Unique digital nomad travel adventures from around the U.S.
I am very excited to share this road trip itinerary for three days on the Oregon coast. I take no credit for its amazingness. It was given to me by a former local and all-around Oregon expert. She really came through and provided the greatest …
In our Poland Do’s and Don’ts post, we briefly mentioned visiting the Wieliczka Salt Mines (WSM). Some things deserve to be talked about a little more, so this post will describe the crazy cool time we had exploring 300 meters (imagine three football fields stacked …
Fun work trips are possible. I promise. Do you have to travel for work? If the answer is yes, below are some suggestions for how to make your next business trip a little more enjoyable…provided you can find some free time of course.
A couple of times a year, I get/have to travel for work. These trips are usually a week or so in length to some place in the U.S. In fact, I have never traveled internationally for work. Needless to say, the “perks,” as we tend to think of them, are few for me when it comes to business travel. I have no elite status with any sort of airline and my miles and points add up very slowly. That is not to say I do not have a good time when I travel for work. It just means I have to make my own fun and work a little bit to take advantage of the situation. Here are my suggestions:
Even if you are too busy working to get out and explore, you still have to eat. So you might as well make it a unique experience.
Every region of the country (and world, for that matter) is known for something culinary. We all know New England is known for its clam chowder, Chicago for its deep-dish pizza and the South for its BBQ. Even here in old Idaho, we are known for our potatoes. You just have to do a little research. Or better yet, ask a local. Did you know Cincinnati is known for its chili? I sure did not until I visited a friend there. Now, chili is the first thing I think of when I think of Cincinnati—probably because it tasted so good! Search out which restaurants or dishes are famous and make sure to try them. Knowing I do not have to pay for it is just an added bonus.
Another bonus to business travel is the opportunity to eat at very expensive restaurants occasionally. You know the kind I am talking about, those places where your entrée does not come with any sides. Instead, those sides cost about as much as you would normally pay for an entrée back home. I do not eat at expensive restaurants often. But every now and then, I get asked to join a client dinner. Since the experience is a rare one, I almost always say yes and I have had the opportunity to eat at some really great, high-end restaurants courtesy of work.
If I am not joining my coworkers or a client for dinner, I typically keep dinner simple and within walking distance to my hotel. Since the company pays for my meal, I sometimes like to spring for dessert—often at a different location entirely. On a recent trip to Sacramento, I discovered a little gem called Rick’s Dessert Diner and made myself sick off a slice of their decadent cake. Experiences like this help to make fun work trips.
Some people are nervous about eating out on solo trips because they will have to eat by themselves. R and I have both reached a point in our lives where this is no longer a big deal (you get used to it after a while). But if you tend to feel lonely, remember you can almost always eat at the the bar. The bartender is often friendly and you get your food quickly. If you like sports, there is usually a game on that you can watch while you dine.
If you are staying in a city, it might seem obvious to get out and explore. In fact, you might have to in order to eat or attend meetings. But not every business trip, or chosen hotel anyway, is located in a city center. However, no matter where I am staying, I am usually pleasantly surprised by what I find when I get out and walk a bit.
After my boss asked me to work out of our New Jersey office for a few weeks, I started arranging for lodging and a car. I needed to find a hotel with a kitchen so that I did not have to eat every meal out for the next six weeks. I ended up going with a Residence Inn not too far from the office. After settling in, I started going on walks and exploring the area. Aside from the gorgeous houses and trees in the area, I also found out there was a town about a half mile from my hotel. It was small, but it had everything I needed including a grocery store, pharmacy and restaurants. Best of all, it was home to a train stop. I was able to walk to the station and catch a ride into NYC to see my friend any weekend I was free.
During a business trip to Anaheim, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that my hotel was within walking distance to Disneyland. I just happened to have a completely free day on that trip as well. Needless to say, I went ahead and visited Mickey on that free day.
Do not be afraid to set out on foot and explore your new and temporary neighborhood. Who knows what you will discover.
When I travel for work, my days are usually quite busy. But most of the time, my nights and weekends are free. I do not mind watching TV and decompressing in my hotel room. However, after a couple of days of this, I am usually bored. Luckily, extracurricular activities abound all over the U.S. and make for fun work trips.
I once took a cake decorating class from Carlo’s Bake Shop (you know, the Cake Boss) while in New Jersey as well as a paint and sip class while in Sacramento. And then there are the various yoga classes I have attended while on the road. Classes like these usually require registration and a fee, but they can be a good way to pass the time and experience something new. They can also be a good way to meet locals and find out unique things about the area.
