Blog:  Comments on Travel Books, Links, Tips, and Quotes

Every year I live I am more convinced that the waste of life lies in the love we have not given, the powers we have not used, the selfish prudence that will miss nothing, and which shrinking pain, misses happiness as well.
Mary Cholmondely

This blog is maintained by Paul Heller, the founder of the Big Blue Marble.  In addition to the blog, the Big Blue Marble's website also features: hundreds of book reviews, travel tips, inexpensive publications, and seminars.

Do you agree or vehemently disagree with my comments about the books and links listed on this site?  Do you know of any books, links, or quotes that should be listed on this website but aren't? 

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NOTE: I have two blogs. The other blog highlights, and serves as a forum to discuss, travel commentaries and controversies.

Entry #21
Quote

Periodically I get into a mood to go through my library and skim anthologies for interesting stories from travelers of yore.  I treasure these stories because the authors have a more honest, but also totally "non-politically correct" view of travel than we do.  One of my favorite books to read when this mood strikes is called A Book of Travelers' Tales by Eric Newby.

In looking through this book, I found two quotes by a British travel writer, John Hiatt (author of the Tropical Traveler, 1982) that I loved and wanted to share with you:

On farting

Farting anywhere in public is usually embarrassing for the perpetrator, but there are countries where it is treated as a disastrous breach of manners.  There is a man in Lamu, Kenya, who is known as 'The man whose grandfather farted' and I have read of a traveler being forcefully ejected from a shop in Afghanistan on account of an involuntary fart.  However it hasn't always been a serious faux pas in every part of the world; I quote again from Mr. Vaughan who recounts an episode at a Chinese dinner: 'The writer was astonished at the individual next to him indulging not only in loud sounds from his mouth but by explosions of a different nature.  The writer looked at him in disgust -- much to his amusement; and he excused himself by saying that unless guests showed approval of the repast in this way, the host would fear that he hadn't given them a good dinner.'

Sound advice

So pack your bags and go on your travels before it is too late.  There are still vast tracts of the world which beg to be visited; and travel will give you a wealth of experience and pleasure, which can be drawn on for the rest of your life -- a wealth, furthermore, which no government can take away.  If the very worst happens and you are miserable in your travels (unlikely), at least you will have learnt to appreciate your own country.  I have never regretted visiting a single country (though three days in Dubai were enough), and I have rarely met anyone who regretted going on their travels.  Our greatest disappointments are nearly always for what we haven't done -- not for what we have done.  And don't let that feeble excuse of work keep you back, remember the Haitian proverb:  If work is such a great thing, how come the rich haven't grabbed it for themselves?

Entry #20
Homestays

Recently I got an e-mail from Kathy in Sydney, Australia about her experiences as a homestay host for language students from Asia (see first paragraph below).   After I received her e-mail, I asked her how the arrangements for the homestays were made.  Her response to my inquiry is posted in the second paragraph below.   If you want more info, you can contact her at katsydney@optusnet.com.au.

We host homestay students in Sydney, Australia. 
Over 20 yrs, we've seen the good, the bad, the ugly and the evil. 
Most come from Asia. Japanese, great. Thai great. Koreans, iffy. Chinese & Taiwanese, appalling, rude, money grabbing and disrespectful. 
Homestay is a fabulous way of learning very quickly, the best and cheapest ways to get around, see the sights, information on jobs, clubs, sports etc.  Naturally, we're local, we know what's going on. 
If you come into Homestay, with a respectful approach to a family home, i.e.  not hogging the shower, not eating all the food in sight, not asking for discounts or food cooked from your culture, not using all the internet useage  and staying on it all night and all weekend, not insisting that the family behave like waiters, maids and cleaners..........you will have a great time. 
We love entertaining travellers and students, but abhor, the ones who come in as if they're paying for 5 star service, with 0 star payment. Keep it in perspective, within the limits and enjoy the knowledge and good chats you can have with the family & you've got the cheapest accommodation in town. Good luck to all you travellers! 

The arrangements are made through agents, which personally, I do not recommend for the following reasons: Students pay an agent in their country to find schools and accommodation here. Fees vary from country to country and whether or not the agent is organising their visa. Then they pay the agent here, to find them a homestay family. Fees vary from $170-$250. After this, the agent here charges for homestay fees. They may charge, between $230 per week to $300 per week. Then they take a "commission" which is not disclosed to either party and the family are paid $200 per week. The fee paid to the family will, cover the cost of the rent of their furnished room, but only provides a very basic breakfast of toast and a small evening meal. I would suggest, they contact the language school directly, by pass the agent in their country. The school will put them in touch with an agent here and they should ask for a full disclosure of the amount of their fee paid to the family. For travellers and students who want reasonably good accommodation, lots of inside information on Sydney, or other cities, and at times a great family who enjoy entertaining them, it really is a fantastic option. 

I spent Mexico for 121 days in total (I have been home now for four days).  During all but the last 13 days which I spent with my parents in Baja California (my parents paid for most of the expenses), I kept careful track of all my expenses

In the 108 days I traveled by myself, I spent an average of just shy of $80/day for ALL my expenses.  This includes health and travel insurance, a new set of summer clothes, and most of the ordinary travel expenses (food, program fees, transportation, etc.).

In that time, I took nearly 125 hours of Spanish classes, 25 hours of classes on small town culture and life, 40 hours of instruction on Mexican traditional medicine, traveled nearly 3000 miles by bus and taxi, frequently dined out at good restaurants, spent nearly 60 days in homestay, and rented a beautiful casita (small house) in Lake Chapala for 27 days.

I would estimate that someone attempting to replicate my experience could easily have saved about $10/day on average. I brought alot of clothes and books with me that required me to spend more money on taxis and bag storage than someone who packed more efficiently. In addition, I spent money on expenses related to my business, including frequent calls to the US and visits to internet cafes (at least every couple days) and health insurance that an ordinary tourist might have been able to avoid. I also bought many clothes in Mexico because the clothes that I brought either fell apart or I needed a summer wardrobe during my sea turtle workcamp experience.  (I usually only pack casual, office wear like chinos and polo type shirts when I travel.  I find that if I dress in this manner I get more respect and feel more comfortable.  However, this outfit was just way too hot for the 100 degree temperatures by the beach).

Here is an Excel spreadsheet detailing all my expenses in Mexico by several categories.  I hope it helps you get a good idea of potential costs of your next vacation in Mexico.

Here are a few places I really enjoyed during my stay in Mexico (between August and December 2005) that do not usually make it onto the beaten travel path:

• The Robert Brady Museum in Cuernavaca.  Robert Brady, an American designer who lived in Cuernavaca in the 1970s, collected an eclectic and intriguing assemblage of unique decorator items, all attractively displayed in his former mansion.  As a whole, the objects d'art represent a wide range of countries, art forms, and styles.  You are free to roam around the house.  Cards, in English and Spanish, identify the origin, name, and type of art displayed in each room.
• Cacahuamilpa Caves in Guerrero State (about an hour from Cuernavaca).  While these caves are a very popular destination with Mexican tourist, it is not frequented by many foreign sightseers.   A shame, since the cave is very deep (it is almost two miles from the entrance to the end of the tour) and the formations inside are among the most dramatic I've ever seen.  Everyone must participate in a tour, which is only available in Spanish.  The tour guides usually point out the formations and tell you what common objects tourist have said the formations resemble.   They do not provide much information about the geology or history of the caverns.  You wouldn't miss that much if you don't understand the tour.
• Maruata and Faro de Bucerias, Michoacan.   Ever dreamed of relaxing on a tropical beach town far away from the tourist crowds?  If so, Maruata and Faro de Bucerias is designed for you.  Since these towns are all cooperatively owned, they can't be developed and have very basic tourist services (Maruata, nicknamed Marijuanata, is known to Guadalajarans to go and party when they want to get away from crowds).  Swimming in these beaches can be a bit hard because the waves are high.  The view of the surrounding hills and bays, however, is spectacular.
• Mercado de Abastos, Oaxaca.  While the Benito Juarez and Tlacolula markets attract swarms of tourists, the Mercado de Abastos (wholesale market) is where most Oaxaquenos go to shop.   Why?  The Mercado has several hundred stalls selling everything imaginable -- there are probably at least fifty stall with just ceramic, household products -- at 20-30% less than at the other markets.   Locals advise tourists to avoid the market on weekends because it is crowded and not as safe as during the week.
• Viscayano Bio-Reserve, Baja California:  Driving through the Bio-Reserve along Highway 1 (Baja's main North-South road) between El Rosario and Guerrero Negro (about 120 miles), you will see the most spectacular desert scenery anywhere.  Never before have I seen such spectacular sunsets and witnessed such an incredible diversity of cactus.  Even someone who doesn't like deserts much, should be suitably impressed by this dramatic landscape.

Entry #17
More Mexico Travel Tips

• Mexicans use greetings much more than Americans.  Use Buenos Dias before noon; Buenos Tardes from noon-6 pm, and Buenos Noches after 6 pm. 
• If you can, try to make small talk in Spanish with every one you meet.  It'll lower your costs, help you make friends, and make your trip more pleasant.  Some of my best memories of Mexico involve conversations I have had with cab drivers and merchants about differences between our cultures (the most interesting topic I've found is differences between courting in the two countries). 
• You can buy bus ticket ahead of time at www.ticketbus.com.mx. There are also several bus ticket outlets outside of the bus stations in large cities and you can also buy many tickets from travel agents.
• You can stay in Mexico fairly easily for up to six months.  If you plan to stay longer than a month, ask the customs official for permission to stay longer (usually most people get a ninety or one hundred and eighty day visa).  I got ninety days when I entered (asking around this seems to be common.  Though, I did notice that almost everyone got 180 days at the border at Guerrero Negro, between Northern and Southern Baja California).  I did not get 180 days, even though I asked for it.  I had to go to a Migration office (most large cities and resort communities have one) and get a renewal.  The renewal required me to prove (I used my bank statement) that I had $50 a day available during the rest of my stay, pay $22, and provide a copy of every page of my passport.  I got my renewal in Oaxaca in less than an hour.
• One great way to pack your clothes while in Mexico is to go to a local laundromat and get them cleaned.  At most laundromats, you simply drop off your clothes and pick them up the next day.   The clothes are cleaned, folded, pressed, and wrapped in plastic.  You can transport the clothes easily without getting them wrinkled.  The cost for this service is between ten and fifteen pesos (between 90 cents and $1.40) a kilogram (2.2 pounds).  Generally, the cost is not much more than the cost of using a laundromat in the US and the service in Mexico saves you a lot of time and inconvenience.
• Airlines serving domestic flights within Mexico seem to be quite strict about their baggage limits.  The limits only all 25 kilograms per person (55 pounds).  Anything over that and you will be charged $9/kilogram extra.  I had almost 15 kilograms extra (33 pounds) on my flight from Oaxaca to Tijuana.  I took out a bunch of stuff and tried to get as carry-on baggage on the plane or leave it in the airport.  After I took out all the stuff I could find that didn't seem necessary, I ended up 5 kilograms too heavy and was charged $45 for the excess.  The check-in agent after I got a little miffed (I thought the maximum was 25 kilograms per bad) let me repacked all the excess stuff into my bags after I paid the $45 excess fee.
• The United Airlines flight that I took to Mexico City from Los Angeles in August had some bugs that I thought were interesting.  I ended up arriving for the flight so early that I was the first person to check-in.  When I checked in the ticket agent asked me "Which bag was a priority?".  After I responded to the question, I asked why she asked it (in over 35 years of flying, I've never been asked this before).  She replied that sometimes bags don't get to their destination on time and it helps them to ensure that you get what you need right away (note: both bags arrived in Mexico City, as promised).  In the next three hours before the flight, United changed the departure gates without announcing it.  If I had not looked at the departure screen in the airport, I would have been in the wrong departure lounge.  On the flight, right before landing, the oxygen mask in the seat next to me came down from the ceiling (much to the chagrin of the otherwise nervous passenger next to me).
  

Entry #16
Teachers' Tales

Two of my favorite travel books are tales of teaching in another country:  Beyond the Clouds by Jamie Zeppa (about Bhutan) and The Hemingway Book Club of Kosovo by Paula Huntley.

Why do I like these books so much?  I think it is because writers both show real love, compassion, and understanding for their adopted country.   By living and working in one place for a good period of time and developing close, sometimes intimidate (such as Zeppa's relationship with one of her students) relationships with other teacher and students, Zeppa and Huntley avoided what I consider the worst plague of most travel writers: a lack of depth.  Their anecdotes demonstrate a level of comfort and familiarity with their countries that many writers lack.    

Zeppa and Huntley also demonstrate something I've come to believe: namely that teaching English in another country is one of the best ways to get to know another country.  I feel that I have a real sense of Russian life and culture after spending a year and a half there as an English teacher ten years ago. 

For this reason, I have decided that I am going to take a couple of semesters in the future away from my business to teach English again.  If everything works out well, my first teaching experience should be in Mexico City in 2008. 

Entry #15
Sea Turtle Camp Photos 

During my three week workcamp at a sea turtle conservation program in Colola, Mexico, one of the volunteers, Vanessa Huck from Germany took pictures of our camp in Colola, our trip to the nearby beach of Maruata and our overnight outing to Comala, a colonial town near Colima.  She did a great job of cataloging our experience in photos.  I'd encourage you to take a look. 

You can also read about the camp in my October Monthly Newsletter.    

• If you are traveling by bus, walk around the station checking out different prices and schedules before buying a ticket.  Usually there are several places where you can buy a ticket throughout the station.  You will have a lot more options if you check around.
• Make sure that you know where your bus is leaving from and arriving to.  Almost any city over 100,000 people probably has at least two different bus stations serving different lines.  You may have to travel by bus or taxi quite a way to go from one bus station to another.
• The only way to figure out what you?re doing in Mexico is to ask locals for help.  They are usually very accommodating (many Americans do not want to bother Mexicans with their questions, but the truth is most Mexicans take pride in their ability to take good care of travelers).  However, if someone seems the slightest bit unsure about their response, ask at least one other person for advice to make sure that you are doing the right thing.
• Here are a couple of tips if you?re at fairly advanced level in Spanish and want to increase your fluency:
  • Try to get hooked to a local telenovela (soap opera).  Ask Mexicans about the story line and then try to watch the serial every day.  You?ll learn a lot of new vocabulary and find out a lot about Mexican culture at the same time.  
  • Watch your favorite shows from the US in English with subtitles (most satellite dishes here carry some English language stations).  US shows (like ER) tend to use words that you would not come in contact with in daily life over and over again.  After awhile you?ll start to take notice of these words. While watching these shows, I learned a lot of words concerning the justice system (from shows like NCIS and CSI) and parts of the body (ER and other medical shows).
  • If you can, try to take a Spanish class either by yourself or with just one other person.  Don?t be afraid to ask the teacher to help you fill any gaps in your learning.  I asked my most recent (and best) Spanish teacher (there was only one other student in the class) to teach me more slang, idiomatic expressions, and dirty words.  I learned so many interesting and unique things about Spanish and increased my fluency markedly.

Entry #13
Inspired Travelers

For a long time, I have been thinking about developing a new section of my website called "Inspired Travelers" that will cover the websites of people who I have met and think have a unique or unusual way of seeing travel and the world.

I must admit that everytime I get an e-mail or see a website that fits this description, I always put off telling people about it with the thought that I will squirrel it away for my ?Inspired Travelers?section. 

I set down a few days to start the new section and decided that it would require more time than I have now.  So, I have decided that until I get down to creating this new section, I?ll just put any qualifying website in this section of my blog.

Toward that end I?d like to let you know about a website created by two really interesting people, Lynn and Taro, a couple of Silicon Valley dropouts who have chronicled their trip around the world on their Global Fusion blog.  Lynn is an extremely talented photographer who has created a beautiful magazine about their experiences.  Her Japanese born husband, Taro, is a great writer who really manages to make you want to join them on their travels.  The website is http://www.onelove.com/gf_blog .   

Stay tuned as I find more of these sites, I?ll post them here in the future. 

Entry #12
Mexico Prices--November 2005:

I have been in Mexico now for almost two and a half months.  During these two months, I have kept track of the costs of traveling here.  So far, I?ve spent around $75 a day.  This covers the costs of several different types of volunteer and educational programs, incidentals, transportation to and within Mexico, health and travel insurance, incidentals, etc.  Looking at my list of expenditures, I could probably fairly easily have reduced my costs by about ten to fifteen dollars a day if I hadn?t bought a lot of clothes here, gone out frequently, and had taken less stuff with me to Mexico (I have frequently had to pay for long distance taxis rather than take the bus). 

That said, I feel like I?ve got fairly good value for my money.  I?ve had a really diverse group of experiences, met a lot of interesting people, and seen a fair amount of Central Mexico.  

When I return to the US in January 2006, I will post a summary of all my expenses, but, for now I thought I?d just list some of the prices of various products and services I?ve purchased for your information (I?ve included a more detailed description of these services than you?d find in guidebooks, because I think these descriptions will give you a better idea of what you get):

Bus Fares:

• Premiere class bus fare from Guadalajara to Cuernavaca, about 400 miles (approximately the same distance as Los Angeles to San Francisco).  550 peso (about $53).  Bus fare includes a movie shown from an overhead TV set and a sandwich and soft drink.  The seats can easily be inclined to an angle that makes it fairly easy to sleep.  The bus ride takes approximately nine hours and, like most long distance buses in Mexico, travels at night.  The bus leaves and arrives (as most premiere bus here) fairly punctually (within fifteen minutes of schedule).
• 1st class bus fare from Guadalajara to Tecoman, about 150 miles.  145 pesos ($13).  Bus fare includes a movie.  The seats are similar to those you?d find on a Greyhound or Amtrak bus.  The bus makes several stops.  It arrives around forty minutes late (fairly typical).  The trip takes a little over three hours.
• 2nd class bus fare from Tecoman to Colola (a very small town on the Michoacan coast, about half way between Tecoman and Lazaro Cardenas).  56 pesos ($5).  The bus is fairly similar to the one described above.  The stops are very frequent because you can enter or depart the bus anywhere you want.  The sixty mile trip takes about two hours because the road is quite windy (but the scenery is worthwhile).  The bus leaves about thirty minutes late.

Cab fares:

• A mile ride in Tepoztlan, a small prosperous resort town about forty five minutes from Mexico City:  18 pesos ($1.60).
• An hour ride from the Guadalajara Central Bus Station in Tonala to San Antonio Tlayacapan, a small town on the shore of Lake Chapala:  300-350 pesos ($28-$33)
• A thirty to forty minute ride from Cuernavaca (a large city near Mexico City) to Tepoztlan:  100-225 pesos ($9-$21). Price depending on the time of the day and taxi driver.  I was overcharged by 50 pesons, the highest prices should be around 175 pesos, once by one taxi driver on this route.  This is the only time I?ve been overcharged in Mexico

Restaurants:

• Trattoria Marco Polo, Cuernavaca Mexico. Two beers, a large order of Fettucine, excellent bread and garlic butter, and a great view of the main church from the patio.  130 pesos ($12)
• Nacho?s Bar and Restaurant, Cuernavaca.  A bar-botana (a snack bar) where if you buy a minimum amount of drinks at a bar-botana, you get small appetizers for free.  Three large beers (about 30 ounces each) Queso fundido con chorizo (Fondued cheese with spicy sausages), a small (not great) plate of pesto spaghetti, and an order of enchilada suiza (melted cheese rolled in a tortilla with a spicy, green sauce).  120 pesos ($11) 
• Tony?s, San Antonio Tlayacapan:  Menu in English and Spanish.  A favorite restaurant of American colony at Lake Chapala.  A tasty order of breaded chicken parmesan and a margarita (the chips and salsa that come with every meal here are excellent).  110 pesos
• Note:  Most Mexicans tip about 10%.  I would suggest that most tourists from the US tip 15-20% though because: 1) you will appear stingy (since most Americans tip 15-20% anyway) otherwise and 2) usually the level of service is quite good.

A night at a hotel: 

Hotel Plaza Madero, Colima 400 pesos ($37) 
Location: Colima is a mid sized business center.  Colima gets some, but not a lot of tourism, based on its location near the Volcan del Fuego, one of most active and perfectly formed volcanoes in the world.  The hotel is located only a couple blocks from the main plaza of the city.
Hotel:  The hotel is located in the middle of a shopping plaza, which surprisingly means that after it closes (around 8 p.m.) it becomes one of the quietest places I?ve slept during my stay in Mexico.  The hotel has a small sitting area attractively decorated with traditional Mexican furniture.  The staff is efficient, but not exceptionally friendly.
Room:  The room is about the same size as a typical American, suburban hotel.  The shower has hot water, though it does (as is usually the case in Mexico) take about two to three minutes to warm up.  The bathroom has a skylight which makes it fairly airy.  The room includes air conditioning which is easy to use with a remote control device.  The bed is queen sized and fairly comfortable.  The furniture is utilitarian but has some Mexican flair. On the overhead TV you can see programs from throughout the world broadcast by satellite.

Hotel Comala, Comala 120 pesos ($11)
Location:  A small suburb about six miles outside Colima.  Comala gets a fair amount of tourism because of its proximity to the volcano and its famed alcoholic punches.  Most tourists are day trippers from Colima.  There are only two hotels in town.  Some of the rooms are on the roof.  There is a fairly good view from the roof of the nearby town and, on a clear day, you could probably see the volcano (I stayed there three nights and could not see the mountain).
Hotel:  The hotel is a bit dated and tired.  It could use a paint job throughout.  You go to the shop on the bottom floor to make arrangements to stay at the hotel.  The staff is very helpful and friendly.  The tiled floors are fairly clean and nicely kept.  The noise from outside, beginning at about five in the morning, is annoying (I heard many roosters and explosions that sounded like gunshots, which could have been temporary).
Room:  The shower head and the toilet are almost next to each other in the bathroom.  The paint on the walls is peeling.  The bed is not bad and the room is fairly clean.  The TV is old and cranky and only has a couple of channels.  There is no air conditioning, but the fan cools the room off to a comfortable temperature (though it may be uncomfortable in the height of summer, though the temperature in the area never gets extremely hot) 

Hotel Fenix, Tecoman, 220 pesos ( $21)
Location:  Tecoman is a smaller sized city (about 75,000 people) located on the coast, about thirty miles south of Colima.  There is very little tourism here.  It serves as an agricultural and transportation center.  It is about thirty minutes from Manzanillo, a fairly large resort town.
Hotel:  The hotel is a bit tattered but serviceable.  There is a small pool and a sitting area.  It is painted bright orange.  The rooms are arranged like a typical garden style, small suburban hotel in the US.  The place is funky, but basically clean. 
Room:  The room is air conditioned (a blessing with the climate).  The switch for the air conditioning is hard to find (it looks like a switch breaker).  The room is large (a bit larger than the room at the Plaza Madero).  There is no enclosure to separate the bathroom from the toilet, but the bathroom has nice rose colored tiles on the walls.  The TV has a fairly large selection of Spanish language stations.  The room is fairly quiet though you can hear roosters crowing in the morning. 

Some typical products and services:

A pack of Marlboro cigarettes: 17-20 pesos ($1.60-$1.90)
An hour of internet time at a internet cafe: 6-15 pesos (60 cents-$1.40)
Seven pounds of laundry at a laundromat (where you drop off and pick your clothes): 90 pesos ($8-9)
A large bottle of Tequila reposado, Jimador (decent quality); 80-110 pesos ($8-10)
A 30 oz. bottle of beer (after you return the bottle for a refill): 16-20 pesos ($1.50-$1.90)
An intercity bus ride: 3-7 pesos (25 to 65 cents)
A call to the US using a phone card: 1-5 pesos per minute (9 to 45 cents)
A small taco at an outdoor stand:  4-7 pesos each (35 to 65 cents)

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Entry #11
25 Practical Budget Travel Tips

A couple of months ago, I met with Ken Rosenthal who frequently writes articles for the Shoestring Traveler, a newsletter written by the IAATC, a group that helps connect potential air couriers with companies needing their services. 

After talking to him, I realized that he had a lot of interesting ideas for traveling abroad cheaply and comfortably that might be interesting for my readers so I ask him to submit travel tips from time to time to me.  Here is his first submission:

Ken Rosenthal
e-mail address: KenR@Diamondipi.com

A short description of Ken?s background:  Ken Rosenthal has traveled to over 55 countries on business and vacations, and never travels as a tourist, but like a local. He has written over 20 travel articles in the last 10 years, and has attended 5 World Expositions. His professional activities relate to patents and intellectual property (www.Diamondipi.com.)

Before You Go

• Check www.LATimes.com (go to travel and to Sourcebook) for an excellent list of foreign tourist offices with websites, etc?Call at least 4 weeks in advance to get free maps, brochures, event lists.
• Check out www.LHW.com (the Leading Hotels of the World website). You do not need to stay at these places, but if you know their locations, you have the places where the best locations are for the less expensive hotels, and best shopping, museums, etc.. You also may try the hotel sites for other 5 Star leading brands.
• Google your destination, visit Borders, Barnes and Noble, study the array of travel books and magazines. Check with the myriad budget websites as they all have special deals. 
• Movies. At the end of your favorite movies, look at the credits and locations. The producers and stars usually choose interesting places, and you can visit them also. My old favorites have very often been the James Bond locations. 
• Trade Shows. Whatever your or your friend?s profession, there are always regional, national, and international trade shows. The show planners always pick places with excitement after business. Check out their lists of hotels, activities, sightseeing.
• Check out www.BIE-paris.org (Bureau of International Exhibitions). The official body of the World?s Expositions. Held every few years, the next in Shanghai. The best ?shopping center of countries!? (I have been to 5: Nagoya, Japan 2005; Hanover, W. Germany, 2000; Lisbon, Portugal, 1996; Seville, Spain 1992; and Vancouver, Canada 1986). Usually I spent 3 to 5 days to visit all of the country pavilions, take notes every day and night, and have plans for my next 5 years of travel. These are also good showcases of technology and unique entertainment. (P.S. EPCOT is the Disney version) 
• Visit www.TravelChannel.com.  Check your local listing for the TV shows. The website has interesting lists like World?s Best.
• Look for companies whose products you like. Hersheys in Hersheys, Pennsylvania has Chocolate Museum, Hotel, Amusement Park, and town; Mercedes has factory tour and museum in Stuggart, W. Germany; Boeing in Seattle area, Washington State has great factory tour of how 747s are made, etc?. 
• Connect with Visitor and Convention Bureaus. These government organizations for city and states, both domestic and foreign, have a lot of information via phone, mail, etc.. They know when many special events are occurring. 
• High/fringe/low seasons. Know when these seasons are. Fringe seasons usually will still have the great weather without the high season pricing. Europe, for example, is wonderful in fall and spring?summer if often too hot and crowded and expensive in most places.

When you arrive

• Check out the main sightseeing venues. It is OK to take a local tour sometimes, but doing these on your own allows you to go as fast or slow as you want, and see adjacent areas. Just get the sightseeing brochure and go on you own is usually the best. Do not be afraid, do not be lazy?most cities all over the world make it easy for the ?do-it yourselfer.? 
• Make sure to visit the best: Hotels, shopping, entertainment. You do not have to stay there, shop there, or be entertained (unless you want to spurge) but on your own you can go at your own pace, and see adjacent activities. 
• Comfortable shoes. Like it or not, see the cities of the world by walking. Many great cities are fairly compact. 
• Local transportation. Try to leave the tour bus at home. Take the local buses, metro, ferries, funiculars like everyone else. They are usually inexpensive. 
• Get lost. Try to enjoy yourself when you get lost. Do not panic?explore?you may be surprised at what you find. 
• Get the phone cards, find the internet centers. 
• Study the daily, 2 day, and multi-day excursions from the main city. Maybe they will be you cup of tea. 
• Check out local hotels around your hotel. I often go to big cities without hotel reservations, find the 5 star with the best location, and walk down the block 2 to 10 minutes for the 1 to 3 star with great savings and same location features. 
• ATMs. Always at airports. Make sure you know where the main bank locations are. 
• Post offices. Hopefully, you will stock up with treasures in each city mostly from where the locals, not tourists, shop. Don?t carry them with you. Ship them, by boat and insured. I have never had anything lost, just had to wait.

When you return

• Make a diary. Write down the details with the correct spelling. Like school, if we write it down, we will remember. The diary can even be a list, a story that only the traveler understands. It is all about committing the short term memory into long term memory. You had a dream trip, so try not to forget it.
• Make an album. Hardcopy. Yes, it takes time, but again, its worth it?you will remember better, and you can share. Also try the many internet sites for posting the pictures of your trips. Try blogging. 
• Revisit the book stores, internet sites, and other research you did before the trip. The feedback is important for future trip planning and reality checking. 
• Share your excitement with friends. Wear that special piece of jewelry, take that special purse or sunglasses, play with that special gadget, display that unique art piece. Your friends will not find you boring to their surprise. 
• Start planning the next SET of trips. The super dreams, the reality dreams, the necessary dreams.

Entry #10:

The following is an e-mail I received from Wayne Bernhardson, a seasoned travel guidebook writer who specializes in Latin America, about my travel guidebook reviews.  I am posting it here because I think it has a lot of vaild and interesting comments:

Paul, thank you for your comments on my Latin American books for Moon, but I also have a couple  caveats. While Moon and many other series are only be updated every second or third year, annual updates from other publishers, e.g. The South American Handbook, can be misleading, as they often rely on unverified second-hand information from unvetted correspondents. I think the quality and reliability of guidebooks depends on the degree to which the author is identifiable and has a stake in the title--those with frequent author turnover, for instance, should be viewed skeptically, and those which don't even mention the author even more skeptically (in this case, the publisher is often dictating the content to  ill-qualified updaters). I could go on for hours on this, but I think I've got the point across.

Entry #9

From August 2005 to January 2006, I'll be traveling around Mexico participating in a variety of educational, exchange, and volunteer programs.  I'll be issuing a newsletter about my experiences.  Anyone who signs up for my postcards (see right side panel of my website) will receive this newsletter for free.  I'll also post a lot of the stories on my website.  Eventually, I'll make the newsletter subscription based. 

As part of the newsletter research, I'll be participating in the following programs:

• Studying Traditional Herbal Medicine in Tepoztlan, Mexico with a program called CICE.  The class is ten days long (I'll be there between August 18th to 27th).  The program costs $425 plus room and board.  www.laneta.apc.org/cice
• Taking a class called Cultural and Popular Resistance in Mexico (also in Tepoztlan, Mexico) about Mexican grassroot programs that address social and political issues through a program called CETLALIC.  Cost of the program is $1025 which includes room.  The program lasts from October 22 to November 4. www.cetlalic.org/mx
• Volunteering as part of a workcamp (September 21 through October 10) through Volunteers for Peace (www.vfp.org) to work on a sea turtle conservation program on the Guerrero State coastline (between in a small town between Colima and Acapulco).  Variations of this workcamp are offered by VFP throughout Southern Mexico during the fall and winter months.

While I haven't decided what I'll be doing during the rest of my stay, the following options sound intriguing:

• Spend a couple weeks in San Miguel de Allende and Lake Chapala talking to expatriates about their lives in Mexico
• Take a class somewhere in Mexico in Nahautl (the modern version of the Aztec language which is still spoken by approximately one million people) and 
• Attend a variety of classes(I am intrigued by a series of classes offered at the Instituto Cultural Oaxaca (www.instculturaloax.com.mx), specialized tour programs, museums (including a fascinating group of small museums about indigenous culture called the Museos Communitarios de Oaxaca), and maybe even do a short volunteer stint in an orphanage in Oaxaca
• Visit Tequila factories near Guadalajara, wineries in Baja, and mezcal distilleries in Oaxaca.  There are two books that have really given me an itch to check out these places:  The Tequila (and Mezcal) Lover's Guide to Mexico by Lance Cutler and Wines of Baja California: Touring and Tasting Mexico's Undiscovered Treasures by Ralph Amey.

In the process of doing resources I've discovered a few unique classes in Mexico that I would like to pass on to you:

• A website reader (Warwick White in New Zealand.  You can contact him at warwickwhite@yahoo.co.nz) reports that he had a wonderful experience studying Spanish and surfing in Mexico at a school called Study Spanish and Surf in Puerto Escondido (Oaxaca coast) in Mexico.  I checked out their website and noted that they have schools also in Ecuador, El Salvador, and Spain.  After checking out the details of the program, I think I may attend their program in El Salvador.  El Salvador is famous for its wonderful beaches.  The program seems very inexpensive and has a lot of intriguing additional cultural programs available.
• The Hunter Travel Guides: Adventure Guide series just came out with a new travel guide to Mexico's Gulf Coast (Veracruz, Tamaulipas, and Tabasco states).  As far as I can tell it is the only guidebook to this region in Mexico.  The guidebook has a lot of unique adventures (tours of coffee plantations, classes, etc.).  One of these programs is a jewelry making school in Xalapa (Xalapa is one of the most beautiful culture and architectural centers in Mexico) where a master goldsmith teaches students about making jewelry through the lost wax technique.  For more information you can contact Maestro Luis Gomez at (228) 841-1202 or send an e-mail to ceraperdida@yahoo.com.mx.

Entry #8

In recent months, I've began to realize that I should add resources and information that are relevant to women on my website.

I would estimate that over 80% of the students in my seminars are women.  In addition, I've read that nearly 70% of book purchases are made by women.  I even once attending a travel book publishing seminar where the instructor posited that by merely adding the words "for women" to the title of most of his travel advice books he'd increase the book's sales by 20%!

I also from time to time give advice in my classes that I think falls on deaf ears because I'm not a woman (particularly about travel safety).  As a result, I'm going to make a concerted effort to include more womans' voices in all my materials and seminars in the future.  I may even try to find a female partner.

For now here are my votes for the best book and website for women.

(1) www.journeywoman.com:  Journeywomen includes hundreds of tips and articles written by women for women.  On my cursory tour of the site, I found lots of information that is just as useful for men.  I am particularly impressed by the portion of the site that is dedicated to how to dress around the world.  

(2)  A Journey of One's Own: Uncommon Advice for the Independent Woman Traveler by Thalia Zepatos is a fabulous book.  Zepatos does an excellent job of spreading the gospel that travel is accessible, inexpensive, and potentially life-changing for women of all ages and backgrounds.  A Journey of One's One is such an excellent book that I would recommend it as one of the twenty or so travel advice that should be on every travel junkie's bookshelf (this would apply to men as well).

As I find alternative travel resources (i.e. schools, volunteering, and exchange programs) that are geared toward women, I'll post them here.  For now, here is a great source for hospitality exchanges for women: www.womenwelcomewomen.org.uk (Women Welcome Women Worldwide).  I learned about this resource from one of my seminar participants.  She traveled around Europe staying in the homes of women listed on the website and reported that she met a wonderful group of women and got to see many aspects of European life that would otherwise be closed to typical travelers.  Women Welcome Women does cost some money to join ($45).  However, it may help women travelers to find hospitality exchange opportunities if they are uncomfortable with staying in men's homes. (Note: I have hosted several people in my homes over the years as part of hospitality exchange programs.  Several times single women have called me.  During those times, I always lived in a small studio apartment.  Any single women would have had to sleep in the same room as me.  I've always made sure that they understood this and have always had the women decide to find somewhere else to stay.)

Entry #7

Here are a few comical and/or thought provoking quotes about the downsides of travel that I like:

• In American, there are two classes of travel: First class, and with children.
  Robert Benchley
  
• Most of my treasured memories of travel are recollections of sitting.
  Robert Thomas Allen
  
• on Speaking French: Occasionally, merely for the pleasure of being cruel, we put unoffending Frenchmen on the rack with questions framed in the incomprehensible jargon of their native language, and while they writhed, we impaled them, we peppered them, we scarified them, with their own vile verbs and participles.
  Mark Twain
  
• Travel is glamorous only in retrospect.
  Paul Theroux
  
• If you look like your passport photo, you are too ill to travel.
  Will Kommen
  
• It is not coincidence that in no known language does the phrase 'as pretty as an airport' exist.
  Douglas Adams

Entry #6

One of the most interesting parts of being an entrepreneur is that you never know what will work and what won't fly. At least at the beginning, you feel as if you spend your life throwing spaghetti on a wall to see what sticks all the time.

When I started this business, I expected my book reviews would be popular. Yet, they haven't proven to be so. I have never received any comments or suggestions on my book reviews (nor has anyone purchased any of my books in the links to amazon.com).

I have decided to keep updating the reviews anyway. I enjoy reading and reviewing books. I figure someday this feature may become popular. If it doesn't, so be it.

I suspect that part of the problem is that most of the books I review are old. Even if this is true, I am not going to delete old books from my listings because I want to help my readers discover some of my favorite reads. I've been reading travel books (at a rate of 2 books per week on average) for the last 25 years. I keep uncovering both old and new books that I love and I want to share my discoveries with you.

Besides that it is hard to find a lot of new books to review. The general quality and quantity of travel memoirs and stories has gone down significantly during the last fifteen years. Many of the best writers (like John Krich) are no longer writing. The best travel book series, which was called Vintage Departures, stopped publishing ten years ago.

Read some of the great older books covered in this site. Many are available on amazon.com for less than $1 (plus postage). You may even be able to find them in your local used bookstores for less. If you do read the books, let me know what you think. I hope you'll discover that you love some of these books as much as I do!

Entry #5 

Most of the best travel books I've read feature a story of someone pursuing a passion or obsession to some obscure corner of the globe. If you look through my book reviews, you'll see many such stories including a book about a British journalist's efforts to recreate Thor Heyerdahl's journey to Easter Island (Eight Men and a Duck)and a Canadian writer's journey to uncover the heart of Iran (Honeymoon in a Purdah) under the false aegis of a six month honeymoon in the country.

I am currently reading one of the best books in this genre I've seen in a long time. It is called Round Ireland with a Fridge by Tony Hawkes. It is about a British radio show host who hitchhikes around Ireland with a refrigerator after accepting a bet that he couldn't make it all the way round the island with a fridge in a month's time. As it turns out he ends up a small time celebrity and actually finds it much easier to hitchhike with the fridge than it would have been without it. Plus, he has a lot of entertaining and sweet encounters with the Irish people (including meeting the "king" of a tiny speck of an island off the NE corner of Ireland and being invited to surf Ireland with his fridge).

Stories like Hawkes have planted within me the desire to do a stunt like this someday. For some reason, I want to hitchhike around Japan with some weird prop, like a fridge. Any suggestions for what I should use? The Japanese are surprisingly open people to this type of stunt. I believe that just like the Irish in Hawkes' story, they'd open up their hearts and homes to me (anyway, it'd be fun to find out..)

I also have a burning urge to go to Ghana to find my ideal casket. The people of Ghana bury their dead in casket that are designed to mimic the role that they played in life. For example if you worked for an airline, you'd be buried in a casket that looks like a plane. I know it is an odd obsession, but I've always admired this tradition and love the caskets they produce.

Regardless what you think of my obsessions, I'd encourage you to try to pursue your own passions when you're on the road. The road offers everyone a unique opportunity to try out odd passions and obsessions without fear of reproach. Almost everyone I've ever met or read about who followed a seemingly strange calling like Hawkes has been amazed at the kind, generous reception they've received.  Ultimately, perhaps, this is the most powerful lesson of the road -- people are kind, generous, and surprisingly supportive no matter where they live.

Entry #4

Some more travel related quotes

• People don't take trips--trips take people. John Steinbeck
  
• A good traveler has no fixed and is not intent on arriving. Lao Tzu
  
• I have wandered all my life, and I have also travelled, the difference between the two being this, that we wander for distraction and we travel for fullfillment. Hilaire Belloc
  
• The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeing new landscapes, but in having new eyes. Marcel Proust

Entry #3
Looking for a Good Laugh

I'd highly recommend Molvania: A Land Untouched by Modern Dentistry, a mock guidebook to a fictional Eastern European country. The guide, while it may offend some people, is hysterically funny. The authors have recreated every aspect of a regular guidebook-- maps, photos, author biographies, etc. -- so carefully that I would not be surprised if there are intrepid travelers trying to plan trips to Molvania as we speak. When I started reading this book in a cafeteria, I laughed so hard that my stomach ached and everyone in the restaurant stared at me. Here are a few of the choice selections from the guidebook:

• Biography for Philippe Miseree, one of the guidebooks alleged authors: "A professional traveller since his youth, there is not a city or town Philippe has not recently been disappointed by. No matter how obscure the destination you can bet that Philippe has been there before you and found it not half as good as it was in the 1970s. His earlier works include Turkey Before it was Spoilt, India the Hard Way, South-East Asia on Less Than You Need, and Unnecessarily Tough Travel."
  
• One of Philippe Miseree's sidebars: "Why pay for a bland, Westernized meal in an overpriced tourist cafe when, for half the cost, a street vendor will sell you a piece of salted cod and a bag of lemon rind?"
  
• A note from the book about festivals: "There are dozens of small villages..dotted across the Great Plain. Most of these delightful communities have regular festivals that are usually filled with drinking, dancing, and fighting. These are known as vecborjas (weekends) and tourists are generally welcome."
  
• Comments from the book about the Molvanian language: "Health Alert: Due to the abundance of guttural phonetic sounds found in the spoken language, non-native Molvanians speakers are warned about the risk of laryngeal damage that can arise from attempting anything more than a few short phrases". One of the translations: Can I drink the water? Molvanian: 'Erkjo ne szlepp statsik ne var ne vladrobzko ne' (literally, is it not that the water is not not undrinkable?)

A Message of Hope

Everyday we are bombarded by bad news. Sadly we don't hear much good news. Yet, there is a lot of good things going on under the surface if you only take the time to look. Want good news? Just look at the phenomenal, inspiring rise of social entrepreneurship worldwide. What is social entrepreneurship? According to David Bornstein, author of "How to Change the World: Social Entrepeneurship and the Power of New Ideas", social entrepreneurship is "millions of ordinary people .. stepping in to solve problems where governments and bureaucracies have failed...Social entrepreneurs are.. driven, creative individuals who question the status quo, exploit new opportunities, refuse to give up -- and remake the world for the better." Bornstein peppers the book with many uplifting examples of social entrepreneurs including:

• James Grant, the UNICEF director, who popularized a rehydration solution called GOBI that helped save more than 25 million children worldwide.
  
• JB Schramm who helped bridge the gap between low income kids and college admissions in the US by setting a special workshop to help kids learn about how to apply for college.
  
• Fabio Rosa who developed low cost, simple technology solutions that allowed thousand of Brazil's rural poor to receive vital electricity for their farms.
  
• Bill Drayton who founded the Ashoka Organization which helps social entrepeneurs stay in business.

Bornstein's book is the perfect antidote to the "nattering nabobs of negativity" that often take over our lives. 

Entry #1

Once in awhile, I will post some fun quotes about travel on this blog for a change of pace. Here are couple:

• "20 years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the things you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover" -- Mark Twain
  
• "We live in a wonderful world full of beauty, charm, and adventure. There is no end to adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open" -- Jawaharlal Nehru (first President of India)
  
•  "When I was young and the urge to be someplace was on me, I was assured by mature people that maturity would cure this itch. When years described me as mature, the remedy prescribed was middle age. In middle age I was assured that greater age would calm my fever and now that I am fifty eight perhaps senility will do the job. In other words I don't improve, in further words, once a bum always a bum. I fear the disease is uncurable." -- John Steinbeck