With all of the recent hullabaloo about the Brexit, I watched the exchange rate for dollars to pounds or euros slowly drop. Since I’m also starting to plan my next trip to Europe, it got me thinking about whether to buy a bunch of euros now so I’m ready for the trip and so I get a better rate than I otherwise would. I did a little digging, and I learned a few things about what and what not to do when you’re dealing with foreign currencies.
Airfare- Skiplagged
I recently wrote a post about airfares and some tricks to get a cheaper fare than what’s advertised on the airline’s sites. I’ve had a few readers reach out to me to tell me about a website called SkipLagged that I’d completely forgotten about.
Airfare- Money-saving tips and things to watch for
Most of the time, your airfare will be one of the biggest single line items in your travel budget. Getting a good deal on your airfare could make the difference between taking one trip this year or two, but the airlines certainly don’t make it easy.
WiFi and VPNs- Keeping your data safe
Most of us travel to get away from it all. Vacation offers us time to unplug from the nonstop emails and notifications, and time to relax and be less distracted by everything that constantly demands our time. Being able to leave your work phone at home for a few days can offer us mental peace that’s worth its weight in gold. But sometimes, even on vacation, you still need to get online.
Sailing in the Caribbean
With the wind at your back, the sun shining down, and all of the freedom in the world, sailing is one of the last accessible adventures left. You can take a race car driving course for a weekend, you can jump out of planes for the afternoon, or you can spend a week trekking the Himalayas with a sherpa carrying your pack, but nothing compares to the freedom of the open water.
Bomba’s Beach Shack
Years ago, on the northwest coast of Tortola, a man named Bomba had a vision. A vision of locals and tourists, gathered together under the light of the full moon, dancing and drinking, celebrating life, and getting trippy on mushroom tea. (Hey, I said the guy had visions, didn’t I?) Years later, his parties are still going strong.
Ziploc Bags- A Traveler’s Best Friend
Somewhere in your home, you have Ziploc bags. They’re probably under the kitchen sink, next to the trash bags and in front of the green and yellow kitchen sponges. Ziploc bags are handy, but it wasn’t until my recent trip that I realized that they had uses outside of the kitchen.
Dining In Reykjavik
Who would have guessed that Reykjavik would be a culinary delight? I mean, seriously; they have minimal farmland, they have to use greenhouses to grow vegetables, and they live in fear of volcanoes and earthquakes every day. But I guess all that hardship and fear has given them a lust for life that can be found in some of their food. But not in the hot dogs. I’ll get to that in a bit. Just for reference, the conversion rate when I was there was about 1,000 kroners = $8. Unsurprisingly, a lot of drinks cost 1,000 kroners. I guess they don’t like making change for drunk tourists who can’t figure out the local Monopoly money.
Iceland
I just returned from a 5 day trip to Iceland, and it was probably one of the best trips that I’ve been on. Let me first say that Iceland is not someplace that was on my bucket list. Far from it. I prefer warm climates, preferably beaches or pools with swim-up bars. Iceland is a frozen tundra of sub-freezing temperatures and fast winds that come whipping off the North Atlantic. The cold weather limits the number of trees on the island; the only native tree is some type of birch that grows to about knee-high. They’ve manually planted some pines, but they’re nowhere near the coast, so the wind comes in off of the water and smacks you in the face at full speed. Why anyone lives on this ridiculous spine-numbing island is beyond me. I know the Vikings that decided to settle in Iceland were tough, but apparently they were stupid, too. All that being said, I’m glad that someone settled here and built an airport and a nice hotel for people like me, because this was one heck of a fun trip.
Montego Bay
Ahh, Jamaica, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways. 1- You’re sunny and warm. 2- You have a swim up bar. Well, that’s good enough for me. My bags are packed. The Iberostar Rose Hall Beach resort, just outside of Montego Bay, is a wallet-friendly option for anyone who’s looking for a quick getaway during the winter. A beach view room was about $200/night for just me (I think it was about $250/night for double occupancy). That’s not a bad price, considering it’s all-inclusive. Throw in flights from DC and a shared shuttle to the property ($10 each way), and I had a 4 day/ 3 night getaway for under $1,100. Not dirt cheap, but it’s not too bad when the winter hits hard and you need to dig yourself out from under the snow. Of course, we’re having an unseasonably warm winter in DC this year, so when I left it was around 50 degrees. But who cares? I was in Jamaica, mon.