If a class is not your thing, you can always try a local spa. A massage while traveling for work is never a bad idea. Websites like Travelzoo and Groupon often offer spa deals in major U.S. cities. They also offer deals for entertainment. Idaho is not exactly a major stopping point for most bands. Whenever I go on a trip for work, I always check to see if a band I like is going to be performing in the area. I have gotten lucky a few times and have been able to see some of my favorite acts performing in new-to-me venues.
I cannot pretend to be a big baseball fan. However, I do enjoy taking in a game if I get the chance and thanks to various works trips, I have had the opportunity to see the Chicago Cubs, Baltimore Orioles and Atlanta Braves all play on their home turf. A game is always a good way to spend the evening in a new town.
I love a good road trip. Thanks to some work obligations, I have been able to go on some pretty fun ones. A couple of years ago, I attended a conference in Portland for work. After the conference ended, I rented a car and spent the weekend driving down the Oregon coast. At the end of my voyage, I returned the rental car and flew home. I did not have to take any time off or buy a plan ticket. It was lovely.
On other occasions, I have already had a rental car because of my work schedule and location. This happened on an extended work trip to the East Coast. Ironically, R had a business trip scheduled on the East Coast during that same time. I met her at the airport and we spent a long weekend road tripping through Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont before heading back to work. Since work had paid for our flights and my rental car, we just had to split gas and lodging between the two of us—making it a very affordable road trip through New England.
Instead of flying directly into Baltimore to attend a conference, I flew into Pittsburgh a day or so early and caught the train. I arrived in Baltimore in time to attend the conference, but first I enjoyed a lovely train ride through some country I had never seen before. It took some planning and I had to make sure flight prices into Pittsburgh were comparable to flight prices into Baltimore (turns out, they were cheaper so I actually saved the company some money). However, it was worth the effort to see a new place and visit a new city.
If you are traveling to an urban area you are not renting a car, then the train, or even the public transportation system, is something you should really take advantage of. You might be surprised at the places you can go with just a little extra planning. Whenever I visit New Jersey for work, I make a point to go into New York City (via public transportation) to visit a good friend of mine. It requires a bit of coordination, but it is well worth the effort.
I love it when work trips bring me to where my friends and family live. I mentioned my friend in New York City whom I try to visit whenever I go to our New Jersey office. Lucky me, I also have a good friend in Orlando. Over the years, a particular conference has taken me to Orlando a half dozen times. Each trip, I get to spend time with that friend and it makes any hassles I have traveling for work worth it.
I have also used work trip locations as a jumping off point to meet up with friends. Sometimes, after my conference or meetings wrap up, I fly to an entirely different city to meet up with a friend. It can often be cheaper for me to visit someone that way since I just pay the difference from the original, roundtrip ticket that my company bought.
Note: I do not charge my time, gas or any other expenses to the company when I am playing. Never take advantage of your employer. It’s not cool.
Business travel does not have to be a drag and there are ways to ensure you have fun work trips. Every state, city and/or region has something unique to offer. You just have to do a little research to find out what those unique offers are, and then coordinate your time to take advantage of them.
Travel disappointment is real. Disappointment in general is, unfortunately, a part of life. But it is also a part of travel. No matter how well planned or thought out, a trip rarely goes off without a hitch. Whether it is flight delays, an upset stomach …
Holidays are a funny thing. Every culture has them and sometimes they cross country boundaries (e.g. Easter, Christmas) and are celebrated in many countries. But sometimes they are unique to that particular country. It’s easy to think other countries’ holidays sound crazy when you did …
A mid vacation respite is a time on your trip when you can take a vacation from your vacation. One of the most challenging things about planning a trip is trying to cram in as much as possible. No matter where you go, you will have to make tough choices about what you will be able to see and what you will have to skip until the next time around. Our natural inclination is to pack our days and nights as full as possible, each and every day. Logic tells us we only have so much time to be away from our everyday lives, so it would be a waste to not to zip around from place to place as fast as we can.
Well, let me tell you from someone who has been around a time or two, it is awesome to be able to take a day or two and relax in the midst of your action-packed adventures. In thinking back to some of our trips, this mid-vacation respite can come in a few different ways: planned, chanced and forced.
When I joined my friends on a trip to Europe, I was not involved in the planning. This is because I decided I was going to tag along a few weeks before they left on a trip that had been in the works for months. Luckily for me, the chief trip planner is a wise woman and in the middle of us zipping around to many cities within seven different countries, we made a stopover in the lovely Cinque Terre in Italy. It seems strange to me that after I finally made it back to Europe, with all of the interesting things to see and do, I was happy to spend several precious days in a very small area. However, after the hustle and bustle of traveling, unpacking, exploring, packing, traveling, unpacking, exploring, packing, etc. for a few weeks, it was delightful to just stop and smell the sea water.
