VirtualTourist Member flyingcaribou
| Page Views: 6,622 | Flying Caribou by flyingcaribou - last update: Dec 8, 2007 |
Who am I? | EARTH TODAY, TOMORROW THE WORLD! KIDDING - maybe |
In the past, I was lucky enough to see places and people as a local resident rather than as a tourist. Sometimes we would live in a place for six months, sometimes one year, sometimes two. Due to my father's work we occasionally got to see things only very few people would get to see.
With my childhood travels, I have ended up living and travelling in over twenty-three countries the first fifteen years of my life. I did my first flight when I was ten days old and I haven't stopped since...(Six months in Seville Spain; one year in California USA; six months in Denver Colorado USA; six months in Baton Rouge Louisiana USA; one year in Mombai India; two years in Mexico City Mexico; two years in Oran Algeria, among other places)
I did my pre-kindergarden in Liege Belgium; kindergarden in Mombai India; first year of grade school in Mexico City Mexico; finished my grade school in Laval Quebec Canada; first two years of high school in Oran Algeria; finished high school in Sarnia Ontario Canada; grade thirteen in Hamilton Ontario Canada; college in Ville St-Laurent Quebec Canada and university in Montreal Quebec Canada.
I am still "flying around" today... I still get a kick out of it even after all these years. One of my favourite moments is the final approach into an airport, as the evening sky turns to night. I absolutely love to see the almost mystical blue sky in front of me with the blue taxiway lights turned on in the foreground and the sunset at my back, still barely casting a last glow on things. Maybe it's because you have to be really attentive and lucky to be there when it happens, who knows!
This explains maybe why I had to eventually find a job that would permit me to travel regularly so that hopefully I could still get to see the world. Once you've started and stopped your feet get itchy and you feel like you need to see more and need to hit the road again.
Now I get to travel for work, meet people from around the world, discover new places, learn a few words in different languages. I also love to try different dishes, discover new cultures. I really enjoy discovering what is so important for some people in their daily lives; what is matter-of-fact to them but may be totally foreign to me. All this takes time and energy; time to learn about other people and a true interest in other people. This I believe might one day prove to be part of the solution to the world's problems. Maybe people should be forced to see the world for a while...
I don't get to stay months on end however as I keep going back, I eventually get a "feel" for a place...We often get to stay for 2 to 3 days at a time, sometimes a week if we are lucky. It is certainly not the perfect way to get to travel but it does have it's perks.
The other night, on our way back from Margarita Island in Venezuela, it was a clear evening sky, I could see the USA coastline coming under us as we left the Atlantic Ocean and we slowly banked to the right to turn towards our new heading. The feeling was absolutely amazing. The small towns below were all lit-up, slowly passing under us. You could feel the power of the engines gently taking us to our destination as we followed our flight plan. Just great, even after all these years of flying! The view was spectacular! Everything was so clear that you could almost get vertigo even at 35000 feet... |
| Hummingbird Moth...from the net |
|  | What I believe in... Well...I believe in truth and honesty.
Being true to yourself is probably a hard thing to do at times but it is the path to become self-actualized.
I also believe in hard work and giving 100% of yourself to what you are doing. I have found that doing things half-heartedly are just a waste of time.
I also believe in saying what you mean and meaning what you say... |
Enough about me...Here are a few travel tips... Through the years I have found that often people are not always familiar with certain things which would be of help to them so that their flight might leave them a positive memorable experience. Think ahead!
- Are you sure you will need all of that stuff in your suitcase? I still go back and edit what I think I will be needing/using on my trip.
- Forget anything? Make a list.
- Call ahead: any changes in the departure time? Did you know there was an extra stop on your routing? Did you know you had to get off during that stop? Did you know you had to pay for that drink? Ask your travel agent or the airline, they have all the information available. Read the information given to you by your travel agent and the carrier. It's all there!
- Are your documents in order? Do you need a notarized letter or an entry visa? Ask questions!
- Bring a pen, you will need it!
- Snacks, water, entertainment, medication. It's always a good thing to bring stuff to help you better deal with the often predictable unpredictables (delays, routing changes are an integral part of the reality of travelling)
- If there is a delay, grab a bite to eat. Don't wait for that free meal on the plane as it might take a long time before you get the chance... You will feel relaxed, satiated and ready to deal with whatever comes-up. Did you know you can go to the hotels near the airport and have a great meal and drinks in one of their restaurants even if you are not one of their guests?
- If you smoke, get the patch or nicotine gum, it will help.
- Bring a collapsible bag (helps when you buy extra stuff at the duty free or to bring food on board).
- Grooming kit (your breath is not as fresh as you think after a while, neither is your body odour)
- Take it easy, your mindset will affect your perception of your travel experience.
- Bring an easily accessible phone contact list just in case!
- Locks for your carry-on (in case it is too big or too heavy and the carrier decides it must go in cargo. This also helps you avoid those nasty pick-pockets (yes there are some even on board!)
- Travel light and try to find a carry-on bag with wheels. This will really help you on your long treck through the newly expanded airports.
- Alcohol does not help your fear of flying: drink water instead (2% humidity on board on average and 10% in the dezert!)
- Get up, walk around, stretch, you'll feel better!
- Get to know the person next to you, they might help you later on..should there be an emergency on board.
- Read up on the place you are going to visit. This will fine tune your expectations.
- Brush-up on your communication skills (you will be sealed shut, in a pressurized cylinder, shooting across the sky at 600 miles an hour and you may not necessarily know the person next to you)
- Learn a few words to better relate with the people you are going to meet/visit.
- Don't send your poor grandmother alone on a flight with just a note with her name and address and where she is going when she doesn't speak the same language as the staff on the carrier. Have a heart! Go with her!
- Is somebody coming to pick you up when you arrive? Do they know enough to call ahead before showing-up at the airport in case of delays? Most airlines, airports have an information website, teletext on tv or phone number providing such information.
- Some airlines will allow you to check-in your luggage ahead of time. This will allow you to relax, enjoy the shopping, eating experience while you wait for your flight.
- Just remember, you may be refused on board if you do show-up intoxicated! It's the law.
- Bring some local currency to help you with those last minute phone calls or expenses.
- As Bianchis mentioned, a spare change of clothes in your carry-on will also save the day sometimes (delays, mishaps...) Beware though, some airlines will only allow 6 kg of carry-on luggage.
I am sure you could probably come up with more suggestions. This is all pretty basic stuff when you think about it. Getting there is also part of the vacation; why not make the best of it? Have a safe flight and enjoy! | | |
| A short flight from Belfast to London |
| | Another safety tip worth looking into... I found a great website providing information on different destinations:
voyage.gc.ca
It is created by the Canadian Foreign Affairs Office and offers up-to-date information on very important travel information. |
Neuschwanstein castle in Bavaria I finally got to see it. I have wanted to see it for quite a while and I finally joined a tour with a friend of mine and we went on a castle tour. We got to see the famous/infamous King Ludwig II's fantasy world. I wrote about the experience in my Germany pages. It was worth the money! It cost 43 Euros to join the tour and there was an extra 14.50 Euros fee for the castle entry (2 castles). We did 300 km through the Bavarian countryside. The views were spectacular! | | |
| Sunset, coming into Cancun from Havana |
| | Some funny but true stories... "The line-up at the back of the plane, is that to go on the balcony; you know, like on the cruise ships, to waive goodbye?" - (a passenger asking about the lavatory line-up after the onboard movie was over. I believe the slight 600 miles per hour breeze and the lack of oxygen would not make this possible)
"Oh, look... they eat!" - a passenger comment to her traveling partner as they noticed a crew member eating a meal. (I believe the battery operated model comes out next year)
"Could you turn off that awful noise?" a passenger complaint about the aircraft engine. (Nooo, that's a good noise; no noise, get worried!)
After causing quite a commotion on board an aircraft, a passenger was finally assisted by a Cabin Attendant as she complained she thought she wasn't feeling good; she said she kept trying but she couldn't get up off her seat. (It turns out that her seat-belt was still buckled around her waist)
Pilot to Cabin Attendant: "Do you know Gilligan's Island?"
Cabin Attendat to Pilot: "Do we fly there?"
Pilot to Cabin Attendant: "I knew you were too young for me!" (OK, this is funny if you are old enough to remember Gilligan's Island on TV)
"What time do you turn off the falls at night?" (a regular question asked of the Ontario Tourist Board concerning the Niagara Falls)
"Where's the snow?" (a tourist arriving at the USA-Canada border in Ontario in July with his skis and winter jacket - He was told to come back in six months...) |
I finally was a part of it! The Free Hugs campaign. I was walking around town on my way back to the hotel in Lisbon, Portugal when I finally saw some people doing their own version of the Free Hugs campaign. This had originally started in Australia by a gentleman named Juan Mann. Many of you might have seen it on Oprah; she did a small thing about it on her show. The sole purpose of this exercise is to reach out and hug a stranger to brighten up their lives. Sometimes it's all a person needs to brighten-up their day...
If you look it up on the YouTube website, under Free Hugs, you will see that the movement is spreading across the world.
youtube.com/watch
freehugscampaign.org
It was a great experience and I was glad to be able to join in! It actually works! It did bring on a smile... miles away from the ones I love... | | | Free Hugs campaign in Lisbon, Portugal |
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 Comments for flyingcaribou | | | | |
Laura_Mexico Thu Feb 21, 2008 01:14 UTC
Happy birthday!!! Sending you best wishes from Mexico! I hope you have a great day and lots of travel this year. Cheers! | a2lopes Wed Feb 20, 2008 21:21 UTC
Bonne Fete François and many happy returns of the day in your life. Greetings from the other side of the Atlantic. Wanna come for the vtmeeting next weekend? Cheers | Etoile2B Wed Feb 20, 2008 18:31 UTC
Happy Birthday from sunny California! | GracesTrips Wed Feb 20, 2008 07:23 UTC
Happy Birthday, François! Hope you enjoy a wonderful day! |
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