Biking Into Bravery: Discover Li's Voyage

Maisie, our 3-year-old Morkie, sometimes accompanies me to the office. She naps in her bed on my desk, waking up to greet clients. Over the noon hour, we’ll go for a 2-mile walk along the Red Cedar River, which flows past our building. Then, it’s back to the desk for another afternoon helping our clients achieve their travel dreams.

I was thinking of what to write about this week when I felt a paw touching my leg. It was Maisie, giving me her “up on the lap” signal. This time, though, she wasn’t content with just lap time. She put her front paws on the table, looked at my computer screen…and started touching keys. Within seconds, a story from CNN Travel appeared. Maisie looked at me, tail wagging.

“Is this what you want Mom to write about, honey?” I asked.

“Woof!”

(I should mention here that Maisie is very smart. She chose a perfect story, and it has a dog, of course.)

Li Dongju, a grandmother from Zhengzhou in central China, was battling depression after her 2005 divorce. Eight years later, a group of fully-geared-up cyclists pedaled past her. Their upbeat vibe made Li a little envious. Living on a pension, she couldn’t afford a bicycle, but her son bought her a folding mountain bike. Li got herself a helmet and a basket for the front of the bike, where her poodle, Xili (“razor sharp”) would ride. Now, all she needed was money; she had only $25 to her name. She worked for a year as a house cleaner before departing on a trip to Vietnam with two companions.

But Li’s inexperience caused some problems. Somewhere in Vietnam, she became separated from her more seasoned partners. She had only a mobile phone to help her navigate a foreign land, and she didn’t know the language, as she speaks only Mandarin. But she met a fellow Chinese cyclist who helped her get home.

A lot of people would say their long-distance bike trekking days would be done after that, but not Li. In 2015, she pedaled through 20 Chinese cities. She worked occasional gigs like cleaning in a spa and washing dishes in a hotel. By 2017, she was ready for another go at Southeast Asia, this time with a smartphone loaded with translation and map apps, a comprehensive plan and two seasoned companions close to her in age. The fellow riders gave it up and headed for home after three weeks, but Li kept going, biking through Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and Myanmar. She came home after 70 days on the road.

Li probably didn’t know it, but she was part of a growing trend of “silver travelers” in China, whose population is rapidly aging. The China Tourism Academy says many Chinese seniors are choosing outbound travel these days, cruising to different destinations and sometimes combining travel with residency abroad.

By 2019, Europe was calling Li. Over 66 days, she biked through six countries. Later that year, she flew to Australia, which at the time was being ravaged by wildfires. Pedaling slowly along the Pacific Highway, Li saw smoke rising from nearby brush. She shot a video clip and sent it to local police, preventing a serious fire from developing. She went to New Zealand and returned home just as the pandemic hit. She realized that she’d stopped taking her depression meds.

Li has many stories of the kindness shown her by natives of the countries she’s visited. Now, she’s planning her biggest trip yet, from Kazakhstan to the United Arab Emirates. “My goal is to visit 100 countries,” she said. “Travel is like a drug. Once you taste it, you just can’t stop.”

Well, we certainly agree that travel can be a pretty healthy addiction! Give us a call, and we’ll help you get hooked!

(And by the way, the part about Maisie picking the story…remember what day occurred this week!)

            

 

Capture the Magic Again: Your Next Travel Photo Awaits!

 Everybody has them: travel photos. Somewhere in our closets and storerooms, there are albums filled with photographs from trips we’ve taken, sometimes back to childhood. These days, we’re more likely to keep them on our phones, or at least on a memory stick.

            Have you ever looked at one particularly cherished picture and thought, “I’d like to recreate that one, with how we all look today”? Jennifer Candotti, an American who now lives in Switzerland, decided to do just that. Her photo wasn’t really from a vacation, but it was important enough to her that she decided it had to be done again, and this time on a real vacation.

            Before she and her husband moved abroad, she went through her clothes, deciding which garments to keep and which to give away. She came upon a floral dress, her favorite from her college days at the University of Richmond in the 1980s. That one, she said, had so many good memories, she couldn’t part with it. She was wearing it when she and three best friends from college posed for a photo at a football game tailgate party. The girls, who lived in the same residence hall, would go to the tailgate parties but never to the actual games themselves.

            The picture was iconic for each of the young women. They have it framed in their homes. One of them, Angie Carrano, mailed the photo to each of the other three when she became engaged, asking them to be her bridesmaids. Robin Clark and Robin Garrison are the other two women in the group. The photo, Clark says, has “stood the test of time.”

            Thirty-five years after the iconic photo, the women were planning a vacation together in Italy. When Candotti found the dress, she contacted her friends via group chat and said they should recreate the photo when they got together.

            The women are now all parents, with jobs and the usual responsibilities of people in their age group, but when they travel together, it’s like “being together under one roof as if it were our freshman year of college,” Candotti says. They’d vacationed in Scotland in 2023 and decided on Italy in ’24.

            For the picture, Candotti wore her original floral print dress. The other women dug out clothes that resembled their outfits from ’89. Garrison brought along blue solo cups. This time, the cups were filled with fine Italian wine rather than cheap college beer. “We’ve upgraded,” she said with a laugh.

            Candotti’s husband, who was along on the trip, took the photo, making sure the women were posed as closely to the original as possible. There was lots of laughter, and then a few tears when they saw the finished product and compared it to the original. Clark said, “There’s so much in that photo that somebody else just looking at it doesn’t see, but we can see and feel it. And I think that’s what’s so special about it.”

            Ready to create new vacation memories…or recreate old ones? Give us a call! 

🍀 Discover the Wonders of Ireland: Fun Facts & Folklore! ☘️

I’m not sure how this happened, but I’ve never been to Ireland. Right next door in Scotland, yes, but not across the Irish Sea to the Emerald Isle herself. My husband and I have often talked about going, so maybe we’ll get there one day. In the meantime, in honor of St. Patrick’s Day this week, here are some fun facts about Ireland:

· Halloween is said to have originated here. The ancient Celts celebrated Samhain, with bonfires and costumes.

· Legend has it that St. Patrick banished snakes from Ireland, but in fact, Ireland never had any snakes to begin with.

· The “Emerald Isle” nickname comes from Ireland’s lush, green landscapes and rolling hills, a result of its temperate, humid climate.

· Whiskey is said to have originated here, with the oldest recorded mention of the spirit dating back to 1405.

· The Scots will claim to have originated whiskey, and they spell it without the “e” before the final letter.

· The world’s most famous passenger liner, the Titanic, was built in Belfast, Ireland, and picked up passengers in Cobh, then known as Queenstown, on its ill-fated maiden voyage in 1912.

· In Roman times, Ireland was known as Hibernia, a name that loosely translates to “land of winter.” The Romans were able to conquer England but couldn’t subdue Scotland and never made an attempt on Ireland.

· The national symbol of Ireland is the harp, the only musical instrument in the world to be so honored. It represents the country’s musical heritage and the ancient traveling bards.

· The remains of St. Valentine, the patron saint of lovers, are buried in Whitefriar Street Church in the capital city of Dublin.

· Famous people born in Ireland include the actors Pierce Brosnan, Richard Harris, Liam Neeson and Colin Farrell. The actress Catriona Balfe is also Irish, although on Outlander she plays and Englishwoman who travels back in time to Scotland. U2 lead singer Bono is Irish; other famous singers from the island include Enya and Sinead O’Connor. The island was also the birthplace of writers James Joyce, Oscar Wilde, George Bernard Shaw, Jonathan Swift and Bram Stoker, who wrote Dracula.

· Guinness is well-known in the U.S. as an Irish beer but is actually more popular in Africa than in the British Isles. More than one in ten pints of beer sold in London are Guinness, but 40% of the beer’s worldwide sales are in Africa, where three of the company’s five breweries are located.

· The most popular sports in Ireland are Gaelic football, played with 15 players on a side, and hurling, sort of like lacrosse, also with 15 players per side, using sticks called “hurleys” to control the ball. Hurling claims to be the world’s oldest sport.

· Ireland has the largest percentage of red-haired people of any country in the world.

· Irish love the craic. It’s a word that translates loosely as “chat,” “good conversation” or just “a good time.” Well-known for their hospitality, Irish also love dark humor. Here’s one:

· The brewmasters of 3 major beer companies decide to step away from a beer festival and go to a local pub:

The first, a Mexican, approaches the bar and says, "Hola bartender, I would like to have the finest beer in the world. Give me a Dos Equis, por favor."
The second, a Dutchman, says, "Bartender, give me the finest beer in the world, a Heineken."
The third is an Irishman, head of the Guinness brewery in Dublin. He takes a look around and then says, "Bartender, I'll have a Coke, please."
The other two give a puzzled look and finally ask, "Why a Coke?"
The brewmaster from Guinness answers, "Well, I figured if you lads weren't drinking beer yet, I could hold off for a wee bit."

Ready to spend a wee bit ‘o time in Ireland? Give us a call!

 

 

 Dressed for the Beach: The Unspoken Rules of Rostock's Shores

Many of our clients go to the beach somewhere for vacation. The Caribbean and Mexico have some great beaches, and we’ve written previously about the emerging beach culture of Europe. But recently, CNN Travel reported that there’s been some trouble at one of Germany’s most popular beaches, in Rostock, on the Baltic coast.

It seems too many people are keeping their clothes on.
Rostock’s beaches have been well-known for decades among German nudists (“naturists” in polite conversation.) Lately, though, some beach-goers haven’t been following proper etiquette, and the cops are cracking down. It might seem overly strict, but you know how it goes, one day people are keeping their swimsuits on, and the next day they might be…well, doing something else they shouldn’t be doing.

Full disclosure: my husband and I have not been to a “naturist” beach. At some resorts we’ve stayed at, there have been sections of the property where clothing is banned, or at least optional, but it’s interesting that certain resorts advertise themselves as being like the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue, only better, and they’re typically not. “Naturists” come in all ages, shapes and sizes, and that’s what you must be prepared to see if you go to one of their beaches.

So, what’s going on in Rostock? Beach wardens now can issue bans to people wearing clothing—even a skimpy bathing suit—on naturist-only beaches. The bans will be handed out only “in case of conflict.” Evidently, possible such areas include someone staring at a naturist, or taking their picture, or making unwanted comments. These are common complaints by folks who frequent nude beaches, according to the International Naturist Federation. In Rostock, things have apparently been getting a little out of hand.

Rostock has about 9 miles of beach, divided into three zones: naturist-only, mixed and textile-only. (“Textile” apparently refers to any type of garment or artificial cover employed by the wearer. Evidently using one’s hands does not count.) So, all guests’ needs are covered, even if certain body parts are not.

“Naturism” has been a thing in Germany for a long time. You might not think that of Germany; Italy, yes, and France, of course. But Germany? It’s known as Freikoerperkultur (FKK), “Free Body Culture,” and it’s ubiquitous. Not only on beaches, but in public swimming pools, saunas, even city parks. The first German nude beach was established on the island of Sylt in 1920. Germans who lived in the communist East after World War II often considered FKK as a form of subtle rebellion against the country’s strict rulers.

Times might be changing, though. Rostock city authorities tell CNN that there’s been a decrease in the number of German citizens going completely bare, especially among younger people, surprisingly enough. Thus, with the new regulation, they reduced the size of the naturist-only stretch of beach from 37 blocks down to 27.

Textile-optional beaches are in almost every country, all over the world. The most famous one in New Zealand, where my husband and I are going for a conference next month, is Little Palm Beach on Waiheke Island. Although it’s legal to bare all on every beach in New Zealand, Kiwi naturists flock to this place, an hour-long ferry ride from Auckland, followed by a downhill hike. Fortunately, our meetings will be in Christchurch; we’ll only be flying into and out of Auckland. I’ll just have to tell Dave that we simply don’t have the time…

Ready to hit the beach (with or without your textiles)? Give us a call!

Global Delicacies Await: Uncover Hidden Culinary Gems Across Cultures

One of the best things about traveling is sampling local cuisine. My husband is on a quest to find the best Bolognese sauce in the world. So far, he’s sampled it in at least six countries. Who’s ahead? So far, he says, it’s pretty much a tie between a sauce prepared by a Macedonian chef on board a cruise liner off the coast of Italy, and one served up by a transplanted Roman chef at a small Italian restaurant in Belize, of all places.

Traditionally, countries like France and Italy have had well-deserved reputations as foodie destinations, but other countries and regions are stepping up their culinary game lately, says CNN Travel.

There is a “new Nordic cuisine” movement afoot, apparently, drawing attention to Scandinavian dishes like meatballs. Yes, the humble meatball, prepared Swedish style, comes swimming in gravy with buttery mashed potatoes on the side, green peas and “a dollop of sweet-and-sour lingonberry jam.” Especially treasured at Christmas time, Swedish meatballs long ago found their way to American buffet tables, and they’re always a hit.

Pickled herring is an acquired taste, but not in Scandinavia, where it is widely served and relished. Onion and carrot, mustard and the creamy “archipelago” variety, seasoned with roe and chives, are some of the favorites, especially during the holidays. The leading brand of Swedish pickled herring is called Abba, but it predates the rock group by over a century, dating back to 1838.

Other Scandinavian favorites include cured salmon, the goose dinner, fermented herring and—get ready for it—the caviar and egg sandwich.

Bolivia, a landlocked nation in South America, hasn’t been known as a foodie destination, but its reputation is growing. In the capital city of La Paz are three restaurants currently listed among the top 100 on the continent. About ten years ago, young Bolivian chefs decided that their nation’s cuisine deserved more recognition, and so they came up with “zero-kilometer cuisine,” using as many ingredients as possible that are raised or grown locally and having direct contact with the farmers and ranchers who produce the food. At the city’s renowned Gustu restaurant, co-founder Claus Meyer, a transplanted Dane who helped found the aforementioned New Nordic food movement, has a menu featuring signature dishes like raw Lake Titicaca trout with mango, llama with Amazonian vanilla and ajipa root, Amazon fish with gooseberries and a fermented yuca, and a lamb tamale that is considered the best in the world.

Bolivia and its neighbors in the Andes cultivate more than 4,000 types of potatoes. There are over 3,000 varieties of quinoa, a hardy grain which was banned by the Spaniards as a means of controlling the indigenous population. Today, NASA is planning to feature quinoa in the indoor greenhouses that will help feed human settlements on the moon and Mars.

Just about everybody has dined at a Chinese restaurant at least once—but not necessarily in China itself. Today, of course, China has thousands of restaurants serving traditional dishes. But one Chinese wanted to know what China’s rulers used to eat. Zhao Rongguang, a food historian, entered into the daunting task decades ago. It took him 40 years of research, gaining access to ancient records from Beijing’s Forbidden City, but he’s now beginning to publish his results.

Until the last one was ousted in 1924, China was ruled by imperial dynasties, whose families and hangers-on lived secretive lives within the Forbidden City. Zhao’s research took him back to 1644, when Kangxi seized power and began the Qing Dynasty. As things settled down in the country, Kangxi’s table began featuring more exotic fare, such as tiger testicles and rooster combs, both thought to be aphrodisiacs. Kangxi, evidently, was an enthusiastic tiger-hunter. He also had at least 17 sons, so maybe he was onto something. He also began offering more traditional ethnic Han dishes at his table, such as duck gizzard stew.

Kangxi’s grandson, Quianlong, ruled from 1735-1796 and kept meticulous records of his menus. Visitors to the Hong Kong Museum can see an elaborate display showcasing the food served up by Quianlong’s chefs. Milk tea was a dietary staple. Tea bricks would be broken into boiling water; milk, butter and a pinch of salt were added. The tea leaves were then filtered out and the tea was served in elaborate silver teapots. When he visited outlying parts of his empire, Quianlong would bring along a Mongolian tea master to prepare the royal court’s daily tea. Back in Beijing, his table often featured exotic game dishes, like Sika deer tail and smoked red-braised duck, along with fried spring bamboo shoots with pork and bird’s nest soup, made from the solidified saliva of swallows. The emperor liked the soup so much, it is said he enjoyed it every morning. You can see it in the picture above, and it looks fairly tasty. Just ignore the part about the saliva.

Ready to start exploring the restaurants of the world? Give us a call, and we’ll get you over there. (Bring your own bibs.)

Sue Tindell

 

Fly Fur-st Class with BARK Air: Luxury Travel for Dogs and Humans!" 🐾✈️

We’ve never taken our dog on an airliner, although some people do. There are certainly pluses for taking our pampered pooches along with us, but there are minuses, too. BARK Air started up last year to remove the minuses. Yes, luxury air travel for dogs (and their humans) is here.

The dog toy company BARK, in partnership with a jet charter service, now offers air travel for our canine friends “in comfort and in style,” CEO Matt Meeker told USA Today when the company launched in May 2024. Its website says, “We’re here to revolutionize flying for dogs.” And just to make sure nobody thinks it’s a joke, right underneath that line is this one: “A 100% totally real airline for dogs.”

The first flight, from New York to Los Angeles, sold out, and the company has been doing brisk business ever since. Fares are not cheap; pet owners can expect to pay $8,000 for a one-way international flight and $6,000 for a domestic flight. The fare covers both the dog and its human, thankfully. The company offers routes to and from New York, London, LA, Paris and Ft. Lauderdale. Making it even easier, the dog and its human won’t even have to deal with the notoriously busy (and not-necessarily dog-friendly) big airports like JFK, LAX or Heathrow. BARK Air is flying out of nearby smaller, regional airports like Westchester County and Van Nuys.

All of the “white glove experience typical of a human’s first-class experience” is redirected toward the dogs on these flights. This pampering helps to lower the dogs’ anxiety and stress, so they can have a comfortable, fear-free experience. Food and water are provided, and there’s even a mid-air spa treatment available.

Before the flight, a concierge evaluates a dog’s temperament and sensitivities before assigning it to a seat. Dogs aren’t caged on leashed, but are free to sit on a seat, on their human’s lap, a bed or wherever comfortable. Before boarding, there are designated areas where the dogs can relieve themselves, and emergency pads are available during the flight.

These aren’t large flights, like the ones humans are subjected to regularly when we travel. Each of the BARK Air flights seats 15 dogs and their humans, but it never sells more than 10 tickets per flight, so the dogs can have a little room to roam around the cabin. Plus, all the human passengers must be at least 18 years old. They must also provide their dogs’ up-to-date vaccination records. BARK Air’s website says that humans can bring a small carry-on but can also have a standard wheeled suitcase (50-pound maximum) and a small duffle bag that are stowed during travel. “Under no circumstances should they bring squirrels or mailmen,” the site warns.

What are customers saying? One human passenger last month posted a glowing 5-star review: “We love sitting at the conference table and Freya so enjoyed her own seat where she slept comfortably, only to wake up for a barkaccino or salmon treat.” Another said, “The entire experience is well organized, efficient and fun! Who says that about airline travel these days?”

If you’re ready to really pamper your canine bestie—and yourself—give us a call!

            

China's Travel Revolution: Jets, Exoskeletons, and Adventurous Journeys!

China has rapidly become a rival of the United States on just about every level, from military strength to technology to athletic competition. The world of travel isn’t outside China’s realm of advancement, either, as a recent issue of CNN Travel pointed out on several fronts.

            The first Chinese-designed and -built mainline passenger plane, the C919 jetliner, is now in service, courtesy of the state-owned Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, based in Shanghai. The twin-engine jet is China’s answer to the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320, two of the world’s best-selling aircraft types. CNN travel writer Steven Jiang, a seasoned traveler with over a million air miles under his belt, recently flew aboard an Air China C919 from Beijing to Shanghai. The plane had 8 first-class seats and 158 in economy class, although some configurations go up to 192. Jiang pre-paid for an emergency exit row seat and was pleased with the legroom he encountered. Otherwise, the seats were not very special, he noted, and amenities are few; there are no seatback screens, for example. He also liked his in-flight meal and noted the bathrooms were a little more spacious than those he’s used on other airliners. Jiang enjoyed his flight to Shanghai and gave the C919 a solid grade of B in terms of safety and comfort.

            In about ten years, the C919 and its sister planes, along with lots of others, will be landing and taking off from the world’s largest airport on a man-made island, off the northeast coast of China. The Dalian Jinzhou Bay International Airport is scheduled to open in 2035 and will cover nearly 8 square miles with four runways and a passenger terminal of nearly a million square feet. The airport will be able to accommodate 80 million passengers a year across 540,000 flights. By comparison, the busiest U.S. airport, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, serves just over 50 million passengers per year.

            Dalian Jinzhou Bay International will pass Honk Kong International and Kansai Airport of Japan as the world’s largest airport on an artificial island. It will be just offshore of the city of Dalian, which has 7.5 million people and has long been a transport hub due to its proximity to Japan and Korea. Its current airport, Dalian Zhoushuizi, opened a century ago and has reached its capacity.

            Every tourist visiting China wants to see the country’s amazing sites, and some of them want to explore the exotic places more closely than from a tour bus. One of those destinations is Mount Tai, in the eastern province of Shandong. It’s 5,000 feet high and takes more than 7,000 steps to climb it, a punishing trek that has been known to turn legs to jelly. But a Chinese robotics company has come up with a way to make it easier: an exoskeleton that assists climbers. On January 29, the first day of the Chinese New Year, ten AI-powered exoskeletons debuted at Mount Tai, attracting over 200 users for a fee of about $10 to try out during a week-long trial. The device is designed to wrap around a user’s waist and thighs. It weighs about 5 pounds and is battery powered. Using AI algorithms, it can sense the user’s movements and provide “synchronized assistance” the ease the burden of the legs.

            How did it work? A 68-year-old who used it to climb the mountain was enthusiastic. “It felt like someone was pulling me uphill!” But a 29-year-old was a little more restrained. “Once I took it off, I felt a bit clumsy walking on my own.” Other climbers reported that the device was inconvenient when they needed to use the bathroom or tie their shoelaces. The company said that the beta testing period is giving them plenty of data from which to design improvements, and the device is expected to hit the market next month.

            Finally, there is a new travel trend developing among Chinese youth, who are looking for alternatives to air travel due to economic uncertainty. Thus, we now have the “iron butt” travelers, who go long distances on buses and trains. One of them, age 27, told CNN, “Iron butt travel lets me visit more places for less money.” Lin En, age 23, described a grueling 46-hour bus ride from Xinjiang, in China’s northwest, to Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan. The bus would stop for food every few hours, but otherwise he had to endure the long haul in a near-vertical seat, which gave him severe back pain. But he says the experience was much more “down to earth” than flying, and not just in a literal sense. “I came across so many interesting stories along the way—about culture, family or making a living—it’s all super engaging,” Lin said. He’s been on ten iron butt trips in the last year, logging more than 300 miles on buses and trains.

            Well, we’re not necessarily fans of that kind of travel, nor are our clients, but we can certainly recommend some great train trips, not to mention a visit to China itself, high on a lot of our clients’ bucket lists. Give us a call!