Blog Archives

Ebola Outbreak Information

10/15/2014

The Ebola outbreak has made international news, and all the information can be a little overwhelming. Thankfully, the CDC’s website is thorough, informative, and a great source for travelers.

The CDC is warning travelers to “avoid non essential travel’ to Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone as well as alerting travelers to “practice enhanced precautions in Democratic Republic of the Congo.” They are also offering advice to students, universities, and humanitarian workers as well as providing guidance for airlines and offering free posters in the form of a PDF to any country. You’ll also find the health advisory for the public as well as advice for airline workers, i.e. exit screening protocol, and other print resources.

The CDC is taking this outbreak very seriously which means you should too.

Get More Information From cdc.gov

Thanks for reading!

“If at some point you don’t ask yourself ‘what have I gotten myself into?’ then you’re not doing it right.”Roland Gau

Written by: Backpack Britt

Hello. I’m Brittany, and I like to travel. I enjoy sharing photos and telling stories about the places I’ve been and the experiences I’ve had. After graduating college, I backpacked Europe alone. Some would say I’m a bold traveler, but I feel like I’m just getting started. I tend to attract colorful situations, so I hope you enjoy what you read!

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The Ailing Airplane

10/13/2014

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In recent years, airplanes have been exposed and their filth, revealed. I pride myself on my outstanding immune system; I rarely feel under the weather. To that end, I manage to fly the air without bringing a cold home.

After international flights, however, I’m not always so lucky. Let’s face it. With the small enclosed spaces on an aircraft, airplanes are germ infested and your likely to bring home an airplane cold after any given flight. Here’s some tips on how to be proactive and prevent catching a cold when you’re in the clouds.

Drink plenty of H2O. This really goes without saying.

Wear a face mask. One that covers both your nose and mouth. You may look like a hypochondriac, but
hey. That’s okay.

Wash your hands. After touching your seat belt, the overhead bin, the small table that folds out in front of you, the hand of the person you are sitting next to after your brief introduction to cut the awkwardness. Just sanitize. Trust me.

Don’t eat the ice. Ice that just sits around also collects bacteria. Coliform bacteria. Order a juice, soda or purchase a bottle of water preflight instead.

Bring a book. Or magazine. Or Kindle. Anything that will prevent you from flipping through the airline catalog and touching the seat pocket.

Thanks for reading!

“Travelers never think that they are foreigners.” Mason Cooley

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Language Apps

10/9/2014

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To piggyback off the last post, we thought we’d share some of our favorite free language translation applications we use when we travel to foreign lands.

Translator with Speech: With over 54 languages to choose from, this application is very much like iMessage. It also picks up words and phrases very easily in the audio section, and it’s an overall simple and very accurate translator. It’s also free. The app illustration is also pretty cool.
Translate Voice: This application is also a free one and covers translations in over 100 countries. The voice recognition is also very accurate and again, free!

Then there’s always:

Google Translate: Not only does it translates texts and webpages, it also provides thorough definitions and examples of how to use those words and phrases.

Okay, you’re ready. Go travel!

Thanks for reading

“For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been and there you will long to return.” Leonardo da Vinci

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Say what?

10/7/2014

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If you think you can travel without a basic knowledge of your destinations’ native languages, you should give it another thought.

Westernization has definitely made an impact across the world. Travelers are aware that finding a locally-made souvenir is already a challenge. Even major cities have gradually and in some places abruptly adopted the English language so much so that native languages are losing their mystique while making it easier for English speaking people to travel all over.

Last week, however, I had the pleasure of speaking with a tour agent about traveling southern Italy.

Although there are islands i.e. Sicily that are easy to navigate due to their English application in their every day speech, many smaller cities within Italy are not as accommodating. In fact, to work for a tour agency, speaking Italian is not a bonus but a requirement. If you’re lost in northern Italy, as I was in Venice during an off season, you may not run into an English speaking Italian with a GPS.

If you think about it, language is a beautiful cultural device, and we are fortunate that many countries and cities preserve their native tongues. If you are not a traveler, I want to emphasis the importance of learning a second language – especially if you plan to journey beyond touristy destinations or if you travel during an off season. Foreign languages are still alive!

Just a tip

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Safety First

10/4/2014

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This last week in Chicago has been pretty eventful. I was about to hop out of a cab the other night when a woman frantically jumped in and yelled that she had just been mugged. She also said she was punched in the head and started to file a police report. Since my friend and I were already back to my apartment, I asked the cab driver to wait for us to get inside to be safe (And I live in a good neighborhood).

Later this week, I went with the same friend, Kim, to the airport, because she was flying back. Airports are usually stressful, so people are pretty anxious holding their important documents and hoping to make their flight. Maybe the anxiety went straight to this one man’s heart because he just hit the floor, unconscious and not breathing. I had to call the ambulance while others started performing CPR, and everyone else just stared.

Needless to say, I have had safety on my mind lately, so I thought to I’d write about safety traveling tips here we go:

8 Tips for Traveling Safely

1. Be aware of your surroundings.

2. Avoid unlicensed drivers. It’s illegal for cab drivers to seek you out in airports before the cab line actually begins. Often, unlicensed drivers will approach you just trying to make a buck. The problem: You’ll find that unregistered drivers are often uninsured. And usually reckless. And take cash only.

3. Have a form of identification on you at all times, especially when traveling alone. If something happens to you, it’s better that your family and/friends, doctors,...etc are notified in the case of an emergency.

4. Keep your money and bank cards in different places. If you lose anything, you’ll have backup.

5. Don’t leave bags unattended, not just at the airport. If you are leaving things in a hotel or hostel, lock up!

6. Vaccinate. Take precautions. Learn about the destinations you’ll be visiting and what immunizations you’ll need.

7. Scan important documents and email them to yourself.

8. Don’t appear lost. Pulling maps out (or GoogleMaps) and appearing obviously lost in public places will make you seem vulnerable easy to take advantage of. Try and be discreet when searching for a location or be prepared before you head towards your route.

I hope these safety traveling tips give you some things to think about. Enjoy the world!

Thanks for reading!

“I would like to see the world. I would like to see it all at once tomorrow.”

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Ebola Outbreak Information

The Ailing Airplane

Language Apps

Say what?

Safety First

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Ebola Outbreak Information

The Ailing Airplane﻿

Language Apps

Say what?

Safety First

Author

Archives

Categories

The Ailing Airplane