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Saint Michaels, MD: A Change of Pace

Posted by No Kids, Will Travel on July 22, 2012 in Travel

A few months ago we received a gift from a friend, the gift of a one-night stay at a bed and breakfast on the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay. I am ashamed to say as a Marylander the Eastern Shore and the Bay as a destination has never been a go-to getaway for me or my family. There isn’t anything wrong with the bay; I will be one of the first ones to expound on its beauty. Most of my impressions come from the beautiful pictures in magazines and coffee table books and my experience of sailing on the bay for a week (more than 20 years ago). So, I felt we should embrace the opportunity and book a complete weekend at the Cherry Street Inn in the picturesque community of Saint Michaels on the Eastern Shore.

The Cherry Street Inn is owned and operated by Jane and Greg Virgil and features two well-appointed rooms in the 1880s Victorian style right in downtown Saint Michaels. Jane greeted us at the door and welcomed us as if we were long-lost relatives, making us immediately feel at home.

The room we were given was located on the ground floor near the main entrance.  A spacious bedroom with a queen bed and a sitting area gives guests plenty of room to move around. The full bath and extra wide walk-in shower was clean, functional, and a great place to pamper yourself after a long day of exploring the town and surrounding area.  A great perk you won’t find at the larger hotels was a mini fridge filled with complementary refreshments.

A full breakfast in the dining room prepared in the kitchen a few steps away is the perfect way to start the morning. A fruit platter and a cup of coffee or tea start you off, followed by a nice hot breakfast. I had bacon both mornings; Amanda doesn’t like it so we don’t have it at home. Jane even made a wonderful quiche that was light and fluffy, filled with a buttery goodness inside a flaky pastry shell. You don’t get homemade quiche (or anything else) at most hotels.

Jane would pop into the dining room between courses, apron tied snugly around her waist to check on us for fill ups of our coffee and share in some wonderful conversation. She was extremely helpful giving us ideas about places to visit, since we went into this trip blind.

The evenings could pleasantly be spent on the veranda out front where we could watch people walk to and from the waterfront. A shaded garden behind the house was another place to hide if you wanted to downshift even further, hiding away from the town completely.

Amanda and I would certainly recommend staying with Jane if you are ever in Saint Michaels.

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What Do You Want for Vacation, Little Girl?

Posted by No Kids, Will Travel on July 15, 2012 in Planning, Travel

Remember the joy and excitement when the annual Toys ‘R Us holiday catalog was delivered? I remember poring over the pages, often many times over, checking out every last detail of the coolest toys of the season.

I very clearly remember these appearing in the catalog:

…and I totally wanted one (hello, who didn’t?). I never received one (and never got the puppy I asked for each and every year, either), but I survived.

These days that joy and excitement comes when I see a different cover:

National Geographic Expeditions 2012-2013 Edition

You hear angels singing, too — right?

These pages detail amazing vacations around the world, led by experts who know the destinations to the extent you’d expect from National Geographic. From sailing the islands of Greece aboard a four-masted square-rigger (that’s a boat) built in 1931 to exploring Svalbard — land of the polar bears — to an African safari where you literally walk with the Maasai, it’s like they gathered all of your most amazing travel dreams and put them all in one place.

Can’t pick just one dream trip? First, join the club. Then, flip to page 98 for a look at the “Around the World by Private Jet” itinerary. The 24-day trip starts in Orlando, Florida and hopscotches the globe from Peru’s Machu Picchu to Easter Island, Australia’s Great Barrier Reef to the Panda Breeding and Research Center in Chengdu, China, the pyramids of Egypt to Marrakech, Morocco.

As you can imagine, none of these tips are particularly affordable for the average vacationing couple. That “Around the World” trip will run you nearly $69,000 — per person. Even the trip through the Greek isles will run you at least $7,000 per person (and you can certainly see the same islands for far less money). But these are once-in-a-lifetime trips, and I think you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who would pass up the opportunity if they had the money.

What’s your dream destination? Have you researched actually going? You never know – it might be more possible than you think!

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Road Tripping With Rover

Posted by No Kids, Will Travel on July 8, 2012 in Planning, Travel

I know in the summer many of us like to pile the whole family into the car and take road trips. For many of us the whole family includes a furry, four-legged child. Of course, this can be problematic because some dogs, like some humans, get car sick. As cute as the phrase “puppy puke” may sound, it’s not cute at all. Fortunately we have a remedy for road tripping with Rover – even if Rover doesn’t like the road.

