbnbs and guesthouses, as well as expensive high-rise luxury hotels. Bigger places that can house busloads of tourists are often on the outskirts of town. Small motels, inns, pensions and private homes are the usual accommodations in the smallest of places. Hosts often double as local guides. More expensive bed-and-breakfast inns, small boutique inns and resort hotels offer luxurious, pampered stays. Cruise ship cabins include inside, outside and balcony cabins at different rates. A variety of kinds of places to stay are the norm for many trips. Lodging is the second biggest financial consideration after transportation. How much would you prefer to spend? And do you have the will power to keep your trip within budget?

Cruises are catered vacations at the high end of tourism. Some packages may include round-trip flights or free secure parking at the port. Most cruises are all-inclusive, with cabins, meals, entertainments and brief stops of four to 16 hours in ports along the way. A typical cruise might be seven days in each of five or six ports in different countries. Entering port at dawn and disembarking at 8 a.m., after a farewell breakfast, is not a day in my book. Cruises give vacationers expensive bragging rights. But how much can a tourist see, understand or explore in a few hours ashore, anywhere? Many passengers have wound up with thousands of dollars on their credit cards for bar tabs, port fees, mandated tips, shore excursions and mass-produced paintings. Know what is included before you sign up. Get it in writing.

Coach tours, land-based and air-conditioned with Wi-Fi, cost less than many cruise ships and give guests much more free time to dine locally; shop; and explore a country’s history, culture, museums, etc.—and to enjoy the view from the bus window with fellow passengers speaking the same language. Groups are smaller—just a busload. Guides and tour directors may be knowledgeable, but are generally overworked and paid far too little. Get familiar with the itinerary and day’s agenda before signing up. Study your guidebook ahead of time so you can make the best use of the unstructured, independent time between bus rides, sights, cities and destinations. For a smoother tour, try to keep tour guides happy. Lodging is usually mid-to-upper range in boutique hotels, bed-and-breakfasts and chain hotels, but often not in city centers where you could walk to attractions in your free time. There are few hassles on well-organized coach tours.

Factory tours of artisan workshops, factories, jewelry makers, glass cutters and gold shops are deliberately planned so tourists will buy overpriced souvenirs and the guide will get a small commission. The interesting demonstrations are well worth watching. If you take pictures of individual, low-paid craftsmen, personally give them small tips. In your free time buy the same gifts and trinkets in independent shops or a street market nearby, at lower prices. Watch out for the ‘Made in Asia’ sticker. Oh, it fell off?

Tips shared with fellow travelers may come from the simplest experiences. Anyone can become a smart traveler. I am still in the learning process. Stretch the travel budget by taking a week before and another after an organized tour. Learn to use cheap and convenient public transit. Stay in a city center Airbnb, guesthouse or hostel so you can walk everywhere. Inexpensive lodging is still safe, clean and central, typically staffed by an exceptionally helpful host or clerk who is a wealth of local information. Hosts are caring people, grateful to get your business. Let locals suggest sites, attractions and walking tours. They may even set you up with