Sunday Stealing

 

Welcome to Sunday Stealing. This feature originated and published on WTIT: The Blog. Here we will steal all types of questions from every corner of the blogosphere. Our promise to you is that we will work hard to find the most interesting and intelligent questions. Cheers to all of us thieves.

Stolen from SwapBot

1. Have you traveled abroad? Where have you been? If you haven't been overseas, which country would you most like to visit?
As a kid, I thought international travel was too expensive, but we have seen 45 states and 24 countries.  We have not been to Africa and I would love to go on a photo safari in Botswana, where most of the elephants are.

2. Where did you go on your last trip? Talk about where you went and what you did.
Our last big trip was a cruise up the Mediterranean, from Barcelona to Venice.  I loved the cathedral in Barcelona.  I've always wanted to visit Venice but it was like rush hour in New York...entirely too many people! But we did find a nice out of the way restaurant and theater to tour.

3. What is the best place for a vacation in your country? Why is it good?
Being born and raised in San Francisco, I always think SF is the best place to visit.  So many things to see, so many beautiful places to photograph, so many things to do.  Walk across the Golden Gate bridge, travel through Chinatown, explore Golden Gate park, etc., etc.

4. What is the longest time you have been away from home? Did you feel homesick?
I spent 6 weeks in Australia, visiting a friend.  I didn't get homesick because we did so many things and went to so many places but always came back "home" so didn't have to deal with hotels.

5. How long should a vacation be? How long does it take you to really relax?
For me, I am generally ready to go home around 2-1/2 weeks.  So tired of hotels.  So 3 weeks is about the maximum time for a vacation.  I am always relaxed when we get to where we are going.

6. What forms of transportation do you prefer to use when you travel?|
I love trains, but we almost never use them.  Locally we use the car.  I no longer enjoy flying, but we usually fly if we are going a long distance.  Cruise ships are great.

7. How do you choose where to go? Are you inspired by other people's travel stories? Or photos? Or advertising?
We have been on many cruises that were chosen by my BFF, who made the decision with her husband.  We have known them for ~60 years.  She always makes good choices, but with her husband dead now, and all of us in our 80s, we won't be traveling together any more.

8. What's more important to you when you travel - comfort and relaxation, or stimulating new experiences?
Definitely comfort and relaxation.

9. Do you like to try local foods when you go somewhere? Have you ever had something really delicious?
I'm not adventurous with food, but I do like to try local food.  The Pesto lasagna we had in Italy was fabulous and it was great having Chinese food (which I love) in China.

10. Things can go wrong when you travel. Have you had any bad travel experiences?
In the years before we started cruising, we went on camping trips with our friends and it always rained.  Our last trip was to be to the South of France together.  We were going to meet them in Paris after they took a cruise in Germany.  Sadly, Mike had cancer and had to be taken to a hospital in Germany and died there.

11. Do you take a lot with you when you travel? Or do you try to pack light?
I try to travel light, but always take more than I need.

12. Which places in the world do you think are too dangerous to visit? Why are they dangerous?
I'm glad we visited Ukraine because I sure wouldn't go there NOW.  I wouldn't go to any place in the middle east because of the politics.

13. What is the best age to travel? Can children appreciate the experience?
I don't know.  I never traveled internationally until in my 50s.  We took our kids to London and Ireland when they are still relatively young (the youngest 17) and they had a great time.  It was the perfect age because they were old enough to go off on their own, but still fun to be with us if we all wanted to go to the same place.  My son takes his daughters everywhere and has since they were quite young.

14. What are the advantages and disadvantages of traveling alone?
The advantage is you can go where you want, when you want; the disadvantage is there is nobody to share what you are seeing...nobody to say "isn't that beautiful" to.

15. What kind of accommodation do you like to stay in when you travel?
When we go on cruises, they put us in 4 or 5 star hotels, which we certainly couldn't afford on our own, but they are wonderful.  If we are traveling along, it's cheap motels.

16. Do you like to talk to the local people when you travel? Why or why not?
I am shy so it's difficult for me to talk to local people, but when I do, I love it.

17. Would you like to  do to a big international event, such as the Olympics or an international film festival? What would be good or bad about attending such an event?
I'd love to go to the film festival in Hollywood, would not like to go to a big international event because of the cost and the crowds (and you can see things better on TV anyway!)

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