" JON GILBERT LEAVITT" jglsongs's Profile

Bon mots

"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference."
-Robert Frost, The Road Not Taken
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"The worst thing about being a tourist is having other tourists recognize you as a tourist."
-Russell Baker, U.S. columnist and journalist
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"One day, you ought to go to a country where they don't speak English, and they don't even want to."
-Thornton Wilder, "Our Town"

Leavitt's Laws of Travel

from 27H

MY TENETS OF TRAVEL a.k.a. Leavitt’s Laws:

1.
If you head off a tourist-filled pedestrian plaza and onto a small street (especially one leading to a lot of winding or small cobblestone streets), you are likely to see and experience things that are more interesting and genuine than on the tourist-filled pedestrian plaza.

2.
If you can recognize the name of a chain (fast food) restaurant in a foreign country, it’s not worth going inside and eating.

3.
One word/phrase (especially thank you) spoken in the local language is worth a thousand spoken in English.

4.
Don’t assume anything while traveling- there are always exceptions to every stereotype, assumption and an opinionated neighbor’s stilted opinion.

5.
If you can’t recognize something on a menu, that’s all the more reason to order it.

6.
The amount of time it takes to travel somewhere does not necessarily equal the amount of experiences you can have. In other words...there might be a whole new world you've never experienced in the next town, or even on the next street!

7.
Although the travel industry cites June-September as high season, the REAL travel season runs from January-December in both hemispheres, and on both sides of the equator.

Intro Updated Sep 2, 2006
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Comments (25)

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Donna_in_India Jan 14, 2010 at 6:49 PM

Happy, happy birthday Jon!
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Etoile2B Jan 15, 2008 at 10:43 AM

Happy Birthday from sunny California!
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pigletsmom Jan 15, 2007 at 9:22 PM

Hope you're having a great Birthday. What a gorgeous shot of the clouds. Wow, very majestic. Nice shot.
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irishgalmtl Jan 14, 2007 at 8:47 PM

Greetings from Montreal, wishing you many blessings on your special day and always, HAPPY BIRTHDAY! CHEERS! Donna :)
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lemonpie Jan 15, 2006 at 1:29 PM

Happy Birthday Capricorn! :)
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koolkatz_76 Jan 15, 2006 at 6:59 AM

Birthday greetings from HK! Wishing you a fantastic year ahead :-)
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ralph_II Jan 15, 2006 at 5:17 AM

hello, my dear:-) wish you a happy birthday and a great time. don´t party too much. lots of love, luck, happiness and joy may accompany your life. big hug! ralph from germany
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Dabs Jan 14, 2006 at 7:55 AM

Happy birthday Jon! I'm leaving for Edinburgh/London tomorrow and wanted to make sure I didn't forget :-)
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cjg1 Feb 26, 2005 at 1:45 PM

I like your rules. Having a VT meeting Saturday March 5 here in the city.
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scottishvisitor Jan 15, 2005 at 3:13 PM

Happy birthday greetings from Scotland