GeoBlog
Keeping Sane During Holiday Travel · 1172 days ago by Jamie Derrick
As the holidays approach and I become excited about seeing my family (they all live in South Carolina while I’m 1,500 miles away in Texas), my thoughts don’t just stop at my dad’s big bear hugs, my mom’s syrupy sweet tea and my sister’s annoying put-downs. After basking in the delights of what the season is to bring, my mind ultimately wanders to the adventure of physically getting back home to enjoy all these things. I start stressing about the whole process of flying.Anyone who has ever hopped on a plane around Thanksgiving or Christmas has surely experienced the stress that comes from making your way cross-country during the most crowded and most inconveniently weather-delayed time of year. You know the drill… long lines at check in and security, crowds beyond belief as you navigate through the maze of people to your gate, folks on a full flight packing in the small seats like sardines, a baby is surely crying on at least one leg of the flight, and finally landing in your final destination only to wait ages for your bags to slide onto the conveyer belt (if they actually make it).
With all the worries that cross a traveler’s mind throughout a flight experience, it’s no mystery why the crabbiness in the air effortlessly rubs off on others. And while it’s terribly easy to let the madness take over, I’ve cultivated some rituals that seem to help me keep my cool when making my way from Point A to Point B.
1. Several days before I fly, I purchase a few gifts that I’m super excited about giving. The eventual satisfaction of watching a loved one open your perfect gift will put a smile on your face when the people in front of you at security obviously haven’t flown since we entered a new millennium and are arguing with the TSA agent about how unsanitary it is for them to take off their shoes.
2. I carry on a small craft project that will eventually be a gift or part of a gift for someone. This gives me a task to complete during the flight, so I’m not concentrating solely on the kid behind me who keeps kicking my seat and the parent who will not control this repeated annoyance. For me, I usually bring knitting needles and yarn so I can make a scarf for a friend. Another idea is to use this time to scribble the tags for all your gifts, or spend a touch longer and write something more thoughtful – the warm feelings will be good for you.
3. Throughout the flight, I remind myself of some wonderful memories shared with the friends and family I will soon see. These thoughts of care and laughter will help keep you calm and positive, even when the snoozing person next to you is slumped over in your private space as he snores louder than a chainsaw echoing in a small room with no furniture.
4. And when all else fails, I close my eyes, tune out as much noise as possible, and take three deep breaths to relax… before I order myself a cocktail. The important thing to remember in getting an early start on the eggnog is to just have one. Any more than that could turn all of the above scenarios into disaster at 30,000 feet.
While these specific tricks may not work for you, the ultimate goal is to hold cherished thoughts of your loved ones close in order to keep you sane amidst the flying madness. They are – after all – the reason we put ourselves through that hell anyway. And while I don’t particularly enjoy the childish jabs my 35-year-old sister takes at me every year, it just wouldn’t be the holidays without her bickering. So this year when you’re sitting next to someone coughing during the entire flight, pop an Airborne and remember it’s far better to risk catching a cold than to go a holiday season without feeling the warmth of your family.
Spain · 1176 days ago by Jamie Derrick
Spain is a country full of life. I was fortunate enough to spend five months in Spain my junior year of college and loved every minute of it! I studied the language, economics, and beautiful culture throughout the country.My first trip to Europe was the summer after I graduated high school. After that I officially had the travel bug. We did not have enough time to travel to Spain during that trip, so whenever I was offered the chance to spend a semester in Spain I jumped at the opportunity. My major in college was International Business with a minor in Spanish, so Spain was the perfect place to improve my Spanish and learn, in depth, about another country. At first my best friend Cori was going to join me in Spain, but last minute she was unable to go. It was a blessing in disguise. During those five months I was forced to meet new people and step outside my comfort zone. In return I learned so much about myself and met some life long friends. Even though I do not see them very often we will always have a special bond.
During my time in Spain I was blessed to be placed with the most loving host family. They treated my roommate and I like we were family. Our house Senora cooked three meals a day for us, did our laundry, and greeted us everyday after school with a warm hug and kind words. She treated us like one of her own children. She was truly amazing and I will never forget her.
The school and staff at the school I attended made my stay unforgettable. Every weekend they took us on an excursion through Spain. We traveled to Salamanca, Toledo, Granada, Madrid, Lisbon, and even Morroco, Africa! While in Sevilla they made sure we got to experience what Spain is all about. We went to a soccer game, took flamenco lessons, learned how to cook paella, and saw the infamous bull fights! We were able to get the full cultural experience.