In our tiny town of Vernazza, we bunked down and got to know the town and the people. Half of our group became regulars at a local cafe that served amazing hot chocolate. My favorite part of staying in one small location was that I could really get a feel for what it would be like to be an average Jane in a town like this. There was a waiter at one of the restaurants on the square who was a case study in small town Italian life.
Tulio was a twenty-something-year-old who married a pretty girl and had an adorable baby. He would work at the restaurant, get yelled at by his mother-in-law for not working hard enough, and then play soccer with his buddies when it rained or the tourists went away. For several days we watched Tulio and his routine; for him and for us, time seemed to slow down in this idyllic town. With our batteries recharged, we were able to push through the rest of our action-packed trip.
When researching Bali, B found a region of the island that was a little off the beaten track and was supposed to be very pretty. Not knowing much more than that, we found a hotel online and reserved a room for a couple of days. Little did we know that this place was going to be one of the highlights of the trip. We arrived in the chill town of Lovina after a few hectic days in Ubud. Our introduction to the town included watching the sun melt into pinks and purples while sitting on a dock. This was a very auspicious beginning.
The biggest decision we had to make during the next few days was whether to spend the day relaxing at our pool or spend the day relaxing at the beach? Rough life, I know. One day, as we were looking for a place to set up camp on the beach, we noticed a few umbrellas down the way. We decided to check it out and our gumption was rewarded with the opportunity to hang out all day long on turquoise-colored recliners. All we had to do for this privilege was order a few tropical smoothies every now and then. It was not a difficult decision to make. We even stayed for dinner and another beautiful sunset.
The hotel we stayed at only had two other guests; a delightful Australian couple. Because the hotel was small and intimate, we felt totally at home and were able to decompress without worrying about what was coming next. Serendipitous events happen all of the time while on vacation. The important thing to remember is to embrace what is happening and enjoy it. We didn’t have a particular reason to venture into Lovina, but it sounded like a good idea so we went with it. After a few uber-relaxing days in the sun, we we ready for the next phase of the trip.
It would be naive to think that everything will go as planned on your trips. Things don’t go as planned in normal life, so why would they on a trip? The trick is to not let it ruin your vacation and instead make the best of things. When we visited Eastern Europe, we planned our trip for the Spring. Spring in this northern climate can be a tempestuous thing and sure enough, after spending a few lovely days in Poland and Latvia, the rain hit us in Tallinn, Estonia. Since the weather was rainy, it didn’t make sense to do day trips to places where we wouldn’t be able to see much. This forced us to reassess our plans and for the majority of one day we actually stayed holed up in our house where we read, napped and wrote in our travel journals.
This might sound boring, but it was actually fantastic. Granted, we were staying in the coolest place any of us have ever stayed (a renovated, 14th-century, medieval chapel). It was crazy atmospheric to be lounging around in a place with wooden beams and gothic architecture while hearing the rain pitter patter outside. Instead of feeling like we lost a whole day on our trip because of the weather, we were grateful for the forced relaxation and quiet time in the middle of the hustle and bustle that comes with traveling.
We’ve all heard the phrase, “the calm before the storm.” In relation to traveling, the mid-vacation respite is the calm between two storms. During this time you get to collect yourself, catch your breath and prepare for the next thing coming at you. Of the three options–planned, chanced and forced–you can only really control the first. When you are planning a trip, know that you are going to appreciate some time in the middle of the chaos to just chill.
As I type this, B and I are in the middle of planning a major trip to Australia. It is super challenging to keep a day or two to minimal activities. Additionally, the country is so big, we are at the mercy of flight schedules. If you, like us in Australia, can’t force yourself to stay in one place for too long, you can rely on the other two options. Because of the challenge of transportation, we will most like be forced to spend longer than we want to in one town. Our options are to either rush to catch a crappy flight and arrive in our next destination a few hours earlier, or take it easy, ride a bus and arrive a few hours later. In this case, our mid-vacation respite will probably include a few bus rides were we can chill and check out the scenery.
Travel comes with all sorts of unexpected and unplanned for things–even to people who spend hour and hours planning. This can make you uncomfortable, but it also opens up the doors to serendipitous and wonderful experiences that you had no idea existed.
