Back when I had bad hair and worse skin, my adolescent celebrity crush was the Ewan McGregor from the Star Wars prequels and especially from Moulin Rouge. That Scottish accent! That blindingly adorable cheeky smile! So imagine my shrieking delight when I found Long Way Round and Long Way Down on Netflix, two multi-episode documentaries of Ewan McGregor and his friend Charley Boorman motorcycling across Asia and Africa. Continue reading
Traveler
Places to Eat in Old San Juan
- Barrachina -You can’t eat in Old San Juan without going to the birthplace of the piña colada! The drinks are a bit different than they are in the States; they are creamier, smoother, and more delicious. And don’t worry, the food is excellent too! Make sure you check their website before planning your evening, however. Some nights they close earlier than others.
- Waffle Era Tea Room – Have you ever wanted gourmet waffles? Of course you have. This is a must-stop breakfast location while you’re in the city. Their menu is divided into savory and sweet waffles as well as by size (small wafflitos and plate-sized waffles). I suggest you get two wafflitos – one savory and one sweet! You won’t regret it.
- Caficultura – For a nice afternoon coffee, there’s no better place than Caficultura. They’ve got all the fancy coffees Americans are spoiled with, and a lovely hipsterish atmosphere. Be forewarned! This is definitely the coffee place for tourists. Not a bad thing, but if you’re aiming for cultural immersion, I suggest you go to #4.
- Café Manolín – Suggested by our hotel clerk as “where Puerto Ricans eat breakfast,” we visited this place twice, once for breakfast and once for lunch. Breakfast was both delicious and cheap. We sat at the diner counter and watched Puerto Rican businesspeople drink coffee before heading to work. We returned another day for lunch, which was a little disappointing. The food was not as great, and a cruise ship full of tourists had also found the spot. I suggest you go early, and make sure you order coffee! It was wonderful.
Do you have a favorite restaurant in Old San Juan that I missed? Comment and let me know!
Travel Tips – Travelling with a Cat
My cat and I are extremely attached to each other, and my love of traveling is only marred by my sadness at leaving Rory behind. The solution? Bring him with me as often as possible! Continue reading
Tricia Believes in Magic
Like every child who grew up in the 00s, I was obsessed with Harry Potter. I read the books, watched the movies, and scoured HP websites for hints and guesses of what was to come. Unlike every child who was obsessed with Harry Potter, my obsession never really stopped. Just last year my brother bought me a wand for Christmas. The kids I nanny are reading the series for the first time, and the three of us are equally delighted to discuss Hogwarts for literally hours.
Thankfully, my best friend from college was similarly obsessed. Stephanie and I watched A Very Potter Musical in one awestruck sitting, then proceeded to quote and sing it for the rest of our friendship. We always talked about visiting The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando, FL, but we graduated, moved to different states, and grew up.
Or did we!? No, we didn’t. Grow up, that is. Continue reading
Travel Tip – Make Your Own Food
In general, I choose the easy way out. Is it more expensive and less healthy to buy fast food than it is to make your own dinner? Yes. Will I continue to eat fast food anyway? Yes.
I’m an idiot, but you don’t have to be! 
Last year my brother and I roadtripped around the Washington and Oregon border. One of our AirB&B choices included the use of a kitchen, so we stocked up on eggs, potatoes, and zucchini. Before leaving Portland for a drive along the Gorge to explore waterfalls, we cooked everything on the stove. The rich salty smell filled the apartment, and we…looked for somewhere to store our breakfast feast. Here is the travel tip sub-tip: when making your own food for a trip, make sure you have something in which to transport it. Continue reading
Tricia Barely Learns to Speak French
Fatick, Senegal – January 2010
Growing up in central Illinois, there was really no reason to learn any foreign language. High school required it, however, so I took Spanish. Naturally the only place I’ve lived overseas predominantly spoke French, the other option I didn’t choose. When I arrived in Senegal, I found that the other six members of my team spoke French fluently. Since my self-worth is entirely dependent upon my ranking as compared to others…I was not feeling so confident. No one had to know that, though, so off to my first French lesson I went! Continue reading
If You’re More Adventurous Than Me…
I recently ran across this BuzzFeed list of 11 Travel Adventures That Will Make You Say “Nope.” And, uh, that is an insanely accurate title. The very first image is of hammocks suspended 164 feet above the ground. Granted, the scenery is spectacular, and I suppose the atmosphere could be peaceful…if I could ever convince my brain to stop screaming “I’M GOING TO DIE.”
