WorldWanderlusting.com

Planning my next vacation

Posted on June 1, 2011 by wpengine

As I look toward my next vacation I’m still trying to decide how to do it. I’m also wondering where I would like to go. My wife and I are going to have a baby in July, but we still want to make one trip in 2011. I’m really wanting to go to Europe as my wife has never been there. We have been to Asia, and Central America together, but I feel like it is time to visit Europe. Let me show you how I find my trip.

My wife and I have a huge stockpile of American Airlines miles in our accounts, so we would definitely want to use that airline for our next trip. I was hoping that I could try to go over Christmas. I logged on to AA.com to find out what flights are available for the month of December. It looks like you can’t get a flight out of the US after the 12th of December. I looked for different flights that might work going to the different airports where American Airlines flies. I looked at their “Where we Fly” and tried to look at those airports. Some big ones for AA in Europe are BCN, MAD, CDG, MAN, MXP, and more. I use them as a guide to see what is available. I still haven’t decided what to do as far as the dates so I’m going to hold off for a bit, but I’m itching to get another trip in the works already.

I’m also considering what places I want to visit when I go to Europe. Let’s be honest, Europe is expensive. I’ve scored on the TDAmeritrade Starwood Preferred Guest bonus so I’ll have at least 20,000 Starpoints that can be used toward their hotels. I know that the points can get burned up fast, so I’m looking to stay in Category 2 or 3 hotels to be sure that the points last as long as possible. I’m also looking at getting the Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express. I realize that the 15,000 in spending within the next 6 months is pretty steep. I think that I might have to visit the Mint’s website where you can purchase coins at face value. They have some guidelines on how much you can purchase, but I know that I’m not going to meet the 15,000 in spending in 6 months without the help of the US Mint. If I can get that card, meet the spending requirements, then I will have enough points that my hotels in Europe can be on the house.

This means that my frugality can provide to me a trip to Europe with my wife and potentially with our baby-to-be with no airfare cost and no cost for hotels either. I also have scored on the Capital One Venture Card which provides me with funds that can go toward airfare, hotels, trains, or car rental. This means that our intra-Europe flights or train rides could be free as well.

I hope that you are seeing the power of good planning and discipline. I’m so excited thinking about taking a trip and paying for my souvenirs, food, and just a few other small expenses.

Posted in American Airlines, Capital One, Starwood Preferred Guest, TD Ameritrade | Tagged Amex, Europe Travel, SPG | Leave a comment

El Piedra de Peñol

Posted on May 31, 2011 by Brad Christensen

Traveling with 4 children in tow has a way of drawing attention, not unlike a mother duck who’s trailed by little ducklings. Some of the attention is wanted, and some of it is a little over the top. But it’s been a great icebreaker for conversing with the locals, and we’ve made friends like never before. Behind us in line at the grocery store was another young family, and the father was wearing an Alpinestars hat. I figured he was American, but when I greeted him, he responded in the pure Paisa sing-song tones we’ve been hearing a lot of. After a brief conversation we exchanged contact information and he offered to show us around if we’d like.

Yesterday we took him up on the offer and he acted as our tour guide for the day. We traversed the winding roads up and out of the valley that is filled by the population of Medellin and made our way to el Salto de Tequendamita… an idyllic little haven that is misted by a powerful waterfall . This stop was actually directed by me, something I found while browsing lat/long photos on Google Earth, as our friend Felipe, had never actually been there before. He was as tickled as we were and we spent the better part of an hour taking pictures and letting the kids play to work off the car sickness that two hours of sharp turns in the back seat of a hatchback had given them.

Felipe is one of few Colombians to have his own vehicle, but it hasn’t come without sacrifice. His $611 per month salary doesn’t allow for extravagances like a 1998 beat-up and re-painted Mazda. He only has it because he’s been judicious and saved.