I believe that everyone should study abroad. It gives you the chance to learn about the world and yourself. You learn things that you could never pick up in a classroom. It forces you to think outside the box and realize that there is so much out there. My experience abroad was very humbling. I saw how others lived across the globe and in return became less selfish and more thankful for all the opportunities available to me in America.
My semester in Spain brought me knowledge, courage, and a better since of the world. I came back from Spain a completely different person from when I left.
President's Corner: Are you getting the Travel Experience you want out of your Trips? · 1671 days ago by Arti Srivastava
Hello again our GeoPassage community! I hope you are enjoying “our” new site – GeoPassage’s as well as our extended community’s – yours! I hope you are finding it informative, entertaining, enjoyable and useful in planning your vacations. Many of you have chosen to book your trips with us over the past two months. We know you will have a fabulous time – please come back and tell us all about it!Many of you are exploring future vacations to take with us – and we invite you to explore the myriad choices on our site. One of the unique things you will find on our site, and in conversations with our amazing team of Travel Consultants, is our attention to detail in delivering you a perfect travel experience that extends beyond your travel arrangements. The mechanics are of course essential – from making sure we welcome you at your arriving airport with a placard in hand, to making sure your hotel arrangements are impeccable, from making sure all your city transfers are handled to perfection, to attending to all your sight-seeing needs. But the optimal enjoyment of your destination is what we endeavor to deliver on.
What we love most about our job is connecting to you, relating to you at an experience level. Being avid travelers ourselves, we know how much more we can get out of a trip if the full experience, the deeper context, is delivered. Many times we can see the exact same things, but feel them so much better, understand them so much better, experience them so much better, remember them so much better. We want you to get everything you want to experience out of your trips with us, not just check off sights and destinations on your checklist!
I will give you an example from my personal travels. I have been to Venice three times in my life. The first time was with my girlfriends from college. Italy was exciting, hip, flirtatious, cultural, quaint, and so very friendly. Venice felt like a city full of such expectation. In every corner lurked an excitement rife with the romantic possibilities of youth. Venice felt like a beautiful young woman in a velvet dress. The feeling of fun and adventure even made us smile at the wolf whistles of the road-side Romeos. They somehow did not feel like such a nuisance. In fact, they added to the insouciance of the girlish steps I took around the city, not a care in the world. Venice felt like a beautiful girl then.
I went to Venice a few years later with my husband, just after we were married. The same sights I had seen were amazingly romantic, soulful, lyrical, enchanting, and passionate this time around. We reveled in the vestiges of Venice's past glories as had centuries of lovers before us. The gondola ride during the Carnevale di Venezia was a kaleidoscope of colors, events and festivities. Venice was like a bride bedecked with jewels and treasures gazing at the celebration of life.
And then I went again yet a few years later with our four-year old son. To my amazement, the exact same sights felt so warm, welcoming, familial, affectionate, educational, and inspirational! Our best memory was feeding the pigeons in St Marks Square. Pointing out the fabulous works of renaissance art to my young son I felt Venice smile down in appreciation of the sense of wonder that sprang forth from me to my son. Venice was like a mother that had nurtured so many before me.
So travel really is about so much more than arranging your flights and your drives. It is about enjoying the richest experiences you can get from being who you are. Our endeavor is always to pick the best sites for you and tailor them to suit your needs to fulfill that wanderlust that you feel so strongly inside. So whatever the time in your life, it is the right time to travel. Travel to whatever will make you richer, wiser and happier. Whatever your dreams may be and however you may want to experience them. Your world. Your way.
Make it so!
- Arti.
Jamaican Me Say I Do - Part Two · 1676 days ago by Jamie Derrick
As you may have read in my previous blog (it's posted here, you should read it!), I was recently married at Couples Ocho Rios in Jamaica. My husband and I had an amazing wedding with about 40 guests and it was an absolute blast! It truly surpassed our wildest dreams - I highly recommend it! Now comes the honeymoon after everyone's gone... and yes, we got lucky (but not how you're thinking, read on for details)!Once we saw everyone off Monday morning, we strolled to the restaurant to grab some lunch, but it was a much different experience. We knew no one there! Normally when we'd walk anywhere, we'd run into some folks in our party, say "Yeah mon" by holding up whatever number of cocktail we were on at the moment and laugh for the next 10 minutes because we were all having such a blast. But this time, we scanned the crowd and nothing - not one person we knew was there (besides the lovely staff we'd grown to love) and it was a very strange feeling. I think if we'd been by ourselves the whole time it would have been different, but this was like being in the popular crowd in school and then having all your friends graduate so you're left alone (strange analogy, I know, but it's the best I could come up with).
