Ireland's appeal is rooted in its culture from trad music whose echoes bring sleepy coastal towns alive at night to the thriving local and sustainable agriculture found in almost every dish- and every drink. We began our trip, as most traveler's do, in Ireland's famous capitol, due to being home to Ireland's busiest airport, Dublin. The sky hung low in this hangover city, filled with tourists, home to Guinness, and the guy who invented the crossword puzzle- the locals won't let you forget it.
The tour outlined the history of Irish whiskey, in relation to the scotch industry, and ended with a tasting of their signature gin and whiskey. This small scale distillery is in high demand in Ireland, so you'd be lucky to find a bottle in shop or at bar. On a more positive note, the Dingle Gin can be found in Murphy's Dingle Gin ice cream, just down the road.
Of course, we made other great memories throughout the trip, and it was easy to make them in Ireland, an unforgettably magnificent country. AuthorWriter and Blogger Brittany Lucero studied both PR and Fine Art and graduated with honors at Reinhardt university. Upon completion of her certifications, and after saving funds earned from nanny and restaurant jobs, she took two months to travel Europe alone. Since then, Brittany has made her way to several countries, including Thailand, Iceland, Japan, and recently, Ireland. Through her experiences traveling, she discovered another passion of hers: whiskey-making. From the Bourbon Trail to Japan, she's explored this subject, and currently wears many hats in her role at a local, organic distillery in Chicago while still finding time to travel- of course.
3 Comments
The Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris is not exactly overflowing with vegan dining options. In fact, there seems to be a scarcity of food of any kind; most of the shopping arcades are filled with luxury handbags, perfumes, jewellery, etc. Who needs to eat when you can look thin and fabulous instead! I do. I need to eat, and when I've just come off an overnight trans-Atlantic flight, complete with swollen ankles, smelly breath and bed hair (despite having not slept in a bed), looking fabulous is the last thing on my mind. Fortunately, there is one stand-out vegan-friendly option to save the day, and that's Exki. This chain of healthy fast food outlets started out in Belgium, but they've been popping up in a growing number of European cities, and especially in airports, where they offer a welcome respite from the usual airport fare. There are no fewer than six branches in Charles de Gaulle (and three in Orly, Paris' other airport), so odds are you won't be too far from one no matter which terminal you're flying out of. They are located in terminals S3, S4, 2A, 2D, 2E and 2F. I visited the one in Terminal 2E, which is at gate K47. As usual with Exki, the focus is on natural, sustainable, organic foods. All items are clearly labelled for food allergens and other dietary requirements. I've seen other Exki branches that included a vegan label. While that was not the case here, they do label all vegetarian options, and they also list every ingredient in both French and English, so it's pretty easy to identify the vegan items. The day I was there, those items included a number of different salads, a couple of soups, and one curry dish (curry dishes are found in the cold section with the salads, but there is a microwave in the seating area where you can heat them up). They also had fresh fruit and some vegan chocolate bars. So yeah, heading here is pretty much a no-brainer. If for some reason you can't make it to Exki, there are a few other options where you can at least find something edible. Terminal 2 Miyou (near Gate K41) You'll find this chic, Japanese-inspired café near the elevator, below the food court. They offer one vegan salad with tofu, mango and wheat berries, but at nearly 13 euros it's much poorer value than the salads you'll find at Exki. Food Court (above Miyou) Once you've found Miyou, head up to the next floor and you will be at a small food court. It was not yet open when I passed through at 10 a.m., so I don't have any photos to show you, but honestly, there's not much to see. The most promising options here are the Lebanese place called Meza Liza. They offer a set plate of Lebanese meze, which includes babaghanoush, tabbouleh, hummus and moudardara (lentils and rice with caramelized onions). Apart from that, you might find a vegan pasta option at Piatto del Gusto or a veggie spring roll at Fusion Wok. Terminal 2F Bert's Café Contemporain
