Grounded Traveler

The Trans-Siberian rail journey has been on my list for a long time. When I was still adamant about not flying, I had planned to take it out to see Japan. So when I met Katie at TBEX and she talked about going, I was intrigued to hear how it went. She has now completed the journey and here is my interview with her.

Week 3 Prompt: Have you ever studied or taken classes on a trip? What did you study, and perhaps more importantly, what did you learn while on that trip? What would you like to learn on your travels this year?

Flying to New Zealand involves near 24 hours in the air depending on route from Frankfurt. This is a lot. We found a flight with Cathay Pacific that landed in Hong Kong and had a late evening flight to Auckland. This gave me one day in Hong Kong and my first tiny taste of Asia. I got to spend a single day in Hong Kong and had a blast. Here are some highlights.

Week 2 Prompt: Are you an indie traveler? What do you think makes someone an indie traveler? Week two of the BootsNAll Indie Travel Challenge asks about the meaning of indie travel and whether I feel I am an indie traveler.

I remember traveling in Europe pre-euro. (It’s only been around 10 years, I’m not that old. Ok, maybe I am but still it’s not that long ago.) In that day and age every border meant a new currency with a new name and exchange rate and bills and coins. Post Euro in Europe is easier, but still there are tons of travel destinations with their own money. It gets overwhelming in a few different ways.