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Flying Aeroflot

Flying Aeroflot

If you’re an American of a certain age, as I am, the name Aeroflot will conjure certain images. Aeroflot was the airline of the “commies,” and it was considered one of the worst airlines in the world. We Americans didn’t fly Aeroflot. Partly because we didn’t, in general, visit the Soviet Union. They were the…

Solo travel so far

Solo travel so far

My trip to the Caribbean last month was my first solo trip. When I talk about solo travel, I’m not talking about when I fly somewhere to lead a workshop and then have a day free to explore whatever city I find myself in. I’m not talking about when I go somewhere to visit friends…

Impressions of Guadeloupe

Impressions of Guadeloupe

I explained in an earlier post why I chose Guadeloupe for my sabbatical travels, but apart from that decision, I didn’t know much about the place. I knew that it was French: not just that it’s a former French colony but that it’s still part of France. They even use the euro as their currency. I…

An over-packing update

An over-packing update

Before my recent solo trip, I posted about my plans to travel with just one small 35-liter suitcase. It was a convertible one: it had wheels, but could also be used as a backpack. I chose what I brought along very carefully, and it all fit into that 35-liter bag, except for a small daypack holding…

The Jane Hotel: Nautical Flair

The Jane Hotel: Nautical Flair

When I entered the lobby and spotted the stuffed peacocks on the wall, mounted vertically with their faded tail feathers dangling, I knew the Jane Hotel wasn’t a run-of-the-mill hotel. I had suspected it already when I booked the room. First of all, it was suspiciously cheap for New York City—I paid $115 a night—yet…

Airbnb, thank you!

Airbnb, thank you!

I had two experiences recently that made me all the happier that Airbnb exists. Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links. If you click on one of them and make a purchase, I’ll receive a small commission. This will not affect your price. 1. A vision of paradise When my Airbnb host in Guadeloupe, Thierry, offered to…

The Rum Museum in Guadeloupe

The Rum Museum in Guadeloupe

I posted before about Guadeloupe’s quirky banana museum. Well, that wasn’t the only quirky museum I found there. The Musée du Rhum, or Rum Museum, is another one of those small museums filled with odd, disconnected collections of objects. But first, a disclosure: I was given free admission (normally 6 euros) in exchange for writing this…

Packing for a solo trip

Packing for a solo trip

My packing is done—except for a few toiletries—and I’m ready to go! I leave on Tuesday for a month-long solo trip to Guadeloupe, Martinique, then to visit family in Connecticut, then to a TBEX conference in Spain. In June I’ll leave on another solo trip, this time for two months. Packing is a challenge for…

How English is Guernsey?

How English is Guernsey?

The other day I tweeted “Guernsey is so very English.” Well, I stand corrected. It isn’t English. I learned this when I asked a completely unrelated question in a shop. There were candies in jars behind the counter marked “£1 a quarter.” I asked the shopkeeper “One pound a quarter what?” “A quarter pound,” she…

The dreaded shared shower

The dreaded shared shower

Note: This post was first published back in 2007. Strictly speaking, this post could apply to most of our summer vacations, not just to this trip to Australia. It’s about the shower in hostels and campgrounds, the sort that you share with lots of other people. I couldn’t find a plain hotel room for us: the…