The Trip that became the Taken Movie

What do you think of when you see this quote? 

"I don't know who you are. I don't know what you want. If you are looking for ransom, I can tell you I don't have money. But what I do have are a very particular set of skills, skills I have acquired over a very long career ... I will look for you, I will find you, and I will kill you."

I think of Liam Neeson kicking butt in the Taken movies!

Taken 2 is set in Turkey and when I traveled to Turkey in the summer of 2014 with a group from my college, we were always making references to this movie. Well one night, our references almost became reality.

Several of the girls and I were headed back to our hotel late one night, so we took a cab ride back. This taxi ride is still one of my craziest stories, and each of the girls who were with me can attest to that. I can tell the story, but not quite as well as Lauren Christian, one of the group leaders. Her storytelling will make you feel like you were in the cab with us - it's definitely worth the watch!

Travel Advice for Those Stuck in the Car

I was praying to God that I wouldn't drive us off the road each time there was another curve in the mountain pass. One of my best friends, Taylor, and I were on a short trip headed to a wedding in Yosemite Park. I was driving - it was my first rental car ever.

I was nervous driving a rental car, but also because it was nighttime by the time we had arrived to Yosemite park because of traffic. We needed to get to a hotel in the park, so I was driving on a curvy, up-in-the-mountains road. It was pitch-black. At one point there was 5 miles of non-stop turns; it was like the shape of a snake. I could only go about 10mph an hour to make each turn.

All dressed up for a wedding!

Neither of use were speaking or really even breathing. We made it obviously, but that night was terrifying. When it comes to transportation, domestic or international, there are always going to be odd, weird or nerve-wracking experiences that make for good stories - as long as everyone is safe in the end. Along with these stories though there are always some travel tips that prove useful in the future.

Taylor and I learned how important it is to stay calm no matter what, even when you're stuck in bumper to bumper traffic. In fact, we made the best of it by retelling stories, listening to good music, and Taylor even read some of my homework to me for a class - we both learned a lot about war strategy. :) We made the best of the situation even though it wasn't ideal.

Also, take your time. So many times we all want to get to our destination as quick as possible, but sometimes the journey itself is just as memorable and important as the end point. Don't get so excited and focused on what's going to happen that you aren't aware of where you are now. This will help you keep your cool when you're in traffic or on a mountain pass. All I wanted was to get to the wedding, but I had to be calm and take my time so we didn't go off the mountain. It took a long time to get to our hotel, but we stayed safe and we had a fun time. In the end, that's all that matters.

I went to the wrong airport

"Uh, ma'am I can't print off your plane ticket." The ticket attendant for American Airlines was trying to help check me into my flight, but well....I was at the wrong airport. 

I'm from Colorado (whoop whoop!) and most Coloradans fly out of the Denver airport, even though there is a airport in Colorado Spring (where I'm from). I'm used to only having one airport, so moving to NYC for college where there are 3 nearby airports has been a change.

I was headed to California to visit family, and I had just assumed I was flying out of La Guardia Airport instead of the John F. Kennedy airport. Part of this mistake came from the fact that I had only flown in and out of La Guardia when coming and going from Colorado. So, I didn't even think to check my plane ticket (worse decision ever!)

Well, I ran to a cab with my two bags and told the driver to get me to La Guardia as fast as he could. I managed to get there in about 35 min rather than the usual 45 mins. It still wasn't enough time, because the other part of this story is that I had left my apartment later than I should have. That afternoon my roommate asked if I needed to leave, but I assured her that I had traveled enough in my life and I knew when to leave (ahhhh....how my pride was my downfall!).

When I got to the La Guardia airport I had about 30 min to get to my plane. I tried to hustle through the check-in process, but I wasn't assertive from the start. I got in line rather than go directly to the ticket attendant.

By the time I was checking in, I was told I would need to go to their customer service desk. I went to their desk begging for their help at this point, but they sent me to the back of the line. So by the time I did make it to the front, they said they couldn't check in any more bags, and since I had two bags I couldn't store them overhead.

So I was placed on the standby list for the next flight out to California, which was only a couple hours later. I thankfully got on to that flight, and my family and friends have never let this story go. Whenever I travel, I am still teasingly told to check which airport I'm flying out of.

