TrekHound.com

 

Photo Credit: Amazon.Com

We recently enjoyed this Sean Penn flick over carbonara and great bottle of wine here at home.  Hard core indie travelers will appreciate just how far the lead character went to check out of society and dance to his own drum. Incorporating touches of the spiritual, this film definitely touches on how drastic we sometimes have to get in order to disengage from the chaotic mundane and hear our own inner rhythm.  This guy saw his old life as somehow less than authentic and apparently more than a little wasteful.  Cutting all ties and going on a multi-year journey ending with complete immersion in the Alaskan wilderness, he was able to finally release his emotional burden and learn additional life lessons before it was too late. A sad but powerful ending that left us believing had this young man lived, he would likely be a guru on the independent travel circuit.  Worth watching.

Posted on April 4th, 2008 by Myscha Theriault
Filed under: Art and Entertainment | No Comments »

 

Photo Credit: TrekHound.Com

Driving from Desenzano in northern Italy on the rural road that leads to Lonato proper you’ll find a precious, memory-making restaurant known as El Convento. As the name suggests, this place is a repurposed convent from years gone by.

Photo Credit: TrekHound.Com

They serve an excellent antipasto buffet, and one of the best gnocchi entrees my husband and I have ever had. They make their own house wine and olive oil, go nuts with romantic atmosphere and classic Mediterranean geraniums and bougainvillea.

If you are traveling in this neck of the woods, and have the luxury of access to a car, consider checking out El Convento. The owners greet you at the door, treat you with friendliness and warmth and really have a great thing going here. Worth checking out or including on a honeymoon trip.

Posted on April 4th, 2008 by Myscha Theriault
Filed under: Food and Lodging | No Comments »

Flickr Photo Credit: Alex.Ch 

I first got turned on to these when I moved to Guam years ago, and got addicted to buying them on my first trip to Bali. They are colorful, versatile, dry quickly after washing them in the hostel shower, take up very little space in the backpack, and are just plain fun. Following is my list of top sarong suggestions for the hard core independent traveler.

Shower towel. 

If you can release the desire for thick fluffies, sarongs are more than capable of getting the job done. Bonus? They dry super quick so you won’t have moldy smelling clothing after carrying one around in your bag for a few days on a long bus trip.

Tie up laundry tote.

If you are traveling for some time, you may need two in order to still have one to wear. However, if you are going for a few days to only one hotel, you can save up the laundry and roll it all up in your sarong to take home, tying the ends for closure. 

Flickr Photo Credit: Steve Weaver

Privacy screen for changing on the bottom hostel bunk.

I’ve actually used this tip quite a bit. Depending on how the bottom bunk is attached to the top one, you can either tuck the horizontal edge under the upper mattress, or hook with safety pins to the metal support grid above. This makes for a decent curtain to at least get into your undies and T-shirt before climbing out to finish dressing. My husband and I try when possible to get corresponding top and bottom bunks. Then, we can hang up our toiletry kit in a mutually convenient location, share lighting and alarm clock in the morning, etc. And, when I’m done getting pseudo dressed, he can duck in behind the privacy screen and do what he needs to do as well.

Picnic blanket.

OK, this requires you’re not wearing it at the time. (Or again, consider bringing two.) But it sure is nice to be able to pull out a cloth from your day pack and plunk yourself down with mineral water and fruit on the grass of a plaza somewhere as fabulous as say, Pisa. Incredible, really.

Wrap skirt.

Various styles abound with this. And if you are comfortable with unpredictable winds and constantly readjusting, fine. Personally, I prefer to add a few safety pins into the mix. Your call.

Window curtain.

We’ve used this when there wasn’t any privacy in our hostel bedroom window. Hey, when it makes the difference between a twenty dollar room and a six dollar room, my philosophy is at that price, there are some things I just don’t mind going without. Bonus? Sarongs are light enough so that the breeze can still easily blow through.

Shower curtain.

Depending on how many branches are available in your selected spot for a solar bag shower, you may be able to go for a couple of these secured together for a little more wiggle room.

Bathing suit cover up.

Wrap and tie, baby. That’s it.

Halter wrap dress.

There are loads of way to do this, as well as strategies for men who want to keep cool and wear one as a Polynesian style male wrap skirt. Here’s a super cool video that demonstrates boatloads of styles for each gender. 

Pillow cover wrap. 

Roll it up lengthwise, and knot the ends to keep a layer of sanitary protection between you and a well used hostel pillow.

Baby carrier.

Save yourself the stress of carrying unnecessary travel gear. This site has lots of resource links for instructions on various styles.    It even has instructions to show how to wear it while nursing and site seeing at the same time. How powerful is that, ladies?

Sun shade. 