Veterinarian Brent Cook says driving with your pet doesn’t have to make you or your mutt miserable. He says the cure takes nothing but a combination of time and patience.

So, here are some steps on how to help your pup.

Step One– Take your dog out in the car and sit in the car with them. Read the newspaper, do something where you’re not even moving.

Step Two– After a week of sitting in the car with your pet drive back and forth in the driveway. You will slowly be desensitizing your dog to the motion of the car.

Step Three– If step two doesn’t lead to a mess, give them treats, a Kong, or a chew so they know the car is a good place.

Step Four– Go for short trips – a mile or so – and do that for a week or two.

Step Five– If your pet likes to get in the car and go you should be able to hit the road with his head out the window and tail wagging.

One more thing: If you even think about leaving your dog in your car while you hit a rest stop, I will personally come and kick the crap out of you. According to the Humane Society, even on a mild day temperatures inside a parked car can top 120° in a matter of minutes – and that’s with your windows cracked. Pets are family members, so be sure to treat them at least as well as you’d treat your human relatives.

 

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Your Kids Have Four Legs, Right?

Posted by No Kids, Will Travel on July 1, 2012 in Planning, Travel

If you are like us and truly living the life of “No Kids, Will Travel” you’re a couple without children and spend your free time traveling. Well, no kids you can declare as dependants on your taxes that is.  We (as our first post described) have a child, just one with four paws.  Storm, our cat, is pretty easy to take care of and the biggest worry we have when we leave is making sure she is fed.  We know that not all of our furry children are as convenient as a condo kitty, so we sat down with our local Veterinarian Dr. Brent Cook to ask him some questions about the best options for pets when you’re going to be away.

Dr. Cook says the most important thing is to make sure your pet is supervised either at home or in a kennel.

We know that for Storm taking her to a kennel would be one of the worst ideas ever.  Once upon a time, we had her board with a friend who had two other cats and our dear friend was forced to put Storm in a bathroom for a most of her stay to keep her from terrorizing cats Mr. Petey and Jackson and tearing their furniture and ankles to shreds.  We will admit, she was a little bitch, and we felt terrible. We decided it would be better for everyone if she just stayed home in her own safe space – and Dr. Cook agrees.

“Ideally it’s nice for a pet to stay in its own home, but that’s not always an option. But if there is any way to work that out that’s a much better environment,” Dr. Cook says.

If you are fortunate enough to have a pet that likes to travel and it’s an option – do it.

“If you have a small pet a dog that is under 20 pounds or a cat and can arrange it to go under the seat that’s ideal,” says Dr. Cook. “Generally the airlines that allow that only allow one pet in the cabin. So plan ahead and there is usually a fee.”

If you have a larger pet that needs to go in the cargo hold he said the number one question is whether to sedate them or not. Dr. Cook says unless your pet is in danger of hurting itself don’t sedate them; tragically sedation is the most common reason for pet deaths when placed as cargo. Pets can fall asleep awkward positions and suffocate.

If your pets travel well in a crate there shouldn’t be a problem. But Dr. Cook suggests you tape two days worth of food to the crate in case your pet gets diverted to the wrong airport; that way the crews will have something to feed your furry family member until you can be reunited.

If your pet has an aversion to the crate, we’ll address that in our next post. Dr. Cook has suggestions for getting your pet over fear of the crate and how to soothe a troubled tummy if they tend to toss their Scooby Snacks when they go for a ride.

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Grown Up Get Aways

Posted by No Kids, Will Travel on June 24, 2012 in Adventure, Travel

The summer is here, it’s getting hot and like most people you want to head to your local beach, whether it’s by a lake or by the sea, to relax and cool off.  I find one real problem with that idea; it’s everyone else’s idea too. You have to fight traffic to get there, the beach is crowded, and you’ll spend the day listening to that kid, you know that kid, the one who kicks sand, throws tantrums, washing away any relaxation like footprints in the sand. With that in mind, I bring you some cool ideas – other than beach getaways – you can share with your partner.

I always suggest white water rafting as a way to get wet and have some fun. There’s a lot to love: the thrill of the cool splashing water, the physical activity of paddling, and more often than not a “no kids under 12” rule.  The higher the rapids (classified from 1-6), the slimmer the chance you’ll have a kid on board. If you’ve never been rafting before don’t worry, in most cases the guided trips for adults are on rapids from class 2-4. I was a whitewater guide in a previous life, so believe me a guide will never let you on a river it he thinks it’s too dangerous. I suggest a half-day adventure for your first trip. You’ll spend the morning riding down the rapids then eat lunch on the river or back at the guide house.  I guarantee that you’ll be talking about the journey with all your friends for weeks to come.

