Saturday, April 11, 2009

Wanderlust

Ever since I was a girl, even before I could read, I'd study maps and magazines, dreaming of far off places. National Geographic was my magic carpet. My sister and I would play this game, we'd spin a globe and wherever our finger touched down was where we'd go. I couldn't wait.


I bought my first plane ticket at around age 12 with my own money made by babysitting. My parents agreed I was old enough to fly on my own since I earned and paid for the ticket myself.


That did it :) :) :)


Big beautiful world, here I come! Taking off right after graduation, when the rest of my friends went away to college, I traveled. Until my money ran out. Reluctantly, back home I went to give school a try. Oh I really didn't give it my best, but I just couldn't sit still. So, thinking up this brilliant plan, I took a job at Los Angeles International Airport. Now I could really fly!
Yes.




Speeding on down memory lane, marriage and babies put a damper on my Wanderlust. But it didn't stop me from dreaming or reading every travel adventure or travel essay I could find. So many books, and SO many favorites, it started with a first edition Michener that my Dad bought me around age 9 or 10, still one of my favorites, Hawaii. Then there was Theroux and Hemingway, Laurens Van Der Post, recently I'm going through Pico Iyer's elegant prose. And then Alain De Botton's The Art of Travel. It's about travel but then it's not. Fascinating!


Ah, this wasn't my intention to write about my life, I really wanted to share some tips that have helped me in my travels and maybe you might have some that you would like to share...?




So...in a sort of order here they are:


Transportation Security Administration, T.S.A. ~ if you don't pay attention here, you won't be going anywhere. According to them. ( I am not so bossy! :) This is where to start for all the latest rules regarding airline travel (updated frequently). http://www.tsa.gov/


So you'll always know what to pack, a bathing suit or down jacket, or if your going to New Zealand, both! http://www.weather.com/


oh, and so you'll know where you are once you get there:




For the latest conversion rates on just about Every currency on the planet:



And for a really cool little chart that you can print out and put in your wallet, go to http://www.oanda.com/ Look under currency tools, and then look for FX Cheat Sheet, choose your currency and you'll get the Interbank Rate for the days date. Print it out and refer to often, if your like me. A money dodo.


For reviews on just about anything travel related (funny too) go to


http://www.tripadvisor.com/ informative and entertaining.


Now, here is my favorite, Seat Guru. http://www.seatguru.com/ Here you can choose your destiny. You can choose your own seat! Yes! it's a simple thing to do, first you find your jet, go back to your itinerary, or to the airlines website, it'll be there. Then you will be shown a Seat Map Key. Read it and decided what's most important to you. If you are like me and wantneedhavetohave an aisle seat then you will love this site. I love you Seat Guru.


Here are a few fun sites to visit if it's possible you have any money left over after paying for your trip!


Need luggage that'll take your things safely anywhere on the globe?,

http://www.patagonia.com/ they have great travel clothes too...


For just plane fun (get it? plane? hmmm...;) and really great useful stuff check out http://www.flight001.com/ .



And last, there's more, good grief I've gone on, but I'll end here... this one is fantastic and fun too, it's called Don't Forget Your Toothbrush. It's like having a personal assistant. You get to make a list and customize it any way you want, and then DFYT sends you reminders, 2 months before, 2 weeks before, the day before, the morning of (or something like this). So you'd really have to be a dumdum to leave the cat locked out or the coffee pot on or your passport on your desk. Tsk tsk. It's brilliant really. I tried it on my last 2 trips and it worked beautifully! (it's won lots of awards, BBC Radio, Time, CNN International...)




...and now I really am done except for one last tip. It's always a good idea to take a photocopy of your itinerary and passport and leave it home, with a friend or relative, but another thing I like to do is colorcopy my passport and plop it in my journal or use it as a bookmark. It comes in handy when you need your information (to fill out endless forms...) and don't want to be digging your real passport out of its safe place everytime. See? easy!

I hope you've enjoyed reading all about these handy tips. I'd love to hear any or all of yours!....till next time...



Goodbye - English
Salam - Arabic
(aabar dekha hobey) - Bengali
Donadagohvi - Cherokee
Hagoonea' - Navajo
Ja ne - Japanese (Sayonara if you will not see them for a long time)
Auf Wiedersehen - German
Bis dann - German
Tschüss - German
Ade - German
Tschau - German
Bis Spater(Bis Schpaater)-German
Arrivederci - Italian
Addio - Italian
Ciao - Italian
Buona sera - Italian
Au Revoir - French (aw reh-VWAH)
À bientôt - French (see you later)(ah bee-EN-toe)
À demain - French (see you tomorrow)(ah deh-MAN)
Hejdå - Swedish
Le'hitraot - Hebrew
Shalom - Hebrew
Sampai Jumpa - Indonesian
Adios - Spanish
Paalam - Filipino
Zai Jian - Chinese, Mandarin
Zoi Geen (the "g" is pronounced like geek) - Chinese, Cantonese
Farvel - Danish
Namaste (same as hello) - Hindi
Fir Milenge (see you) - Hindi
Alvida (Goodbye, bit formal) - Hindi
Ayo - Papiamentu
Rub Rakha - Punjabi
Feri bhetaula (lit. we'll meet again) - Nepali
Do zobaczenia (see you) - Polish
Żegnaj - Polish
Adeus - Portuguese
Adieus - Portuguese
Tchau - Portuguese
Do svidan’ya/До Свидания (until we meet again, formal)- Russian
Poka/Пока (pronounced pa-ka, informal)- Russian
Do vstrechi/До Встречи (until we meet again)- Russian
Selamat pergi - Malay
Tot ziens - Dutch
Dag - Dutch
Doei - Dutch
再见 - Chinese
Yasou (YAH-soo)- Greek
Hwyl fawr - Welsh
Annyeonghi Kyeseyo(if the person you're talking to isn't leaving)- Korean
Anyeonghi Gasyeo(if the person you're talking to is leaving) -Korean
Näkemiin (See you) -Finnish
Hyvästi (Farewell) -Finnish
Hasta La Vista (see you later) - Spanish
Vale- Latin (to one person)
Valete- Latin (to more than one person)
La revedere - Romanian
Veloma - Malagasy
Sige la - Pangasinan
Khuda Hafiz - Urdu
zai jian - chinese
Ha det bra- Norwegian
Ha det- Norwegian
Sees- Norwegian
Snakkes- Norwegian
Vidaiperukiren - Tamil
Aavajo - Gujarati
Slan-Irish





xxx love, lori

37 comments:

  1. What a great Post! Great tips, thank you Lori. I will check them out right away.
    Happy Easter (Frohe Ostern)
    and ...
    Bis Später!

    Michi

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  2. happy easter! nice post Lori :D.

    In my mother tongue(Kannada) it would be: mathe sigona(we shall meet again)

    love chaitra

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  3. Wow! Happy Easter (or Spring Equinox or....?) Lori Ann

    I love your tips and I have never heard of DFYT, so thanks. At the moment I hardly go anywhere off this little emerald isle but I do try to be a traveler (or tourist)in my own backyard.

    I absolutely love Paul Theroux's books. He is in my top 5 faves! And I'm going to try to read more travel writers to get my wanderlust a boost

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  4. Now I can really say good-bye!! Thanks, Lori, for all your good advice! As soon as we will travel again...which I hope will be one day. Yes, I also love Paul Theroux and Laurence van der Post! I do hope that all your advice books will soon get you to Germany, seeing that you can say so many different good-byes in German. I`d prefer a hearty hello, though! Hallo, da bin ich! And by the way, Wanderlust is German, too! (the joy to walk)

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  5. OI LUV YA! = ORSTRALYAN!

    Happy Easter Lori, Chuck and Family!

    Great travel tips, isn't it getting just TOO exciting. xx♥

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  6. I will treasure these trips Lori, I hope I can go some beautiful place this year and then I´ll take those tips with me ! Thank you and HAPPY EASTER!!!

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  7. oh, and in Portuguese we say:
    FELIZ PASCOA !( Happy Easter!)

    I enjoyed reading all those languages, it´s wonderful!

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  8. hi lori
    how exciting - i love travel planning and trips!
    heres a tip that impressed me: scan copies of your passports, drivers licences, whatever documents you travel with and email copies to yourself. So if you have everything stolen but the clothes you stand up in, you can always access copies of documents.

