Post-Graduation Explorations

We arrived in London on January 18th; no delays or any other mishaps. We stayed at the White Ferry Hostel, which is about an 8 minute walk from the Victoria Coach (bus) Station. Though our flight was uneventful, neither Lex nor I managed to get much sleep. Lex, swearing he was the most tired of the two of us, insisted that he needed a nap before the evening's festivities. I, being quite tired but even more hungry, went in search for food.

One of the hostel employees directed me to a chippy just down the street, promising tasty and authentic (and budget friendly) fish & chips.  After splitting a very affordable (~3GBP) pile of chips and slice of lightly battered first that was about the length of my thigh, we headed off to the Victoria Apollo Theatre to catch our evening's entertainment.

We saw Wicked (third row stalls, oh yeah!), and I was very pleased that Lex enjoyed it as much as he did. We both grew up around/in theatre and, therefore, tend to be hard to please. ;o) He was impressed enough to want to try and catch some of the performers as they left the building, though, so I definitely consider that positive feedback.

If you haven't had the opportunity to see Wicked yet, I highly encourage you to try and catch it while it is on tour this year! The script/story of Wicked: The Musical follows the more light-hearted style of L. Frank Baum's series about Oz, not the darker writing style of Gregory MacGuire. So, even if you weren't a fan of MacGuire's style, chances are you will still love the musical. Also, seeing the set, props, and costumes are worth a mid-priced ticket and should keep you entertained for the entire show. (There are multiple costume changes in a cast of at least 20 people, and each costume is specific to the scene.)

I stumbled across this post at the Elliot.org blog about one woman's Christmas travel fiasco with American Airlines and her baggage. Apparently, not only did her luggage arrive quite late, but it was (purposefully) not mailed to the forwarding address she had left with the airline company when she reported the missing bag. To top it off, she was not compensated the checked baggage fee she demanded when she reported these errors to AA.

Elliot.org took a poll on everyone's reaction to the 'compensation' she received from AA and most readers felt that AA could have handled the situation better (AA refused to refund her bag fee on the grounds that the money was spent to send the bag back to her).  Personally, I feel that if AA is not going to refund a bag fee when they lose a customer's checked bag, they should charge more to at least be sure they can pay to send the bag all the way back to the owner, instead of insisting the owner meet them part way en-route.

 What do you think?

While enjoying my coffee this morning I ran across an interview with Guardian Budget Traveler journalist Benji Lanyado on the future of budget travel with the advent of social media. (For the full interview pop on over to Gadling.com.)

Lanyado recommends using Twitter for help finding those local hidden treasures that travelers love so much. In fact, Lanyado's confidence in using Twitter to troubleshoot his travel plans is so compelling that The Guardian now runs a front page live stream, which Lanyado has dubbed TwiTrip, when he is on the road. He also goes so far as to say that travel guidebooks are facing extinction in his October 3, 2010 article about the evolution of travel resources.

In a way, Lanyado's new coping mechanism for travel makes sense.  Social media sites like Facebook and Twitter operate in real time (whereas books are out of date as soon as they are printed) and are accessed by locals (guidebooks were historically written by travel writers and foreign correspondents).  Not to mention the enormous number of users on these sites. Therefore, there certainly is great potential to gain highly specialized and up-to-dated information AND how many people recommend. However, if you don't have a smart phone/iPad/Nook/etc, using social media platforms such as Twitter when on the go is not be possible.

 This move to Germany will be my first chance to experience travel with a means to access such media as Twitter and Foursquare. Up until now I've been a die hard fan of the Guide Book.

What form of 'guide' do you like to use when you travel?

Want to read more by Benji Lanyado? Check out his website or find him on Twitter (@benjilanyado)

This year, in light of our pending travels, I decided to create a list of 10 stocking stuffers (all under $10!) I would recommend for the savvy traveler.

