Archives for December 2014

Exploring Whistler: Preparing for Adventure in the Winter Sports Capital of North America

December 31, 2014 by Staff Writer 1 Comment

Whistler, BC offers some of the best in winter sports. Notable for its role in the 2010 Winter Olympics, Whistler has long been hailed as the home of world class skiing and snowboarding. This popular tourist spot should be on everyone’s list of future vacation destinations.

Snowboarding

No matter what your ability level, there is a trail for you at Whistler. Experts offer snowboarding classes at all levels, so you get a safe and fast start into this exciting sport. For the more advanced winter sports enthusiast, there are half pipes and thrilling trails to master.

Skiing

In Whistler, you can enjoy your favorite styles of skiing while taking in the breathtaking beauty of the mountains. If you want to learn new skills or brush up before hitting the slopes, sign the whole family up for a lesson.

Dining

Dining in Whistler is an experience to remember. Avalanche Pizza offers a casual and relaxed environment for you to enjoy a fresh artisan pizza after a thrilling day on the slopes! For a fine dining experience, try some fresh seafood from the Pacific at Araxi. Explore and allow your taste buds to experience a wide variety of new flavors and cuisine. Whistler also has its own local craft brewery, Whistler Brewing Company, which offers a taste of what the locals drink.

Arts and culture

Whistler is far more than just a winter sports dreamland; it is home to a fascinating history and vibrant art scene. When British Naval officers visited in the 1860s, the breathtaking beauty of the area astounded them. They named the area Whistler because of the sound made by the native marmots, a type of small furry mammal that lives among the rocks. Due to its remoteness, Whistler really did not begin development until 1914 when an enterprising young couple bought ten acres of land on Alta Lake and began developing the local tourism industry. While in Whistler, be sure to stop by the Whistler Museum and talk with locals to get the inside scoop on the area’s fascinating history.

Whistler is home to a wide range of people and has attracted many artists. The art scene has been thriving for many years and offers diverse styles and talent. There are many galleries and art events to attend year-round. The Whistler Arts Council can help point you in the direction of some great art exhibits, or you can explore on your own.

Make money and have fun in a great place

With so many things to do in the area, you may just want to stay for a while longer in Whistler. It is a great place for a student or young adult to find seasonal work at the many resorts. If you are interested in working an exciting job in the travel industry, Royal Holiday jobs can be a great place to get started helping people plan their dream trips.

Whistler is simply one of the most exciting winter sports destinations in the world, but it definitely has more to offer than just world-class sports facilities. Its breathtaking scenic beauty, along with its fascinating history, delicious food and thriving arts scene means there is something here for everyone.

Feeling Bummed About Returning to the USA

December 27, 2014 by Jason 15 Comments

After two years of global travel, we will be returning to the United States. We are trying to remain optimistic about our future, but truth be told, we are feeling a little sad about returning.

Our trip, that we planned for so long, is coming to an end and we will be returning to the land of…. of… what are we returning to? We turn on the US news and we see shootings, rapes, murders, riots, and all kinds of bad stuff. Why do we want to return to that? We open our personal Facebook pages and see political discussions filled with hate. People can no longer debate differences of political opinion in a rational way. How did American politics become so polarized? Why does everyone hate each other?

Long-term travel has changed us and our priorities are no longer the same. We don’t want more stuff to clutter our lives; we just want more happiness. We have spent two years pursuing happiness and interacting with others on the same journey. You may question our selfish act of leaving society to pursue our own happiness, but the founding fathers of the United States understood the importance of happiness. They understood it so well that they even wrote it into the Declaration of Independence:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

Our pursuit of happiness has been amazing and we don’t want it to end, but we need a place where we can call home. We need a place where we can grow roots and become part of the community. But according to the news, there is no community that is safe in the United States. We are warned that we should all own guns to defend ourselves against the bad guys. How can anyone be happy if they are living their lives in fear?

We do have fears; we fear returning to our old lives. Before leaving, our life was filled with busy schedules and we don’t want that again. We want to make new friends and actually have the time to interact with them. In person! We only have 8 years left before our daughter heads off to college. She will only have one childhood and we want to be part of it. Before leaving we were lucky if we saw her for two hours a day. We thought we were providing her a good life, but we were wrong. A good life is one that involves quality time together. We want to give that to her, but we fear we could easily fall back into the trap of busy schedules and having no time for family or friends.