    Of course if they are certified copies somuch the better..

    Tsamya Sentle (setswana)...(go well)
    xxx
    word veri - zonnes.....

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  9. Happy Easter Everyone!

    Michi, Oh i am so glad you liked them, I was hoping to be helpful, I hope you had a great day way up north! Frohe Ostern

    Chaitra, that's beautiful, that's a sentiment I love... we shall meet again!

    Aden, I LOVE LOVE LOVE to be a tourist in my backyard too! and with a place as beautiful as you live, wow! I'm sure the opportunities are endless.


    Geli! haaha! that was me getting carried away with cut and paste! but my favorite phrase is "till we meet again" can you tell me which that is(german)? and It's no wonder Wanderlust is my favorite word...♥

    Hahaha, Nat! I LOVE Australians too! Someday I'll go there and see it for myself (right after I go see Usedom ;)Did the the flower babies hunt for eggs?

    Hi Turtle! thanks and your welcome!

    Mina, you are so sweet! Feliz Pascoa to you too, I'm so glad you enjoyed ♥

    Val, what a GREAT tip! thanks so much, Chuck is going to love this one, we'll do it for sure. And that's a dreadful thought isn't it?? loseing everything on a trip.Once we were told to keep the doors and windows shut or the monkeys would take off with our belongings!! haha!

    ♥♥♥ lori

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  10. happy easter lori

    Totsiens - Afrikaans (directly translated "tot' till 'siens' see = till I see you again

    :-)

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  11. Great post Lori!
    I can't wait to check out some of the links, especially seat guru. I just got home from Chicago, but will be traveling abroad next month.

    Happy Easter to you and the family!
    Lori Lynn

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  12. Anybody would think you were getting ready to go away..... now where is it exactly your going... have you mentioned it anywhere...uuumm, let me think LOL
    xx

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  13. Great tips! Argh, I want to travel too!
    Sayonara : Bye in Japanese!

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  14. Lori~
    How splendid! You are so cool & helpful too.
    I remember my first trip solo I too paid for it myself with babysitting money! I flew to Texas.
    Great tips!
    Can't wait to hear about the upcoming Africa trip!

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  15. Interesting, useful and fun, just the recipe to get into a travel dream again. You are going to Africa soon, right? Happy Travel!

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  16. Thanks for all these terrific and helpful sites! I am so excited for your trip!

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  17. have fun!! my tip is to take natural sleep enhancers with you. Comes in handy for long flights as well as helping to get over jetlag faster than usual.

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  18. Oh Lori, I am with you all the way - that wanderlust thing!! thanks for seat guru info - going to check that out, getting very excited for our trip to the northern Hemi (10 days to go!)

    To add to your linguistic powers:

    Sala sentle (Setswana) - saying goodbye to somebody who's staying

    Tsamaya sentle - saying goodbye to somebody who's leaving...

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  19. Oh oh, I have that same wanderlust, also somewhat curbed by marriage and child...but someday the time will come back around, and I will be ready....

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  20. Great tips and great links - I don't move anywhere these days without consulting trip advisor.

    One of the best travel items I ever bought, was a little pocket book on how to and what to pack - it made such a huge difference - suddenly I could get a whole lot more in my suitcase - mind you, I'm not sure that's such a good thing! ;-)

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  21. Lori,
    What a great post! Thank you so much for the great tips and cool websites. I spent nearly a half hour at Flight101...

    I love this website, it's called Holiday Goddess. Here's a few tips for air travel: http://holidaygoddess.com/?p=299

    And another one-liner for your multilingual greetings: BUON VIAGGIO!!!

    PS: I still play the finger on the globe roulette...

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  22. Hey Janet, that's what I like, till I see you again, hopefully I'll be seeing you soon...!! I hope you had a lovely Easter.

    Oh Ed. :( you know I have a translator link too.

    Thanks Lori Lynn! I hope you and your family had a wonderful Passover/Easter too. Chicago? that's a great place. I can't wait to hear where your going next!

    Dear Mandy. you are so funny :) I specifically did not say the word
    A F R I C A... hahahah!

    Tulsa, thank you so much for the email, you are so thoughtful. I do know that feeling, wanting to go somewhere!