On the lower level below the gates, here I found some fresh fruit, fruit juices, and a tabbouleh salad. There was also a label for a tomato gazpacho, which presumably would have also been vegan, but they seemed to be out of it. TJ's Café There's not much reason to choose this place over Bert's, unless you have a thing for raw radishes. Otherwise, you'll find the same fruit cups here as at Bert's but not much else. However, there is a microwave in the seating area, which could come in handy if you're self-catering. Terminal 1 Hippopatamus This well-known French chain is very meat-focused, but it does have a few tasty-sounding side dishes, like ratatouille and candied vegetables. You could concoct a pretty inexpensive meal by ordering a few of these. And that's about it. If I haven't made it clear, finding the nearest Exki branch really should be your top priority if you're looking for a meal at Charles de Gaulle. And, if you're on a long-haul flight, be sure to ask for a VGML meal in advance when you make your flight reservation. While airlines often refer to this as a vegetarian meal, this is in fact the code for a vegan meal, while the code for a lacto-ovo vegetarian meal is VLML. That being said, in my experience airline staff often get confused by special meal requests, and mistakes do happen, so it's a good idea to bring some food with you. Just remember though, that customs officials will confiscate any fresh produce when you arrive at your destination, so if you don't eat it you'll probably lose it. Things like nuts, seeds, granola bars, etc. should make it through. Bon voyage! Originally posted by Wendy Werneth on the nomadic vegan Do you think travel as a vegan is hard? I know I certainly did before I actually tried it. After learning about the horrors of the meat, egg and dairy industries, I definitely felt compelled to go vegan. I knew deep down that it was the only way of living that was truly aligned with my most deeply-held values – the values of peace, non-violence and compassion. But there was something holding me back, and that something was fear. Travel was a huge part of my life, and my passion for exploring the world had already led me on adventures on all 7 continents and in more than 90 countries. But what would happen to my love affair with travel if I became vegan? I doubted whether it was even possible to be vegan in some of the places I'd been, and in some of the places I still planned to visit. At the very least, surely the hassle of being vegan on the road would make travel stressful and tiring. I was afraid that I'd be missing out on all the local specialties, that I would cause a stir and create embarrassing situations when I tried to ask for vegan food in restaurants, and that I would become a pain in the butt in the eyes of whoever I was travelling with. Imagine my surprise, then, when I finally gave it a trial run and discovered that being vegan didn't make travel worse ... it actually made it much BETTER! Now, I already knew that there were many benefits to becoming vegan. Obviously, I would be saving innocent animals from needless suffering and death. On top of that, I would improve my own health, help save the planet, and contribute to ending world hunger. But, better travel?! That was a secret vegan benefit that no one had ever told me about. And yet it's true. Sure, it takes a little research and preparation, but by following a few simple steps I've been able to uncover delicious vegan specialties everywhere I go, even in notoriously meat-and-dairy-loving countries like France and Switzerland. Being vegan has opened a new window onto each destination and allowed me to connect with each country's people, animals, culture and environment in a way I'd never done before. It's a unique way of travelling that most people never get to experience. I was completely blown away when I realized just how wrong I had been about what I thought vegan travel would be like. And I knew I wasn't the only one with these misconceptions. Most people think travelling as a vegan is all but impossible. And who can blame them? We're told the same story over and over again by guidebooks, well-meaning friends and family, and pretty much everyone we meet. But if the person telling you about all the difficulties of vegan travel isn't vegan, then they don't really know what they're talking about. I promise you that, with a bit of planning and foresight, following a vegan lifestyle while on the road will enrich your travel experiences in ways you never imagined. And I'm here to show you how. I've teamed up with the folks at HappyCow to bring you 9 Steps for Easy Vegan Travel – a free ebook that will guide you step by step through the process of planning your trip, seeking out vegan-friendly restaurants, communicating your needs, and discovering a new corner of the world through its vegan cuisine. And best of all, we're offering this vegan travel guide for free! Click here to download your copy before your next trip. My mission here at The Nomadic Vegan is to empower you to be vegan anywhere and spread compassion everywhere. And I'm sure that, once you've read 9 Steps for Easy Vegan Travel, you'll have the confidence and the skills you need to do just that. Come join