Dishin’ with the Diva

Quick Tip: Purchasing individual guide chapters

Lonely Planet recently started offering individual chapters from some of their guidebooks for download and sale on their web site. I’m a big fan of printed materials rather than audio or electronic books, but I like this for a few reasons:

1. If you’re only going to one specific spot in a country, you get get the info for the city or region without having to buy the entire guidebook, which can save you money to use on your trip.
2. The electronic chapters don’t take up space in or add weight to your luggage.
3. There is something to be said for immediate gratification, and you don’t have to worry if your local bookstore will have the guide you want in stock.
4. You can bring just the information you want with you on your trip without ripping up a book (a sacrilege to your friendly neighborhood Diva).

So when the time comes to plan your next getaway, you may want to see what LP offers before you start buying books.

Quick Tip: Plugging In

I have a lot of electronic gadgets that I like to travel with. While I have left my laptop at home on some trips, I’ve probably brought it with me far more often. Since I like to think I’m at least a little eco-aware, I use rechargeable batteries in my camera except when woefully unprepared. However, I don’t mess with my hair much even when I’m home, so no toting along portable hairdryers or straighteners for me.

In case you aren’t aware, different countries use different electrical plugs – and even different electrical voltages. Don’t just assume you can pop a plug adapter onto your gizmo of choice and plug it into the wall… well, not and keep said gizmo from shorting out, burning up or otherwise creating a fire hazard. Many travel appliances are designed to be dual voltage, meaning they can handle either the (American) 110 or (European, Kiwi, Australian, and other) 220 volts, but chances are your everyday curling iron in your bathroom isn’t. If you don’t want bother getting travel-specific appliances, you can pick up something like this Samsonite Converter/Adaptor Plug Kit with Pouch to use on your trip.

As far as your electronics, check your charger to see what voltages it can handle. While packing for my New Zealand trip, I had my travel power converter in the “to pack” pile for my cell phone charger. Then I actually looked at the charger; lo and behold, it’s rated for 110-220V. The transformer came out of the pile, and I saved myself about three pounds in my backpack. (Turned out my phone wouldn’t work in New Zealand anyway, but that’s a topic for another day.) You may or may not want to plug in an electronic device into one of the travel converters; there are reports that these devices aren’t really safe for DVD players, computers and other similar items. Personally, I’ve not had a problem, but my laptop’s power adapter is already rated to 220V, so it just needs a plug converter. Some hotels will have more a robust power converter available for guests to borrow, but it’s not something you should count on unless you check with your lodging beforehand. (These “real” converters weigh about 20 pounds and are a bit on the large side, so it’s not something that’s terribly practical for you to bring along yourself.)

It’s worth spending a bit of time checking your electrical situation before you leave. The last thing you want to do is fry your computer during your vacation – or worse, start a fire in your hotel room!

Leave only footprints…

Concierge.com has an article on the site titled Travel’s Most Endangered Destinations. It’s an interesting article – between climate change, pollution and human traffic, there are a number of sites that simply may not be accessible or even exist for much longer, so if you want to see something, you may need to hurry.

I understand the allure of this type of article – there are places you want to experience, but we tend to have this idea that there’ll be time to get to them. But that’s not always the case; personally, I really want to see the Twelve Apostles along Australia’s Great Ocean Road, but I haven’t been able to make it to Oz, and one of the columns recently lost its battle with the elements and went tumbling into the sea. And I desperately want to visit Venice, but I already know I’m in a race against time there, too, since it’s not-so-slowly sinking.

The trick with some “endangered destinations” is that human traffic is one of the biggest dangers they face, and an increased influx of visitors is the last thing they need. Even if you go with a responsible attitude, you still risk accelerating the destruction of the very thing you came to see.

Personally, I would have liked a bit more information in the article on how these places could be saved, but maybe that’s something the editors felt would be out of place in the context of a travel site. And it’s possible there’s a bit more in the actual magazine article; I believe I read it when it came out last year, but I’d have to go back and check to be certain.

So, when you travel, do you consider the negative impact you may have on your destination? Do you make any sort of effort to minimize or counteract it?

Culture Shock – Separated by a common language

If you’re planning to travel to the UK, Ireland, Australia, or New Zealand, you might think language won’t be a barrier for you. And for the most part, it won’t be – until it is.

Though, to be fair, “barrier” isn’t the best word, but you may find that there may be some confusion where you don’t expect there to be any. For example, I once asked for cream for my coffee at breakfast while staying in London. Our poor (French native) waitress was confused, but proceeded to bring me cream – clotted cream, that is. Which, if you’ve never tried it, is like butter – literally, not in a Linda Richmond of Coffee Talk way. Had it not been somewhat early in the morning, and had I not been a bit jet lagged, I would have remembered to ask for milk, rather than cream.

And then there are those words that mean something completely different than what you’re used to. There are the rather well-known ones, such as what we call a trunk of a car being known as a “boot” on the other side of the pond. Or while Americans might call an angry person “pissed,” those closer to their British roots would simply think that person had too much to drink. And please, never call it a “fanny pack” when you travel – the first word there has a whole different meaning overseas, and it’s considered a crass and offensive term as well. It’s known as a “bum bag” elsewhere. (Because rather than meaning someone without money, “bum” refers to your posterior.)

Chances are, you won’t get yourself into trouble by using American English (except if you forget to call it a bum bag). You just might have to explain yourself a bit more than you expect. It’s worth doing some checking before you head off on your trip, though, just to be on the safe side. The research doesn’t have to be a chore; you can just make it a point to watch a few movies or shows that were filmed in and make for your destination country. BBC America works wonders for this if you have it in your cable lineup.

Happy travels!

Who do you travel like?

BootsnAll has a quiz up on their site I thought I’d share. Ever wondered who you travel like?

I travel like Amelia Earhart !
You are a controversial wanderer who might have a tendency to get lost. Your friends have great respect for you, as long as you don’t forget which way is up.
What type of traveler are you? Take BootsnAll’s Travel Quiz to find out.

I’m excited, because Amelia Earhart has been one of my heroines since I was a child. (I also happen to share her birthday, which is also cool.) But I’m not so sure if I’m a “controversial” wanderer.