Things you wish people explained to you before you went to (insert vacation destination)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wish someone said the Grand Canyon is not kid friendly and pretty dangerous and it’s not that impressive in my opinion. I loved the arches at Utah but something about our Grabd Canyon trip was a bust.

Dangerous, how so? Thanks!

NP- A misstep on a trail and you are dead. You sit on a ledge and lose balance? You could be dead. It is a very dangerous place for small kids, you could not let a 2yo out of your sight for 2 seconds without them being at risk near the rim. I have vertigo so stayed on the paved biked trail and went viewpoint to viewpoint that way. I disagree about it not being impressive though, it is breathtaking, but the hiking is inherently dangerous.

This. A dear friend fell to her death in GC.

So sorry for your loss. That’s horrible. The question was likely sarcastic to begin with and people didn’t realize that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wish someone said the Grand Canyon is not kid friendly and pretty dangerous and it’s not that impressive in my opinion. I loved the arches at Utah but something about our Grabd Canyon trip was a bust.

Dangerous, how so? Thanks!

NP- A misstep on a trail and you are dead. You sit on a ledge and lose balance? You could be dead. It is a very dangerous place for small kids, you could not let a 2yo out of your sight for 2 seconds without them being at risk near the rim. I have vertigo so stayed on the paved biked trail and went viewpoint to viewpoint that way. I disagree about it not being impressive though, it is breathtaking, but the hiking is inherently dangerous.

This. A dear friend fell to her death in GC.

Sorry that happened.

We just got from GC with 5 yo twins and had a great time. It felt very safe. We hiked down the south rim. It felt like a calm, nature‐based Disney

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD YOU EVER EAT REEF FISH IN THE CARIBBEAN.

This could save you many, maaaaany years of pain and suffering.

How about shellfish like lobster and crab?

Fine


Reef fish are landmines because they feed on reef Flora that build up toxins. You eat the fish and get the toxins that attack your nervous system. It causes decades of pain and suffering....all from a simple dinner meal. Lobster and crab don't feed on reef organisms.

Whattttt? Is this for real?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Skiing out west is much much tougher than skiing in the east. Until a few years ago, I’d only skied in New England and New York. I’m an intermediate skier. All I ever heard was, oh you would love skiing out west, the powder is fantastic and so much easier and more fun to ski than the ice in the east, etc etc. So I planned a trip to Utah.

Turns out, the trails are so much harder out there, much steeper and bumpier, not nearly as much grooming - a blue out there is definitely equivalent to a black on the east coast, and frankly, probably harder than a lot of black trails in the east. The resorts are huge and the trails go on forever (a good thing, yes!) but you have to pay close attention to trail signs (trails wind here there and everywhere, cross cross with other trails, it can get very confusing) because you can easily end up at the top of a trail that’s above your ability level with no alternative way down (and you know why I know that). Also it’s hard to ski powder if you don’t have experience! Several years into ski trips out west and I’m now much more comfortable out there but it was not at all the slam dunk at the beginning I’d been led to believe it would be.

This is all true! Alps vs US is also very different. I personally love East coast us skiing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Carry a small towel with you so you can dry your hands at restrooms in Japan. There usually aren't paper towels or a hand dryer.

Also carry a big ziplock for trash. There are practically NO public trash cans in Japan!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Carry a small towel with you so you can dry your hands at restrooms in Japan. There usually aren't paper towels or a hand dryer.

Also carry a big ziplock for trash. There are practically NO public trash cans in Japan!

same in Korea. They make you take your trash with you. Landfills are a premium in those tiny countries.

[Anonymous]

Re skiing in the east (New England) vs out West, I think it really varies depending on the resort. Unless you are skiing the bowls, I find Park City to be similar to Killington - both are huge with a wide range of trails. The top of Outer Limits is just as tough as the non-bowl blacks at Park City. But other mountains (like Snowbasin) have are more open feel with fewer defined trails - that is tougher to navigate if you are less experienced or don't know your way around.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Beware of street food in Thailand. Yes, it is the street food capital of the world, but you can get violently ill since it is so dirty and westerners simply don't have as strong of an immune system as Thais.

The secret is actually going to the malls in Thailand and pretty much all of Asia. Malls have insanely good and delicious eats on the cheaper end. They're much cleaner too.

This. I lived in Thailand for 8 years and am very wary of street food. Generally anything that is cooked right in front of you is fine, but avoid cut fruit or anything that looks like it may have been sitting for a while. I’ve never had a problem but DH definitely did on one our trips.

We loved the street food in Thailand and had no issues, but we definitely only ate things that we watched being cooked in front of us. We had the best pad thai at a street cart that catered to the sex workers in the district with all the business hotels. We were the only western people eating there because all the other tourists were on expense accounts.

[Anonymous]

We were in Westport, Ireland and traveked to abother town. We didn't realize that there would be no taxis on a Sunday morning. They stay up late on Saturday night. We took the train from Westport to another town ( where the Knock church miracle happened) lucky for us he train station guy woke up his buddy who drove us!

Getting a taxi in westport involved going to the hotel and asking them to pick us up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wish someone said the Grand Canyon is not kid friendly and pretty dangerous and it’s not that impressive in my opinion. I loved the arches at Utah but something about our Grabd Canyon trip was a bust.