We had one night left there before we were to move on to our honeymoon reservations in Montego Bay, so decided to ask for a change of scenery. We somehow talked our way into going to Couples San Souci (the other Couples resort in Ocho Rios) for dinner that night (they do not normally let you do this, the first time we got lucky). It's a lovely resort - very lush and green but much quieter than what we were used to. After dinner we walked around the grounds hand in hand and enjoyed the peacefulness. It was a lovely evening.
The next day, we headed to Half Moon Resort in Montego Bay. It looked amazing from the website and we were very excited about spending the next few days in luxury. However, when we got there, it didn't feel like we were in Jamaica anymore. We went from staff that danced with us and cut up with us, to being called madam and sir by servers with white gloves. This is fine and dandy for proper folks, but we were looking for something a little more adventurous - we wanted to get a true feeling of what Jamaica was all about. We rented bikes and cruised around the massive property (you can swim with dolphins or play golf on their beautiful course) but it just wasn't for us... plus there were kids running around, which was an enormous shock to our senses. We asked the front desk if we could stay only one night and they obliged (our second lucky break). This meant we had nowhere to stay for the remaining 3 nights of our honeymoon, but we were up for the adventure!
Our room at Half Moon was outstanding! It was a quarter of a cottage house and about 10 steps to the private beach. Absolutely beautiful! We got massages that afternoon and took a nap on the beach. After dinner, we decided to just hole up in our room and enjoy it! This was truly the first night of our honeymoon. We sipped champagne and reflected on our wedding. 'Holy cow, can you believe we're married' must have been uttered (pun intended!) about 20 times. This one night in luxury was fantastic and we certainly needed it, but we were ready to move on the next day.
Stay tuned for where the rest of the week took us...
Traveling Woes · 1694 days ago by Katie
After spending some time in London, Torino was supposed to be the next stop on my journey through Europe, however, since my friend Erin and I missed our flight we made a two hour stop in Venice. This wouldn't have been so bad, but we didn't have enough time to really even see Venice...just the airport and the train station really.So, we buy our tickets to Torino and a quick bite to eat before leaving. And, the train ride took FOREVER!!
Originally we were supposed to arrive in Torino at 11AM, but we don't even get into Torino until 11pm. And, once we arrived, Erin and I had a pleasant little surprise waiting for us - a taxi sciopero!! Just our luck. However, this is the exact moment is when our luck turned around. There was a nice man at the station, waiting for his daughter to arrive, he didn't speak much english, but since I know Italian we were able to roughly understand each other. He said that he would gladly drive us to our hotel, and boy were we relieved!!! We had NO IDEA where the hotel was or how to get there from the station.
He dropped us off and his daughter pointed us directly to where the address of the hotel was. We buzzed the door and a very sleepy looking man let us in and directed us to our room. Our stay in Torino was brief and since we lost a whole day of sight seeing we didn't get to see much (plus I think we were a little afraid of public transportation at this point). However, we made it out of Torino alive and ON TIME for our train to Cinque Terre, the next stop on our journey!!
Jamaican Me Say 'I Do' · 1702 days ago by Jamie Derrick
Being the youngest girl in my family, I've always done things a bit differently than my older sister. My wedding was no exception (minus the color of the bridesmaids dresses). While she had a beautiful church wedding with 300+ guests including relatives and old friends she felt obligated to say hello to, I was looking for something a little less uptight and a lot more my style.My fiance is from Texas. I'm from South Carolina. We met in California and our mutual friends live there. People were going to have to fly no matter where we got married, so we decided to have it somewhere that really made it a vacation for everyone that came. We decided on Jamaica for that reason, along with the gorgeous and laid back location and knowing that we would have a much more intimate vow swap than most.
We ended up having 39 guests join us at Couples Ocho Rios for the event. This was the perfect place for our crowd! The staff was incredibly friendly and went above and beyond to make us feel right at home. The wedding coordinators (Latoya and Maxine) were so comforting and helped make the last-minute ceremony decisions a breeze. "No Problem, mon!"
