Five Benefits of Traveling with Others

In my last post I wrote about the awesomeness of traveling on your own, but there are some definite benefits of traveling with other people, too. This post is dedicated to the joys of sharing travel experiences with friends and family! 

1. There is Always Someone to Watch Your Bags

This is an excellent reason to travel with another person. Yes, the companionship part is great, but sometimes you just don’t want to lug all your stuff around to go to the bathroom or look for food in the airport. I know that sounds lazy, and it’s no one’s fault but your own if your bag’s too heavy, but seriously, travel is exhausting. Sometimes it’s nice to have someone else there to watch your bags. Or to let you be on bag duty while your traveling partner goes to find food for the both of you!

2. Splitting the Cost

Looking to travel inexpensively (but not necessarily cheap)? Try traveling with a friend who has the same tastes as you so you can order food and split it! Restaurants in tourist areas (especially those who cater to Americans) will be serving large portions, so there will be enough for two--or maybe three! So instead of hanging onto a box of food until you get back to your lodging, or instead of throwing out perfectly good food, just plan to order something you can agree on and split the cost. Hotels, B&Bs, and the like are always cheaper when you split the cost in half!

3. Having an Extra Set of Eyes

You will need to look for signage, and that second pair of eyes will definitely help! You'll need to look out for road signs, train signs, bus signs, weather signs, restaurant signs, attraction signs, you name it! It is always helpful to have a second set of eyes on the lookout, because no one likes to miss something and feel lost. Or worse: have to backtrack!

4. Share and Share Alike

Ladies, you know you need to save space, but you SO want to have plenty of options when you travel. This is where girlfriends come in handy. Coordinate with your travel partners and figure out what works best for the group. Maybe everyone can go with one color scheme? Maybe someone can bring that scarf you’re always admiring so you can wear it to dinner one night? Maybe you can all get together and agree on a pair of “traveling pants” each that you can mix and match with? Get creative, and remember that it doesn’t count as rewearing if you wear a friend’s top (even if she already wore it)! Similarly, wouldn't it be nice if you could bum some toothpaste or contact solution if you run out on the road? 

5. Camaraderie

Hands down, the best reason to travel with someone else is the unique opportunity you'll have to get to know them on a deeper level. You're both having experience that only you will have together, especially when traveling in another country. You're both working through the language barrier, you're both figuring out the cultural differences, you're both trying to figure out the street system. You'll probably get frustrated with each other at some point, but working through those bumps can also make you a better person and bring you closer to your travel buddy. 

Footnote: Be empathetic to first-time travel companions. Remember, you were once a novice as well! Traveling with a similarly experienced traveler is usually a good idea, but if you do want to take someone for the experience of their life and take them traveling with you, be prepared to quell some fears or nervousness and take some extra responsibility!

Five Benefits of Traveling Solo

If you’ve known me for any amount of time, or read a few of these blog entries, you know by now that I don’t mind striking out on my own literally anywhere in the world. Notice I said “on my own” and not “alone.” No one is ever truly alone with they travel, even traveling solo. If you’re a believer, God is always there with you, watching out for you. And even if you're not a believer, if you ever need something, there is always some kind person there to help, sometimes out of nowhere. 

I’ve had many people tell me over the years that I’m just so “brave” to travel by myself. But in reality, I think sometimes I’m just too naïve or too excited to care about all the “what ifs” that will likely never happen. My first trip alone was to Japan for three months, and no, I do not speak Japanese.  But that experience changed my life and made me who I am today. There was always someone there willing to help me when I got lost, and I figured out a lot of things on my own, giving me confidence I didn't know I had within me! Here are five ways solo travel can be the absolute best.

1. Opportunities to Make New Friends

This is one of my most favorite things about traveling on my own. I love having friends all over the world, and even if we don’t really keep up afterward, it’s nice to have a friend if only for a little while. I was in Krakow, Poland, a few years ago, and I met the nicest girl from Australia, also traveling on her own. She had been teaching English and living in Oslo, Norway, and was on holiday there in Krakow. We ended up having supper together and trading stories of places we've been. I didn’t hear from her after that, but we had a fun girls’ night!

I have met people on planes, on tours, and in hotels and B&Bs; you just never know where you’re going to meet a new friend. I first met my husband in our hotel in Prague!

2. Your Time is Your Own

When you travel solo, your daily schedule is only dependent on YOU! If you’re an early bird, you can go catch that worm, get your day started early, and make the most of your time wherever you are. But wait, what if you’re the mattress back who likes to be out at night instead? You can do that, too! No one will nag you, and you won’t have to nag anyone else either. Want to make the earlier train into town? You can do it! Make your own schedule, or don’t. It’s up to you! 

3. You Get to See and Do What You Want to See and Do

Have you ever felt like you only do the things that other people want to do? If you’re on your own, you can make plans to do and see things you're interested in seeing. You can spend ALL DAY at the Louvre, or roaming the streets of that one historic place you’ve been dying to see, or enjoy a last-minute show at the Sydney Opera House because you found a good deal on a single ticket. Maybe you want to take a day trip out to a remote village. Do it. Make the plans you want, change your plans on a whim, just go for it and enjoy yourself!

4. Slide into Tours Easily

Just recently I was in New Orleans with friends, but we decided to do our own things for the morning. I wanted to go on a free walking tour, but little did I know I needed a reservation! When I arrived, the tour guide said her tour was full, so I might be out of luck. However, sometimes people don’t show up, so if I wanted to hang around, I could have a chance to tag onto the tour. But, a group of four showed up before me, so they had first dibs. I sure was glad I waited, though, because only ONE reservation didn't show. Guess who got to go on the tour while the other four were out of luck... this girl! This also applies to rides at theme parks, cable cars, and pretty much anything you have to stand in line for. Companies usually try not to send things on their way less than full.

5. Finding Your Own Bravery

OK, so this one has to be my favorite. You are braver than you may think, and solo travel is the perfect opportunity to prove it to yourself! You can communicate with people who don’t speak your language. You can use a map to find your hotel. You can try new things and have new experiences. You can ask someone for help, as well as help another solo traveler. You can explore new cities in new countries and find a whole new life inside yourself... Because you’re brave enough to do that. 

What are some things you enjoy about traveling on your own? 

Hong Kong II: The 37-hour Saturday

Now for the second half of our whirlwind trip! 

Here’s another tip for you: the ticket machines for the metro only take cash, unless you have a special reloadable pass (which tourists don’t typically have), and they only take small bills. But what did we get from the ATM? A couple of $100 bills (in Hong Kong Dollars). We had already used the smaller bills. So off we went in search of a small purchase to make change! Fortunately, there was a 7/11 nearby, so we bought some little red bean-filled cakes (one of my favorite Asian treats!), made change, and bought our tickets. Another hurdle crossed!

As you might imagine in Asia, the metro was quite clean. There was even a person walking through with a trash picker-upper grabbing the little pieces of food or trash that had fallen to the floor. It was a pretty simple system to figure out, thank goodness, and everything was labeled in both Chinese and English! When we got off the metro, we still had to navigate underground for a couple of blocks, which was fine by us. The alternative was trying to navigate through congested roads and tons of people—no thanks!

Hong Kong is quite small, but what it lacks in square footage, it makes up for both underground and above the roads with an elaborate system of walkways—all with plenty of shops scattered about as well! It’s really pretty genius, but you sort of have to know where you’re going so you don’t get lost.

We made it to the hotel by early afternoon, checked in with what was probably the longest check-in process I’ve ever experienced (they took us on a tour of the hotel and our room), and set out again. This time, to The Peak!

But first, here's a pretty rare unobstructed view of Victoria Harbor:

I was already starting to fade, but I refused to give in to the sleepiness! Thankfully Steve knew generally where we were going, or I would have been so very lost. We wound our way through the streets and above the streets and across some streets and then we were there! This time we got to go straight to the ticket counter and only stood in line about 40 minutes total to board the funicular up the mountain to Victoria Peak (“The Peak”). This line was not too bad. There was a museum there for people to look at while they waited, so that made the time pass a little faster.

Nothing could have prepared me for the next part, however…

So there we were, first in line (mob, line, it’s all the same) for the funicular to the top. Steve told me to get ready for a scrum. Wait, what? What’s a scrum you ask? You know that terrible mass-wrestling thing they do in rugby to get the ball? That’s a scrum. Sort of like Black Friday at Wal-Mart. Anyway, get ready. As soon as the doors opened, everyone started shoving! And not just shoving, I mean really pushing hard! Thankfully Steve had warned me and positioned me right at the door to get in, so I fumbled in as best I could, sat in the first seat I came to, and looked around for Steve. He actually had to stick his arm out and stop a whole family so he could get on!

That was intense! We took the historic funicular up the steep incline to the top, departed as ferociously as we’d gotten on, and found our way to the shops and restaurants up there. We got some authentic-enough noodles for lunch, walked around inside for a bit, then decided to take in the views from outside! It was a very nice day, and sunshine would help us stay awake the rest of the day. We found a 3-mile paved path that would take us around The Peak and give us some lovely views. 

We stopped over at the touristy view points on the roof of one of the department stores as well, then decided to get back in line to go down.

The line wasn’t quite as long, but the pushing and shoving was just as forceful! Thankfully Steve was right behind me this time. Down and down and down we went, back to the hotel. We had considered going to the Star Ferry, but I was starting to get a sore throat and an earache, and I truly didn’t have it in me. We stopped at a grocery store for some food to take back to the room, and we were taking it easy by 6:00pm with that view of the harbor. We wanted to see the light show, but it doesn't start until 8:00pm every night, and we were already asleep by then!

And what time do you think we were up on Saturday morning? Yep, around 4:00am, ready and raring to go! So up we got, had some coffee, and hit the gym!

My sore throat was not going away, despite my efforts to pump vitamin C into myself the day before, so I called down for some salt so I could gargle with some salt water. There was a tea maker in our room as well as a coffee maker, so I heated some water, dumped in a bunch of salt, stirred it up, and wouldn’t you know I burned my mouth! So I let it cool down a bit and gargled a little later. Not sure if it worked, but I did what I could!

We checked out of the hotel around 7:00 or so, went in search of a Starbucks so we could get a mug for our collection, and finally found one at the train station. We got a Hong Kong mug and a China mug, and much to our delight, they gave us two free espressos! So we sipped our coffee and went to figure out how to take the airport express train.

Much to our delight, you can check in for your flight, have boarding passes printed, and check your bags (if you check bags, which we don’t) all at the train station! There were two United representatives there, one at the regular check-in counter and one at her own kiosk. The one at her own kiosk waved us over, which she totally didn’t have to do, and checked us in right there. She even attached a slip of paper to our boarding pass that told us when to catch the last recommended train to prevent us from missing our flight! We were there a few hours ahead of that, but we planned to take advantage of the lounge at the Hong Kong airport, especially since we’d be flying in economy on the way to San Francisco—fill up on food and beverages before you board!

And that’s exactly what we did. We ate both breakfast and lunch in the lounge, used their wi-fi, and drank plenty of water before going to the gate. When going from Hong Kong to the US, no one is allowed to take any water or other liquid on the plane. It doesn't matter if you filled your water bottle inside security, you have to dump it all out before you board—they even have about 10 guys checking carry-ons plane-side! Steve and I knew about this little rule, so we were prepared for it, but other people had no idea and were sorely disappointed! We did discover, however, that most large planes have water stations aboard. I can’t believe neither of us had noticed them before!

So we boarded the plane, flew 11 hours to San Francisco and landed before we left Hong Kong (we left Hong Kong at 12:30pm, then landed in San Francisco at 8:15am the same day!). Steve slept through most of that flight, but I mostly talked to the guy next to us (who, ironically, was also next to us on the cable car on Launtau Island the day before!), read, blogged, and tried to rest my eyes. I got up a few times to ask the flight attendants to fill my travel mug with hot water for tea, which they never seemed to mind doing. That was one of my strategies for staying hydrated throughout the flight. I have a 20-ounce travel mug that packs well, so I just kept asking for more hot water! Because seriously, how can those tiny 4-6 ounce cups possibly be enough? They don’t come by to refill those or offer more nearly enough for this girl.

Our final leg took us from San Fran to DC, landing around 7:00pm Saturday DC time (which would have been 8:00am Sunday in Hong Kong). That’s where we got our 37-hour Saturday!

And so ends our last international trip until the end of December. Where are we going for the New Year? Stay tuned to find out!

For more pictures, click here! 

Hong Kong I: Three Sunsets

Yes indeed, we did Hong Kong in one day, my friends! I’ll admit it was one of the least efficient trips we’ve taken, so read on to avoid our mistakes on your own whirlwind trip to Hong Kong!

So first, let’s get there! First flight: IAD (Washington-Dulles International Airport) to Newark, NJ. We were on the cutest little prop plane (also known as tiny), but we had the best flight attendant, maybe ever. I think his name was John. He was excited about life, and his excitement was just a delight on that tiny little airplane! He could have used the smallness of the plane and the short duration of the flight as an excuse not to serve beverages, but he didn’t. The plane was too small even for a cart in the aisle, so he walked back and forth to his galley at the front of the plane to get drinks for everyone. He also made a point to recognize all the Global Services and 1K Mileage Plus members on the flight to say thanks for flying so much with United. I know United has really gone downhill in the service department, and even Steve and I are a little bit fed up with their antics, but this flight was a diamond in the rough!

Moving on! We made a stop in the United Lounge before heading to our gate at Newark, filled our water bottles, and ate some snacks to get us through till mealtime on the flight. And before we knew it, it was time to board!

The Newark to Hong Kong route is 16 hours, and it takes you up and over the Arctic Circle. So, up and up and up we went, watching the sunset through the windows as we made our way north. But let’s remember that it’s already tomorrow morning in Hong Kong, so the sun has already risen by the time we were watching it set.

That was sunset #1.

Sunset #2 came about half way through the flight. We were actually “chasing” the sunset at such a high speed in the plane, so we caught up to it!

So it was daylight for a while, until the sunset caught back up with us about two hours before we landed in Hong Kong—that was sunset #3!

Pretty crazy, huh? As you may already know, I cannot get any sort of quality sleep in-flight; I have to make my own entertainment! Thankfully, Steve used his status and some miles to get us upgraded to business class on that leg of our trip, so at least I got to lay flat and rest my eyes for a couple of hours. Even if I’m not sleeping, being in a restful position makes a tremendous difference! Other than that, I ate, read, watched some TV and a couple of movies, and watched my Love sleep silently beside me. I don’t know how he does it!

And then we arrived! We had left our house about 10:30am on Wednesday in DC and arrived in Hong Kong at 8:45pm Thursday. What did we do with those last few hours on Thursday? Well, we made our way to the bus terminal at the Hong Kong airport, figured out what bus to take to our hotel (thankfully it was labeled with the hotel name, “Novotel”), checked in, used the wi-fi in the lobby, and went straight to bed. We are not night people!

What time did we wake up on Friday, you ask? Around 4:00am, wired and ready to go! That’s really my favorite thing about traveling westward, you’re up and feeling refreshed early in the morning, ready and able to make the most of your day! At least that was the plan…

We found the fitness center, which was well equipped but also exceptionally hot! There were a few other early risers in there as well, but none as nice looking as my Steve. ;) Back in the room we got our showers, packed up, and tried to make our plan of attack for the day. That’s about where our efficiency ended. Oh, and the view from the room when the sun came up was pretty spectacular:

What do the Chinese eat for breakfast? Dim sum. What did Quick Whit want for breakfast? Dim sum. So we checked out, found a dim sum restaurant, and even found out how to get there on a map. Unfortunately, it was nowhere to be found! We stopped to ask people, but either they didn’t speak English or didn’t know where it was. We walked this way, then that way, then across the street, the back across the street. Then over there, then someone finally took pity on us (we must have looked pretty lost and hungry!) and asked if she could help us find something. So we showed her the address we were looking for, and she said it was just upstairs. Yep. They build up in Asia, and our mistake was not going upstairs!

So we found it, and we were the only Caucasians there—that’s how you know it’s good right? So we waited to be seated. Then we literally had to push our way through the congested tables to get to the seats where we were being directed, and then we waited some more. We were served (very) hot mint tea, which helped us not feel so hungry for a little bit. We waited some more. I finally got someone’s attention, and they explained to me how the menu worked. I thought I got it, until several minutes later when I tried to order. So they explained it to me again, and left before we could attempt to order again. And then we waited. Someone came around again, and I still had the ordering method wrong! So she called the manager over to explain it to us, and then we just pointed to some pictures of four things we wanted to try. The hard part was over! Right?

Not so much. Then we waited again. Three of the dishes came out one at a time, but we never did get the fourth one. The food was good, but when it got to be past 9:30, we just figured the fourth one wasn’t coming. We may as well get going because we were wasting our day!

The good thing about the 2.5-hour breakfast process was that we would be able to get to the Ngong Ping Cable Car when it opened at 10:00am. We had stayed on Lantau Island the night before, and we were interested in going on the cable car there. Since we woke up so early that morning, we figured we’d be on Hong Kong Island before the cable cars opened… but luckily for us, breakfast took forever! To the cable cars!

A word of advice, get the special tour ticket! It’s worth $30 (USD) instead of $15, but if we’d known about that, we would have gladly paid double to avoid waiting 30 minutes to get to the ticket counter, then another 45 minutes to get on one of the cable cars! We literally could have saved over an hour of our precious time for an extra $30, which would have been totally worth it to us! As it was, we stayed at the little made up Ngong Ping Village at the top for about 10 minutes, took a picture with the Big Buddha, and left to go back down the mountain! The cable car ride itself was nice. We shared our car with about six other people on the way up, but with no one on the way back down, so we got to enjoy the views by ourselves! It’s quite nice. I have no idea how far it was, but probably four or five miles. The mountains were beautifully green, it went over the water, we could see the airport, and it was actually quite relaxing. I can’t imagine if we’d had to wait in line at the top to go back down!

So anyway, we got back down to the bottom and made our way to their metro system a couple of blocks away. And you would not believe the line to get on the cable cars! We passed a sign that said the wait was 75 minutes to the ticket booth (keep in mind there is yet another line from the ticket booth to the cable cars themselves), and the line went far beyond that point. So totally not worth that wait, but to each his own! Now you know to get the more expensive, much faster pass!

For more photos, click here!