Thoughts and Tips #42 - May 24, 2015

In this issue:

-Want to Travel? Stop Thinking
-sateless suitcase | 10 Things that Surprised Me about Jordan
-Out in France: The secret to language learning success
-Prioritizing Quality Time v Counting Countries: Encouraging Full Cultural Immersion with Hanne Velik - Mapping Megan
-Top 10 Tourist Attractions in Cuba
-How to Choose Great Locally Owned Accommodations When You Travel | Cosmos Mariners
-Rooftop Gardens of Hong Kong | Explore Traveler
-Confessions of a Cruise Ship Chef
-61 Travel Tips to Make You the World's Savviest Traveler | Nomadic Matt's Travel Site

Want to Travel? Stop Thinking

Helsinki Cathedral. Photo by Dimitry B via Flickr

Some people are impulsive. They live on the edge, on whims, and flights of fancy. Other people are planners. They research their trips and want details, and more information. Most everyone fits somewhere between these two extremes, but I (usually) fall into the latter category. I plan, and I research, and I think, and then I overthink. When it comes to travel, sometimes thinking is bad. Not that you shouldn't think at all. Please don't be stupid. Just don't think, or maybe to be a bit more specific...
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sateless suitcase | 10 Things that Surprised Me about Jordan

Looking back, I had no idea what Jordan was going to be like before I boarded my flight. I had tried to google some of the places on our #GirlsGoneJordan itinerary, but in the end I traveled to...
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Out in France: The secret to language learning success

Learning a new language can be a humbling process. And time consuming and frustrating but also rewarding and fun. Depending upon your goals and how much time you have to learn a language, it may take a while before you get to a point where you feel comfortable conversing with others. But mo matter where you are now and where you'd like to be in the future, there's a secret to language learning success. It'll help you to look like you're better at a foreign language than you actually are. Her's the secret to looking like a pro even when you're not.
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Prioritizing Quality Time v Counting Countries: Encouraging Full Cultural Immersion with Hanne Velik - Mapping Megan

There are many different ways to travel, however for those looking to achieve full cultural immersion; that is to discover new cultures and impact and interact with local communities along the way, it is essential to dedicate quality time to each destination, more-so than you would in an average trip. And no-one knows this better than Hanne Hellvik, a traveler who has visited over 50 countries...
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Top 10 Tourist Attractions in Cuba

Cuba is a land with fascinating history. This Caribbean island was once the busy intersection stop for travelers, treasure bearers and pirates. Many people seeking the fortunes of the newly found America made their home here and gave birth to an amazing and diverse...
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How to Choose Great Locally Owned Accommodations When You Travel | Cosmos Mariners

Over the years, I've stayed in many hotels. Some were awesome, some were so-so, and some had me worried that I would see the next sunrise.

One thing that I have learned along the way is that some of my favorite stays have been at locally owned and independently operated places: each is different, and your stay is more likely to leave an impression.

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Rooftop Gardens of Hong Kong | Explore Traveler

Rooftop gardens are making a debut in the corporate jungle of Hong Kong. For years the citizens have been on the long road to disconnect from nature and now it is a long way home. In the 90's over 1/3 of the produce sold in Hong Kong was local, now it is a little more than 2%. There was a time that in the New Territories, the land that stretches from urban Kowloon to the border with mainland China, that farming reigned supreme. Now these farms too, have gone the way of urban life. Most of the food eaten in Hong Kong comes from...
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Confessions of a Cruise Ship Chef

A typical cruise ship kitchen (Photo: Oceania Cruises)

Ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes in a cruise ship kitchen? How the staff keeps hungry passengers satisfied on a long sailing? We caught up with executive chef Jörg Becker aboard Oceania Cruises' Nautica en route from Tokyo to Hong Kong. It was a full sailing, which meant that  Becker had plenty of mouths to feed each day

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61 Travel Tips to Make You the World's Savviest Traveler | Nomadic Matt's Travel Site

Most people aren't born savvy travelers. It's something that only comes with on the road experience. In the  beginning, you make a lot of mistakes. Travel savviness is a process born of missed buses, foolish behaviour, cultural unawareness, and countless tiny errors. Then, one day, you being to seamlessly move through airports and integrate yourself into new cultures like a fish to water.

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