Aloha on the Move, Temporarily Wheels Down!

There is no question that this trip has been the experience of a life time. We created so many wonderful memories. We saw so many interesting and awe inspiring sights. We had great food. We met kind and wonderful people and we learned a ton!

So that I never forget, here are some of the most memorable take-aways.

Bring Aloha with you where ever you travel – be kind, patient, understanding!
Before leaving the US, be sure you have copies of all reservations, confirmations, hotel addresses, phone numbers, etc. Here’s another big one: if you are renting cars, be sure to have with you a copy of the language from your credit card company that sets forth the auto insurance provisions included in the credit card contract when you use the credit card to pay for the car rental. We arrived at a rental car agency and said we wanted to waive the insurance because our credit card company offered us auto insurance protections if we used the card to pay for the rental. We had to produce a copy of the coverage offered by the credit card company. Without this proof, the rental agency mandated we take their coverage. Cost? $2,200 for a 2-week car rental. Yep, $2,200.
Have pictures of your passport, driver’s license and credit cards; if your purse/luggage get stolen, you will have these important documents recorded on your phone and can easily be recreated.
Be sure that you rent an automatic if you don’t know how to drive stick (manual transmission). Most European cars are manual transmission. If you want to rent an automatic, you have to do so in advance. There is no guarantee the car rental agency will have a supply of automatics when you arrive, if you haven’t ordered in advance. This is a very unhappy situation and not easily remedied.
Do not expect that Uber is available in all European cities, even the larger ones.
Change the GPS settings to bypass toll roads and highways and take the long routes (unless you are trying to make a flight). We saw sights that most tourists don’t see by taking a chance and getting off the main roads. Admittedly, some of those adventures were on the risky side but hell, that’s why they are called adventures!
Things are going to go wrong. It’s part of the experience. How you navigate what goes wrong will determine just how “horrible” it was that you missed that flight, turned on the wrong road, climbed the Connor Pass. Jim and I learned to laugh at our misadventures and they have provided many a night of lively discussion at the dinner table as we sat and reminisced over a glass of great (inexpensive) wine. Of course we both agree that all of the “bad” adventures where his fault! LOL
Learn a few words in the language of the country you are visiting. “Hello”, “Please”, “Thank You”, “Good bye”, “Do you speak English”, “I need assistance” and “Where is the bathroom”. Then, get up close and personal with Google Translate. Type in English what you want to say and then show the translation on your Google Translate app to the person who does not speak English. Everyone does this! Believe me, don’t stress about it. You and the person who does not speak English figure it out. I went into a small Italian grocery store one afternoon because I needed a lighter to light candles. The clerk did not speak a single word of English. So, I made finger motions to show I was lighting a lighter. Ah, the lights went on, so to speak. He proclaims, “Ah, si!, Un accendino!” and reaches down and voila! hands me a small Bic lighter! You figure it out. Sometimes, you just speak to each other in your own language and each of you smiles and nods too the other. You figure it out!
If you are visiting small cities and towns, do NOT expect anyone to speak English. They love their language and it is the only country in the world in which they can speak their language. Unlike English which is “universal”, people in Italy, for example, only speak Italian in Italy. So, they do not want to speak English or any other language but Italian when they are in their own country. Many of us feel that same way in the US. You come to the US, you should expect to speak English. Admit it, you’ve said that at least once in your life.
Unless you are visiting large European cities like Madrid, for example, you will need Google Translate to grocery shop, decipher a menu or read road signs.
Do not watch TV. In four months, we never once watched a TV show. We read, played cards, worked crossword puzzles or just talked about the day. We got the news from newspapers, on line. We never missed TV.
Keep a diary or journal. You still won’t capture everything you saw or learned but you will at least have most of it. We have already reviewed our adventures in Chipping Norton and Kilorglin, which took place way back in June. It’s been great to have this blog to look back on where we went, what we saw, where we ate, etc.
Take a few private tours. It’s worth the money. You learn so much from these individuals, many of whom have Masters Degrees in History, particularly the history of their country. They are also great resources for where to eat, whether or not to tip, where is the best bakery/wine shop and where to stay away from, particularly areas that may not be safe or are just not desirable to visit. They all speak fluent English, just make sure you book an English-speaking tour. Jim and I booked a bus tour and when we got on the bus, we found out it was a German-speaking tour! Ooops. Well, we had a nice bus ride anyway.
Always choose the local currency when you make a purchase using your credit card. Do not pay in USD! Do not use ATM machines, unless you use a Bank ATM and you pay close attention to the ATM charges and the cost of exchanging your dollars into the local currency. We ran into a situation where the ATM fees + exchange rate costs came to $30 USD on $120 USD! These can be brutally expensive lessons learned.
Open a Wise Account. It will be the wisest thing you do when it comes to managing foreign exchange rates.

I am sure there is more I can add to this list and probably will, as things come back to me. I plan to keep Aloha on the Move a living, breathing blog.

So, until the next adventure,

Toodles!, Mar sin leat!, Au revoir!, Arrivederci!, Adios! and Adeus!

Aloha!

Some of my favorites: