Ever stumbled upon the perfect café, sequestered deep in the quietest corner of a buzzing city, and just had to share the secret? Ever wanted to be part of that secret? Travelistas Lynn Lau and Abby Bender combine their journalism and travel experiences to bring readers Notes From A Café: Travel stories from the deep end, a refreshing cure to the usual stodgy travel resources. Notes From A Café revolves around the love of travel, with articles covering countries from Belgium to Norway to Malaysia, along with tips and resources to fellow travelers interested in the non-touristy side of exploring the world.
Celebrating the joie de vivre of traipsing the globe, Lynn and Abby feature their stories and secrets under headings such as "Voyage Vignettes" (focusing on the thick and thin of personal travel accounts), "Foreign Foibles" (cultural gaffes and taboos), "Travel Tips" (a grab-bag of information and suggestions for travelers), and "Roaming Reviews" (frank guides on true must-see's and definite stay-away-from's).
A random selection of our articles:
Most people, when they go overseas, tally the fantastic things they have accomplished during their stay. Such as how many chateaux they have visited, how much fondue they’ve eaten, or how many tchochkies they’ve purchased for Aunt Bessie.
Me, I tally pickpockets. Specifically, how many pickpockets I’ve beaten up. Don’t let my pretty face fool you—to date, I’ve come in contact with five pickpockets and beaten up all of them.
Actually, I’ve only beaten up two pickpockets. Well, really, I’ve only “beaten up” one. And I didn’t really do the “beating” part, because my black-belted beauty-queen friend was the one who threw the punch. But when my dad was mobbed by a gang of three pickpockets on the Paris metro, I stepped on one’s foot and hit him with an umbrella. Which half-counts.
Pickpockets happen. They happen whether you’re in Paris, London, Madrid, and anyplace in between. And, while every traveler has been warned at least five times to “keep your passport close!” and “split up your money in case your purse gets snatched!”, a lot of us come from nice neighborhoods in a country where the public pickpocket population is pretty … petite.
Yes, it is smart to have a money belt, passport pack, and all those other lovely contraptions that you can staple and glue to your skin to keep your valuables as close as possible. And always be sure to have copies of your passport stored in separate places—and distribute your credit cards, travelers checks, and cash into different pockets or bags to “diversify” your wealth and lessen the risk of losing everything.
But have you noticed that the native citizens of these countries don’t wear money belts? How do they keep from getting robbed blind every five minutes?
» Read the rest of How to Not Get Your Pocket Picked (and what to do if it happens) ...
There’s an abundance of advice available when it comes to taking your four-legged friend along with you on road-trips, but what if your friend has two legs and feathers? Not as much information, for sure. Admittedly, a large part of the reason for this is that traveling by car is stressful for most birds. However, if, after doing proper research, you find that hitting the road is your best or only option, here are a few tips that might help.
» Read the rest of Have Wings, Will Travel: Road-tripping with your birds ...
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Shall I sing you a tale of great derring-do
When pickpockets three I did bravely subdue?
(Well, maybe “subdue” is a word too extreme,
But hear out the story; you’ll see what I mean!)
I was living abroad when, wholly by chance,
My brother’s glee club was on tour in France.
I packed up my things, met Father and Mum,
And drove to the north to have us some fun.
At Omaha Beach, where so many fell,
The glee club boys sang of faith and farewell.
Then onward through Caen and Sainte-Mère-Église
In weather so scorching, we prayed for a breeze.
And, then, off to Paris! La ville des lumières!
The Louvre, Eiffel Tower, and ladies so fair!
Since I knew the town, I worked with pride
Playing the role of translator and guide.
» Read the rest of Pickpockets, Beware! (or, My Subway Adventure) ...
If I told you that Amsterdam is a little bit like America, would you believe me?
Because it is, in a way. Except for everyone riding bikes, and the prostitutes, and the legalized pot, and the Dutch language, and the …
Actually, Amsterdam isn’t anything like America. Although sometimes it felt like it, because wherever we went, the streets were paved with Americans. And everyone we met who wasn’t American spoke English. (Unlike when I told my parents everyone speaks English in France.)
Yet, surprisingly, Amsterdam was the only city outside of France where I didn’t feel overly “touristy.” Perhaps that’s because the side of the tourism industry we encountered catered specifically to Americans and Anglophones. Or because most of our tour guides were American. Whatever it was – Amsterdam is a city where Americans can feel right at home … barring the prostitutes, and the pot-slash-coffeehouses, and …
From the moment we stepped foot in the city, Michelle, Molly and I were charmed by the omnipresent view of archaic bicycles flowing en masse through the streets, along the sidewalks, zooming by us with a chirruping trill! trill!. When we discovered that there was a tour – in English! – where you see the sights of Amsterdam while riding bikes like a native …well, we couldn’t say no.
» Read the rest of Amsterdam Lesson #2: Why Walk When You Can Bike? ...