the ever-growing numbers of vegan travellers who have made their travels more memorable, more rewarding and more delicious! You won't believe what you've been missing out on. GRAB YOUR COPY NOW! An earlier version of this article originally appeared as a guest post on HappyCow.net. Originally posted by Wendy Werneth on the nomadic vegan Originally posted by Wendy Werneth on the nomadic vegan Sure, it's great to sit at a table with a red and white chequered tablecloth and be serenaded by a teenage accordion player as you dine al fresco, but what if you don't have the time, or the money, to eat all your meals in fancy restaurants while you're in Italy? Don't worry, in addition to all the delicious vegan dishes on offer in Italian restaurants, the street food scene in Italy also includes plenty of vegan options that will keep you fueled while you're on the go. Put on your walking shoes. It's time to hit the cobblestones in search of delicious vegan street food snacks! Arancini Their name means “little oranges”, and it's not hard to see why. Though their shape can vary from a perfectly round ball to something more like a cone, the fried breadcrumbs they are coated with do tend to give them an orange tinge. Stuffed with rice and any other fillings you fancy, a batch of these is the perfect way to use up leftover risotto. While vegan fillings can be scarce on the ground, one place where you can definitely find them is Arancina in Syracuse, Sicily. Puccia Puccia is a type of bread from the region of Puglia that is baked in a wood-fired oven. Crispy on the outside and hollow on the inside, they are the perfect shape and size for turning them into sandwiches. And on the streets of towns and cities throughout Puglia, you will see establishments known as “puccerie” doing just that. Since they are made to order on the spot, you can ask for whatever fillings you like, so it's easy to make them vegan. And if you're in Lecce, head to Andrew's and order yours stuffed with a vegan burger patty! Focaccia While the most famous focaccia hails from Genoa in the coastal region of Liguria, this versatile oven-baked bread comes in all shapes and sizes. It can be thick and chewy or thin and crusty. It can come plain with just rosemary and sea salt, or piled high with all kinds of toppings. And, while it's wonderful eaten plain, you can also slice it in half and stuff it with a filling of mushrooms, braised onions, artichokes...anything really. The dough itself is about as simple as it gets and totally vegan, so just pick one with plant-based toppings or fillings and you're good to go. Local breads (e.g. scéblasti) It's fun to compare the different forms of focaccia as you move from one region to another in Italy, but it's even more fun to seek out the local types of bread that are sold only in one town and nowhere else. For example, there's a tiny town in Puglia called Zollino that's famous for its scéblasti – which in the local dialect means “shapeless”. It might not have much shape, but it's got plenty of flavour! More than just a piece of bread, really, this shapeless lump is packed with pumpkin, olives, onions, zucchini, peppers and capers. Just be careful not to break a tooth on the olives, which are baked into the scéblasti whole, pits and all. Farinata (Photo by judywitts, used under CC license) This thin chickpea pancake is eaten in Liguria and Tuscany as well as on the Côte d'Azur in neighbouring France, where it is known as “socca”. This incredibly simple street fare can be made with just three ingredients: chickpea flour, water and olive oil, which means that, not only is it vegan, it's also gluten-free! While in Liguria it's usually cut into irregular slices and eaten by itself, in Tuscany, where it's known as cecina, it's stuffed into small focaccie or between two slices of bread and eaten as a sandwich. Panelle Similar to the farinata found in the North, panelle is the Sicilian take on chickpea flour snacks, which in this version is fried into fritters rather than baked. The chickpea flour is mixed with water and cooked into a polenta-like porridge before being cooled and allowed to set, then cut into pieces and fried in olive oil. Like its northern counterpart, panelle can be eaten on its own or stuffed between slices of bread and served as a sandwich. This vegan street food snack is particularly popular in Parlermo but can be found throughout the island of Sicily. Gelato What better way to wander the streets of Italy on a hot summer's day than with a cone of sweet, fruity gelato in hand? You might assume that ice cream is a no-go for vegans, but not so fast! The fruit-based flavours of gelato are almost always sorbets, which means they are made only with fresh fruit, water and sugar. And, with the growing demand for more dairy-free choices, many gelaterie now offer soy versions of some of their non-fruit flavours too. There's even a 100% vegan gelateria in