From the minute we landed at the airport in Montego Bay, we were on vacation with the most important people in our lives. These folks came to our wedding because they sincerely wanted to be there, not for the free meal or because they felt obligated since we share a blood line.
The whole weekend was an absolute BLAST as everyone got IRIE, MON! We were all able to take advantage of the activities at hand individually, but there was also someone you truly liked (vs. Great Aunt Thelma who can barely hear, even when you scream in her ear) to keep you company whether you were laying out on the beach, grabbing a bite to eat or another unlimited drink (!!!), or doing cannonballs in the pool. Everyone was on vacation, letting loose and enjoying the amazing sunshine and slow pace of Jamaica.
By the time the wedding came around, I had no nerves at all, partly because I knew I was marrying the man of my dreams, but partly because everyone was having the time of their lives supporting my now-husband and I on one of the most important days of our lives. You could honestly feel the love of each of those 39 guests in the air as we walked down the aisle of the beautiful garden setting for our nuptials. THAT was what I was looking for!!! It was such an amazing feeling to have these people - these friends, these family members, these incredibly important influences on who we are today - fly all the way to Jamaica for us.
At the reception, we were so busy doing so many things (cake cutting, bouquet and garter tossing, etc.) that we didn't even get to speak to every single person - and there were only 39 people! Imagine if it had been 300+! But because we were able to sit down and have a sincere conversation with everyone at some point during the trip, it didn't matter that we didn't get around to them that night. We'd already gotten so much more out of our wedding!
Stay tuned to hear details about our honeymoon (well, certain details, anyway)!
My trip to Chiapas, Mexico · 1736 days ago by Liz Cross
Last summer, I went abroad with Texas State University to the Lacandon Rainforests in Chiapas, Mexico. We stayed in Mayan rainforest villages, such as Nuha and Lacanha. To get to the villages, we traveled four-hours on the bumpy mountainside, often stopping for students nauseous from carsickness. We stayed in traditional cabanas and if the nights were pleasant, students would sleep in hammocks. Daily activities consisted of hikes, swims, and involvement in Mayan traditions. For example, we would weave cotton into clothes, make tortillas or observe religious reenactments at the local “god house.” In Lacanha, our host family had pet spider monkeys. I had never been so close to a monkey and it was fun observing and playing with them.We also took day trips to the Mayan ruins in Bonampak, Yaxchilan, Palenque, and Lacanha. Palenque was one of my favorite trips. We arrived in the morning. There was a dense fog resting over the ruins. It was overwhelmingly beautiful. In the afternoon, we chased the sounds of the Howler monkeys through the rainforest. While running, we bumped into primatology students who were studying the local Howler and Spider monkeys. We also ate at this beautiful restaurant called Los Pinos. At night, there were bands and fire spinners performing. It is a great dinning experience and good food. I also had fun at the Bonampak ruins. You take a boat to the ruins. On the ride, you see large alligators on the shores and in the water. We also say geckos on the rocks and howler monkeys in the trees. At the ruins, we witnesses two troops of howler monkeys battle over territory.
Road trips · 1736 days ago by Liz Cross
Road trips are one of my favorite ways to travel around North America. Some of the funniest times were when I attended Landmark College which was located in a small town in Putney, Vermont. My friends and I took road trips back and forth from Vermont. We would stop at various cities along the way. My favorite stop was in New Orleans, Louisiana. We would cut loose on Bourbon Street “jamming” to the jazz music and eating at fabulous restaurants. While up north, I was also able to explore east coast cities like New York, Boston, and Hartford. The most exciting trip was to Montreal, Canada where I experienced the Jazz Festival.I also took a road trip from Houston to Los Angeles, California. I discovered large caves and colorful coral formations on Laguna Beach and then took long walks down the strip of Venice.
One of the best trips we took was to Cloudcroft, New Mexico. I went there during Spring Break of 2005. This beautiful town is in a cove on the Sacramento Mountain at an elevation of 9000 feet. My friends and I spent time driving to sunspots, or getting massages at the local spa. We met people around town while shopping or socializing at local bars. Moreover, we made friends with some of the local crowd.
