Unravel the Travel.

Ask for advice or tips here and I will do my best to find answers.  The community of older travels can chip in as well. Lauren Kelly will be in London on 29th September and leaves on 10th October.  She is looking for ideas.  Let's help her out.

1. UnknownJuly 12, 2018 at 6:09 PM

   Thanks Amanda. Travel money cards and Sim cards for use in UK, Europe, Singapore. Ideas, preferences, ones to avoid?.

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2. 
   Amanda Midlam - the Bag LadyJuly 12, 2018 at 7:38 PM

   For travel money cards I just used my normal ATM and credit cards. I kept one card separate so I had access to money if anything happened to the others. For my phone I used a travel sim from Australia Post, which was cheap and worked well. I don't use the phone much for calls but as my notebook broke the second I arrived in the UK, I used it for all online stuff including my Facebook addiction. After two weeks in Japan and 6 weeks in Europe I still have credit. The tricky thing is not losing your normal sim card when you change them over. I kept mine in a little container in the wallet where I keep my passport. Also I am a bit thick when it comes to technology and it took me a while to get my head around the fact that the travel sim is an Australian mobile number so I needed to dial area codes.

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3. 
   Isabel RobinsonJuly 15, 2018 at 12:23 AM

   In some places, eg Vietnam (Da Nang), I bought a sim for internet as soon as I arrived. In Da Nang this cost me $8 for a month's worth. I couldn't make phone calls, but I could use the internet as much as I liked, including messenger. In Japan, however, I paid a lot more and found the phone services were limited or non-existent, but the internet services were fine.
   When I was in Europe nearly two years ago, I found every accommodation had free internet, although the speeds varied a lot from country to country, so I didn't worry about sims. You're a little vulnerable to hacking, so make sure you have shut access to your device properly when you leave a place. I never access my bank account on-line o.s. for that reason.
   Travel money cards can be a good idea, but you can be charged heaps if you need to top up - so I've been told. I had a nightmare experience with my visa card travelling in China with only one card, so I would take two cards or whatever sort if I were going back there again. I haven't had a problem with my visa card anywhere else, but you're likely to be charged by the service you're withdrawing from as well as your own bank, so that is the advantage, I think, of the travel money card.

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4. 
   Isabel RobinsonJuly 15, 2018 at 12:33 AM

   If you haven't any idea of what you want to do in a place, and haven't read the relevant books or brochures or blogs, you can do what I do: the lazy traveller's guide, which is google in '10 must see places in (name of place)'. Loads will come up. Skim read and pick the ones you really would like to experience in the time you are spending in that area. You don't have time to do everything a place can offer, but at least you will find things that suit your interests, and that is usually enough to give you your best holiday experience. Also, sometimes your accommodation will provide info giving insight to unexpected local treats that are readily available.

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5. 
   Amanda Midlam - the Bag LadyJuly 23, 2018 at 7:24 PM

   As I didn’t yet have much in the way of blogging skills, Lauren and I continued the conversation via messages. Now that I am swearing less and blogging more, I will recap here.
   My first suggestion was that Lauren get hold of Lonely Planet’s guide to England. Many people seem to use guide books to look up places they may like to visit, or that someone has recommended, but that’s not my approach at all.
   I read the whole guide book from go to whoa, making notes of anything I don’t want to miss, then I create an itinerary from there.
   As well as it being the best way to work out what you really want to see and do, you get an understanding of the whole country, the geography, the climate, the history, the cultural differences in regions.
   Plus of course all the need to know stuff – what type of power socket etc,
   I need to make a disclaimer here. Lonely Planet is my first affiliate. What does that mean exactly, you may ask? The answer is that I don’t know exactly and if I don’t figure out how to do the link thing it won’t happen.
   Also, I may be the cheapskatiest affiliate Lonely Planet has ever had. When it comes to money I can’t really afford to travel but when it comes to age – I am 64 – I realise that I can’t afford not to.
   If you don’t want to buy a Lonely Planet, borrow one from a friend or library. If it is an old guide, prices for meals and accommodation will be out of date but you can still get a lot of valuable information.
   Part of the pleasure of travel for me, is pretravel research. The loveliness of armchair travel is that it is cheap or free, fires the imagination and gives you something to dream about. It is not just the discovery of great places to visit. It is also great to discard places, to realise that reading about them is enough but you don’t feel any need to see them. You can’t visit everywhere, and a good read of Lonely Planet is a good way to sort what you want must see, would like to see and are happy to miss.
   Importantly I find that this sort of preparation lessens my anxiety about travel. As wonderful as travel is it can be unnerving, or downright terrifying to set off. Better prepared means better nerves.
   Lauren, get hold of Lonely Planet’s guide to England, curl up somewhere and find your best adventures before you leave home.

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6. 
   UnknownJuly 24, 2018 at 3:32 AM

   I've been trawling through Exploring Britain, the complete touring companion. Found many interesting places to see and do. Off to the library tomorrow for the Lonely Planet, now looking at Iceland for the last part of my stay...

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