The list is mostly composed of 1) heights, 2) underwater creatures, or 3) eating gross things. All of which I am perfectly happy to avoid. The one place that I might be brave enough to visit is Derweze, Turkmenistan, where you can walk right up to the mouth of hell (in actuality, a burning natural gas field). But you better believe that since there is no fence, I will be wide-eyed and interested from a long way away.
Check out the rest of BuzzFeed’s list to see how brave you are!
What is the bravest thing you’ve done while traveling? What is the dumbest? Is there a difference? Leave a comment and let me know!
How to Keep Your Sanity on a Solo Road Trip
I have high standards for road trips. For one thing, I will only call something a road trip if it would be extremely uncomfortable to go both there and back again in one day. Five hours? That’s an afternoon drive. I tend to reserve the title “road trip” for car journeys at least seven hours long. This is completely arbitrary and totally dependent upon the fact that I went to college seven hours from my hometown. However, now that I live thirteen hours from my hometown and have made that trip alone three times, I like to think I’m an expert. Here are some tips for making solo road trips bearable:
- Don’t Go Solo. I know, I know. The whole point of this list is that you’re driving alone. But if there is any way to bring a friend with you, do it. Don’t be a martyr. Having someone else in the car means entertainment, but more importantly, it means you can nap while they drive.
- Wear Comfortable Clothes. You’re alone. You’re mostly going to be stopping at gas stations where everyone looks their worst. So wear both sweatshirts and sweatpants. Leave off makeup and pile your hair on top of your head. Wear slippers, even. You’re going to be sitting still for hours and hours–be as comfortable as possible.
- Stock up on Podcasts. I’ve recently gotten into podcasts, and they are a fantastic way to kill an hour or so on the road. I’ve been really into YouTubers turned Podcasters Grace Helbig (“Not Too Deep”) and Rhett and Link (“Earbiscuits”). If that’s not your style, check out Stuff’s post on the 15 Best Podcasts of 2014.
- But Mostly Audiobooks. Podcasts only last an hour, so for a really intense road trip, you’re going to need something longer. Thankfully, there are audiobooks, which often last up to 14 hours! If you get a really good story, this can make the time fly by. I like to listen to books I’ve already read, which allows me to keep my primary focus on the road. Best road trip audiobooks: The Hunger Games series by Susanne Collins. They never get old, and they are always riveting.
- Create Caffeine Games. Obviously you’re going to need a lot of caffeine to make it through the day. Why not keep your brain occupied by trying to find diverse ways to caffeinate yourself? Start with homemade coffee in a thermos, then stop for soda, or gas station energy drinks, or drive through Starbucks. Don’t let yourself do the same drink twice!
- Eat in the Car. I once traveled with a friend who insisted on stopping to eat inside fast food restaurants. And I mean, I guess this allows for some peace and the ability to zone out, but what a waste! All I could do was count how many minutes we were wasting by sitting a building rather than in my car. This is, actually, one of the benefits of traveling solo. You can do what you want! And I always want to drive through (never Arby’s, those lines are too long) and eat while I’m driving. Combining activities makes me feel incredibly productive.
- Call Those Friends You’ve Been Ignoring. I always choose to text people over calling them. But sometimes it’s nice to catch up with friends or family via a verbal conversation. I’ll never do it during real life, but stuck in a car for hours? Phone calls start to look appealing.
- Create a “Middle School” Playlist. Singing in the car is a no brainer. But around hour two, I start to get tired of whatever band I’m currently loving. It’s during times such as these that you need to break out your “Middle School” playlist, full of all your old favorites–those songs you haven’t thought about in a decade but know every lyric once it’s playing. My playlist has a lot of N*SYNC, Smashmouth, and Counting Crows.
- Take Back Roads. This is not great advice if time is of the essence. When you’re in a hurry, interstates are your best bet. But if you find yourself taking the same long road trip every few months, why not change things up and find a back road or two? You’ll be amazed at how having actual scenery will keep you interested and entertained.
- Take Multiple Days. Know your limits. If you can’t do fourteen hours in one day, split it up and book a hotel. Staying at a hotel alone is its own kind of fun.
How do you survive long car trips? Do you have a travel tip that I missed? Comment and let me know!
Oishii! Japanese Food for the Sushi Averse (Guest Post)
Elizabeth Waibel is a friend from college who became even closer after we graduated. We share a love of literary analysis, snarky humor, and now, the country and culture of Japan. She currently works as a journalist for The Gazette in Maryland.