Our plan of relocating to Portland, Maine will hopefully give us a fresh start and make it harder to fall into our old routine. We want to continue our pursuit of happiness there: Kerri wants a garden, Sydney wants to ride horses, and I want to take photos. We want our business ventures to be successful so we can continue to travel and have adventures. It all sounds so idealistic, and that makes us sad. As of right now, it’s still just a dream and we have yet to step foot in Maine. We have a 1000 things to do before we even get there, including purchasing a vehicle in Portland, Oregon and preparing it for a 4300 mile cross country journey through mountains, ice, and snow. We need to meet up with family and friends and say our hellos and goodbyes. We need to pick up our stuff that we left with family and somehow pack in into the car and a small trailer. The list goes on and on and on. We haven’t even returned to US soil and already we have a busy schedule. We don’t want that stress again and it is really bumming us out. I think the stress of our return is making us reconsider our decision of heading back to the United States. I found myself looking at long stay visas for Germany and France. Kerri suggested just this morning that maybe we should move to Mexico and start our businesses there. I don’t know what it is about the US, but we are really dragging our feet on returning. We know it will be the best in the long run, but only if we can stay true to our path.

We return to Portland, Oregon in just 2 weeks. Hopefully we make it…

Sydney’s Corner: New Zealand Keas

December 23, 2014 by Sydney 2 Comments

This blog is about keas. Keas are parrots. Keas live only on the South Island of New Zealand. There are about 1000 to 5000 keas on the South Island of New Zealand. Scientists are not sure how many there are, because keas like to move around a lot. A keas territory is about 4 kilometers in area. Keas are very curious and one time a kea stole someone’s passport.

Curious Kea

Keas are on the endangered list. Keas are endangered because they were shot down for harassing the sheep. The government offered a price of $65 per kea in the 19th century. Keas would kill the sheep and that is why people shot them. But they do not do this anymore. The threat now for keas is humans, stoats, possums, and rats. 60% of kea eggs will not hatch, because stoats and other pests will eat the eggs and chicks. The government is setting up traps for pests such as stoats, possums and rats. But sometimes little chicks get caught in the stoat traps and eat the poison.

Keas lay 4 eggs per breeding season. They lay eggs on the ground in burrows. When a male kea finds a mate they are stuck together for life. Keas when full grown are 50 cm and have a wingspan of 1 meter or 3.3 feet. Keas live to about 40 years old.

Here is our story with a kea encounter. We were driving and my mom wanted to go on this boring hike. When we pulled into the parking lot, there sat a bird on top of a car. The kea then flew onto our car’s side mirror. It just sat there looking at us while my parents took photos and then it flew onto the roof. It hung upside down and looked through the open window. Its’ head was inside the car. We got out of the car. I sat down in the parking lot. The kea ran towards me then stopped and backed away. There is another time he almost landed on my arm. I named him Keke. He was awesome.

Curious Kea

Avoiding Pickpockets in Rome

December 16, 2014 by Jason Leave a Comment

We have traveled the world non-stop for a little over two years visiting 26 different countries and countless cities. In all that time we have only seen pickpockets at work in one city, Rome, Italy. Pickpockets can be found all over the world, but Rome has got to be the world’s capital for pickpockets.

You safely booked your Rome accommodation through Venere and now you are wondering how to keep your wallet safe? Here are some tips that will help keep you safe from pickpockets in Rome and elsewhere.

The Packed Subway Trick

We have all heard that pickpockets can be found on the subways, but here was one we personally witnessed in Rome that left many people missing items.

After a full day of exploring Rome we hopped on the Metro to head back to our hotel. Once on the Metro it became packed and I ended up standing near the side of the door. At one of the stops I witnessed a group of 3 girls, about 16 years old, start pushing the people waiting on the platform onto the train. If you have ever ridden a packed subway, this is actually kind of normal. But what was different about this was that they were reaching into everyone’s pockets and bags and grabbing whatever they could, and then stepped off the train just before the doors closed. They were a pickpocket gang! As the train started rolling everyone was checking their stuff to see what was stolen. At the next stop, the exact same thing happened again with 3 different girls.

When you are boarding a subway train you are worried about being caught in the doors or getting separated from your friends and family. With all of the pushing going on you are completely unaware of people reaching into your pockets and bags. The easiest way to protect your belongings is to wait for the next train, which will often be less crowded. But if you must board a packed train, have nothing in your back pockets and nothing in loose front pockets that could easily be reached into. Before the train arrives, take your backpack off, if you have one, and hold onto it in front of you, or wear it backwards. If you have a purse or other bag, make sure it is zippered shut or secured in a way that makes it harder for someone to reach in and grab whatever may be inside and keep it in front of you and off your back.

