Euro Travel & More

So it’s that time of the year again – where you see tons of Canadians flocking to the south to the warmer weather – and to our friendly neighbors in the south.  If you ever go to Cuba or Mexico – you would think that the entire population in Canada might have migrated there.  But hang on before you head for the airport with your tablet laptops and 3D cellphones  – what are the laws to bringing them on the airplane and crossing custom?

Like many travelers, we cannot travel without at least 1 of these gadgets – and I don’t blame you because we still need to keep in contact with the rest of the world/work even though we are on vacation.  So I found out a little more about traveling with electronics like cellphones, laptops, your favorite androids, your e-readers, gaming devices and digital cameras.  And it looks like we are all safe with that – all passengers can bring their personal electronics on board but make sure you check with your airline for its restrictions.  But most airlines prefer your carry them with you on the plane – so that they don’t have to be responsible for any damages/lost item.  But you still cannot use your electronic items when the plane takes off and land – so there you have it.  And going thru’ custom with them shouldn’t be a problem at all.   So those escaping the winter – and heading out south – have fun !

For someone who travels as much as I did before – you would be surprised at how much pictures I had printed out during the last 20 yrs of traveling.   20 yrs ago – I wished for a printer that I could carry around with me and print out pictures I liked or had taken with a friend or family members and share it with them immediately but alas, there was none.  As I looked at my Epson TM-T88V receipt printer today – I was thinking about how nice it would have been if I had a printer that was this small and prints as fast but in color.  Of course, they now have portable printers that are small and affordable now – but with digital cameras – one don’t really need to print out all the photos that you’ve taken during a vacation to find out which one is the best.  But it would still be very nice to have a small color printer like the Epson that I have for my store’s receipt printer to use for my holiday pictures.  I really like my Epson printer – it’s small – cheap and definitely ink friendly – now if only some manufacturer or designer can design a portable printer as small and lightweight as my Epson – I’m sure folks like us would love to have one too.

So it’s that time of the year again – where everyone is rushing to go on vacation or getting out of the cold weather into the warm.  Some of you might be going home for Christmas as well or visiting good friends in another continent.  But before you leave home with your kids especially if you are traveling with your kids – make sure you check if there is a nearby doctor or hospital and if you are staying in a hotel if there is an in-house doctor.  That’s what I do everytime I go on vacation with my kid – I remember how flustered I was when my kid had a temperature for days – and the nearest hospital was like an hour away.  Luckily the hospital was well – equipped with medical computer cart and all the medical equipments needed for x-ray and needles else I would be really devastated.   So before you go on your Christmas vacation, check if you can find medical help nearby where you are staying before leaving and take the number and address down – you never know what might come up during your vacation.

Many years ago before I migrated to Canada – I used to do a lot of traveling for work – little did I know that when the spouse came to visit me in Asia – he too was not really having a vacation – he was traveling to find distributors and suppliers for his business.  Looking for gadgets, bearings , games and any electronic suppliers in Asia wasn’t easy at all, but we did walked the factory streets and went to the more remote factory distributors looking for them – not with a lot of success though.  I wasn’t prepared for all the walking that’s for sure – I was in heels, but if we were to travel for work now – it would be different altogether – for I would be wearing the best flats I can find.   So if we ever go on vacation with the spouse, you can be sure his interest is only to find distributors and suppliers for his work and not for pleasure.

So you are thinking of bringing your kids for a vacation this Christmas – but of course – you need a hotel that is kid friendly and have certain amenities for kids as well.  But you also don’t want to pay top dollars for just accommodation alone for you want to leave some spending money so that you and your kids can buy some souvenirs home right?   I can understand it completely – but do you want to just choose a hotel with a pool and pool safety fence or do you want also restaurants for them to eat in – as well as an amusement park nearby for convenience reason?  What about the rooms?  do you want a hotel to provide those free roll-in bed or a sofa bed?  yes you have to take all these into consideration.

The Westin Chosun is one of my favorite hotel when I am in Asia – not only is it reasonable in prices – it is kid’s friendly as well as very near a shopping market.

The Myeong dong market is like a cluster of shopping center together – they have loads of high end shops here – and you can shop till you drop.  I loved the street food on the Myeong Dong Market – and everything is just so cheap there.