I did not particularly want to go to Japan. My limited experience in sushi restaurants that smelled like seaweed did not earn it the same place on my travel priorities list as those countries famous for crisp baguettes or cappuccino, and I have never been a fan of rice.
“They eat tepid fish!” I complained to my sister in between looking for plane tickets, which were unjustly more expensive to Japan than to places known for pasta and cheese.
My best friend has lived in Japan since 2011. For about a year, ever since I realized she wasn’t coming back, I had been promising to visit. So, prodded by the thought that few are so lucky to have a friend in such an interesting place and reassured by the thought that, if necessary, I could live off tempura (breaded and deep-fried shrimp or vegetables) for a week, I brushed up my chopsticks skills and booked a knee-numbing flight to Tokyo.
In retrospect, it was horribly unfair to judge an entire country on which of its dishes had happened to make their way to suburban America. There is so much more to Japanese food than sushi, and I could have happily spent at least two more weeks exploring the flavors and ingredients of a cuisine almost entirely new to me.
So, whether you are planning a trip to Japan or are tired of faking a fish allergy to avoid sushi restaurants with friends, here area few Japanese food recommendations that do not involve raw fish:
1. Tonkatsu – A breaded and fried slice of pork often served with rice, cabbage, and a delicious sauce that (to this American) tastes similar to teriyaki. Recommended for fans of cornflake chicken or schnitzel.
2. Ramen – This is NOT the same as the 20-cent instant noodles you ate in your dorm room, although you can buy things like that in Japan too. One of my favorite things I ate in Japan, ramen is a soup of wheat noodles in a savory broth topped with things like pork, bean sprouts, onions, and a boiled egg. It was oishii (delicious)!
3. Okonomiyaki – Cabbage is mixed with a simple, smoky-flavored egg and flour batter and fried into a thick, savory pancake. Then, it is brushed with a sweet and smoky sauce and topped with bits of dried, smoked fish that seem to be Japan’s answer to bacon bits. Okonomiyaki often has other ingredients mixed in, such as shrimp and noodles. Some restaurants in Tokyo also serve monjayaki, which resembles a goopy stir-fry and tastes like a comfort-food casserole. I recommend trying the kind with cheese.
4. Kakigori – This is basically a gourmet sno-cone. Kakigori is shaved ice that can be topped with strawberry (ichigo) syrup and condensed milk or, for those seeking more uniquely Japanese flavors, green tea syrup, red beans and mochi (rice paste). Ichigo kakigori with milk served with hojicha (green tea whose leaves have been smoked) might have been the best thing I ate in Japan.
If you ever do make it to Japan, be sure to get food at one of the many conbinis, or convenience stores. Food at the 7-Eleven in Japan is wildly better than food at the 7-Eleven in America. You can get a wide selection of refrigerated lunches, drinks and fun snacks. I also recommend visiting a place that sells sushi (preferably the cooked kind) on conveyor belts that run past all the tables, delivering a steady line of food. This is the future of dining.
So yes, there is more to Japanese food than sashimi, and it is possible to visit there for a week or more without eating tepid fish. Enjoy!
Me (right) and my friend enjoying iced coffee from a cobini on the shinkansen, or bullet train.
The culinary genius behind my first Japanese ramen experience.
Keep up with Elizabeth via her Twitter account, @lizwaibel. I suggest you also look into Ishinomaki Christian Center if you’d like to donate to an organization that supports community rebuilding efforts after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
Blog Rec – Nomadic Matt
Nomadic Matt is an incredibly popular travel blogger. He’s been all over North and South America, most of Europe, and a good chunk of Asia. He writes thoughtful pieces on travel in general as well as tips for traveling in specific countries for cheap. It’s a great combination of information and entertainment, and spending more than five minutes on his blog will leave you with a serious case of wanderlust.
I especially loved his post, “Everyone Says I’m Running Away.” It is a beautifully written piece in response to comments about traveling being a form of running away–from responsibility, from adulthood, from whatever. Traveling is about escape, yes, but not necessarily running away from all of life. It’s running away from a certain kind of life. Matt puts it this way:
People assume that we are simply running away from our problems, running away from “the real world.”
And to all those people who say that, I say to you?—?you’re right.
Completely right.
I am running away.
I’m running away from your idea of the “real” world.
I’m avoiding your life.
And, instead, I’m running towards everything – towards the world, exotic places, new people, different cultures, and my own idea of freedom.
Preach it, Matt. Prepare to lose hours of your life exploring his blog, but don’t stop there! Plan a trip! Go see the world for yourself! And use his blog to help you do it.
It Is Trish 