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

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That monkeys at Siam Reap are not cute and need to be avoided.

That the heat and humidity in Vietnam is so much worse than DC. Wear lightweight clothes.

That umbrellas don't work in Scotland. Bring a hooded rain jacket.

If you are traveling in a country where you can't drink the water, keep your mouth closed in the shower too.

Agree with all of these. Also, in a country where you can’t drink the tap water, you also shouldn’t brush your teeth with the tap water (because you’re lazy/thinking “oh it’s not that much water!”) Same with washing fruit. Do not ask me how I know.

I know how you know.

[Anonymous]

About going to Alaska...

I had no idea how many people would ask me if I was going ziplining, or on a floatplane.

Nope, zip-lining would be nearly $1000 for our family of three (only child). And going on a floatplane would be over $2000 to nearly $3000 for the three of us. Travelling to Alaska, alone, is expensive.

I dodge these questions to not talk about money.

But I really have to wonder about some of the people asking, either went to Alaska a long time ago if it was more affordable then? Or think everyone or us would reasonably spend this for a short activity? Our personal preference is we pay for experiences (such as travel) but don't have interest in that, especially with so many other things to see.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That monkeys at Siam Reap are not cute and need to be avoided.

That the heat and humidity in Vietnam is so much worse than DC. Wear lightweight clothes.

That umbrellas don't work in Scotland. Bring a hooded rain jacket.

If you are traveling in a country where you can't drink the water, keep your mouth closed in the shower too.

Interesting!!

[Anonymous]

If you are lactose intolerant in America, you are still lactose intolerant in Europe. And there are fewer public bathrooms, so you won’t have a good time.

(Don’t worry, I was not dumb enough to fall for this, but I see it SO much on social media)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For some unknown reason, most showers over baths in France don't have a door or curtain. I don't know what they enjoy water spraying all over the floor.

Also, there are no washcloths in Europe in general.

There are washcloths in Europe; you can buy them in department stores, linen shops, even supermarkets. But you won’t find them in your hotel or cottage rental, because they are considered a more personal item, like a toothbrush or hairbrush, so they are not supplied. I like the washcloth mitts in France and always buy some to bring home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you are lactose intolerant in America, you are still lactose intolerant in Europe. And there are fewer public bathrooms, so you won’t have a good time.

(Don’t worry, I was not dumb enough to fall for this, but I see it SO much on social media)

That’s interesting—I have heard of people saying this about wheat intolerance, but not dairy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:About going to Alaska...

I had no idea how many people would ask me if I was going ziplining, or on a floatplane.

Nope, zip-lining would be nearly $1000 for our family of three (only child). And going on a floatplane would be over $2000 to nearly $3000 for the three of us. Travelling to Alaska, alone, is expensive.

I dodge these questions to not talk about money.

But I really have to wonder about some of the people asking, either went to Alaska a long time ago if it was more affordable then? Or think everyone or us would reasonably spend this for a short activity? Our personal preference is we pay for experiences (such as travel) but don't have interest in that, especially with so many other things to see.

I just looked up what we paid in 2017 and it was $1673 for seven of us to take a float plane over Misty fjords. The zip lining was $318 for one adult and one child in Skagway. Looks like that same place would cost $454 now for the same thing so that’s a bit of an increase. I don’t know if you are looking at shore excursions thru a crude line but there is a huge markup for that. We booked most things directly with the vendor. It is true that you can drop some serious coin on excursions in Alaska — it’s one reason why I usually tell people not to pay the upcharge for disney or club level or anything like that for an Alaska cruise. But even the cheap stuff there is pretty great. I don’t think the zip lining is that different from going to Sandy spring.

[Anonymous]

Floatplane was $240 pp for us but it was a few years ago.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We didn’t have any power outages on the Amalfi Coast, you can take a ferry straight from Naples to the Amalfi Coast and if you are thinking of Positano as needing to carry your luggage there are porters at the ferryport who will take care of that for you.

Easiest place to stay on the coast is Sorrento, accessible by train. And we had no power outages, there for three days. Took a ferry to see other towns. Definitely harder with little kids and strollers since getting to the ferry in Sorrento involved a huge flight of stairs.

This

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:About going to Alaska...

I had no idea how many people would ask me if I was going ziplining, or on a floatplane.

Nope, zip-lining would be nearly $1000 for our family of three (only child). And going on a floatplane would be over $2000 to nearly $3000 for the three of us. Travelling to Alaska, alone, is expensive.

I dodge these questions to not talk about money.

But I really have to wonder about some of the people asking, either went to Alaska a long time ago if it was more affordable then? Or think everyone or us would reasonably spend this for a short activity? Our personal preference is we pay for experiences (such as travel) but don't have interest in that, especially with so many other things to see.

We’ve been tossing around the idea of an Alaskan cruise. Do you mind sharing what you did at each port?

We are cruise lovers but don’t do the traditional (or non traditional) zip lines that are at every port. We don’t do sunset boat rides. None of the things people ask you if you did. We are pretty boring, take a cab to a beach and just swim. I have no clue what we would do in Alaska. We also have one child.

[Anonymous]

When British people seem like they are being nice and polite, they are actually being rude and condescending.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For some unknown reason, most showers over baths in France don't have a door or curtain. I don't know what they enjoy water spraying all over the floor.

Also, there are no washcloths in Europe in general.

There are washcloths in Europe; you can buy them in department stores, linen shops, even supermarkets. But you won’t find them in your hotel or cottage rental, because they are considered a more personal item, like a toothbrush or hairbrush, so they are not supplied. I like the washcloth mitts in France and always buy some to bring home.

This is really wasteful but so convenient: For travel in Europe, I buy a 24-pack of washcloths from Costco for around $10 and throw them away after each use.

[Anonymous]

When you rent a car on the French side of Geneva airport, it probably won’t come with the Swiss highway vignette- and you’ll soon be stopped because you’ll be on a Swiss highway without said vignette. If you’re lucky, you’ll get away without a fine once you buy the vignette.

[Anonymous]

If you rent a car in Europe, from Hertz especially, take lots of pictures upon pickup of ant litter scratch, dent, ding that’s bigger than a dime. Also look at the hubcaps and under the bumpers. At drop off, have them sign off in writing. Three times that family members were charged for damages - it’s always 1000.00. Twice in Geneva, once in Lisbon, where attendant immediately dropped on the ground to look under front bumper at return.
And use a CC that provides primary coverage.

[Anonymous]

The "water taxi" from Belize City to San Pedro is not a quick trip like it's name suggests, and you are likely not have coverage from the rain (which it did the whole ride).