Rome! Polenta You might be wondering how polenta could possibly be a street food snack. Isn't it all gloopy and messy and has to be served on a plate? Nope! It also comes in cones! In some of the more northern regions of Italy, polenta is an essential staple and is eaten much more frequently than pasta. That being the case, it should come as no surprise that the locals have found a way to take polenta with them on the go. Acqua & Mais in Venice does a roaring trade in the stuff. [Note: While the polenta at Acqua & Mais is vegan (they don't use butter like some places do), I was told later by a reader that the batter used to fry the vegetables I topped mine with (pictured above) contains eggs. If you go there, try ordering polenta with the white beans in tomato sauce instead.] Pizza al taglio (Photo by Elliott Brown, used under CC license) The Neapolitans get credit for inventing pizza, but it was the Romans who figured out that you could serve it “by the slice”. While the pizzas served in restaurants are round and generally considered to be a single serving size for one (hungry) person, in pizza al taglio places they are baked in large, rectangular trays and are sold by weight, so you can ask the pizzaiolo to cut a slice as large or small as you like. Since they are pre-made, you can't just order one without cheese like you can in a restaurant. That's generally not a problem though, as you will often find cheeseless pizzas on offer anyway. Some of the simplest and most common types are pizza rossa (with only tomato sauce) and pizza bianca (with olive oil, rosemary and garlic). Indeed, the line between focaccia and pizza is somewhat blurry, and you can generally find both in a pizza al taglio establishment. Pettole Pettole are a festive snack eaten around Christmas time and during other holiday periods, particularly in the south of Italy. They are basically doughnut holes, a.k.a fried batter, but unlike doughnuts they come in both sweet and savoury versions. In their simplest form, they are made with just flour, water and oil, though savoury ones might also include extras like olives or sun-dried tomatoes. If you prefer your pettole sweet, look for the ones that have been dipped in sugar, jam or vin cotto – a thick, concentrated grape juice. Are you ready to taste some of these delicious vegan street food snacks for yourself? Then check out the tours Vegano Italiano has planned for later this year. You can nibble on pettole in Puglia with renowned vegan cheese maker Miyoko Schinner, savour a creamy gelato with plant-based dietitian and author of The Vegiterranean Diet, Julieanna Hever, on the Amalfi Coast, or chomp down on some arancini in Sicily with vegan pastry chef Fran Costigan! This post contains affiliate links. Any commissions made will help to keep this blog up and running, at no extra cost to you. Win win! Originally posted by Wendy Werneth on the nomadic vegan Originally posted by Wendy Werneth on the nomadic vegan I'm always going on about how vegan-friendly Italy is as a travel destination. And it's true – no matter where you are in the country, you'll always be able to find a vegan meal of some kind, whether it's a pizza marinara, a plate of spaghetti with tomato sauce, or just an antipasti platter loaded with grilled vegetables. And as simple as these options sound (and they are), they're pretty much guaranteed to be delicious. Simplicity, after all, is the secret of Mediterranean cooking. Pizza marinara - Mediterranean simplicity at its finest But there's so much more out there! The really fun part of eating in Italy is discovering the local specialities that can only be found in a particular region, city or town. And while there are vegan specialities to be found all throughout Italy, they definitely start multiplying as you head further south. In search of the true plant-based soul of our favourite world cuisine, this time Nick and I went waaaay down south, all the way to the heel of the proverbial boot. In the 10 days we spent exploring the wonders of Puglia, with a quick dip into neighbouring Basilicata, these are just a few of the mouthwatering discoveries we made. We're going way beyond the run-of-the-mill pasta and pizza options here. OK, so there's still some pasta thrown into the mix, and there's even one dish that sort of resembles a pizza. But there are also plenty of legumes, and quite a few leafy greens! This is real Italian food. Healthy, hearty, no-nonsense food that will sustain a peasant during a long day of work tilling his fields. And yet, it's also food that's deemed fit to serve in a fine restaurant with linen tablecloths. These fruits of the land are a hallmark of southern Italy's culture and traditions, and one that its people are justly proud of. 1. Orecchiette con cime di rapa Orecchiette (literally “little ears”) are one of the most popular pasta shapes in the south of Italy, where they are still made by hand with semolina flour and water (no eggs!). A common way to serve them is tossed with broccoli rabe leaves (cime di rapa in Italian). While in Puglia this dish is usually topped with anchovies (which can be omitted on request), in Basilicata you'll likely find them sprinkled with peperoni cruschi instead. These are dried, sweet peppers that can be eaten as a snack like potato chips! 