President's Corner: The New GeoPassage · 1740 days ago by Arti Srivastava
Welcome to the new GeoPassage. You will see some very exciting changes on the site. GeoPassage has always been a labor of love for us. And so we love bringing you this new site. Because the reason we do all this is you. Now more than ever, GeoPassage is not about us. It is about you.Take our new tag line, for instance. “Your world. Your way.” That is what we are about. To bring you the entire world. On your terms. In your way.
We don’t start by imposing limited choices, limited information, corporate strategies and sales gimmicks on you. We bring you unprecedented choice, selection, access to information, advice, ideas and suggestions. Not only from those of us who work here. But from an incredible community of travel enthusiasts and people from all walks with a love for travel.
So I invite you to participate in this community, make new friends, explore the site, find what in your world you want to experience, and discuss your questions or needs with us. Tell us your feedback. Share your ideas with us. Take ownership of this community and this site. That is what we have created it for.
Let me highlight some brand new features in the new site:
• Forums – Forums are the place to ask any question you have, voice any opinion you want, make any suggestion you want to, and become part of our community. Join us, participate, interact, communicate!
• Blogs – Blogs are the place to create and post travelogues and stories about your travel experiences for other travel enthusiasts to read about. We invite anyone and everyone to create a blog on the site. You will be amazed to find out how interested other travelers are in reading about your experiences!
• Tours by Themes – Many web sites offer tours and packages to various destinations in the world. Here you will find an incredible variety of tours and packages with rich thematic content – whether your interests lie in history to the environment, or arts and entertainment to sports, we have theme tours for every interest!
• Vacation Rentals – A rapidly emerging area of interest in travel is staying at vacation rental homes instead of regular hotels on your travels. Travel insiders know that vacation rentals can be extraordinary experiences at exceptional value. On the site, you will find the widest selection of vacation rentals in the world!
We have many exciting ideas for other travel items and information to bring to you. Stay tuned!
But even more so, write to me. Tell me what else you would like to see on the site. Because the site really is for you. Make it so!
- Arti.
My Trip to London · 1746 days ago by Katie
Well I arrived in London the 13th of July and waited in the Gatwick airport for Erin to get there. After an hour, her plane finally lands and we begin our adventure known as public transportation. We get a train out to the center of London and find our hostel pretty easily. The trip is going pretty well at this point, no hick ups. The hostel was pretty cool, placed in this historical looking building in Holland Park. Having been to Europe before, I was very surprised about how nice the accommodations were. Not only was it very clean and safe, but it was also in the center of town and close to a metro station.That night we meet up with my friend Stephen who is also in London, his brother, and this other guy Cody. We decided to go out to a bar named Zoo Bar, Cody had been there before and said it was a lot of fun. We had an interesting time trying to find it, and when we were about to turn around, I looked down a small street and saw a sign for it. We all had a great time...the Americans pretty much took over Zoo Bar that night.
The next day we do A LOT of sight seeing, it was great. We walked around London seeing the Tower Bridge, The Eye of London, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, and everything else you can imagine. That night, however, is when the stress began. We booked a guided tour for the next day that took us out to Oxford, Stratford (Shakespear´s birth place), and Warwick Castle. And, the tour met at 8 am the next morning. However, we also had to get out of the hostel we were staying in and go to the other hostel we booked for that next day as well, which we soon figured out was on THE OTHER SIDE OF LONDON than the airport we would need to be going to after our last night in London.
The next morning we checked out and kept our bags in their baggage room and then went to the tour, which was so much fun. We saw Oxford and many of the different colleges including this one dining hall where the story Alice in Wonderland was inspired. We also saw Stratford and Warwick Castle. We saw so much!
After the tour, however, we had to find our way to the boondocks of London known as West Croydon. We made it there, it wasn’t too bad...this Scottish guy on the train helped us get to where we were staying. When we arrived at the hostel it was more like a cheap hotel, we had our own room and shower and A TV!!! We definitely watched Law and Order that night.... it was amazing. The next morning we awoke at 6 am in order to get to the train on time. We took a cab to the WRONG train station...then wandered around until we found the one we needed. Took the earliest train they had and made it to the center of London to catch the train out to Stansted airport. Well...turns out the trains don’t run on that day in order to do ¨maintenance¨ whatever that’s about. We had to take the bus. And to make a long story short...we miss our flight. We have to buy another ticket, but the only ones they had available were to Venice. So we took what we could get, and then from Venice, we took a train to Torino. What can I say, backpacking is an experience!