INTL Travel - Getting Lost / When Technology Fails

It has been a while, but with travel season already having begun, I wanted to post some travel tips that I've come to realize is very important. We all pretty much rely on GPS on our mobile devices, but what happens if for some reason your mobile device battery runs out, or you loose your coordinates in a huge foreign city, or it starts getting dark and you cannot find your way? This has happened to me, and I've definitely learned my lesson. Below I will share what happened, and the steps I now take to ensure this doesn't happen again.

Buckingham Palace, England, UK

In September of 2014 I took my mom to England, as she always had wanted to see some specific locations and a castle tied to her family. The trip was great, no issues whatsoever, and as it was winding down, we decided to finish up the trip with London. Having been to London before, I knew exactly all the places I wanted to take her. One of which was, Buckingham Palace, and it was our last stop that evening.

We drove down the streets past Buckingham, and after weaving through the traffic, found a public parking lot next to a train station. I paid the parking meter for two hours, and then we took off on foot. The parking lot was practically right next to Buckingham, and I had my Google Maps marked with the car location.

Exploring was great, and as the evening went on, I noticed my phone battery started getting lower and lower. In order to save battery power, I decided to put the phone in airplane mode, and then would turn it back on in order to use GPS when needed. Within an hour of sunset, my battery was so low, I decided to close all running apps on the phone. The problem is, when you force running apps to close, depending on the app, it will remove what is stored in memory. Google Maps is one of these. I didn't realize it at first, but then I noticed that closing all apps lost the location to our rental car. From the parking lot to Buckingham it seemed very straight forward and easy to find, so I didn't take pictures of any of the street signs, or pay much attention to the exact name of the parking lot (silly I know, I was just heavily relying on technology).

Tower Bridge, London, UK

Time was against us, the parking meter time was counting down, sunset and darkness getting closer, and a phone battery which was even lower, it was time to get going. We were in Hyde Park by the time we decided that we should head back, and decided to take a shortcut towards the car on the back side of Buckingham (West). As we turned on a road towards where I expected to be somewhat close to the parking lot, the streets and buildings all started to look the same.

I saw a few storefronts and shops that I noticed on the way down to Buckingham, so I knew we were on the right path. With what remaining battery I had left on my phone, I searched for parking lots on Google Maps. In every direction there was a parking lot, and when walking to a couple of them, none of them were the correct lot.
For a split second, we stopped and were a little worried, and I thought, "We're lost..." and that's when a little bit of panic started to move in. There was not much time left remaining until it was completely dark, parking meter was about to expire, a phone which was within a couple percentages of powering off.

We stopped for a moment, pushed out thoughts which would induce panic, and took a second to relax. As I stood on a street corner, I looked every direction, and then saw something that looked like an underground railroad sign. We began walking towards the sign, turned the corner, and there it was, a street that did look familiar and train tracks that we crossed earlier. Walking just a bit further, I saw the parking lot, and we were so relieved. All worries about the phone dying, the darkness moving in, and the parking meter which expired as soon as we arrived at the car was no longer a worry. Apparently we were parked at the Victoria Train Station (I love looking up locations that I've been to on maps when going through experiences like these).

I've definitely learned my lesson. So, what do you do when you're in these situations? There are many methods, but here are some of the tips I use:

1. Download the MyCar Locator app. There are several similar to this. You can mark the spot of where your car is, subway entry, or location on the map. If you clear your memory on your phone by closing apps, it will not lose the location. It also will lead you directly back to the location you set, and I believe you can set multiple locations. You can even power off your phone if you need to save your battery and it will keep your location marked in the app.

2. Take pictures of the street signs, parking lots, or stations (train, taxi, etc.) if it is not written on your tickets. Having known that I was parked at Victoria Station, I could have easily put that into Google. When I returned to France, GPS was not working on my device in a certain location. We were searching for a Chateau out in the country. I could not get GPS to load, so the MyCar Locator app was not helpful at first. I began taking pictures of where we parked and the street names. Eventually I did get a signal, and used the MyCar Locator app to mark a location on the right road.

3. When not using your phone and you want to save battery power, put it in airplane mode. If you use an app like MyCar Locator, you can turn off your phone like I mentioned, but make sure that you test these types of scenarios first. It's better to be safe than sorry.