2. Fave e cicorie Often served at the start of a meal as an antipasto, this dish can also stand on its own as a primo piatto. Fava beans are blended into a purée and served with chicory leaves, sometimes with the two side by side, other times all mixed up together. Recipes vary, so in some places the fava purée is thick like hummus, and in others it's much thinner, more like a soup. In all cases, though, it's bound to come with a side of crispy, toasted bread to dip into all that yumminess. 3. Ciceri e tria Tria is another type of pasta typically found in the south. Cut into long, thin strips, it's similar to tagliatelle. Except, you know, without the eggs, 'cause that's how southerners roll. In this dish the tria are tossed with chickpeas in a simple vegetable broth-based sauce, but the real kicker is that, while most of the pasta is boiled as per normal, about a fourth of it is fried instead, until it's crispy and golden brown. How genius is that! 4. Pasta con crema di fave e cipolla Remember fave e cicorie (No. 2 above)? OK, now take the fava bean purée, add some fried red onions, and pretend it's pasta sauce. Pour it over your favourite pasta and, ecco! You've got this plate of deliciousness. While I do love to get my daily serving of leafy greens, if I'm being honest, I like fave served this way even better. Just be sure your bread bowl stays full until the end, because you'll want to mop up every last drop. 5. Puccia Italian street food at its finest, pucce (the plural form of puccia) are sandwiches made with a special type of bread baked in a wood-fired oven. The streets of Lecce and other cities and towns in Puglia are dotted with puccerie – sandwich shops specializing in this local type of take-away. Fillings are limited only by your imagination. The one pictured here is from Andrew's in Lecce and is stuffed to the brim with eggplant, zucchini, lettuce, tomato and a vegan burger patty. 6. Frisa So, on the island of Crete in Greece they make this thing called dakos, which is basically barley rusks soaked in water and olive oil and topped with tomatoes and a type of locally-made cheese. While travelling around Crete, I once ordered dakos without the cheese and was told that dakos without cheese is not dakos. Nope, it isn't. It's frisa! I was amazed to discover that southern Italy has virtually the same local speciality, except that they don't put cheese on it! The most basic frisa (or frisella if the rusks are smaller) is topped with just tomatoes, salt and olive oil, but there are plenty of other possibilities. The one pictured here is stacked with olives, pickled eggplant and so many tomato slices that you can barely see the rusks underneath! 7. Fagioli e cime di rapa alla barese Here is yet another combination of those two nutritional powerhouses - leafy greens and legumes. This dish, popular in the city of Bari and in the surrounding seaside towns, is a simple combo of the ever-popular broccoli rabe and cannellini beans. Whereas in orecchiette con cime di rapa it's usually only the leaves of the broccoli rabe that are included, in this dish the buds go into the mix to. This is the part that looks like a head of broccoli in miniature, but it has a taste that's all its own. 8. Ciccio Here's another speciality from Bari and the surrounding area. Ciccio takes the simplicity of Mediterranean cuisine to a whole new level. Imagine a pizza as you know it, then take off all the toppings, the cheese, and the tomato sauce. Stay with me here. Granted, if you ordered this at Pizza Hut, you'd have a big round pan of greasy, tasteless nothing. But when made with fresh, quality ingredients, a true Italian pizza base really can stand on its own with nothing but salt, oregano and olive oil! That's the most basic recipe for ciccio anyway, but if you prefer you can add some of those toppings back on. The one pictured here was listed on a menu in Trani as ciccio vegetariano and was topped with grilled eggplant, zucchini, mushrooms and cherry tomatoes. 9. Ceca mariti I bet you thought we were all done with greens and beans, didn't you? Nope! Ceca mariti is a hearty soup made from a whole grab bag of different legumes cooked with friarielli and served with fried bread. What are friarielli, you ask? To be honest, I'm not sure whether there's any real difference between friarielli and cime di rapa (broccoli rabe). I've seen sources claiming they are the same thing, but I've also seen them sold as two separate items in the produce aisle. I suspect that friarielli might be the very young, tender shoots of the plant. But leafy greens are an immense topic in the world of southern Italian cooking, so it's hard to keep track! Whatever they are, they're delicious. 