Tie it to tree branches or empty poles on the river boat for sun protection on the fly.

That’s my list, folks. I’m sure there are more out there, and welcome additional resources if you want to post a link below.  For those of you with full sized curves who are tired of not being able enjoy sarongs to their fullest potential, here’s a link to a source that sells plus sized ones.

Posted on April 4th, 2008 by Myscha Theriault
Filed under: Travel Tips | No Comments »

 

Flickr Photo Credit: Celebdu

During a previous budget ideas post I did for Wise Bread, fellow blogger Nora Dunn joined the discussion and pointed out just how versatile an item the humble bandana is on the road. So I got to thinking. Just how much mileage could I get out of one of these things? Following is my list of suggestions.

• Luggage ID. With a bright colored bandana tied to the handle, even the most ordinary piece of baggage can be spotted in a jiffy on the luggage carousel.

• Crowd location device. If you are wanting a group of people or a travel partner to be able to find you in a hurry, either wear a brightly colored one, or tie it to an umbrella or walking stick to be able to hold high in the air. Tour guides would find this tip useful as well.

• Face cloth. Why carry a thicker, more difficult to dry one in your pack taking up space when these work just as well and store much more compactly?

• Dust storm protection. Larger ones can be tied around your nose and mouth to filter out dust. Anyone who has traveled to certain regions of Cambodia during the dry season will know exactly what I’m talking about.

• Emergency maxi pad. Actually, I tend to carry a few cloth ones for emergencies while on the road, along with other alternative feminine products with an eco twist. However, if you are caught unawares or are out for a low baggage jaunt without your day pack, take it off your hair and fold into a multi layered rectangle to tuck where it needs to be tucked. You’ll have to tread carefully to avoid dislodging, but it’s better than nothing. Trust me.

• Bandage on the fly. You never know when adversity will strike. If you have an unsoiled one in your bag, you’ll be good to go.

• The in-between-showers head scarf. Only have access to a sink or baby wipes for a few days? Go Bohemian. Wrap your locks in a bandana. Covers up the stringy hair and gives you a fresher overall look until you have access to a shower once again.

• Miniature picnic cloth. OK, you can’t sit on these and have room for food. But it will give you a small work space off the ground to sit in the park and spread out some crackers and such. Give it a whirl.

Another cool link I just found? This one from JourneyWoman.Com. She really takes the bandana brainstorming to an entirely new level including one use I could have put to use on our around the world adventure: a dish rag. Also, here’s another great link to a page with instructions for sewing a hidden pocket into your wearable travel bandana. Great for security! If you have other awesome ideas on traveling bandana uses, chime in with a comment.

Posted on April 3rd, 2008 by Myscha Theriault
Filed under: Travel Tips | 1 Comment »

Flickr Photo Credit: Steven Witherden

Just when we thought we’d streamlined packing and minimalized travel items and chaos as much as possible, we were slapped with the following reality: apparently we have a major experience gap when it comes to the airport security protocols for laptop computers. Additional complication? This gap may result in yet another luggage purchase. Here’s the deal:

For whatever reason, laptops are required to be pulled out of their cases and put in a separate bin. OK. Fine. However, when this happens, the case and loose cord components are all exposed to baggage handlers in a hurry which means risk of dumping / misplacing of key elements. I used to have a rolling office case, but with the size of the new machine, I’m no longer able to use it.

What to do? More research is needed. What we’re leaning to is some sort of hybrid rolling carry-on that handles clothing, files and smaller electronic accessories such as adapters, chargers, cell phones, I-pods, PDA’s Blackberries, etc. Once all of the other items have been secured independently within that luggage piece, our thought is that the laptop can then be handled with a separate laptop sleeve. Don’t get me wrong. The basic laptop case with front pocket, back slot and carrying strap works great most of the time. But airport screening adds another layer of aggravation that didn’t used to be there.

The long answer to the short question? As far as a recommended solution, we’re still test driving options. This article basically illustrates the discovered need, our thoughts in how we’ll approach the issue, and our intent to keep you posted. As always, we are interested to hear about any tips and tricks you might have. So feel free to chime in. We’re looking forward to it.

Posted on March 26th, 2008 by Myscha Theriault
Filed under: Working from the Road | 2 Comments »

 

Flickr Photo Credit: Ninja Poodles

I think this is a super cheap but fun idea for a group participation dinner at the hostel. Make one or two yummy heart warming soups and have a bunch of toppings available to spoon over the top. If you feel the need, include some bruschetta and a bottle of wine. I wrote a recent article with pics on Wise Bread with ideas for more unusual soup toppers. Check it out for more ideas on this fun group participation travel dinner.

Posted on October 25th, 2007 by Myscha Theriault
Filed under: Food and Lodging | 2 Comments »