4. As a backup, it may be helpful to download certain apps for your phone. There are actually so many travel apps, and each of these can be useful. Make sure to research some of these before actually going on your trip. Some of them can get you skip the line and get you into attractions first, some can lead you to locations such as free parking, or public restrooms (in some countries this is a big one), and other apps such as maps, train station routes, which will enhance your trip.

5. Make sure to keep your devices charged. Buy the correct power adapters (verify that your electronics work with these different voltages--most electronics have no problem). Bring car adapters as well, and USB cables to keep your devices charging while you drive.

6. If you start to panic, try to relax. It does not help, and being able to think and focus with a clear mind will get you much further than what panicking will do for you.

INTL Travel - Airport, Jet Lag

In my last post, I talked about general "Europe Travel Tips" on a large scale here: https://changewithtravel.blogspot.com/2017/12/tips-traveling-europe.html

But wanted to break out several of those things I talked about, and write them into smaller individual posts. Mainly because, there is so much information on each one. One post cannot cover them all.

This post is about tips for the airport, flying, and jet lag. I always say, the worst part of my trips sometimes are the airports (connecting flights). Once you're past that, it's a breeze! But there's also jet lag, and jet lag can put you out for days at a time. Here's what I do...

London, England (2013)

Rule 1 - Especially when flying internationally, know your airport well. This may seem strange, but it is not, and sometimes imperative. Each airport has a website with terminal maps, and if you're not confident about the airport you're landing in, you should check out the terminal maps. Even a simple Google search for terminal maps will be sufficient.

I say this because, let's say you have a connecting flight, but your plane is delayed. You need ample time to get to your next flight. If you have no clue where you should be heading, it will at be nice to at least have a general direction where to go from the terminal you landed in.

My 2014 trip with my mother to England was probably second to the worst. Our flight landed, and we were far back in the plane. By the time we got out, our connecting flight check-in time was only a couple minutes away. We were in JFK, New York City, and having not been in this airport before, we were basically running through the entire airport trying to catch our connecting flight. I grabbed my mother's bags, and was carrying everything and running. My mom did not enjoy this at all. It was very stressful for her to have that experience.

My second experience (and worst) was when flying to Sweden in 2016. I landed at Schipol, Amsterdam. Nobody was there to open our airplane door/gate, I had 10 minutes to make it to my next flight which was on the opposite side of the airport. It was so interesting as you could see people running for what seemed like a mile in the airport. (If possible, try to make sure you're running to the correct gate too... or if you have time, check the monitors. Because my Schipol, Amsterdam flight moved terminals as well, and had to run even further).

I feel airports are the worst part of the trip, and if you make it through the worst airport experience, the rest of your trip should be a breeze compared to that. But I've had some pretty intense airport experiences.

Flying to Heathrow Airport (London, England) 2013

Alright, so on to the jet lag topic. Seriously, jet lag can put you out for a week. If you only have a week in the location you're going, you need to minimize jet lag. I've got it down pretty much for Europe, and I usually do not have jet lag. However, my first experience of flying to London in 2012 was quite the opposite, and I was dead tired.

Here are my tips: When you book a flight from the USA (if you're from the USA--other country's time tables will be different), it's usually a 10 hour or so flight to Europe. Depending on when you leave, you'll typically land in Europe in the morning. So you'll want to be tired enough to sleep on the plane. (Depending on your origin and destination, you'll want to research timetables and what works best for you--since this obviously wouldn't apply to someone flying from Italy to Paris).

The night before flying, I stay up late, really late. I usually use this time to pack, make last minute adjustments, book parking spots if I need to (Paris, France), and finish travel routes (destinations--sometimes based on weather). At times up until 3 AM or so (I've gone to sleep earlier, or much later). I then wake up at a normal time, and although a little drowsy that day, I stay up the entire day.

On the airplane, I stay awake until I usually hit the Atlantic Ocean (or around New York City). I am flying from Utah though, so wherever you're flying from, you'll want to adjust your time. I sleep all the way across the Atlantic Ocean, and when I wake up it's usually right before we land in Europe. 

Now, you'll probably still be tired, but it's morning there and you have the whole day. 

