TRAVEL SURVIVAL GUIDE
From every walk of life, whether poor or rich, young or old, happy or sad, most of us just have to do it from time to time. Some love doing it as much as they can. Others try to limit it to once or twice a year. For most of us, it’s probably somewhere in between. Yes, that’s right. We’re talking about traveling. Now that we’ve grabbed your attention with this sleazy intro, we would like to divulge some handy tips for the global traveler that can help you not only survive your travels, but even make them more pleasant!
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World taxi meter
The world we live in is a crazy place. People fight each other over race, religion, land, oil, food… Heck, someone once even sued Michael Jordan for looking too much like him. But if, at some point in the future, we look around at what is left after all the fighting and suing, we will find that we actually have something in common. Most of us have been ripped off by taxi drivers. However, someone created a website that lets you check taxi fares online. It uses Google Maps, and it works for virtually every destination. A great tool for travelers, but it could be destroying the path to a peaceful future. We’re just saying.
Say it with a picture
At some point, prior to invading Iraq, someone in the US military had a good idea. This idea can actually help you on your travels today! It’s a little booklet with lots of pictographs and pictures in it. If you find yourself haggling on a Japanese market for a pound of fugu fish or jatamamsi herb and words fail, you can actually point at numbers so that the seller knows what you want to pay. If that fails too, you can of course always revert to tried and true hand or finger signs.
To tip or not to tip
Every country is different when it comes to tipping. But did you know that if you tip in Japan, it might come across as insulting? Seeing as the enjoyment of your trip is largely dependent on not ending up in a hospital after being force-fed a wrongly prepared fugu fish, it is imperative that you learn how to befriend the locals. Fortunately, a clever application developer for the iPhone created a nifty little program that will tell you all about local tipping customs.
Stay fresh and sharp
The hot towel you get on most flights is nice, but it has a few problems. First of all, stewardesses utilize pincers to hand you the scalding hot cloth, whereas you are expected to pick up the near-burning thing with your hands. If you manage to eventually wipe your face with it, you feel refreshed. The joy of that feeling quickly disappears when your skin starts cracking like sun-baked mud. Fortunately, someone invented refreshing facial sprays. By far not as dirty as they sound, these sprays actually moisturize your skin. In particular Eau Floral from Sisley does a great job. Don’t forget that it has to be sealed in before you take it on the plane because of flight regulations!
Analog time wheel
Yeah, yeah, we know you are all high-tech modern travelers with iThis’ and iThats and wHatnots, but before you completely surrender to the digital dogma, we ask you to just check out this cool analog gadget. It’s a rotating wheel which lets you easily calculate the time difference between two locations. Batteries not included.
How to get upgraded
Most of us like to save a few bucks when we can. Especially now that you know about Seatguru, flying business class isn’t so bad. However, what if you could trick your way into that crazy comfortable lounge chair in first class and enjoy the pleasure of looking through the curtains behind you, shaking your head to those poor sods in business class? Check this funny video that will teach you a thing or two about how to get upgraded.
community tip:park your car and ride the bycicle
Posted by citizen
BARBARA