Vineyard Grapes

When you leave the vineyard, be sure to say “drink you soon!”

My next suggestion might seem a little yuppie, but it’s still something cool and adult-friendly: a multi-vineyard tour. You may have noticed that where you find one vineyard there are usually more. Get together with your friends and hire a van, or assign a designated driver and hop in a large multi-passenger car and hit the road. You’ll find yourself immersed in grape vines and surrounded by enthusiastic vintners ready to tell you all about their grapes and sell you their wines. You’ll often have the chance to cool off in the cave where the wine is aging and taste flight after flight of wine in a comfortable lounge. The level of intoxication is up to you. At the end of the line you’ll definitely have a bottle or two to take home that you can open for guests and impress them with your wine-making knowledge.

The times are definitely changing and, as opposed to 20 years ago when Atlantic City and Vegas were the only places available to gamble away some time (and money), chances are you’re probably not too far from a casino today. I don’t really gamble, but I’ve been on casino floors many times and there is something infectious about it.  The feeling you get when you put your chips down on the green felt at the roulette table and will the bouncing ball to fall on black 12. You feel like a high roller placing a 20 dollar bet on the table as you hold the dice in your hands. The clicking noise of a slot machine as it tosses up lemons or the clank, clank, clank sound of it as it pays out make you feel like you’re in an Ian Fleming spy novel.  You can get lost in the cool air conditioned room and waste away hours. And, if you don’t go overboard, it doesn’t matter if you win or lose; you still get your drinks for free.

Your summer options are as endless and varied as you can imagine (although I’ll admit the beach is a great destination – we typically wait and go in September when the kids are back in school).

What’s your favorite summer adventure scenario?

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Capturing Memories

Posted by No Kids, Will Travel on June 17, 2012 in Travel

I’ve learned a great number of things from my husband over the years, but one of the most useful and meaningful lessons he’s taught me is the art of the travel journal. I resisted it like an obstinate two-year-old. I travel for enjoyment, relaxation and experience — not for writing down the (seemingly) mundane details of how we spent each day.

Then Zeke shared his journals from past trips, and I realized those details can help you relive your travel experiences long after you’ve returned home. It’s hard to remember when and where you met that fascinating (hammered) woman in London who made waiting for the train so entertaining when more than eight years have passed. Or, for a more practical example, it’s a lot easier to remember that wine you loved on your first trip to Italy if you’ve written down the name (or peeled off the label and stuck it in your journal).

It’s not always easy to keep up with the events of every trip — particularly if you’re too busy enjoying yourself to stop and write — but it’s well worth the effort. Zeke has convinced me of that.

Moleskine City Notebook - Firenze

With that in mind, you’re going to need something to write in. A quick search on Amazon provides a long list of travel journal options, most with blank pages just waiting for the memories you’re planning to create.

If you’re looking for a travel journal with a little more utility, I’d suggest one of Moleskine’s city notebooks (yes, I found one for Florence, Italy and used it on our last visit there). They’re available for major cities from Amsterdam to Montreal to Turin.

But before you assume this is just another Moleskine (a great notebook in and of itself, of course), take a look inside. You’ll find all kinds of useful information for your trip like maps, transportation information (e.g. airports, train stations, car rentals), plus measures and conversions (you never know when those will come in handy). After a chunk of blank pages just waiting to be filled with your adventures you’ll find a tabbed section with a few prompts like:

  • Places, legends, recipes
  • Bars, wineries, stories
  • Names, faces, encounters

The prompts helped me get my ideas flowing by answering that tormenting question “what should I write about?”

If you’re a social media enthusiast armed with a smartphone (that will work when you reach your destination), you might want to try the Trip Journal app, available for iPhone and Andriod platforms. In the app, you can take and geotag photos, pin places you’ve visited and take quick notes about your experiences. The app also features Facebook, Flickr, YouTube and Twitter integration so you can rub it in share your travels while you’re still on the go. The app isn’t free, but at $2.99 it seems like it would be worth a try.

What’s your favorite way to document your travels?