So, use this time to adjust, but DO NOT sleep at all if you can help it. Get to your hotel, walk around, see the sights close by your hotel. 

Try to stay awake at least up until 9 PM if you can. I know I've fallen asleep before, and sometimes after. 

When you wake up again in the morning, you should be far more already adjusted to the new time and with minimal jet lag. Enjoy your trip!

Tips - Traveling Europe

So you want to travel to Europe, but are not sure how to get around? Do you know the right-of-way in the country you want to visit? Do you know if you need a vignette for your car if you get a rental for a specific country? What about zoned areas?

Let me first say, Europe's public transportation system is wonderful! If you're flying into a country, and want to see a specific city such as Paris, Venice, or Rome (many others included), you can take public transportation (subways and trains) directly to the area of your hotels, and also directly where you want to go into the cities. You could spend an entire trip without needing a rental car. It is also encouraged to use public transportation, especially if you aren't quite sure how to drive there (although it's easy after some time).

If you're like me and you want drive a large span of countries, then sometimes you'll do a mix between driving and public transportation, or sometimes only drive. If you're a first time visitor, I definitely encourage you to stick closer to public transportation in the large cities (depending on the location), and if you drive, start out in the country (especially in the UK if you're not used to driving on the opposite side of the road, and have the steering wheel on the right side of the car) if you can, in order to start learning. That's what I did; however, I did have a friend from Europe who was there the first couple of times!

I am now at the point where I feel I can easily drive into the heart of Paris and London; although, if you want to make the best use of your time, don't drive in the large cities if you can help it. Sometimes you'll spend more time finding places to park, than actually exploring (but I have tips for easy parking in cities down below).

London, England (2013)

For those that want a rental:

Driving in Europe can be fun! I find it to be challenging, and it has helped me become a much better driver. But when you come back to the USA (or whichever country you came from), it will also make you see how terrible people drive back home.

Here are some checklist items for driving:

1. Can you drive a manual? These are cheaper to rent and are driven quite a bit in Europe. If not, go for an automatic, but be prepared to pay more money.
2. Do you know the right of way? What the road signs mean? Please read up on the right of way in the country you are visiting. In Europe, there is NEVER a right (or left in the UK) on a red light, unless there is actually an arrow that says you can go. Each country is different, and you'll want to know exactly how to drive there. If you hear a lot of honking behind you, you're probably doing something wrong. :) If you're unsure about road signs, read all about them. I needed to do this with Sweden to understand parking and fees, or what intersection signs meant in certain places.
3. Is the place you want to visit ZONED? Rome is an example of a zoned city. If you live there and have a permit you're fine. If your hotel is in the middle of Rome, and you have a car rental, you'll need to see if your Hotel will give you a permit. People drive into the zones without knowing it is a zone, and they rack up major fees. Sometimes it's too late before people even know it's a zoned area, and once you get in, it's hard to get out quickly.
4. Does your destination country require a vignette? Switzerland is an example of this. You actually need to get a vignette for your rental car windshield if you're driving from one country into another that requires one (lucky for those people who get your rental after you). Usually you can get them at any gas station, especially as you cross the border into that country. If you're caught driving in the country that requires them, you can get fined.
5. Do you know where you're going? Get GPS for your car. It may be extra, but it's important to know where you're going. TIP: Sometimes you'll get upgraded to nice vehicles (sometimes luxury) if you get GPS. Driving through Europe with only a road map is possible, but believe me, you want to have fun and not be stressed the entire trip. GPS is necessary in my opinion.
6. Get full coverage insurance. Yes, it is much more expensive, but what will you do if you're hit or hit something, and return your car without the insurance? You will pay an extreme amount of money.
7. Mobile Internet Hotspots? Do you have international data on your phone? If not, a lot of the car rental companies will offer you mobile Wi-Fi for a little extra. I usually rent with AVIS, and they offer this. I make sure I have it, so that I can browse the internet, look at Google maps, book hotels from anywhere I am at, and find destinations on foot while exploring.
8. Make sure you have a way to contact the car rental company, or help in an emergency. In England we had a tire blowout, and in Wales our keys disappeared. Although it wasn't the best experience, we were taken care of.
9. When traveling make sure you have at least a credit card, debit card, and some emergency currency for the country you are visiting. While in Scandinavia, certain tolls and gas stations rejected my debit card while they accepted my credit card. Sometimes my credit card was rejected, but my debit worked, and other times neither of them worked. Sometimes cash can help you get by until you can find a place that will accept your card.
10. Besides a Passport, and/or a visa if you need one (make sure to check, not all places require a visa for the time being), also double-check whether you need an International Driving Permit. You can easily get one from AAA.
11. Make sure to check out the destination airport map, locations, and how to get around. I've ran through entire airports just to make it to my connecting flight. It can be a scary thing. Know your airport well enough, or at least to know where to go and get help.