I definitely was humbled by this experience and relearned vital airport tips:

1. Get to the airport with plenty of time to spare (about 2 hours) cause you never know what will happen (i.e. long security lines).

2. Pack light (if I had only brought 1 bag, they would've let me on).

3. Check your flight details way 24 hours ahead of time.

4. Be assertive because no one will know you're late or having trouble unless you say something from the start.

H20 Travel Tips

For something so essential, you'd think water would be cheap or clean. Not always - here are some travel tips you need to know about water abroad.

Don't go for the water right away!

Travel Tip 1: Don't assume it's free. Most restaurants in the U.S. will give you free tap water, but in Europe you'll usually get charged, but this water is "cleaner" water than tap. So you can double check with your water/waitress and see if they have tap water for free. Otherwise, you'll be paying for your water.

Travel Tip 2: Still or Bubbly. In Europe these are the two choices between water. "Still" or "flat" water is just plain water (its not tap though), while "bubbly" is carbonated water. Both of these waters will be served in a glass bottle - this water is safe to drink.

Travel Tip 3: Don't always drink the tap water. Even though tap water may be free at your location, it doesn't mean you should. U.S. tap water is not the same thing as Europe or Asian tap water. You can get sick from it cause your body may not be used to it or there may be some bacteria in it. I generally play it safe and buy a sealed water bottle, or I pay for the water in Europe because it won't be tap. **I drank tap water in Spain and I was fine**

Travel Tip 4: Don't forget about the ice. If you are not wanting to drink the tap water in a country, then don't use the ice.

Travel Tip 5: Be careful about what fruit you eat. Do not eat any fruit skins (i.e. peach, apple) if you don't want to drink any tap water in the country. Most of these fruits will be washed in their regular water, so just don't eat the fruit skin (or outer layer).

Overall, use discretion and it doesn't hurt to look up the drinking water for the country you're traveling too. I generally always have sealed water bottles with me (I continually buy them) just in case. Hopefully some of these travel tips will help you know what to do when a glass of water gets set before you.

A Vacation with Tour Groups or with Friends

You can be on vacation in the same country, but you'll have completely different experiences with tour groups versus just traveling with friends.

Tour Groups: 
When you hear this word, you immediately think of large buses where once the doors open, the tourists pour out. In NYC, you have to watch out for these buses or you'll get run over.

However, tour groups aren't always like this. You can find tour groups of any size or theme to fit what you want. When Mom and I were on vacation in Ireland, we were in a tour group of about 30 people. We chose this option because we wanted to explore the island, but Mom didn't want to drive on the left-hand side of the road (I was grateful for that decision!). We could've gotten around by buses, but we also didn't know much about Ireland, whereas when we went to France we already had ideas of what we wanted to see. We also wanted a smaller tour group to make some meaningful relationships.

Pro's:

• You'll never get lost
• You'll see the popular touristy sites
• You get to cut ahead of lines at museums or sites
• You don't have to do any planning = no stress
• You'll make some fun friendships with the people in your group 
• You're not alone - you will be surrounded by others who know your culture or language (this can be comforting)

Con's:

• You are not in charge of your time - you don't get to choose if you want to stay longer at a site
• You only see glimpses of the country - you don't get to dive deep in a certain town or activity 
• The people on the group can be annoying
• You usually only go to touristy sites - you don't get to see those special or unique sites that you could see by yourself

Traveling with Friends or Family: 

I've traveled with friends where one of them was an expert of the country, and this was awesome because they took us to the local spots that we wouldn't have found by ourselves. This is my personal preference while traveling. However, I've also done vacations where none of us knew anything about the country. This can lead to some really funny stories. 

Pro's: 

• You'll see or experience things you wouldn't see with tour groups
• You'll see and experience more of the real culture - you'll eat at real, local spots 
• You're in charge of what you want to see/do (this can be very liberating and also stressful)

Con's: 

• This can be stressful and may lead to more tension with your travel buddies 
• You will get lost (I find this to be fun but some people wouldn't agree with this)
• You might not get all the history or knowledge of a site that a tour group leader would provide

***You can get the best of both worlds by traveling with family and friends, and doing day trips with tour groups to certain sites/locations. Mom and I did a one day tour group to Giverny. Our guide showed us the important sites and told us the history, and at the end of the day we were on our own again. 

