Eat, Sleep, Breathe, Travel

Don't leave the country without downloading these apps

We're all addicted to our apps while home in the U.S., but did you know there are some amazing apps that are even more helpful while abroad? Check out these five apps to save you money and keep you out of some super embarrassing situations. 

 

WhatsApp Messenger: Have you ever taken a trip and come back home to a $100+ phone bill just from texting? Before you leave the country have your friends download this app and you’ll be able to exchange text, photo, and audio messages from wherever you are, free of crazy international charges. 

Boingo: While many hotels now include wireless, it’s still extremely difficult to connect in train stations or airports. Using Boingo, you can purchase an hour of Wi-Fi through iTunes for just $2. They have international partner networks all throughout Europe and the world, so it’s easy to hop online in most public places. 

World Customs and Cultures: Did you know if you give the a-ok sign to someone in Greece, it similar to giving someone the middle finger in the U.S.? Avoid this kind of awkward slip up by using this app. It will teach you how to appropriately say hello, what you should never ever do, and when giving a fist bump is (or is definitely not) socially acceptable. 

Currency Converter: You may think you're getting a great deal on that jewelry from a street vendor, but it's pretty easy to get ripped off. Keeping up with conversions can be tough, especially for a new traveler. This app gives you real time exchange rates and is totally free. 

Google Translate: I can assure you that your high school Spanish is not as fluent as you remember it being. Whether you're trying to chat with someone at a bar in Paris, or desperately seeking a bathroom in Rome, this app can give you the key phrases you need. It can also type out phrases in foreign characters so you can show locals what you're trying to say, right on your screen. 

Do you have any apps that have helped you out while traveling? Let us know in the comments! 

Amsterdam and Beijing Among 2013's Top Cities

We were excited to see two of our favorite EFCB travel destinations, Amsterdam and Beijing, featured in Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2013- Top 10 Cities. While Amsterdam is celebrating some major anniversaries next year, Bejing is holding steady as a center of culture in China. 

It looks like 2013 is shaping up to be a sort of “perfect storm” of celebrations in Amsterdam. The Canal Ring is turning the big 4-0-0. The Artis Royal Zoo is turning 175. The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, arguably the best orchestra in the world, is celebrating 125 years of music. And last but certainly not least, Mr. Vincent van Gogh himself turns 160. What does this mean for you? Non-stop parties, concerts, exhibits and street fairs going on all year in this city. 

Beijing, on the other hand, is still riding the culture high from the 2008 Olympics. Also bringing some major traffic to the city is the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed rail, which can get you from one city to the other in under five hours. Even as Beijing is going through a modern cultural shift, these modern attractions can hardly outshine the many historical wonders.  So, one minute you can be zipping through the countryside on one of the world’s fastest trains, and the next you’re lost in the Forbidden City. 

Want to check out these amazing cities in person? We run trips that spend time in Amsterdam and other trips to Beijing. If you’ve been procrastinating, 2013 is definitely the year to travel. 

 

Thanksgiving Travel: Surviving the Journey

It’s that time of year again! It’s time to pack up your mountains of dirty laundry and travel home for Thanksgiving break. Some of you may be hopping in the car and trying to beat the traffic, but many will be battling the record breaking crowds at the airport or transportation center. Here are 5 tips to arrive at Thanksgiving dinner with your sanity still intact.

1. Bring a snack. It’s Thanksgiving week, which means nearly every resident of this country is traveling somewhere this weekend... which means outside forces may prevent you from picking up your pre-travel snack. Plan ahead and make one (or all) of these delicious treats for the road!

2. Pack light. Chances are, you have less than a week off for Thanksgiving, so it's definitely possible to fit everything you need in one carry on. Don’t believe it can be done? Check out this awesome post on how to fit two weeks of stuff into one carry on. Checked bags often get lost, and you’ll wish you’d ditched that third pair of boots if your luggage doesn’t make home it until the day after Thanksgiving. If you’re taking a bus or train it’s even more important to pack light. It’s nearly impossible to get a big suitcase to your seat without taking out at least three innocent passengers.

3. Do not, under any circumstances, forget headphones. This is vital to maintaining your sanity. It’s a scientific fact-- the one time you forget headphones, you WILL sit in front of a crying baby the entire 8 hour bus ride. These will also come in handy this weekend, when you're sharing a room with your snoring parents.

4. Come prepared. Print all tickets and boarding passes ahead of time. Charge your electronics-- outlets on moving vehicles aren’t always reliable. Bring cash. Have your ID and wallet within easy reach. If you’re prepared, what could be a travel nightmare will just be a small hurdle on your way to a relaxing break.

5. Enjoy your last bit of alone time. Use this alone time to prepare yourself for all the family-related chaos coming your way. Luckily you can always sneak off to play with your new iPhone and avoid probing questions from relatives. That is... unless this happens...

 

 

(photo via wanderplex.com)

Art meets travel meets map-making

I came across this site a little while back, but I haven’t yet gotten around to blogging about it. Today I am.

It’s called They Draw and Travel, and it’s essentially a collection of hand-drawn maps of cities all over the world (with "map" being loosely defined, in some cases). The maps are submitted by regular folks, folks who like to travel and like to make art.

When I say map, I don’t mean something you take with you and rely on to navigate a city (unless you are visiting cartoon land). These works are more like artistic expressions of the places the artists have traveled. Some of the maps have streets and landmarks named, others depict people or buildings or moods, at least one has a unicorn.

There’s one of EF College Break’s hometown of Boston.

There are a bunch of Paris.

There’s one I quite like of London. 

You can browse the maps by country, via a useful world map feature. Or you can do a keyword search. Or you can randomly browse. And, of course, you can submit your own work.

I think this site is cool. Looking at people's artistic impressions of their travel experiences leaves me with a pleasant feeling. As I see it, travel inspires creativity, and creativity inspires travel. I like both of these things.

Photo: Debbie Daley via theydrawandtravel.com

It's Rodin's birthday. Great sculptor. Great museum.

I was just on Google’s homepage, and their logo of the day is The Thinker sculpture by Auguste Rodin. (Today would be Rodin’s 172nd birthday.)

This reminded me of a great time I had visiting Paris's Rodin Museum (a.k.a. Musée Rodin), where The Thinker sculpture lives. I’m a big fan of the statue, for a few reasons. First of all, I like thinking, so I can relate to this man. Second of all, I like thinking about what the sculpture is thinking about. And finally, I like sculptures.

The Thinker is made of bronze and marble, and it was sculpted in 1902. It was originally commissioned to be the portal to the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, which is part of the Louvre. (Nowadays, as I said, it is housed at the Rodin Museum.)

The Rodin Museum is a good place to visit if you’re in Paris, and you’ve already hit the Louvre and the Musée d’Orsay, and you really like art. It has a very nice collection of sculptures, and even better it has a very nice and relaxing outdoor space. You can chill in the gardens among priceless works of art. Not a bad way to spend an afternoon.

Photo: billandkent via Flickr

The beloved chocolate bears of France

Apparently French people love chocolate bears.

I didn’t know that. This is why I love traveling (or, when I’m not traveling, it’s why I love writing about traveling). Because you learn about all these little quirks and qualities in other cultures.

Now, about these chocolate bears in France. Like many countries around the world, France is in tough shape economically. That, however, hasn’t stopped French people from devouring confectioneries—the sweets industry in France continues to grow at 8% a year.

And they especially love their chocolate bears. Specifically the ones known as “oursons guimauve,” which is loosely translated as bear cubs made of marshmallow. These beloved candies are small chocolate-covered marshmallow bears, about the size of a metro ticket. And they’re celebrating their 50^th birthday this year.

French people eat 400 million of these chocolate bears every year. Any way you look at it, that’s a huge number of chocolate bears. For many older people, a bite into one of these bears brings them back to their childhood. I can relate to that. I feel the same way when I eat Lifesavers.

Apparently, the famous French chocolate bears have just been released in the US too, which has some French people grumbling. It remains to be seen if we Americans will embrace the "oursons guimauve" with as much gusto as the French have.

Photo: bbc.co.uk

In-flight safety gets fun again

I think I may have blogged about this before, about Air New Zealand’s clever, creative and entertaining in-flight safety videos. (At the very least, I know it’s mentioned on the EF College Break Flying Tips page.)

Yes, Air New Zealand has raised air flight safety videos to an art form. The video featured on the EF College Break page had the flight crew (including the pilot) delivering all the important safety information wearing only body paint.

Well now they have unveiled their latest masterpiece: an entire flight safety video based on Lord of the Rings.

As many of you know, New Zealand was the shooting location for many of the Lord of the Rings landscapes, and it will again be featured in the upcoming installation The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. Judging by the nearly 7 million youtube views already on this latest flight safety video, people love Air New Zealand's take on flight safety as much as they love the Lord of the Rings movies.

I have to be honest—I am not the biggest Lord of the Rings buff, so I didn’t enjoy the video quite as much as many others might. But I definitely admire Air New Zealand for taking something as mundane as oxygen masks and seat belts and turning it into a true cinematic experience, complete with elves, hairy feet, and a wizard flying the plane.

Well done again, Air New Zealand.

Photo: notfrancois via Flickr

Happy 500th to the Sistine Chapel ceiling

Yesterday wasn’t just Halloween. It was also the 500^th anniversary of the unveiling of Michelangelo’s famous frescos on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. That momentous event occurred on October 31, 1512. I’d like to personally say Happy Birthday to the ceiling.

I have been to the Sistine Chapel and have craned my neck to stare at that ceiling. It's awesome. For those who don’t know, there are nine panels depicting various moments from the Bible. My favorite, and by far the most famous, is the “Creation of Adam,” in which God and Adam’s hands are reaching each other (with the fingers not quite touching).

If you’re interested in the Sistine ceiling, first I recommend going to Italy. In the meantime, I recommend watching this video. You can learn a thing or two. Also I like the interview with Antonio Paolucci, Director of the Vatican Museums. He's a cool guy. I like listening to him talk.

Little known fact I just learned: Michelangelo painted the frescos over a starry night scene that had been painted on the ceiling between 1477 and 1480.

I also just learned that Michelangelo at first didn't want to paint the ceiling because he considered himself a sculptor, not a painter. In fact, he looked down a bit on painters.

I’m glad he changed his mind.

Photo: Hadleygrass is asparagus via Flickr