Dangerous, how so? Thanks!

NP- A misstep on a trail and you are dead. You sit on a ledge and lose balance? You could be dead. It is a very dangerous place for small kids, you could not let a 2yo out of your sight for 2 seconds without them being at risk near the rim. I have vertigo so stayed on the paved biked trail and went viewpoint to viewpoint that way. I disagree about it not being impressive though, it is breathtaking, but the hiking is inherently dangerous.

This. A dear friend fell to her death in GC.

Sorry that happened.

We just got from GC with 5 yo twins and had a great time. It felt very safe. We hiked down the south rim. It felt like a calm, nature‐based Disney

But it isn't. A 69 year old man just died there hiking

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What do you wish you had known before visiting (insert vacation destination here)?


I wanted to visit the Amalfi Coast but was unaware of the power outages and the way you must fly to Naples then take a train to Sorrento and then take a ferry and hand carry luggage up to some of the hotels. With little children this seems a bit more challenging. The same for Lake Como and the last train out of town. To ensure to time that visit right.

I’m not sure who told you all of this nonsense? Been there many times and have never experienced a power outage. I’ve also never taken a train in Italy. If you want to avoid the ferry, you can rent a car and drive or get a driver. There are also porters and bell boys. This is a strange post.

Everyone travels differently. My friend and I took the same train/ferry route as the PP when we visited the Amalfi coast from Naples. I’ve never rented a car in Italy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD YOU EVER EAT REEF FISH IN THE CARIBBEAN.

This could save you many, maaaaany years of pain and suffering.

What is a reef fish?

Fish like sea bass, some types of eels, grouper, barracuda, etc..

I’ve eaten sea bass and grouper more times than I can count, including IN the Caribbean, and it’s on every seafood menu in America. I don’t personally know anyone that’s gotten sick from it.

Why are you saying it’s dangerous? That doesn’t sound correct.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wish someone said the Grand Canyon is not kid friendly and pretty dangerous and it’s not that impressive in my opinion. I loved the arches at Utah but something about our Grabd Canyon trip was a bust.

Dangerous, how so? Thanks!

NP- A misstep on a trail and you are dead. You sit on a ledge and lose balance? You could be dead. It is a very dangerous place for small kids, you could not let a 2yo out of your sight for 2 seconds without them being at risk near the rim. I have vertigo so stayed on the paved biked trail and went viewpoint to viewpoint that way. I disagree about it not being impressive though, it is breathtaking, but the hiking is inherently dangerous.

100 percent agree. I remember going with my wild man brother as a kid. We couldn't do any hiking because he was impulsive and probably would have died. We had to turn around.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wish someone said the Grand Canyon is not kid friendly and pretty dangerous and it’s not that impressive in my opinion. I loved the arches at Utah but something about our Grabd Canyon trip was a bust.

Dangerous, how so? Thanks!

NP- A misstep on a trail and you are dead. You sit on a ledge and lose balance? You could be dead. It is a very dangerous place for small kids, you could not let a 2yo out of your sight for 2 seconds without them being at risk near the rim. I have vertigo so stayed on the paved biked trail and went viewpoint to viewpoint that way. I disagree about it not being impressive though, it is breathtaking, but the hiking is inherently dangerous.

This. A dear friend fell to her death in GC.

Sorry that happened.

We just got from GC with 5 yo twins and had a great time. It felt very safe. We hiked down the south rim. It felt like a calm, nature‐based Disney

But it isn't. A 69 year old man just died there hiking

From the article I read, it sounds like that man died from the heat:

https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/2024/07/02/grand-canyon-hiker-death/74278942007/

The article mentions that another hiker aged 41 died a month earlier near the same area, also possibly from the heat.

So my takeaway is that the heights and heat are something to protect yourself and family against at the GC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don't use your left hand to greet people in Asia.

Learn how to use a squat toilet and carry toilet paper or wipes with you everywhere in case for Asia.

Really don't brush your teeth or rinse mouth with tap water in certain countries or have ice or raw vegetables even if they claim they use bottled water....my family learned this the hard way.

Have cash on hand to tip the porter, etc.

Humidity in parts of Asia is awful and wear very light clothing with breathable fabrics and a hat.

Don't get too close to monkeys that appear friendly at the animal sanctuary, they bite and cause you to need a rabies shot and avoid swimming for your whole trip.

Asia is a large continent. All the toilets I used in Korea flushed and had tp.

Korea is an exception, try almost everywhere else in Asia....

Japan? So, now there are two exceptions.

https://www.businessinsider.com/japan-toilets-benefits-bidet-clean-heated-seats-2023-11

https://www.japan.travel/en/blog/beyond-the-bidet-japanese-toilets-at-the-forefront-of-hygiene-and-style/

Also, most of the hotels in Korea had bidets, and we did not stay in high end hotels, and not just Seoul. We have them at home, but DS refused to use it. He was sold on it during our Korea trip.

Japan and Korea are two of the most American-influenced countries in Asia - and you probably only were in major cities. Try China, India, Indonesia outside of Bali, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand....