destinations Traveling As A Passion

[kanski]

That is something my wife and I have been debating for so many years. At what age would children actually appreciate Europe? Well, devaluation has overtaken our never ending debate and it's become moot and academic. In other words, can't afford it na.

 

But back to my query? I woould think 15 is old enough.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

I remember a cousin in particular sneering at me once we came back from our trip from the old continent. He snapped: "nag-enjoy ba si...(my four year-old) sa Europe?" It was like he was sarcastic and probably found the fact that we travel regularly as arrogant.

 

I just answered that we thought he did. And more importantly, me and my wife enjoyed every moment of the trip spent with our him. Priceless! Discovering new places, meeting new friends, enjoying new experiences with your wife and kids. The memory will be with you forever.

 

The reason why travelling is a passion has got to be past experiences. Some of my happiest moments were travelling with my family when I was myself a kid. (Come to think of it, I do remember every trip we had made. Including my first one when I was nine years old. So there goes your answer!) Now that I myself am a parent, I am just doing what my parents have done when I was younger.

 

So don't make your kid's age be a hindrance for you to travel. I'm sure you'll have a memorable time together.

 

I

[sliderule]

I remember a cousin in particular sneering at me once we came back from our trip from the old continent. He snapped: "nag-enjoy ba si...(my four year-old) sa Europe?" It was like he was sarcastic and probably found the fact that we travel regularly as arrogant.

 

I just answered that we thought he did. And more importantly, me and my wife enjoyed every moment of the trip spent with our him. Priceless! Discovering new places, meeting new friends, enjoying new experiences with your wife and kids. The memory will be with you forever.

 

The reason why travelling is a passion has got to be past experiences. Some of my happiest moments were travelling with my family when I was myself a kid. (Come to think of it, I do remember every trip we had made. Including my first one when I was nine years old.  So there goes your answer!) Now that I myself am a parent, I am just doing what my parents have done when I was younger.

 

So don't make your kid's age be a hindrance for you to travel. I'm sure you'll have a memorable time together.

 

I

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Thanks for your heartening comments. One thing I can add is that it may be a good idea to do it now while he (my kid) still hasn't reached the "I want my own space" stage in adolescence where they become aloof and distant.

 

Cheers.

[juan_diego]

I've been flying out of the country at least two times a month for more than a year now within Asia because of work. I am thankful for the fact that my trips are mostly confined in the region for two reasons: 1) I don't have to deal with jet lag at all. 2) Asia is so vibrant and very familiar that I don't get too homesick.

 

I've been to Europe several times but I would never ever trade travelling to Asia with going to the Far West. Also, Asia is more happening. Europe is too sleepy for me. (I love the old structures though.) Moreover, Asians are more hospitable, more warm than Europeans. This is already evident in Asian airlines and hotels. Try European ran airlines and you would know what I mean.

 

My tip to those travelling a lot or who wishes to have a job that involves living in a suitcase: make friends with locals (other than your colleagues) so you would have somebody to go out with at the end of each stressful day at work. Or try to look for Filipinos working in the hotel you are staying. Chances are there would be at least one. Just like you, they would be glad to have a "kababayan" to speak with using the native tongue.

[marcaba]

Mga Pards, baka naman may recommend kayong place to stay in Baguio na medyo mura and ideal for a family of four. mas malapit sa session road would be ideal. Thanks......

[purple*wink]

nope, Asian Spirit flies everyday to Virac, its capital and you can also take bus tru Philtranco, etc to Tabaco City then a 3 1/2- hour ferry ride to Virac will surely amaze you of its beauty.

[erapj]

nope, Asian Spirit flies everyday to Virac, its capital and you can also take bus tru Philtranco, etc to Tabaco City then a 3 1/2- hour ferry ride to Virac will surely amaze you of its beauty.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Di ba delicado ang airline na yan. Taking off you are an Asian, pag land mo Spirit ka na lang.

[innocentbaby23]

well i guess d naman masamang mag travel esp. if youre being workaholic i mean you deserve a break at least to relax wag lang yung puro travel just for the sense of gusto mo lang not unless its your source or income yung pagtatravel mo di ba why not?

[kiko machine]

bec of my work i also get to travel, its usually in japan, the first time was 3 months

now i am here for i year.. hhhmmm wla pa nman hassle na nangyari sa akin.....

sana wla talagang mangyari... aside from that.. once pa lng ako naka-travel...

i went to bangkok for 4 days....

vacation with some family members...

 

[Riot6]

Okay, it took a while to find this thread again.

 

It's been a long time so maybe an entry to bump.

 

Anyways, from my last post...I think it was September 2005...I had already booked my vacation to Japan and the Philippines for end of Nov. 2005.

 

Well, here's the trip report...yeah late...

 

Japan

 

The first leg of the trip was to Japan. This time around, unlike the year before, I managed to book a hotel in "Tokyo" instead of Narita. It was actually in Ikebukuro (The Crowne Plaza). It's a nice hotel and next to the Ikebukuro JR Train station. Very convenient especially since I was travelling with a large suitcase and that the JR Narita Express' last stop is there.

 

Here's a tip: The Narita Express from the Airport cost about $45 (Green Car, reserved seating) one way from the Airport. What's good is that since it from the Airport, there is actually room at each end of the railcar for luggage. Most local and subways train won't have them. If you have a JR Rail Pass, you have access to all JR Rail system Train, subways, and buses. JR Rail Passes cost approx. $350 (for a seven day pass) and must be bought outside of Japan.

 

The first few days we went around Tokyo to visit the usual place...Akihabara, Shibuya, Shinjuko.

 

Another Tip: For eating, if you don't want to deal with the hassle of language barriers, find the "fast food" places...no not McDonalds, etc...but the little places that have something that looks like a ticket vending machine at the door. It's cool, since they have pictures of the food then you just put your money in and it give out a ticket. You sit at the counter, give the ticket to the server, then a few minutes later he gives you your order. Neat. Oh and most little places that serve "wet food" like curry over rice, or omelet over rice will server the meal with a fork instead of chopstick...a tip for those who have problems with chopsticks. Noodle shops will only have chopsticks though.

 

Another Tip: For eating also, most eateries in Japan have these plastic replicas of the food they serve in the front window. Look at them carefully since most of them will have the "set number." Once you've decided then go in and just tell the server which "seto numbah" meal you wanted.

 

Okay, on to the rest of the story...

 

I went on a side trip (overnight) to Kyoto. I spent a night at the Westin Miyako Hotel. Definitely nice. I got upgraded for some reason, to a suite. We did the usual sight seeing in Kyoto. Oh yeah, it happened to coincide with Pres. Bush's trip to Kyoto, Japan also so security and police were out in force.

 

Ahhh...the bullet train....why can't we have them in the U.S. or the Philippines....it's sad.

 

Okay, so after a few days in Tokyo, I moved over to Yokohama. Here's the complication, as I mentioned before, most local trains and subway do not have space for luggage. So, since we had JR Rail passes, we just took the Narita Express back to the Airport, then turned around got back on the Narita Express headed to Yokohama. Hah! Narita Express will either go to Ikebukuro as it's last stop, or it will go to Yokohama as it's last stop. The only thing was the time to do the round-trip...it was a total of about 2.5 hours. Still not a problem.

 

Well, what can I say about Yokohama....I like it! It's really more compact than Tokyo (of course, it is just on the outskirts of "Tokyo"). I booked into the Sheraton Yokohama (once again, right next to the JR Rail Station). Got upgraded again to a really nice room overlooking the entrance of the Rail Station and the Bay.

 

Yokohama is nice since the major department stores are built around the Rail Station and there an underground mall complex there too. From there, you can take the subway to the Minato Mirai area where the Landmark Tower is at (70 floor, with an observation floor at the 69th). Really neat. There also the Cosmo World around the Landmark Tower and the park.

 

Then from there hop on to the subway again to go to the Yokohama Chinatown and the Yamashita Park. Chinatown was really crowded but really clean too. Not like the Chinatown's in other cities in the world (well...except for Singapore, which is basically a big clean Chinatown). I had some really tasty siopao there.....sarap!

 

The Philippines:

 

Well, from Japan, we flew to the Phillipines for a 4 day visit. As usual, I booked into the Intercontinental in Makati. The friend travelling with me went off to see his Aunt and cousins. This was his first visit to the Philippines after 20 years. He was paranoid about all the "mandurukot" ha ha. I told him about his paranoia. He was also concerned about all the diseases like meningitis an dengue fever.....It was amusing. I didn't get to do much since it was a very short stay, only for my friend's benefit since he hadn't been to the Philippines for a while. I went out to dinners with friends and family. Had a dinner date over at the Red Crab in Tomas Morato.....really yummy crabs....very messy too.

 

Well, that's my trip report. All cost of hotels and air was paid for by frequent flier points and hotel guest points. So cost to me was free, other than JR Rail Pass, spending money, and food. Yey!

 

For picts: My Webpage

 

My next vacation trip is this coming Mar/Apr.....a 2 week vacation in the Philippines. Hmmm....I know I'll be going to Dumaguete and maybe Cebu sometime during the 2 week vacation.

[torix]

initially, i should say i love to travel either by land, air or water - by land gusto ko kahit anong layo ako ang nagdadrive - at hindi ako natutulog - as i go along, gumagawa ako ng sarili kong mapa - complete with kilometer/miles reading, landmarks - also i keep tab na let's say - papunta ako ng cagayan - particular ako sa mga different routs - say - dito pala sa kantong ito may daan papuntang baguio or wherever - take note ko rin yung mga stop-overs and places of interests na nararaanan ko - like good eateries, resorts, gas stations (distance from one to another), bilihan ng pasalubong, delicacies in the place and other potpourri

[agxo3]

While back reading, I noticed a lot of 'road warriors' in this thread, i.e., people whose work entails travel.