Our next stop was the Piedra de Peñol, an enormous monolithic stone which towers over a landscape that begs to be described in superlatives. After it was first scaled in 1954, someone decided that with a little help it could become quite a tourist destination. In true South-American fashion, they cobbled together some ladrillos and concrete to form some 720 steps in a makeshift spiral fashion. No two steps are anywhere near the same height, but it didn’t hinder our ascent as even the kids were enthusiastic about making it to the top.

Strange as it may seem, most of the “tourists” who joined us were from Medellin, though there was an American couple from California. They were impressed by our resolve in bringing four young children along. I stopped short of telling them that it only cost us $570 for all six of us to travel to Medellin, but I was tempted.

Our final stop of the day was a gorgeous Antioqueño pueblo of Guatape. Nestled into the lake, and organized in typical Spanish colonial style, it consists of two main draws – a plaza in front of the church surrounded by restaurants and vendors, and the lakeshore where entrepreneurs sell their goodies and boat captains bargain for water tours. We strolled along the lakeshore and sent Westley, our oldest, on a zipline for $2.70 while Miles and Belle settled for a less thrilling llama ride.

Felipe was a terrific tour guide and has become a great family friend. Having a Colombian accompany us added some insight to local culture and it was a real pleasure to share his company in the context of such a great experience.

Posted in Living Abroad | 4 Comments

30% off AAdvantage Flights

Posted on May 29, 2011 by wpengine

American Airlines has announced a great deal that will carry from September 7th-October 8th. It will allow you to book flights at a lower rate when redeeming AAdvantage miles. It is the last deal of the 30 days of deals where American Airlines is celebrating its 30th year with the AAdvantage program. You can read about the deal at this link. You only have 12 more days, or until the 10th of June to book the flight, so get going!!

Posted in American Airlines | Tagged AAdvantage | Leave a comment

Travel and Currency Quiz

Posted on May 28, 2011 by wpengine

Where was this picture taken and what currency do they use there?

Posted in Travel Quiz | Tagged Glacier National Park | 2 Comments

Fighting while traveling

Posted on May 27, 2011 by wpengine

I’m sure that it has happened to all of you. It’s virtually unavoidable. A very similar situation happens when you take your children to Disneyland. Their emotions are going crazy as they run from Mickey to Peter Pan and on to Cinderella. They are having the time of their lives. However, it is one small inconvenience and a complete meltdown occurs. The tears are bigger and the screaming is louder than ever before. You feel embarrassed as a parent until you take a look around and notice that all the children around you are having meltdowns. You child is crying because they don’t make Peter Pan green slushies, but they now only have blue and red. The child across the way is crying because he hasn’t seen Buzz Lightyear. It just seems like when you are traveling, either as an adult or a child your emotions are high, which can easily turn into madness.

It happened for my wife and I when we were in the jungles of Cambodia. Let me set the stage for you……We had arisen early to watch the sunrise over Angkor Wat.
Waking up early can put anyone on the edge and make anyone cranky as well. The national park outside of Siem Reap, Cambodia relies on tourists. Many tuk-tuk drivers awaited and offered their services. They committed to drive us around for the entire day starting early so we could watch an amazing sunrise over the Cambodian icon. The other issue that we were having was the fact that we had chosen to visit Southeast Asia during the hottest month of the year, April. It was blazing hot everyday with temperatures above 100F and sporting 100% humidity. We were virtually boiling in the humidity and the heat. Shae’s makeup was melting off of her face and my back was swacky. Shae’s contacts had been bothering her and so she was forced to wear her outdated glasses for the entire day of sightseeing. This was definitely frustrating for her, and put her even closer to the edge.

