Travel Tip: Driving Guides

Our families have been enjoying GyPSy Guides.  The narrated driving tour app uses your device’s location service to automatically trigger and play entertaining commentary about your surroundings as you drive along scenic driving routes.  Your location is determined by GPS satellites; so no data roaming, cell network or WiFi is required while touring.  Tours are now available in 25 locations throughout the US and Canada including for all four major Hawaiian Islands; national parks such as Zion, Rocky Mountain, Yellowstone, Glacier and Yosemite along with scenic roads in Vermont, the Overseas Highway in The Florida Keys and Icefields Parkway.  Just download the app over a WiFi network before you go and listen to off-line!   A few guides are free (Calgary to Banff), but most range from $3.99 on up to $19.99 for a bundled guide.  Check your cell phone app store to download.

Trip Review: A Greek Island Getaway

The Kitei Family of Downingtown, PA and New York City (parents and 3 young adults) recently returned from an 8-night getaway to Greece.  Their trip began in Athens with an overnight at the Royal Olympic Hotel and time to explore the Acropolis, Parthenon and Acropolis Museum with a privately guided tour; one of the highlights of their trip.  They flew onto Crete which they found both rustic and calmer than Athens due to less tourists.  Next up…the Greek Islands.  On arrival into the Chania airport on Crete, they took a private tour to the nearby Palace of Knossos, the monumental symbol of Minoan civilization.  They found the ruins to be fascinating.  Their unexpected favorite Crete excursions was while visiting alocal olive oil producing farm where they milked goats and learned to make cheese, homemade stuffed grape leaves and tzatziki.  Their stay at the Elounda Gulf Villas found them upgraded to a fabulous four-bedroom Royal Rooftop Suite!  The family said the resort was beyond perfect with stunningly beautiful grounds and an incredible staff.  From Crete, they took a 2 ½ hour ferry ride to Santorini.  They found the island to be magical and one night really enjoyed the glow of sunset while tasting wines at the Domaine Sigalas Vineyard.  They also loved the hike from the towns of Oia to Fira along the pedestrian cobblestone path and enjoyed their last sunset on the water, taking in the beautiful coastline from a catamaran. They stayed at the charming Kirini Hotel in Oia.  Overall the trip was one they will not forget with a perfect mix of taking in the sites and relaxing with family.  They let us know all of their transfers, excursions and arrangements were flawless and now they are wondering where to go next?

Travel Tip: 911 Abroad

What happens when you dial 911 abroad? Depending on where you are, it’ll either put you in touch with a local emergency response team or remain unanswered, which is the last thing you need in a crisis.  Before you head overseas, it’s wise to learn your destination’s emergency response numbers and add them to your contacts in your phone for safekeeping. Take note of these countries’ emergency numbers:

Argentina: 101 for ambulance and police; 107 for fire.

Australia: 000 for all emergencies (106 if you have a speech or hearing impairment).

Egypt: 123 for ambulance; 180 for fire; 122 for police.

India: 102 for ambulance; 101 for fire; 100 for police (or 103 for traffic-related accidents).

Japan: 119 for ambulance and fire; 110 for police.

Jamaica: 110 for ambulance and fire; 119 for police.

Kenya: 999 for all emergencies.

Morocco: 15 for ambulance and fire; 10 for 19.

New Zealand: 111 for all emergencies.

South Africa: 10177 for ambulance and fire; 10111 for police. (The city of Cape Town also uses 107 for all emergencies.)

Switzerland: 144 for ambulance; 118 for fire; 117 for police.

Thankfully, if you’re visiting a country in the European Union, you likely only have one number to remember: 112—you can dial it in case of emergency from any landline or cell phone. In some countries, 112 also functions alongside their own national emergency numbers; in Italy, for example, dialing 112 will reach an operator who will then transfer you using the number of a local fire department or police. Basically, when all else fails, dial 112 in the E.U. and they will connect you to the right party.

Plenty of nations do use 911 as their emergency contact number; these countries include places like the Bahamas, Brazil, the Cayman Islands, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, and a whole host of other nations. If you don’t see your destination above, take a look at the State Department’s list at https://travel.state.gov/content/dam/students-abroad/pdfs/911_ABROAD.pdf.

Don’t worry about dialing country codes, either, assuming you have a phone that has internationally roaming activated; it should allow you to dial locally and without the country code prefix. You can find country codes at https://countrycode.org/.

Lastly, you might be a little concerned about the language barrier while calling an emergency line. When all else fails, give your local U.S. embassy a call.

Trip Review: A Quebec Experience

Lauren and her husband Evan traveled north of the border to Montreal and Quebec City in August.  Their trip began in Montreal for Lauren to compete in the World Masters Weightlifting Championships held in one of the 1976 Olympic venues.  We enjoyed exploring the Olympic sites and a visit to the top of the Montreal Tower for amazing city views.  At an astonishing 45-degree angle, it holds the Guinness World Record as the tallest inclined tower in the world.  Nearby are excellent dining options in Hochelega neighborhood.  We also explored Montreal’s Old Town with its vibrant shops, cafes, waterfront promenade along with several important churches, squares, government buildings and parks.  Our reason to visit the Historic Jewish section of the city was twofold: to see the myriad of murals that are painted on buildings as part of the annual Mural Festival each June and to eat smoked meat at the famous Schwartz’s Deli!  We also ventured into nearby Mont Royal park.  A fun activity was maneuvering through Montreal’s underground city with 20 miles worth of tunnels.  Our stay at the Le Westin Montreal proved to be an ideal location between the Old Town and newer city sections.  It offers an indoor pool, nice gym and several dining options.  Unfortunately our Heavenly Bed was not so heavenly, but our very spacious room was comfortable otherwise.

We took the train from Montreal to Quebec City; an easy 3-hour ride with nice bathrooms, foodservice and free internet.  We stayed in the hipster St. Roch neighborhood at the Best Western City Centre; a good 4-star hotel with a friendly and helpful staff, restaurant, indoor pool and small gym.  This area showcases lots of dining and shopping options.  It was an easy, 25-minute walk (uphill) to the Old Town.  They have an elevator part way if the stairs are too much.  We enjoyed exploring the quaint Old Town and its charming gates, street performers, cafes, shops, parks and historical buildings including a visit to the Citadel fortress.  Our walk along the Governors Promenade was enjoyable as well. This giant boardwalk facing the St. Lawrence River connects the Plains of Abraham Park to the Dufferin Terrace.  The highlight of our time in Quebec City was a half day bike ride to the Montmorency Falls with Cyclo Services.  We traveled through the beautiful Quebec countryside.  At Montmorency, we took a cable car to the top and walked across the suspended bridge over the falls.  The ride ended with some time in the Old Port area of Quebec.  This region showcases over 3,000 miles of bike paths (Rue Verte); an awesome opportunity for exploring on your own as well.  Overall the trip was a delight!

Trip Review: An Amsterdam Getaway

The Brucker family of Plymouth Meeting near Philadelphia (2 adults and 1 son, age 18) traveled to Amsterdam this summer for 5 days to celebrate a high school graduation.  The quick getaway was too short to get to multiple destinations, but they found the long stay in Amsterdam an opportunity to explore every inch of the city.  The graduate really loves history, culture, food and art; so it was very easy for the entire family to enjoy a variety of experiences.  The trio took in the Dutch city with several guided tours and museum visits along with excellent dining.  They were lucky as well with perfect weather.  A guided canal boat as well as a bike tour gave them varying views of the city’s highlights.  The guide on their canal boat tour with Those Dam Boat Guys was both funny and knowledgeable.  This cheeky ride around the city’s canals is in a 10-seater electric boat.  Their Yellow Bike tour was really fun as well as an authentic Amsterdam experience.  This company is the first and original company in Amsterdam for such tours.  Food wise they enjoyed a wonderful Secret Food tour that included plenty of history along with Dutch tastes.  They also visited the Heineken Experience which proved to be touristy, but a well-done interactive journey about this local beer. Amsterdam also showcases amazing museums.  The family said that their guided tour of the Van Gogh Museum was super interesting and valuable while the Anne Frank House is not to be missed. The family also loved the Moco Museum which opened in 2016.  This boutique museum showcases modern art, contemporary art and street art.  The family was sorry they skipped the Rijksmuseum. Digging more into Amsterdam culture, the highlight tour for the family turned out to be a Red-Light District Tour.  They found it very interesting and informative as they learned about the history and culture of the district, the protections, the controversy…they were really glad they did this tour.   The family stayed at the NH Grand Krasnapolsky; centrally located right on Dam Square.  The location was ideal for seeing all that the city has to offer.  They said that the service and staff were very good.   Overall a successful trip for all before sending their first child off the college!

Travel Tip: Annual Museum Day

The Smithsonian has announced its 15th annual Museum Day, scheduled for Saturday, September 21.  On Museum Day, participating museums across the U.S. will offer free admission.  The theme of Museum Day 2019 is Smithsonian Year of Music, honoring the Smithsonian’s vast musical collections and resources. Check out a list of participating museums and to download your free tickets. Note that free-admission tickets must be downloaded in advance of your visit: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/museumday/museum-day-2019/registration/.

Travel Tip: Rush My Passport

FedEx Office and RushMyPassport are coming together to offer you convenient and expedited U.S. passport services.  Last-minute travelers can either stop into one of more than 2,000 FedEx Office locations or visit FedEx.com/passport for rushed passport processing, renewals and updated government-compliant passport photos.  Other helpful services offered will include overnight shipping for rushed passport applications, full-tracking visibility throughout the approval process and free 24/7 assistance from passport specialists. You can choose from 24-hour service, next-day service, priority service, rush service, standard service and rush renewal and can also purchase high-quality, government-compliant two-by-two inch photos to submit with their passport application.

Trip Review: An Alaska Family Reunion

The Glickman and Kaplan families from Jacksonville, FL and Woodbury, CT ventured to Alaska this summer for a two-week land tour through Alaska’s South Central, Southwest and Interior regions.  The trip included a wonderful variety of outdoor adventures to witness the state’s amazing beauty and wildlife.  The three generations ranged from age 11-81!  They flew into Anchorage and drove themselves to Girdwood to decompress for a few nights at the Carriage House.  This was their favorite accommodation of the trip with an excellent breakfast as well as kitchens in their spacious cottage rooms. They went to the Aleyska Resort to ride the tram that affords spectacular views.  At the top they took a walk to see the snow, and got to see where the melt was just emerging… the very beginning of a creek!  They also did a bunch of hikes and some geocaching in Girdwood, as well as visited the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center. They were able to see the iconic animals up close and learn about them before they encountered them in the wild.

The trip moved south to Seward with a stay at the Seward Windsong Lodge.  They thoroughly explored the Kenai Peninsula with a fjords boat trip, sea kayaking, hiking and a visit to a dog sledding kennel owned by Iditarod winners.  The family explained that the fjords trip was a highlight and a very rich experience due to the number of animals they saw (eagles, whales, sea lions, puffins, sea otters and more).  They even saw a calving glacier! Their self-guided hike to a view from the top of Exit Glacier and the start of the Harding Ice Fields was also awesome despite the uphill and 7 ½ mile climb.  Unfortunately, their sea kayaking trip was a little short on water time.

From Seward, they drove back to Anchorage and stayed at the Lakefront Anchorage Hotel.  They appreciated the hotel going out of their way to honor a family birthday with cake and a “guest of the day” designation!  The following day they flew to Katmai for an awesome and once-in-a-lifetime bear viewing experience that included up-close encounters, watching the bears fish for salmon, playing on the beach and a seeing a mother and her cubs.  The travel to this remote peninsula was its own adventure.  The children got to sit right next to the pilot for the smooth flight! Some of them also visited the Alaska Heritage Center in Anchorage where they learned so much about the native peoples and saw some indigenous performances.

They boarded the Alaska Railroad train in Anchorage for a 7 ½ hour journey in the dome car to Denali National Park.  The 2^nd deck afforded them great views of animals, mountains, and rivers throughout the ride.  The train ride even included their own bartender and dedicated tour guide.  They enjoyed their meal in the dining car commenting on the excellent service.  Denali Park Village hotel was their home for the next few nights.  Not their favorite accommodation as it was several miles away from the park entrance without many food options nearby, but it was the only property available for their needs and dates.  Their activities included the full day Denali Backcountry Adventure through the park, ATV rides, a float trip, self-guided hikes and an interpretive hike through Rock Creek.  Evidentially, the ATV ride was only fun for the young adults in the group who enjoyed the speed.  The trails were unexpectedly dry and dusty and there wasn’t much wildlife in the area, but the float trip down the Nenana River was really lovely and they enjoyed the guides on their hike.  The Backcountry bus ride through the park is done on school buses.  Not the most comfortable for a 92-mile ride, but they explained that their driver was very knowledgeable and spotted bears, moose, caribou, eagles and other animals. The family noted that the parks in Alaska (and elsewhere around the US) are created for the animals; not for the tourists.  Experiencing the parks is not always easy.  Sadly, the weather did not cooperate for a view of Mount Denali even with a 4-night stay!

From Denali they took the 4-hour train to Fairbank for a night before flying home.  They stayed at the River’s Edge Resort.

Overall the family said it was an incredible trip and that they could not have organized it on their own.  Grandpa, who had been to Alaska before and done some of the same activities, said that the quality of tour operators used on this this tour made the trip extra special.  They thanked the Family Traveler for a family trip of a lifetime!

Travel Tip: Airport Charging Stations

Forbes Magazine let us in on a handy tip.  Those oh-so-handy USB power charging stations in the airport may come with a cost you can’t see. Cybercriminals can modify those USB connections to install malware on your phone or download data without your knowledge!

“Plugging into a public USB port is kind of like finding a toothbrush on the side of the road and deciding to stick it in your mouth. You have no idea where that thing has been,” says Caleb Barlow, Vice President of X-Force Threat Intelligence at IBM Security.  “And remember that that USB port can pass data.”

It’s much safer to bring your regular charger along and plug it into a wall outlet or, alternatively, bring a portable power bank to recharge your phone when you’re low on bars.

If you insist on using public USB ports, Barlow recommends investing $10 for something called a Juice-Jack Defender. “It’s a little dongle you can put in front of your charging cord that basically blocks any data from passing down the cord. It only passes the voltage,” says Barlow.

While these precautions may seem excessive to the average traveler, Barlow says it’s smart to worry about public USB power stations. A growing number of nation-state hackers are now training their sights on travelers, according to new research from IBM Security. The 2019 IBM X-Forece Threat Intelligence Index reveals that the transportation industry has become a priority target for cybercriminals as the second-most attacked industry — up from tenth in 2017.

Trip Review: Viva Puerto Rico

Jen recently returned from a Girls Getaway to Puerto Rico.  She stayed in a large villa on the grounds of the Wyndham Rio Mar; a favorite property for our families at both the resort and condos next door.  The sprawling property offers excellent golf, tennis, pools, watersports, spa, gym, restaurants and more.  The self-catering villa where Jen stayed included a private pool, golf carts to get around the resort and a private chef to assist with the cooking for 24 people…ideal for multi-generational groups; especially those with special food needs. The group explored the diverse island with a variety of activities.  A highlight was kayaking in the bioluminescent bay.  Jen appreciated the peacefulness of the lagoon at night and racing the kayaks through the mangroves.  It was a full moon; so they used tarps in order to see the bioluminescence. A guided hike in El Yunque rainforest was beautiful and also showcased how much the national park has regrown.   A guided tour of quaint Old San Juan proved to be both informative and enjoyable.  The group even to the forts and also went to the bar that invented pina coladas.  They were delicious!   The women also volunteered at a new school set to open this August and assisted with various building projects and purchasing supplies for the school as well.  Lunch at the Luquillo Kiosks was also a highlight with so many amazing food choices to enjoy with beach views.  Overall Jen really enjoyed her trip, using US dollars, no passports or customs and immigration and the fact the English is widely spoken.  She found the people to be very warm and inviting and thankful that tourists are returning post-hurricane.