1. No-Leak Toiletry Kit - Having your shampoo, conditioner, and body wash explode inside your toiletry bag due to cabin pressure changes can be very frustrating! Especially, if you were planing to live off those toiletries rather than buy large bottles on-site. Luckily, the company know world-wide for their No-Leak water bottles also makes TSA standard size bottles and containers for your toiletry needs! 3-1-1 Nalgene Travel Bottle Kit ($9.99)

2. Soap Sheets - If you are the type that would prefer to avoid carrying liquids through security (or if your TSA approved zip baggie is already full of other items you've deemed more important to your in-flight comfort) then Travelon soap sheets might be more your style. Thinly pressed sheets of Hand Soap, Shampoo, Body Wash, laundry soap, and even shaving soap come in compact, flip-top containers about the size of a pack of gum. Just add water and lather up! 50 sheets per package. ($2.75 - $7.99)
(These little packets are also great for  your day-pack; getting caught in the loo without soap is no fun!) 

3. Travel Toilet Paper - Getting caught in a public toilet without toilet paper can be one way of turning your excursions sour! Avoid getting caught in this less-than-ideal (ok, I'll take the pun - crappy) situation with a traveler-friendly toilet paper. ($0.99)  Pair it with a traveler-friendly pack of toilet seat covers, and keep your public toilet adventure clean and sanitary! ($3.50)

4. Outlet Adapter - I always pack at least one universal outlet adapter in my pack when I travel outside the USA. Universal adapters (adapters which can be used on varying outlet forms) can be more expensive than dedicated adapters (adapters which only work with a USA-standard pin design and one outlet form, like Australia), but most often never more than a few dollars. From my own experiences traveling to multiple countries that utilize different outlet designs (and even the the UK, where there are 2 forms used throughout the country!), those few dollars spent once saved me at least $100 in adapters on my last trip through Europe. The Universal World Wide Travel Charger Adapter Plug by Eforcity will allow you to 'plug in' to EU/UK/AU outlets and can receive pin designs from the same countries. Plus, it accepts plugs with grounding prongs, making this adapter good for both small and large electronics! ($3.59)

5.  Travel Security Pouch - Easily hidden pouches for emergency cash and paperwork (like a copy of your passport and credit card) are indispensable for any traveler. The come in several styles and can be worn in various location, hidden, on the body. For those who like wearing fanny-packs (sometimes called belly-bags) I would recommend the Travel Security Waist Pouch. This item can also be tied to a belt loop and worn lengthwise down the inside of a pant leg. ($8.44) For the ladies, Austin House has a security pouch which is cut to be worn inside the bra. ($6.94)

6. Laundry Kit: Washing - Laundry facilities can be expensive when traveling. If I can save a few dollars (and burn a few extra calories!) by washing my lighter/smaller clothes, such as underwear and socks, I'll happily do that to pay for a trip up the Eiffel Tower! This Lewis N. Clark Laundry Kit with Woolite comes with 8 cold wash soap packets and one large drain stopper (great for most hostel sinks or tubs!). ($10.00)

7. Laundry Kit: Drying - Dryers, particularly in Europe, can be very expensive to use. Rick Steves Travel Clothesline, weighing in at 2.2oz, stretching to 6ft,  and triple braided to negate the need for clothespins, this is the most space efficient dryer any traveler could ask for. ($9.00)

8. Travel Towel - You're probably wondering how you can get a towel into a stocking, along with all those other travel goodies. Lightload Towels travel towels are vacuum packed (and weight only .3oz!) into roughly 2in. diameter discs. Just add water and the towel will open to it's full size. These towels have been tested and reviewed in such travel and outdoor magazines as Climbing and Sailing. These towels come in many sizes including Hand Towels, Beach Towels, and Minis. Made of cellulose (not oil, like in microfiber), the Green traveler can feel good about this product, too! ($2.75 - $18.00)

9. Compression Packing Bags - These come in two forms; Vacuum and manual. I prefer manual compression bags because you can't guarantee an available vacuum in a hostel or budget hotel, but both are great investments for any traveler (and they are reusable!). I definitely recommend these for those traveling during a season change (i.e. Winter/Spring) as they will make packing your heavier clothing, like a parka, more efficient. ($7.99 - $9.86)

10. Travel Journal - Every traveler needs a way to keep a record of their experiences - my first travel journal was a Moleskine (pronounced Mol-a-skeen-a) and I can't recommend a better choice for the on-the-go traveler. These light weight, compact journals have been used by such internationally recognized artists as Ernest Hemingway, Andre Breton, and Vincent van Gogh. You can't find a better journal suited to travel! ($9.98)

If you find this useful, let me know! I might start doing these lists more often!