Uncategorized

One of the world’s largest flea markets is right in my home state. The one in San Jose has more than 2,000 booths and sprawls over 40 acres… eight miles of booth-lined walkways with arts, crafts, jewelry, antiques… and junk! Lots of junk. It’s been there forever…. OK, at least since I was a kid.

The old saying tells you something about them…, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” Well, that isn’t always what you find anymore. It’s gotten a lot more commercial since I first went with my Mom and Dad, but it still … read more

I love world bazaars. Souks, suqs, markets. Call them what you will, they’re just so much fun to prowl in. By definition bazaars are shopping quarters… especially in the middle east. They were probably the precursors to our flea markets, shopping malls, and supermarkets all rolled into one. The word seems to have originated in Persia, but now you find bazaars all over the world.

You can bet I’m not talking about the somewhat new definitions like church bazaars or Christmas bazaars or anything like that… I’m talking about those great chaotic, crowded, colorful marketplaces set … read more

Funny travel problems? Well, the way we look at it, you might as well think of them as funny. When you travel, conditions can change as you’re on the road, and that may lead to changes in your itinerary. If you don’t think they’re funny when you’re working through them, hopefully you’ll be able to laugh at them after the fact.

Some of the stories we love to tell and laugh about now were on trips where we ran into problems and had to adjust our travels…. Keep your sense of humor, and sometimes they led to adventures … read more

Do you worry about what you’re going to eat when you travel? With all that foreign food on the menu, I’ve had friends that voiced concerns about that. But come on… that’s part of why you travel isn’t it? To try different foods, see the different ways they’re served.

Foreign foods are part of the adventure, but it’s not going to be an extreme adventure. No one is really going to ask you to eat bugs or body parts that you just could never swallow… at least not unless you’re REALLY an explorer or you really want to … read more

We’ve discussed health and travel before, but if you’re going to travel healthy, there are some things we can add…. and there are some things that bear repeating!

We’ve said that you should be healthy when you leave on your trip. A last minute cold aside, you don’t want to be climbing on a plane if you have the flu or some serious illness. That seems obvious, but people do it all the time. Not only will you be miserable, but you might be infecting others on the plane with you.

Most people can leave on a … read more

OK… We might as well talk about it and not mince words… diarrhea….

The trots, Delhi belly, Montezuma’s revenge, tourista… call it what you will, if you travel, you may have to put up with this one day.

Country and city names aside, you can get diarrhea anywhere. It may be the water… even if it isn’t dirty or contaminated. Water away from home contains different minerals and bacteria than your water at home… and it doesn’t matter where home is or where you travel. Americans traveling to Mexico may worry about Montezuma’s revenge, but we’ve talked to … read more

The flip side of travelers’ diarrhea is constipation. While the old scourge of “tourista” gets most of the publicity, so to speak, constipation is almost as prevalent among travelers… and for some of the same reasons. No, it probably won’t be the water, but it can be the jet lag and the diet that bind you up.

Being tired from not sleeping well on the plane, being dehydrated, the stress of travel… all of these may add to your problem. But wait, you say, I thought those caused diarrhea! Yep, they can cause both, depending … read more

When you’re traveling, you have to be ready to be a flexible traveler… even when you’ve got your itinerary planned down to the last minute. There are just times when it doesn’t work out the way you planned.

You know it… the world is changing quickly all the time. With the internet and 24 hour news, travel is changing. It’s changed a lot since we started traveling. The world and your travel plans can even change WHILE you’re traveling.

The point is, while you may have things planned out, you have to at least be … read more

Why should you identify carry-on luggage? After all, you’re carrying it with you…

Well, the first reason is because you have to. Airlines require that all luggage have proper identification. This is for carry-on bags as well as checked luggage. An easily identifiable tag of your own is the best for this.

Even though you’re going to be carrying it on, it’s always best to have a way to identify carry-on luggage to tell it apart from the luggage of other travelers…. so a name tag in a bright color or one laminated with a big picture of … read more