The Staged Fight

Another common trick for pickpockets is the staged fight or staged commotion. You will be walking along when a fight breaks out between two people. Our curious nature says to stay and watch, but for safety reasons, keep moving! If you stop and watch, they will run into you and someone behind will grab your wallet, mobile phone, or whatever else might be in your pockets. Best to keep moving!

Don’t Look Like A Tourist

Tourists have a look about them: the brand new quick-dry clothing that makes them look they are on a safari, the camera hanging around the neck, and most likely a wallet full of cash. Thieves target tourists and the best way to not be a target is to not look like a tourist. Avoid the “tourist uniform” and stick to your normal street clothes. Don’t flash a lot of cash around. Keep your camera in a bag that does not look like a camera bag, and only take it out when you want to take a shot. And please, don’t wear a fanny pack or belly bag.

Use a Money Pouch

A lot of people use money pouches to keep their money and passports safe. We started with one, but soon abandoned it. They do work, but if you need to get your money they can be a real hassle trying to access it. If you don’t mind them, use one.

Use a Travel Wallet

Leave your regular wallet at home and use a thin travel wallet that only contains a couple of credit/debit cards, ID, and a small amount of cash. I use a cheap nylon wallet that I place in my front pocket or in a side zippered pocket. Never place a wallet in your back pocket, even if it has a button or zipper.

Padlocks and Zip Ties

Place small combination padlocks on your backpacks when traveling and walking around. This will make it much harder for someone to access your bags. Instead of a padlock, you can also use small zip ties to secure your bags.

We hope that you find our tips helpful and that you stay safe while traveling. If you would like to share your own tips for avoiding pickpockets and thieves, we would love to hear them.

10 Things That We Have Missed About America

December 9, 2014 by Jason 4 Comments

This January we will finally be returning to the United States after traveling around the world for a little over 26 months. In that time we have experienced culture, customs, and shopping in 26 different countries. While each country has had it’s own uniqueness and we have enjoyed each of them, there are a few things that we have really missed about the United States.

Here is our list, in no particular order:

Family and Friends: We have really missed our family and friends and look forward to seeing them when we return to the US.
Ice: For some reason, the rest of the world does not believe in having ice in their beverages. On a hot day there is nothing better than a cold drink filled to the brim with ice.
Cheap Gas (petrol): Never again will we complain about having to pay over $4 a gallon for gasoline in the United States, especially when we had to pay over $7 a gallon in Europe and $9 a gallon in Turkey.
Bacon: Who doesn’t love bacon! We have found bacon everywhere around the world, although it is much harder to find in Muslim countries. Unfortunately, the bacon we found is just not the same. The United States, without a doubt, has the world’s greatest bacon!
Amazon: There have been so many times that we had to search all over town looking for something (besides bacon), often searching for days trying to locate it. And once we did, the prices were usually shocking! If only Amazon.com was everywhere, we could have just ordered what we were looking for and have it delivered. And at the best prices!
Drinking Tap Water: During our travels we have often had to rely on bottled water to drink and to rinse our toothbrushes. It will be nice to no longer worry about that.
Supermarket Selection: An entire aisle of breakfast cereal? 10 different types of strawberry jam to choose from? Welcome to America! Nowhere else in the world have we seen so many options as what you can buy. Organic? Yes! Sugar-free? Yes! Free Trade? Yes! Generic? Of course! We have really missed the selections available at the supermarkets in the United States.
Good Internet: Although the best Internet we have experienced was in Romania, the US is still better with all of the options for free Wi-Fi everywhere. Many hotels around the world make you pay for Internet, and if it says “Free Wi-Fi” you are usually stuck with Internet that is so slow and spotty that we often felt like we were back on dial-up. We have also missed unlimited Internet. Even the Starbucks in New Zealand limits the “Free Wi-Fi” to only 30MB of data.
Freeways: Although Europe has freeways; they are often toll roads and can be expensive. To drive across France we had to pay $66 in tolls. And then there are the evil automated speed radar traps. But in many other places, like Australia, there are no long interstates and you end up on small roads or highways and have to go through towns. Driving in many places can take a long time. But in the US, we have long, mostly toll-free, interstates that quickly get you to where you want to go.
Prices: The best prices for almost ANYTHING can be found in the United States. Well, maybe not European wines and Spanish jambon. But cameras, clothing, computers, and especially shoes are so much cheaper in the United States. Even though most of the goods are now made in Asia, the prices in the US are still cheaper than in Asia where they are made!!!

We hope you have enjoyed our list. What do you like about the United States?