As we approached the temple we could already begin to see, but the sun had not come over the horizon. My excitement about seeing Angkor Wat was at an 11 on the scale of 10. I began snapping off pictures of the temples, the reflecting pools, and occasionally putting Shae or I in the picture. It was then that Shae snapped. She had been too hot, too glassesey, and had woken up too early and it was time to fight. Apparently I hadn’t been taking enough pictures of us, and too many of just scenery. She proclaimed, “You can buy that picture on a postcard, what good does it do you?” I reared back, “Look, I love taking pictures of you, but I’m not a big fan of being in too many pictures. I find it important to take pictures of the scenery too.” She was mad for many reasons, but the “not enough of us in the pictures,” was the proverbial straw on the camels back. I was hot, tired, and excited all at once. We were finally able to talk it over and we realized that the circumstances had caused us to be angry for reasons for which we normally wouldn’t be angry.

We could easily be compared to the children at Disneyland who were having meltdowns. I’m sure a few people walked by and were glad that they weren’t in the same fight we were. In the end it has made our relationship stronger and I know that I need to put more people in pictures. I tell her that she has to be in most of them now, so I’m a good husband. 🙂 I love you babe!

We invite you to share your fight stories with us. You can also read about fighting and traveling at 1000fights.com. The website is dedicated to another couple who loves to travel and they talk about their fights as well.

All of this we say to share with you the importance of travel. It allows us to get to know one another. Spending two weeks straight with my wife in Southeast Asia was amazing for our relationship. You can get to know them better and build your relationship even stronger. We invite you to begin your travels. Start by making it affordable and share our website on Facebook if you like our posts and our site. We invite you to wanderlust with us.

Posted in Fun Travel Stories | Tagged Cambodia, Spousal Traveling, Travel Fight | 2 Comments

Reading: Like Viagra for Wanderlust

Posted on May 26, 2011 by Brad Christensen

Having recently read Alexandre Dumas’ classic, The Count of Monte Cristo, I’ve found myself longing to go to Marseilles and Southern France like never before. As I read the portion of the book which was set in Paris, I reflected on my brief stroll down Champs d’Elysees – imagining myself there again, but in a different age and setting. Reading is a powerful aphrodisiac to wanderlust and an insightful companion to travel.

Now I find myself in Envigado, Medellin Colombia, the former hometown of Pablo Escobar, the man who owns the distinction of being once listed seventh on the list of richest men in the world (1989), and first on the list of most wanted international criminals.

Pablo built an enviable drug kingdom on thuggery and ruthlessness. He owned submarines, jets, businesses, elaborate retreats with exotic animals and every luxury. His wealth, at one time, was estimated at $9 billion. He ordered men dead on a daily, if not hourly, basis. He built a web of protection through a policy of “plata o plomo” – either take his silver (bribes) or take his lead (monogrammed bullets).

But it all crumbled when he was killed in 1993 in a battle with the Colombian task force specifically assigned to bring him down and staffed and supported by virtually every intelligence force in the United States.

The story of his rise and fall was chronicled by Mark Bowden in the book, Killing Pablo. Reading it as I occupy the neighborhood from whence he staged his operations was like having a knowledgable tour guide in my pocket.

Taxi rides have become much more interesting as I probe older drivers for details about Pablo and his life. We took a ride up to the hill – la catedral – where he built himself a “prison” to appease Colombian officials… nothing remains but ruins, but traversing the switchbacks, I imagined Pablo’s sicarios (hitmen) descending on a mission assigned by Don Pablo.

Now I’ve embarked upon a new travel/reading journey as I read The History of Latin America by Marshall C. Eakin. Because Central America and the Caribbean have been my playground over the past few years, I’ve gained an affinity for the stories of conquest and collaboration by the people and characters who set the framework for what Latin America is today.

I have a few more travel/reading experiences that I’ll share in the future, but if there’s any combination you’ve found pleasure in, please let us know. Below are a few links with ideas, and if you’re traveling somewhere and you’d like an idea of something to read, let me know and I’ll see what I can come up with.

http://www.ricksteves.com/graffiti/graffiti108.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/artsandculture/travelbooks/4932008/The-20-best-travel-books-of-all-time.html

http://www.concierge.com/cntraveler/articles/11341

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments