These two sites have become part of my daily online browsing:
Haus Maus: Holly (who also has one of my favorite design blogs, decor8, which is where I met my friend Aude who lives in Paris) is setting up a part-time residence in Hannover, Germany, with her husband, and chronicles all the ups and downs of trying to furnish an apartment when you (a) are not living in the same country yet, and (b) are not completely familiar with all the best brands and stores.
In June I found Vocabulix, a free site with German vocabulary and grammar drills (they have Spanish, too). In addition to that, I’ve been writing with some people in Germany - they practice they’re English with me, and vice versa.
Surfing: NY Times Frugal Traveler blog.The Frugal Traveler is taking the grand tour of Europe on a budget. He’s off to Lithuania next.
Considering: Macbook Pro. Since I am taking classes, I am technically a college student and can get a discount.
Lusting After: Vespa. I would look so cool zipping around my neighborhood on one of these babies. It’s completely unnecessary (I walk most places and already have a car), but the heart wants what it wants.
Buying: German books. I’ve signed up for 2 classes in the fall - one a continuation of my summer class that focuses on writing and reading comprehension, the other a mostly speaking course. I need 2 books per class, and has able to find them all used and for much less money on amazon and half.com.
* I’m a ways off from buying my ticket for my September trip, but it looks like it’ll be cheaper for me to fly to London then fly back to DC from Amsterdam than it would to fly in and out of London only. Which means I can spend more time sightseeing.
* From Travel Rants: Single Travellers annoyance at Single Person Supplement
* See the sights: Atomium (Brussels), and La Géode (Paris).
Travel Rants makes a good point with his post about checking the weather before planning a trip. I recently read a blog where the writer is planning a trip to Scotland in March, and demanded that her rental car include air conditioning. What she didn’t consider is that Scotland is still freezing that time of year, and that she’ll be using the heat rather than the AC when driving around. Luckily, one of her commenters clued her in to her blunder.
Geeky Traveler has compiled a list of seven tips on visiting South Africa. I have friends of a friend who are from South Africa (they’re working in the U.S. now), and the stories they tell about their country make me want to visit. Since they’re natives, though, they don’t approach visiting their country the same way an outsider does, which is part of the reason I like GT’s post.
As my moving date nears, I’m studying up on the safest and easiest way to travel with my pets. It’ll be a 6 hour 30 min. car ride with three cats (in carriers) and one big dog (in seatbelt harness), so pre-planning is crucial. Each year, more and more people take their pets on vacation, so there are more options available now than ever before. Here’s some sites I’ve found with helpful info:
- Pets Welcome: Includes pet-friendly hotels in the U.S. and Canada, travel tips, and attractions that will watch your pet while you have fun.
- The Humane Society of the United States: HSUS is the authority on animal wellness issues, and the pet travel part of their site is succinct and thorough.
- TravelDog.com: This site requires a $10 membership fee, but if you frequently travel with your dog, you can save up to 65% on pet-friendly lodgings, products and services.
- The Pet Center: Great section about traveling with your cat and how to deal with motion sickness and other potential problems.
This isn’t really travel related, but I got a kick out of it and wanted to share. Internet ‘96 documents how the Web looked 10 years ago, and to say “we’ve come a long way, baby” is an understatement. All I can say is thank God for Web standards.