10. Strazzate OK, enough with the savoury stuff, it's time to finish off this list with a little something for your sweet tooth. Strazzate are cookies from the extraordinary town of Matera in Basilicata, famous for its sassi cave dwellings. These almond-flavoured cookies are traditionally eaten during the Christmas season. Their name is derived from a word meaning “to tear apart or mangle” and refers to their rather haphazard shape. Hard and crunchy on the outside, soft and crumbly on the inside, these are sure to keep you coming back for more. Though you may see them made with chocolate, and/or with eggs, the ones pictures here contained neither. I have to say, a chocolate version does sound pretty good though! Originally posted by Wendy Werneth on the nomadic vegan Are you terrified by the thought of having to count to 10 in a foreign language, much less trying to explain to someone from a different culture what you do and don't eat as a vegan? Or maybe you're fluent in six different languages, but it just so happens that Chinese isn't one of them, and your boss has just sent you to Guangzhou to be wined and dined by potential clients at a series of never-ending Chinese banquets. You've been told to expect shark fin soup. Don't worry, the Vegan Passport has got you covered. Nowadays there are a number of different translation tools available to vegan travellers. These run the gamut from state-of-the-art apps to DIY arts and craft projects that you cut out and fold along the dotted line. The one that I use the most often, and recommend to other travellers, is the Vegan Passport published by The Vegan Society in the UK. By keeping this secret weapon in your pocket, you will be able to order a vegan meal with confidence, even if the waiter doesn't understand a word you're saying. The Vegan Passport has been around longer than any of the other translation tools out there, so it’s well tried and tested. It has also been expanded and improved on with each new addition. The explanation of veganism is extensive and covers not only what vegans don't eat, but also plenty of examples of what we do eat. The fifth and latest edition, released in July 2016, includes a whopping 78 languages, which together are spoken by 96% of the world's population. And if you do run into someone who doesn't read any of those languages, the Vegan Passport has still got you covered. The last two pages use pictures to explain veganism at a glance; on the left side is a smiling face surrounded by fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, etc., and on the right side is a frowning face surrounded by animal products. This is sometimes the most effective way to get your meaning across even with someone who does speak your language. For years, the Vegan Passport was only available in a paper booklet format. But with the release of the fifth edition in 2016, the Vegan Society has also launched a mobile app version for your smartphone! You can search either by language or by country. This is especially handy in multilingual countries, like India. With 23 officially recognized languages there, it can be difficult to keep track of which language is spoken where. But the Vegan Passport makes this a cinch. Just choose the Indian region you’re currently travelling in, and the Passport will automatically give you an explanation of veganism in the appropriate language. If multiple languages are spoken within a single region, it will show you all the relevant ones. For example, if you choose “India – Goa” from the list of countries, the app will show the explanation in Konkani, Marathi and Portuguese. The app is also the cheaper option of the two. It costs just $1.99 on the US Apple App Store, compared with £4.95 for the paperback version from the Vegan Society website. You can download the Vegan Passport app from the Apple App Store, or at the Windows Store or Google Play. AuthorWendy Werneth is a nomadic traveller and vegan foodie who seeks out vegan treasures in the most unlikely places. She's on a mission to show you how you can be vegan anywhere and spread compassion everywhere! You can find more of her travel tips and advice at The Nomadic Vegan and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Green Earth Travel is looking forward to the inaugural Italiano Vegano Festival 2015! These week long tours are each celebrity hosted, and each trip tours special parts of the beautiful Southern Italy. You will not only visit fascinating historic sites, but Green Earth Travel and Vegano Italiano will take you through a cultural and foodie tour meaning you will be eating delicious Italian vegan foods and sipping incredibly delectable wines the whole way through. It’s almost the last chance to book!