Traffic circles or roundabouts are heavily used in Europe. They are fast and they are efficient. Some of the larger ones have stoplights around the traffic circle, but some do not (The Paris Arc de Triomphe roundabout below is one of the most dangerous traffic circles, you must to yield to the right for incoming traffic, and there are no lane lines).

In the UK, if you're planning on leaving the second or third exit in a roundabout, you don't want to be in the lane furthest to the left, usually that lane is taking the first exit out of the roundabout. The same can go for roundabouts when you're driving on the right-hand side, but not always.

If you need to drive in the bigger cities, and want to find a place to park, just book a parking spot before hand. I did this in Paris, and it was so easy. Many places require that you bring in a physical printout of your confirmation number when you park, so do this before you're actually there. Sometimes hotels will have a computer and printer that you can use to print things out, but don't always count on that.

Paris, France (2017)

For public transportation, it's much easier. Make sure to look at the times, and the public transportation locations you need to be at. There are many great apps for your smart phone where you can actually book tickets, see the subway maps of the current city, schedules, and other helpful information. Always look for these types of apps when you travel.

My last trip to Paris was easier, as my hotel was right next to one of the train stations. (It might be helpful if you either book a hotel within the area you want to explore, or close to a public transportation system). Having never done this before, it was easy to buy tickets into Paris, as well as tickets back out of the city. With the electronic boards, you know which way the train is going, and can easily find the train you need. Each city (London, Rome, Stockholm, etc.) will be just like this.

I'm happy to answer any questions you may have if you need help!

Introduction - Change with travel

Introduction:

Welcome to the "Change with travel" blog! Having had many conversations with people, I've realized how many people want to travel, and also, people who have never traveled. I wanted to start a blog to influence you to travel, and how traveling changes you positively.

Venezia, Italy - August 2017 (Solo trip)

Change with travel:

Just a quick intro about myself, and how traveling changed me. In the 80s and 90s, I grew up in a very small town in Utah with the population of only about ~1,300 people. Most of it was, and still is, covered with farms and ranches. It was one of those towns where you knew almost everyone. We had no theaters, not one stoplight in the entire town (it officially has one stoplight now), no major fast food chains (A couple family own restaurants, and it eventually the Subway and Burger King fast food restaurants arrived in the late 2000's), and the closest major chain grocery stores were an hour away.

Growing up in a family where money was very tight, we didn't really get to enjoy many of the luxuries others did. Once a month, if we were lucky, we'd get to go to a McDonald's and six of us would share fries, drinks, and maybe a few of the smallest and cheapest hamburgers you could buy. 

I had always enjoyed watching movies, looking at pictures, and reading about places around the world that I wish I could see. And in school, especially in our world history classes, we'd learn about amazing historical sites, yet it had never occurred to me that I may actually get to see some of those places.

It wasn't until early 2012, a point that I had already graduated from a University, that a friend had this plan to travel throughout Europe. Shortly after, there were a group of us flying to England in the summer of 2012, and that's where my story begins of how traveling changed my life positively. I went from a small town kid, who hated driving in big cities (or even small cities), to driving solo throughout Europe in some of the most complicated cities. I also grew immensely as a person, and gained a confidence that I could accomplish whatever I set my mind to.

At times I think many are stopped from traveling, whether it's due to money, the intimidation of being in a foreign country, figuring out transportation, etc. The truth is, traveling can be affordable, and it is easier than you might think. It may require time until you have the opportunity to travel, and planning a budget, as well as fully researching and coming up with a plan; however, it is realistic and possible. I will touch on these in each blog post.