 

Sorry if this sounds OT, but I would just like to compare notes: What do you bring on your short (I mean just a few days) biz trips?

 

I always bring my Dell Latitude laptop, a digital voice recorder, a voice recognition microphone/headset, a smartphone, a small digital camera, an assortment of pens, markers, post its and my calendar book.

 

To pass the time on long flights, a small paperback, a DVD movie (dapat genuine, delikado pirated copies) and my iPod.

 

On my wishlist are noise-cancellation headphones (too pricey for me) and a lighter tablet notebook (again too mahal).

 

All of it are packed snugly in my Samsonite notebook bag that's small enough as carry-on.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Just got back on this thread - bu this caught my eye since I'm on a plane to Taiwan on the average every 6 weeks (recently it's been once a month).

 

Going from SFO to CKS is pretty convenient if you take the direct flights (EVA or China Air) - the midnight flight is great. Get on, go to sleep, wake up at 6 am ready to go! On the return, the 7:50pm flight is also great - get on, eat dinner, crash, get to SFO just in time for afternoon merienda. If I take the 11:30 pm flight then it's get on, crash, get home in time for dinner.

 

So what do I take with me? Laptop/charger/USB mouse (I hate the touchpad)/wireless card/USB drive (great for exchanging files), notebook for work+pens, etc, phone/charger (I have a SIM card for each country I visit regularly, and one for my local SF-area service as well), iPod/external battery (between internal and external batteries I can go over 16 hours)/noise-cancelling headphones (found a pair while waiting for a flight in Narita airport - US$90), book to read if I can't sleep on the plane.

 

I tend to travel light - one small roll-on and a shoulder bag big enough for all I listed above. No matter if I'm gone 5 days (recently my minimum trip duration) or 2 weeks (that's my absolute max!). And I don't check anything in if I can help it. More than once, EVA's tried to coerce me into checking in my roll-around. So far I've won each battle.

[Riot6]

For me I'm normally out on the road Monday - Friday.

 

On the road, I normally have at least one piece of luggage with enough workclothes for the week, my toolbox (yeah about 50lbs of it), both check-in and then of course my laptop, which I carry-on.

 

As for entertainment at the airport, I just buy a magazine, put on my mp3 player, and drift off to sleep in the plane until I get to my destination.

 

Lately though, I have been bringing a 5Gb mini drive containing TV shows I downloaded to watch on my laptop. Of course since my batteries are old and weak, I can't watch too long.

 

[hulseye]

just came back from sagada with my wife, it was so beautiful and tiring at the same time. It was worth it, nakalimutan ko nga lahat ng problems ko pero pag balik ko nandyan na naman, hehehe

[sliderule]

Just got back on this thread - bu this caught my eye since I'm on a plane to Taiwan on the average every 6 weeks (recently it's been once a month).

 

Going from SFO to CKS is pretty convenient if you take the direct flights (EVA or China Air) - the midnight flight is great. Get on, go to sleep, wake up at 6 am ready to go! On the return, the 7:50pm flight is also great - get on, eat dinner, crash, get to SFO just in time for afternoon merienda. If I take the 11:30 pm flight then it's get on, crash, get home in time for dinner.

 

So what do I take with me? Laptop/charger/USB mouse (I hate the touchpad)/wireless card/USB drive (great for exchanging files), notebook for work+pens, etc, phone/charger (I have a SIM card for each country I visit regularly, and one for my local SF-area service as well), iPod/external battery (between internal and external batteries I can go over 16 hours)/noise-cancelling headphones (found a pair while waiting for a flight in Narita airport - US$90), book to read if I can't sleep on the plane.

 

I tend to travel light - one small roll-on and a shoulder bag big enough for all I listed above. No matter if I'm gone 5 days (recently my minimum trip duration) or 2 weeks (that's my absolute max!). And I don't check anything in if I can help it. More than once, EVA's tried to coerce me into checking in my roll-around. So far I've won each battle.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Finally, a fellow road warrior!

 

Yeah I hate the touchpad too. Do you know if a wireless mouse will cause radio interference in an airborne plane?

 

I read about this all purpose bag that can actually charge your laptop. Don't ask me how, but that's the sales pitch.

 

Are the noise-cancelling headphones a good idea? I hesitate because I can't help thinking that when I eventually take them off, the dull roar of the plane's engines would be twice as gruelling.

 

I only travel on coach so sleeping on long hauls are always a challenge, hence all the toys, gadgets and other diversions. Some have suggested taking some medication to induce sleep but I keep thinking that in the event of an emergency (knock on wood), my reflexes will be slow at a time when I need them the most.

 

How on earth some passengers can survive sitting in a non-aisle/window seat with nothing to look at aside from the in-flight magazine, is beyond me.

[transcience]

my work afforded me travels overseas. so far, i've only been around asia. amongst the countries i visited, i enjoyed thailand most because i'm a sucker for massages. singapore is okay - the whole country is like one big makati. malaysia - i've only been to the business district so i can't really make an informed comment about it. but their airport is really grand. ang ganda.