I just returned from a trip to Amsterdam and Brussels. I’m going to post some extended details about some of the stuff we did, but for now, here’s the itinerary for the Amsterdam portion of the trip. Feel free to use this as a starting point for your own planning!
Jet lag
Ask any traveler what they hate most about long flights and one of the most common answers isn’t the cramped seats or the crying baby two rows back, but jet lag. If you’re flying from North to South or just crossing one time zone or two, jet lag’s no big deal. But for long hauls, a bad case of jet lag can ruin the first few days of your trip. Some people can fly from Los Angeles to Spain without a hiccup in their sleep patterns, but most of us have to suffer with jet lag for at least a few days. In some cases, you’re just barely getting over jet lag when it’s time to return home! But here are a bunch of ideas, tips, and tricks that can help you avoid jet lag in the first place or recover from it faster.
Flight Facts
I recently learned a few new facts and tips about flying that I wanted to share with you guys. Some of these are things I hope I’ll never need to know, some are things that may impact my next flight.
Travel Money- Getting the most for your buck
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.