The tours are almost sold out. The tours commence at the beginning of July, so we are fine tuning details soon. Find your spot today! Hello Travelers!
And Happy Holidays! We thought it would be helpful to present some travel tips for the holiday season, so let’s just get into this: Tip #1: Pack light and leave room in your bag for anything you might pick up on your trip. Most of the time, you’ll come home with more than you originally packed. Leave room so that you don’t have to leave anything behind! Tip #2: If you’re flying, leave early! This isn’t advice for airport traffic as much as it is for holiday traffic on the way to the airport. If your holiday travel means hitting the road, do it before the sun comes up or very late in the evening. Give yourself at least 2 hours for domestic flights and 3 hours for international flights. Tip #3: Pack healthy snacks. If you’re driving, snacks are not only nice to munch on for the possibly long & uneventful drive, but it will save you time if you tend to stop often for snacks. If you’re flying, airport snacks are costly, and people tend to forget that snacks are permitted through security. And remember, liquids cannot be over 3.4oz. Tip #4: Ship your gifts! It’s typically less expensive than carryon. Otherwise, pack lightweight presents such as gift cards. Tip #5: Plan well, but don’t have too many expectations. It’s a hectic time to travel, so keep that in mind when last minute changes arise. That’s life. Let it ride! Tip #6: Organize ahead of time. Remember to bring IDs, Driver’s License, or if traveling overseas, make sure your passport is good for at least 6 months after travel. You do not want to get turned down at the airport and have to go home! Tip #7: Bring your patience. Just trust me on this one. Tip #8: Your attitude makes a lot of your trip. So take it easy and enjoy the time you have with your friends/family or even just yourself. Happy Traveling! Yours truly, Brit Wanders Hi World Trotters, I know it’s been some time since the last post- welcome, welcome. While it’s important to be adequately but not necessarily absolutely prepared before a trip, travel agents help create the tight or loose itinerary that you aim for. In addition to your travel agent, you have another useful tool who sometimes goes unnoticed- your concierge. A concierge is more than one who handles reservations, room complaints, and room service. A concierge is important for several moments of a trip, from reservation confirmations for various activities, to dotting the I’s and crossing the T’s to any other part of your trip. If you’re traveling outside of the country:
And the native tongue is not English, a concierge will come in handy in a few ways. Concierges, especially in tourist areas, are typically bi-lingual, or even multi-lingual to excellently accommodate tourists. Typically being local residents, concierges are knowledgeable of the sights, so they are great people to talk to for local suggestions (like where to find authentic restaurants), and they’ll even offer up great advice on the best days to visit museums, landmarks, and what kinds of places and streets to avoid, aka tourist traps. If you have important dietary restrictions, language barriers may complicate orders, so talk to your concierge to confirm these restrictions with restaurant owners, etc. Makes guest reservations for air or other forms of transportation when requested. Obtains necessary itinerary and tickets. A concierge will make theater reservations, and reservations for other forms of entertainment in that respect. They will also obtain tickets and provide directions if requested. So the next time you’re on a trip, and you feel like the plans are too much to bear, remember that the concierge is there to assist! Happy Earth Day! This Earth Day, we want to address concerns over animal agriculture vs plant-based agriculture. In doing so, here are some facts about how our diets and lifestyles affect our planet:
Enjoy your Earth Day! “We do not take a trip; A trip takes us.” 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! |
AuthorWriter and Blogger Brittany Lucero studied both PR and Fine Art and graduated with honors at Reinhardt university. Upon completion of her certifications, and after saving funds earned from nanny and restaurant jobs, she took two months to travel Europe alone. Since then, Brittany has made her way to several countries, including Thailand, Iceland, Japan, and recently, Ireland. Through her experiences traveling, she discovered another passion of hers: whiskey-making. From the Bourbon Trail to Japan, she's explored this subject, and currently wears many hats in her role at a local, organic distillery in Chicago while still finding time to travel- of course. Archives
September 2017
Categories |