Author Topic: Travel Culture  (Read 6424 times)

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Offline JMT

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Travel Culture
« on: February 02, 2017, 10:18:00 am »
Where have you been, and where are you going. 

I was trying to figure out how to share my travel map, but I couldn't.


« Last Edit: January 05, 2018, 12:23:54 pm by JMT »

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Offline JMT

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Re: The Travel Thread
« Reply #1 on: February 02, 2017, 06:52:59 pm »
So, my upcoming trip is to Hong Kong.  I'm really looking forward to it as it's one of my bucket list places.  Where would you most like to go if you could?

Offline msj

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Re: The Travel Thread
« Reply #2 on: February 02, 2017, 09:52:50 pm »
Going to breakup our trips this year.

Thinking of using our visa points for a week in Iceland.

But in November so the wife can see the northern lights.

Then in December will try Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Costa Rica (probably not all of those places but at least a couple). 

Only concern is getting there and back without stopping in the US and without using a US airline.

What I enjoy about going to Asia, instead of Central/South America, is Cathay Pacific/Singapore airlines.

United/Delta don't even rate in comparison.
I've gotta have more cow bell! -Bruce Dickinson

Offline JMT

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Re: The Travel Thread
« Reply #3 on: February 02, 2017, 10:04:04 pm »
Have you ever flown LATAM?  I've heard that they're quite good.  I also hear very good things about Aeromexico.

I like to break up my trips, as you plan to do.  Mexico was in January, with Hong Kong in May (United through ORD - yuck).  This summer has a variety of possible adventures.  There will be at least one long weekend road trip - possibly to Waterton Lake.  There will also be a long weekend fly away trip.  I'm not sure where that trip will take us.

Offline cybercoma

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Re: The Travel Thread
« Reply #4 on: February 02, 2017, 10:13:26 pm »
I'm going to Boston. Does that count? I wouldn't if I could avoid it.

Offline JMT

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Re: The Travel Thread
« Reply #5 on: February 02, 2017, 10:21:05 pm »
I want to go to Boston, so it counts.

Offline msj

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Re: The Travel Thread
« Reply #6 on: February 02, 2017, 10:23:42 pm »
Be careful!

A former PM of Norway has supposedly been detained for an hour because he travelled to Iran in 2014.

On a diplomatic passport.

http://wjla.com/news/local/former-norwegian-prime-minister-held-for-questioning-at-dulles-airport

My experience with customs agents around the world makes this story very plausible.

Canada isn't bad, American customs are on the stupid side, Vietnamese/Laotian/Thai/Cambodian/ try to be unpleasant but you can tell it's not in them, Hong Kong are efficient and full of common sense, Greeks like their submachine guns but intimidate no one, the Dutch/Swiss/Germans/French are reasonable, efficient-ish.

I've gotta have more cow bell! -Bruce Dickinson

Offline Blueblood

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Re: The Travel Thread
« Reply #7 on: February 02, 2017, 10:55:14 pm »
Went to Bahamas.  That was good.  One of the countries that has its act together and all the banks are Canadian there.  May try for Ireland later in the year, and if I'm lucky a snowmobile excursion to valemont as revelstoke is way to busy for that.

Offline kimmy

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Re: The Travel Thread
« Reply #8 on: February 03, 2017, 12:34:09 am »
My s.o. and I have been talking about going to Las Vegas because we want to see all the neat things.

 -k
Paris - London - New York - Kim City

Offline JMT

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Re: The Travel Thread
« Reply #9 on: February 03, 2017, 07:43:38 am »
Las Vegas is a pretty cool place....as long as you're not really in to gambling.  I think if you were, it would be the worst imaginable place to go.

When we were in Puerto Vallarta, my girlfriend's grand parents spend the entire night in a casino until it closed at 6 a.m.  I think they might die in Vegas.

guest4

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Re: The Travel Thread
« Reply #10 on: February 03, 2017, 08:01:24 am »
Walking through a local casino and seeing scores of seniors sitting at slot machines, attached by a cord running between the machine and their bodies was quite unsettling.  I think these were cards with balances on them inserted into the machines, and the cords were attached to their belt loops or in their pockets so they wouldn't be lost, but it sill looked so spooky, and not nearly as glamorous as casino scenes on TV, that's for sure.  Whatever interest I'd had in casinos died that day.

Offline msj

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Re: The Travel Thread
« Reply #11 on: February 06, 2017, 10:51:59 pm »
Went to Bahamas.  That was good.  One of the countries that has its act together and all the banks are Canadian there.

There is a bank in Cambodia called "Canadia" and it is an international bank so my bank card would work there so I tended to use it.

Not Canadian in any way but it was reliable.

Man, is it stressful when you try to take cash out and all you get is your bank card.

Not so bad in a city with many banks, but along a border with only one ATM in town, well I didn't want to be putting the wife's lipstick on if you know what I mean....

I've gotta have more cow bell! -Bruce Dickinson

Offline Blueblood

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Re: The Travel Thread
« Reply #12 on: February 07, 2017, 12:49:06 am »
Hats off to you for being able to get out of your comfort zone and checking that stuff out.  I like hearing the stories but like staying in my comfort zone lol. 

Offline msj

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Re: The Travel Thread
« Reply #13 on: February 13, 2017, 10:33:25 pm »
Not that I want this thread to become about Trump, but I find the story about the US citizen who works for NASA who had to give up his phone for inspection at the border to be interesting.

http://cnn.it/2lDPq57

If you are going there for a conference, how comfortable do you feel knowing that this administration is willing to use the laws to get any and all information from your phone?

I just have contacts and emails with my clients in my phone. But I'm not willing to risk it.

Guess we will find out what this means for travel to the US when it shows up in the stats in a few years....
I've gotta have more cow bell! -Bruce Dickinson

Offline ?Impact

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Re: The Travel Thread
« Reply #14 on: February 14, 2017, 12:08:25 am »
Not that I want this thread to become about Trump, but I find the story about the US citizen who works for NASA who had to give up his phone for inspection at the border to be interesting.

Yes, it is best to cross the border with zero technology. You phone (or iPad/laptop) will no doubt have access to your email, etc. as well. Perhaps it even signs into your 'secure' corporate systems automatically as well. Give up your phone and pin, you might as well give up everything.