Hide the Benjamin

Hopefully you got it in the title, but if you didn't, then I'll just let you know that you'll be carrying a lot of cash with you when you're traveling internationally. So don't lose it!

1. Do not carry all of your money on you: Carry some of the cash in your purse/wallet and put the rest in a hotel safe. I generally like to split it up into three piles. I have two wallets in my purse with one of them being my emergency one just in case the other gets lost. I then put the rest in the hotel safe. Some people use a money belt, which is something that is attached around your neck or waist and underneath your clothes. I personally don't like using them because I think they looks obvious and they're uncomfortable, but I know some people who really like it.

2. Do not take out a huge wad of cash while you're paying for something: You become a target when you're showing a lot of cash and being totally obvious about it. When you pay for something, only pull out one bill.

3. Have small bills: It's fine for you to carry large bills around, but some places I've been to don't like breaking the big bills. If you're having a hard time with that, I would recommend trying your luck in a touristy location.

4. Don't forget to use the coins: This goes especially in Europe because there are no paper euros below $5. They have 1 and 2 dollar coins that they love to use, and your bag might be heavier with all the coins you're carrying around but forget to use. Don't forget to pay with coins first because if you want to exchange your money back into your currency, coins are generally not accepted.

Passports 101

"On the black market, your passports can be sold for around $10,000"

This is what I was told when preparing for my school trip to Turkey. Our team was going through these dramatized simulations at a retreat to learn how to be safe and know what to do in certain situations. One of the lessons they kept drilling into us was to be super aware of where our passports were at all times. To learn this lesson, we had to "check in" to this "customs agent" (a.k.a our trip leader) to get into the "country" (a.k.a our cabin for the weekend). When each person was approved they could then go to the security section (a.k.a some students ruffling through bags). However, if the student did not ask for their passport back, then the custom agent would keep it. So many of the students were distracted that they didn't even notice they had left without their passport. Thankfully I wasn't one of them.                        

                               

After this simulation we all got together to discuss logistics and what problems people needed to prepare themselves for the next time. Now, this simulation with the passports was very exaggerated, and will most likely never happen. However, it is important to be this aware of your passport at all times. Here are some tips:

1. Photocopy your passport: Do this before the trip and have these copies (best if they're color copies) with you in the country. That way if your passports gets stolen or lost, you will have the copy to prove who you are. It'd be even better if you left one of the colored copies with your family members or friends back home, so if all else fails, they can send the copied document.

2. Carry or hide your passport: If you carry it on you, then keep it close at hand in a money belt or a zipped up pocked in your purse. You can also hide your passport in the hotel safe or your bags if you have locks for them.

Do Not Lose These Items

Let's face it, you're going to misplace something or its going to get snitched, and that's just the reality of travel. But when it comes to international traveling, do not let these items out of your sight!

1. Passport: This is your most important document! I generally carry it in a pocket in my purse that has a zipper so no one can reach in and easily grab it, but I'll also leave it in the hotel safe that's in my room. I know some people who carry it in a money belt, so whatever works for you, but be very aware of where you put it. To read more about Passports 101 click here.

2. Money: Don't keep your money all together in a nice envelope because if that gets stolen, then there goes all your money. In fact my mom told me this happened to one of the persons in her tour group, and it was on the first day of the trip! Split up your cash into different piles. Carry one of the piles with you in your purse, and hide the other piles in various locations like your hotel safe, your money belt, or deep in your suitcase (that hopefully is locked when you're out of the room). To read more about traveling with money click here.

3. Camera: If this gets stolen/lost, it's not the end of the world (unless your camera is also your phone), but this is another common item that gets stolen/lost. Just never leave your camera/phone out in the open. Whenever I'm not using one of these items, they are put away in my purse. Sometime we don't need our camera, and to read more click here. 

I have never lost or had stolen any of these items, but it's because I am hyperaware of where I place these items (more so than when I'm back at home). And if you do the same thing, then you should not have a problem.