![Travel Planning for a Trip [Australia Specifically]](https://i0.wp.com/janeseestheworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Australia4.jpg?resize=760%2C400&ssl=1)
The dates are set, the plane ticket is bought and the travel fund is steadily growing. It is now time to start travel planning and focusing on the details of your trip. Not long ago, I wrote a post about what I am doing to …
Vacations full of fresh fruit and beaches always sound really good to me, but to be honest, I’m just not a hot weather kind of Jane. I prefer sweaters to swimsuits; they are softer and I can eat ice cream without feeling guilty. That being …
I have been lucky enough to find some great travel companions over the years. But I understand that it can sometimes be difficult to find like-minded people to travel and explore this world with. Unfortunately, I do not think there is a magical formula to finding good travel companions. However, I do have some tips for choosing a travel companion or buddy.
Below are five tips that will hopefully help you find a good travel companion. I also share five examples of real-life travel companions I have gone on trips with and the various experiences we had. I hope it helps!
Before you can deal with someone else’s annoying habits, you need to know your own. Are you a morning or a night person? Do you prefer a lot activity or some quiet time on the beach? Are you an introvert or an extrovert? These are important things to figure out before you attempt to leave the country with someone. You do not necessarily need to find someone who is exactly like you, but you need to know your own habits, preferences, strengths and weaknesses. That way you will better understand where you might complement a potential travel companion and where you might clash with them.
Even if you have never traveled before, you should be able to figure out a few travel preferences based on how you prefer to live your life. Do you like a well-ordered plan? You are probably not going to enjoy traveling with someone who flies to a new destination without knowing where they are going to stay that night. Are you looking forward to relaxing on the beach for a week straight? That adrenalin-junky friend might not be the best choice then. Are you budget conscious? Stay away from travelers with trust funds. Asking yourself a couple of questions up front can save you a lot of heartburn later on.
When you picture your vacation in your mind, what do you see? Once you figure that out, it should making choosing a traveling companion a little easier…especially if you already pictured them along with you on that mental vacation.
L was my very first travel companion. I was lucky to have her in my life and I learned so much about myself, both as a person and as a traveler. When she got married and started a family, I was genuinely worried I would never find another travel companion as good as her. However, I now realize that although there is no one quite like L, there are other, equally great travel companions. In order to find them, you have to be a good (or potentially good) travel companion yourself. That is the first step and one of the many important lessons I learned from L.
It is okay if you do not want to travel with your best friend. They may make a great best friend, but that does not mean they will make a good travel companion. In fact, none of your current friends may be right for hitting the road. Same goes for your significant other. Getting along on a trip is very different than getting along in real life. That slightly annoying habit one of your friends has of whistling through their teeth is going to change from slightly annoying to something else entirely on a trip.
Take a hard look at your current pool of friends. You may even need to look outside that pool. You do not need to travel with someone who has your exact personality. If fact, some contrast can be good. The trick is finding someone you can get along with for long stretches of time and in times of challenge. That is no small task!
For me, there are a few things I need in a travel companion (e.g. someone with a sense of adventure who is cool under pressure) and a few things I do not need (e.g. someone who panics easily, is dramatic or a whiner), but everything else is negotiable. I myself am an introvert, but I can travel just fine with either another introvert or an extreme extrovert. I am a picky eater, but I will follow along to whatever restaurant my travel companion wants to try and then order something “safe” from the menu. The important thing is to identify your “must haves” and your “must not haves” and then go from there.
One of my favorite experiences was a road trip around New Zealand (both the North and South Islands). I traveled with my good friend and former roommate, W. W was new to international travel. She was also my first travel companion since L. To say I handled those details in stride would be a reach. Although I consider the trip a success, there were situations I wish I had handled differently.
I learned a lot about myself and the way I prefer to travel. I also learned that some people are easier to travel with than others. W and mine’s personalities were not as conducive as I assumed they would be. We never fought, but we experienced challenges I had never faced before. I would like to think I learned from those challenging experiences and they made me an overall better travel companion. In the end, everything worked out and we had a wonderful vacation. We are also still friends.
This is probably the most difficult of the tips for choosing a travel companion. Not only are you looking for someone you can get along with, but you are also looking for someone who is in a similar situation as you are. Maybe you have found the perfect travel companion, but their situation in life and/or circumstances do not allow them to travel the same as you.
For example, your best friend may be your preferred road trip companion, but if she has five kids, you are probably going to have a tough time going on those road trips. Finances, vacation time, family obligations, work commitments, health, etc. all contribute to the kind of traveler you are. It can be difficult (if not impossible) to find someone who matches you on every category. The goal then is to find someone who matches you on as many as possible.
Another thing to look at is travel preferences. Do you enjoy saving up and going on one big trip a year or do you prefer taking multiple shorter trips? Do you like returning to the same tropical island every year or are you on a quest to visit as many countries as you can? When looking at a potential travel companion, everything else may align but if you want to visit a new country and she wants to head to Las Vegas again, it might be a deal breaker.
S and I became friends at a time when all of our other friends were getting married and starting families. We were both single, gainfully employed and enjoying the last of our 20s. In addition, we both loved to travel. Since our lives matched up so perfectly and we got along well, it was only natural we started traveling together.
For my 30th birthday, we celebrated by backpacking through Europe and skiing the Swiss Alps on the big day. Then for her 30th, we traveled around Indonesia and spent her big day scuba diving. S is a big part of my travel portfolio. Her situation has now changed (she has a husband and a kid) and we are no longer travel companions. But for a time, our lives aligned and we went on some memorable trips.
Of all the tips for choosing a travel companion, this one is my favorite. Once you think you have found that perfect travel companion, it is time for a test run or a trial trip. Even something as simple as a weekend road trip is a good idea. By the time R and I stepped out of the country together (which was Costa Rica, by the way), I was pretty sure we would get along fine. Our personalities are very similar and we had both traveled previously.
I did not necessarily think of our time in Costa Rica as a test run, but I guess that is what it was. If either of us had had a bad experience, that may have been our one and only trip together. Instead, we learned that R should never be tasked with holding the keys and I should not be driving if there are large potholes in the road. But there were no deal breakers and in fact, the last sentence of my travel journal from that trip reads: “Costa Rica is wonderful, R is an excellent travel companion and I love, love, love to travel.” We have now been traveling together for more than five years and we even started this travel blog!
We had been friends with C for several years before we decided to go on an international trip with her. It was a short trip, just five days in Iceland, and none of us believed any real issues or disagreements would arise. However, we still joked that it was C’s test run to see if she could “hang” with us. Although we joked, in all reality it was a test run—for both her and us. We were just as much on trial as she was and if she had an awful time traveling with us, that would have been the end of our trips with C. Needless to say, nobody had an awful time and we have enjoyed C’s company on many more adventures like Puerto Rico, Poland and Estonia.
It sounds a little cheesy, but this is good advice. And in terms of tips for choosing a travel companion, this one cannot be overstated. You are in a relationship with your travel companion, if only for a short time. It pays to be a little more flexible. Be a little more patient. Be a little more understanding. Travel can be a stressful experience and sometimes emotions run high. Think before you speak and act, especially if your travel companion makes a mistake or a poor choice. Imagine how you would want them to act if you made a mistake. And we all make mistakes. If you want to find and keep good travel companions, you first need to be one yourself.
Recently, R and I observed an older married couple hiking just ahead of us on a trail through North Cascades National Park. They were bickering and it was the kind of bickering they have probably been doing for 40 years. As I we listened and observed their behavior (before taking a trail that went in the opposite direction), we commented on how much fun they were not having thanks to the way they were speaking to each other. We also noted how much different our relationship would be if we spoke to each other like that. I wonder how much more they would have enjoyed their hike if they had treated each other with a little more respect and patience. We all benefit from kind words and a vacation is much more enjoyable if we remember to use them, especially to the person we are traveling with.
My oldest and dearest friend is also my cousin D. We share a bond I cannot begin to describe and no matter where life takes us, we remain close—which is interesting since our personalities are so very different. Our different personalities combined with our very different situations in life should make D and I horrible travel companions. But we are not. Although we do not get to travel together often (D has five children), our trips together are fun and memorable. We know each other’s strength and weaknesses and we cater to them. Most importantly, we think about the other person when making decisions. Traveling with D may be very different from traveling with my usual companions, but it is no less of an enjoyable experience.
Do not let a lack of companionship stop you from exploring. Do not be afraid to travel on your own until a travel companion comes along. You will definitely discover more about yourself (see Tip 1) and you many even find a new travel companion out there on the road.
Finding the right travel companion is hard. In my experience, even if you find the right companion, situations or circumstances change and you sometimes end up right back at square one. Do not lose heart. Be patient, improve yourself and keep planning those adventures. Eventually, the right Jane will come along. I hope you enjoyed reading these tips for choosing a travel companion.
Taking the train across Canada was a dream come true for me. I do not remember when I first learned that it is possible to ride a train across Canada, but I was young and it remained a dream of mine for many years. After …