The interior of the Westin Chosun is pretty luxurious as you can view from this picture – very much like a Japanese hotel but much bigger rooms.  The pool is an olympic size pool and you can see children playing at the children’s pool and although they do not have safety fences like the B & B’s in the West – you also will be in awe of the Olympic size pool that most western hotels do not have but definitely kid’s friendly.

I have so many friends who’ve migrated to United States and Canada for a better life and a better job and you cannot imagine how many Asians are here in the West.  I’m in this group of mixed marriages and there I’ve met many wonderful people who have moved their entire family for work, for love and for a better tomorrow.  I think for those who’ve migrated – you and I know that we have so much more opportunities here if we work hard – and looking for jobs – and changing a career is not hard if you are in the West.  If you are already in the health industry – and wants to specialise in something and look for Dietetic Technician Jobs you can go back to school for that.   I have seen friends online and offline do that – and I really envy that they have this opportunity to do that because the government here encourages people to go back to school – where else back home – once you don’t do well in school – academically speaking – that’s it  for you – not much hope.  But here in the West – I know that my kid will have the opportunity that I never had in Asia.  So when people asked me if it is good to migrate – I have to say yes – not only because of jobs – but because of the standard of living and the opportunities I never had.

I was in Peru – traveling for work when we met some people on the same trip – they were from United States – and we shared a few glasses of wine together and chatted and became friends – but that was like 20 years ago.  We kept in contact after the trip and updated each other yearly of our adventures, our lives and work and though we never did travel again to the same places again – they have visited Asia and I had gone to the States to visit them.  Traveling don’t only bring you more insight on the culture of different places but for me – it allows me to meet more interesting people – who became friends.   And when a long time traveling friend – has a new born baby – what do you do?  send a delicious baby gift of course!!   We are so lucky – because some 20 years ago – we can just go on the internet to get gifts for your oversea friends – you have to mail them thru’ snail mail – now with emails and online gift store and flower stores – there is no excuse not to celebrate life !

While in Asia – I would definitely advised travelers or those going on family vacations to be careful of pickpocketing because there are many professional pickpockets there.  They are so good and quick – I tell you – you don’t know who or what happened – because it only takes them seconds.  I know so – because it happened to me when I was in Hong Kong on vacation with some girlfriends – I was happy, they were happy – we were laughing and entering a department store – and the next thing I knew my purse was lifted and I turned around and there was no one.  So if you are traveling anywhere in Asia – be careful – don’t say it would never happen to you. But if you are in the West – or in Europe – then you have to be careful of electronic pickpocketing , after watching the below video – I was quite stunned – with what technology can do these days.   Identity theft is huge in the West and Europe – so if you are on vacation around here – be careful and check out the video below.

Thought I should share with you how you can get the cheapest hotel rates ever – because I’ve tried it recently and loved using it and will continue to use it from now on.  I’ve heard about Priceline from a lot of my friends and customers at the store – but because I didn’t think that I would get the hotel I want to stay in during my vacation – I didn’t try it out till recently.

Lo and behold – we got to stay at the Westin Hotel for $85 + applicable taxes and the lowest we’ve ever paid for a hotel in my entire stay in Canada.  So yes ! even though we had some room trouble – I would still continue using Priceline and it’s easy to use and quite straight forward.  It was a immediate reply for us – when we bid for our hotel rate – and I was pleasantly surprised or was I lucky – but whatever it may be – you should try Priceline if you want the cheapest hotel deals.

I was looking for a hotel to stay in the city for next week – for a few days – when all the hotels that I wanted to stay in downtown Halifax was completely booked.   I usually booked thru’ Hotel.ca – but this time – they didn’t have the right offer for me – so I went searching for another alternative and came across this unique set up – called the Airbnb – and you can get rooms or the entire apartment at the price range you like – and the location that you are searching for because – they connect the people who have a room or house or apartment to spare – to people who like myself are looking for a specific kinda place, locality and price to stay in.

What’s unique about this arrangement is – you get to connect with the people who really owns the place and it’s pretty casual – or private if you choose to – and most of the places I’ve viewed are awfully unique – the decor of the place – and the hospitality shown online – is pretty incredible.  I loved the setup and am going to try airbnb out soon and let you know how everything worked out – so stay tuned.