    Janis, thanks! I bet that is a such special memory for you, I have always been thankful for that first trip alone.

    Yes Rosaria, going to Africa, it's kind of taking over my thinking right now. Thank youfor the kind words.

    Hi Love, you are welcome, I hope you'll find something you can use!

    Bodaat, melotonin? that is a good tip, thank you!

    Karen, oh thank you for the Setswana...only 10 more days! ooooh, you'll have all the tea you want. I can't wait to hear all about your trip.

    I believe you will Diana. We wanderlusters hardly ever change!

    That is a good tip Nicky. I ought to consult one of those books, since I have to figure out how to pack 3 weeks worth of stuff not going over 32 lbs. hmmmm...

    Lola, welcome home! I am heading over to your place to read all about your time at the sea.

    I love the goddess site! thank you for telling me, so fun, I am going to make the luggage tags. And yes, flight 001, so hip, and dreadfully timeconsuming as you found out!

    Thank you everyone!
    ♥ lori

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  23. Very good information here. I will keep this in my reference for future journeys. Thank you!

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  24. love the picture of you sitting in the small plane - great list of goodbyes at the end - have a great time

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  25. My best travel tip is ....

    Do it often.

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  26. You are very inspiring Lori...
    I love you for that :-)

    best wishes Ribbon

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  27. Dear Butternut, I'm so glad you may be able to use some of the information here, I know you travel alot. Sometimes it's one little thing that can make a big difference.

    Thank you Bhavana, we were in British Columbia. That plane took us to a glacier!

    David, Ha! best tip ever. Yes.

    Ah Ribbon, now I can see you smiling! that's so great...inspiration is at the fragmentstreasuresmemory for me as well.thank you. xoxo

    thanks all ♥

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  28. Lori, you travel guru, you! Those tips are invaluable - thank you so much.

    Just a thought - you may like to include this wonderful quote from Mark Twain in your Africa journal:

    "Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So, throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."

    I painted a landscape of 'my' Africa for each of my daughters when they turned 13 and on the back of the painting, I carefully wrote out that quote for them. They have held it as a mantra ever since!

    PS. There is an award for you over at my place - it is called, in English - 'Words Like Roses' and since your words are exactly that, Lori, I knew I had to pass it on to you.

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  29. Great tips, especially the last one. Good to meet you. Tessa introduced me to you! Congrats on your award.

    Tutaonana (see you later) Kiswahili.

    Mama Shujaa.

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  30. Wow, you're a mind of information! I love the idea of working in an airport in order to travel.

    CJ xx

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  31. Wow! What a blog, and I enjoyed it all! You're very on top of things aren't you? and very smart as well!!!! I'm jealous. I actually printed a copy of this for my 14 this morning she liked yor long word list, she's says she's goign to learn every single on e of them! Bet you never thought of yourself as a "teacher" huh? Thanks, lori!

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  32. Nice comments, all of them, hey? I forgot to answer your question: it is Auf Wiedersehen! which means Till we see us again! or you can say in short: Bis bald! Till soon!
    And SOON is the right word for now! AFRICA - be on the lookout: LORI is coming!

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  33. Darling Tessa, thank you so much for everything, your beautiful words, (always), the quote, going in the book NOW, and the award. I am thrilled.
    ♥♥♥

    Dear Mama, ah I am honored, I saw you have been awarded by the brilliant Tessa too. Congratulations to you, and yes! Tutaonana. If you don't mind I'll come visit you now :)

    Thanks CJ, my family was able to travel too, it was great!

    Wow EHH! how absolutly sweet of you to share that with me, I am grinning from ear to ear. I love that your daughter wants to learn languages, sounds like you have a mini wanderer in the making?

    hahahaha Geli! ok bis bald, bis bald. check your mail...

    thanks so much everyone!

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  34. Lori Ann this was the most fabulous post I have read in ages.

    I love the travel tips but I love the story about you and your wanderlust even more.

    You are a very beautiful woman.

    Love Renee xoxo

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  35. Dear Renee, Thank you so much for your beautiful words, I am touched and now have a big smile I'll carry all day long! Thinking of you ♥
    Love,Lori

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xoxo lori