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Traveling Vicariously

Posted by No Kids, Will Travel on June 10, 2012 in Beaches, Greece, Italy, Travel, USVI

I find one thing a lot of us who have the travel bug also have is lots and lots of books on travel. I have a book shelf full of them. I have a massive collection of frommer’s, fodor’s and other planning books but they are not my favorite. I love the good narrative. When a book that transports me to another place and takes me on an adventure have a special place on my shelf.
I thought that in this post I share some of my favorites with you.

It’s All Greek to Me!: A Tale of a Mad Dog and an Englishman, Ruins, Retsina—and Real Greeks by John Mole is the colorful tale of a man who moves his family to an island in Greece. He spends much of the time converting a former goat shed with an amazing view into a house. You follow the joy and frustrations of a man navigating the Greek way of life. I know if you’ve ever been to Greece you automatically understand the speed of greek and can make the leap to how that plays in construction.

 

 

 

An Embarrassment of Mangoes: A Caribbean Interlude by Ann Vanderhoof is a wonderful tale of escape from the drone of normal life as you set sail with two Canadians as they take two year off from their careers to sail around the Caribbean. The story is a true and honest memoir of their trip. I truly appreciated its honesty by not glossing over the challenges of life on board a small sailboat. The people they meet and the freedom they have will have you wanting to buy a boat and set sail as soon as you finish.

 

 

 

 

A Vineyard in Tuscany: A Wine Lover’s Dream by Ferenc Mate is one of the funniest books I’ve ever read. The story of Ferenc and his wife Candace and their misadventures restoring a crumbling abbey and planting a vineyard will have you laughing until the tears come. I find it could be construed as a cautionary tale for would be wine makers as Italian tractors and exploding wine barrels make you think twice before chucking it all and moving to Tuscany.

 

 

 

I am eager to and ready to be transported to a far away place without leaving home. I’d love  know if you have any narratives that you’d like to share.

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Travel Safety

Posted by No Kids, Will Travel on June 3, 2012 in Adventure, Planning, Travel

This week two American tourists were abducted by Bedouins in the Sinai Peninsula on their way to the resort of Dahab.  The Bedouin wanted the police to release one of their tribesmen jailed for drug possession and offered the tourists in exchange.  The Bedouin eventually released the Americans unharmed after negotiations with police on May 31st. The story reminded me of a conversation we had with Jarrod Evans of Rare Earth Adventures, an adventure travel and guide training company, about travel safety back in February.

Jarrod said one of the key things that can make you a target is complacency. Situational awareness, being aware of your surroundings at all times, it the first key to safety. But situational awareness doesn’t mean you have to spend your vacation paranoid; paranoia actually gets in the way.

He used the example of the young woman alone in a parking garage late at night. She enters the garage and sees her car, puts her keys in her fist and walks quickly to it. She opens the door, hops in and locks it. The whole time she is focused on her car, specifically the door, and doesn’t see anything else, making her very vulnerable.

He said it’s not about noticing one guy staring at you, its noticing him watching you and watching him also making eye contact with someone else. You have to pay attention to the body language and visual cues to decide if they’re working as a team. Do you need to plan an escape, through the back door of a shop or in a taxi?

Shady locals might not even be the problem; you can run into issues with authorities too.

Particularly in this kind of situation, you also need to stay calm. Remember most of the time a police officer or customs official has a territorial view of the world.  The officers think of their booth at the airport, or the street they patrol as their own personal fiefdom.  The easiest way not to end up on “Locked Up Abroad” is to cooperate and show respect, no matter how frustrating it may get.  You also might think of asking yourself how your country is perceived in the country you’re visiting. Canadians, you’ve got it easy.

If you’re somewhere in a big city or off the beaten path at home or abroad Jarrod

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Africa: It’s about Expecations

Posted by No Kids, Will Travel on May 27, 2012 in Adventure, Africa, Planning, Travel

I’ve wanted to see Africa since I was a child.  When I was a kid it was the adventure brought to me by the black and white adventure films, of Tarzan swinging through the jungle and Allan Quartermain in King Solomon’s mines.

As I got older I could just see myself as Robert Redford flying over the savannah in a biplane or navigating the river as Bogart in The African Queen.  Then I got cable and the Discovery Channel and the world of the African documentary filled my screen and imagination. I wanted to be the photographer on the long game drive watching the miracle of the migration.

I don’t think my image of Africa is that much different than most Americans. So in planning a trip to Africa my expectations are as huge as the continent. And that, says safari planner and guide Louis Van Tonder, is one of the hardest parts of his job.

I also have to admit that part of my dream of Africa is to sleep out under the “large balls of swirling gas” in the night sky. Yes, I did it. Did you think I could write about the savannah without mentioning The Lion King?

According to Van Tonder, “you haven’t been on safari if you haven’t stayed in a tented camp.  You’ve been on vacation, but you haven’t been on safari.”

I tend to agree.  I was also surprised to find the camping he was talking about was very different from what I had envisioned.  Amanda had something different in mind, too.  I think it had something to do with being dragged out of her tent by the Ghost in the Darkness (and boom one more film reference).  I went online and took a look at these tented campsites and thought wow, this ain’t the KOA.

One of the tented camp sites gave this description of its site:

”Designed in typically Edwardian style, this exclusive camp features an elegant central meeting tent evocatively furnished with a tasteful selection of chintz-covered chaises lounges, Persian rugs, antique escritoire, wind-up phonograms, leather-bound travelling cases, brass shooting sticks, carved rocking chairs, and stud-backed smoking chairs.

“In keeping with the theme of colonial opulence, the elegant twin dining tents feature Edwardian-styled dining furniture, sprung floors, crisp-starched napery, delicate blue and white china and weighty silver accoutrements, whilst the staff are attired in classical colonial ‘mess’ uniform of white Swahili robes.

“The camp has just 25 widely-spaced luxury tents, raised on timber platforms, each with a glorious view of the plains. Each tent has a spacious furnished deck leading to a bedroom furnished in antique Edwardian style with steamer-trunks, writing desk, brass lamps, rugs, sepia photographs and four-poster bed with patchwork quilt. Each tent has its own personal valet.”

Yet another description shows a more modern and “practical” approach:

“The camp has up to 16 guests staying at any one time in its eight luxury tents with en suite bathrooms. The focus of the camp is a large dining tent with a shaded ‘sitting out’ area. As well as a fully-stocked complimentary bar, there is a small reference library of African books and a variety of games. There is a campfire every evening, around which guests can share the day’s adventures with like-minded souls.

“As a guest at the Serengeti Safari Camp you will meet up and mingle with each other during the evening over pre-dinner drinks and candlelit dinners, but during the day you will set off on your own, with your own private guide and vehicle. By having your own vehicle and guide you can ensure you can do what you want when you want to do it – be that following the wildebeest, sitting by a waterhole or just waiting to get that perfect photograph.”

The decision of what kind of camping seems to be up to you (and perhaps your budget). It seems that, much like planning your trip around the “scheduled” animal movements, choosing your accommodations is also a game of managing your expectations.

The sheer volume of information we’re going over for this trip is staggering. When, where, camp, lodge – they’re all points that need planning and decision-making.  Of course we’ll keep you in the loop as we put together this amazing adventure.

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Smaller is Better and Personal gets more Personal

Posted by No Kids, Will Travel on May 20, 2012 in Adventure, Planning, Travel

I know we can get a little preachy sometimes about having an authentic travel experience and it’s one of the few things I won’t apologize for. I truly believe that travel is about making connections and we are driven as a species to do so.

I think it’s clearly evident with the popularity of Facebook and Twitter, two places we go to make connections with people (in some cases) far, far away. I have to say some of my favorite Twitter friends live on the other side of the country and even the other side of the world.

With that in mind, why would you go through the time and expense of planning a trip somewhere exotic and then surround yourself with people who speak your language and have meals planned around your traditional dietary likes and dislikes? Travel is about experiencing a place; if you only wanted to see the sights you could get a View-Master.

But this doesn’t mean you have to go it alone. You can still take comfort in traveling with old friends and new friends, the large tour bus of people most tours have can be pared down to a dozen companions and traded in for more unique ways to travel. Think rickshaws, carved out boats and bicycles, which are just some of the more interesting options mentioned by Ashley Fraser of Intrepid Travel.

Companies like Intrepid Travel immerse you in the culture as a way to ease into less familiar surroundings.

“People who just want to get their feet wet in a country it’s great to do a week or two week trip with us. You learn a few catch phrases see some of the major sites then go off on your own,” Ashley says.

If you think this sounds like it’s the kind of trip that caters to the young backpack set on a shoestring you may be right, but that’s only part of their clientele.

Ashley says she’s heard it put this way: “When we were young we had lots of time and no money and now that we are getting older we have little time and lots of money.”

Their mission at intrepid is to is to cater to both.

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