The Young and the Traveled

Traveling internationally with Eamon has been quite the experience.  We've taken a lot of road trips over the years so I thought I had a pretty good idea of his travel temperament and so far he hasn't disappointed - other than his newly acquired motion sickness.  :/  There have been a lot of other things that traveling with a kid has taught me these past few weeks so I've compiled a handy-dandy list! 

• Flight attendants will give you all kinds of free drinks and snacks to keep your kid from puking on the flight!  :D  

• Cabbies in Belfast (at least the ones named Marty!) will ply your kid with candy and give you a fiver to buy him junk food if you promise not to take him out of the hotel on a politically iffy night.

• Your kid makes the perfect mule for sneaking fruit and mini jam jars out of super fancy breakfast buffets - especially if you make sure he's wearing cargo pants!  Bonus - if he's caught, you can just pretend that you're horrified at his juvenile behavior! 

• The questionable cleanliness of a hostel won't faze your kid at all (unless you've got one of those weird kids who likes showering, then I can't help you!).

• Your kid will adapt very quickly to staying in 5 star hotels and B&B's, especially if they have complimentary robes and slippers!

Exhibit A ;) 

Worst Travel(writ)er Ever

Now that we are on Day Five (FIVE?!) of the trip, I guess it's time to update my travel blog.  Why I haven't done this sooner, I don't know.  Oh, perhaps it's because every time I've had my laptop out and a wifi connection, Eamon has been at my elbow asking, "Can I get on?  When can I get on?  So about those video games..."  Also, I think it took me a few days to recover from the trauma of The Toronto Incident, as it shall forever be known.

What, you ask, is The Toronto Incident?  Well, let's just say that in one of my most spectacular travel debacles ever (and there have been quite a few), I [subconsciously] decided that I quite enjoyed the international lounge at Toronto's airport, so much so that Eamon and I spent about 5 hours at the wrong gate in the wrong concourse and nearly missed our flight to London.  Actually, after the slowest, shortest, most non-effective airport shuttle ride ever, we were told that we had in fact missed the flight but after about 10 minutes of tears and ticket agents trying to reroute us, they told us that they might let us on after all, if we felt like running.  I guess the airport gods were sufficiently pleased with our grief and contrition - or the ticket agents just didn't want to bother trying to find us alternate flights.  Needless to say, my "seasoned traveler" image was a bit tarnished after that.  I will say that after running through the airport with a 14.7 pound backpack and a fully-laden purse, I feel like I might be ready for one of Mark's crazy races!

Marti & Eamon, BTTI (before The Toronto Incident)

UPDATE:  Wow, I'm so bad at this that I posted this on the wrong blog... :P

Tripped Up Advisor

My tripped up advisor...

It's only been a week or two since our Friendly Swede sleeping bag/bed liners arrived so I guess it's about time to test them out.  Too bad I'm swamped with bill paying and school work...  But, wait, I have an official product tester on staff!  And if there is one thing he likes more than attempting to break things, it's rolling around on the floor wrapped in a sheet.  No, really.  

So after cocooning himself in one of the sleeping bag liners and hopping up - and then down - the stairs in it, and it still being in one piece, we're going to call this a successful product test! ;)   

Eamon or giant microwave burrito?

And let's not forget the real Trip Advisor.  Their suggestions for Aberdeen, Scotland have been much less depressing than the ones for Dublin and Belfast.  Marischal College (gorgeous!) and Haig's Food Hall (do they know my kid or what?) look pretty good.  There's even a beach in their list and not one jail or cemetery!   

Marischal College

Belfast Bound!

Belfast Bound!

Travel reservations are done*!   Yes, despite massive amounts of school work that I needed to do over the weekend, I managed to find time to shirk it all in favor of the much more enjoyable task of sifting through travel websites and hostel reviews.  Shocking, I know!  

Bus tickets are booked, hostel reservations are made, and airline tickets are purchased.  Now I just have to figure out what we're going to do there.  Of course, if Eamon has his way, we'll just visit all of their ice cream shops.  

Trip Advisor also has some suggestions and in their typically morbid fashion, they've suggested the following:  

Crumlin Road Gaol, which operated as a jail from 1845 until 1996.  Nope, not depressing at all...

Titanic Belfast, which admittedly looks cool in this photo but we all know what happened later... 

Ok, I'm kidding about the last one because I would really like to see where the Titanic was built but Trip Advisor really does need to step up their game and give some non-depressing trip advice!  Has anyone been to Belfast?  Where would you recommend that we visit?  

*Yes, grammar-nazis, I know that "done" is what a steak is and that the proper word would be "finished" - trust me, my 6th grade English teacher Mrs. Long is rolling over in her grave right now - but "done" just sounds better in this context!

Dublin, Dublin, Toil and... Troublin'?

Dublin, Dublin, Toil and... Troublin'?

Well, the ferry passage is booked, the hostel is reserved, and ground transportation is sorted.  Looks like we're headed to Dublin!  Now I just have to decide what we're going to do while we're there!  Obviously my mini-me is no help at all when it comes to trip planning.  However, TripAdvisor has TONS of unsolicited advice about where I should go and what I should do while I'm there.  (How did they even know?!) Their list includes the following:

Kilmainham Gaol, which appears to be where Daniel Day Lewis was imprisoned in "In the Name of the Father."  

Glasnevin Cemetery, which "houses" 1.5 million Dubliners - the non-living kind.  (Hmm, I'm sensing a really depressing theme here, TripAdvisor.  I'm going to need you to try a little harder to ensure that I have an enjoyable trip, not one spent weeping into a beer at the bar!)

St. Stephen's Green, an historic park and garden in the center of Dublin.  Ok, somewhat better but we can't forget the Famine Memorial in the park, which is still going to bring down the tone of the vacay.  TripAdvisor, I'm going to need you to step up your game.  Think of the children!  (Ok, just one but still, we don't want him weeping into his ice cream the whole time!)

What Dublin travel suggestions do YOU have?

Car Hire: Higher & Higher

Car Hire: Higher & Higher

It turns out that hiring a car was higher than I expected.  And since I wasn't expecting to hire a car... ugh!  Well, I knew that there would be some car hire happening but I was hoping I could put it off until the third or fourth country visited.  No such luck.  With that in mind, I feel that it is only fair for me to provide the following public service announcement to the United Kingdom:

People of England and Wales, take heed!  I will be criss-crossing through your lands like a soccer mom with a broken GPS who's late to the game and not sure what side of the road to drive on (because that's essentially my life anyway!) so please do us all a favor and move aside when you see me coming and don't curse me too badly. I promise to ingratiate myself to you with my effected yet believable southern charm!  

While I'm cheaping out and planning to make my 10 year old ride on top of the luggage, does anyone know if US GPS devices work in UK rental cars?  Enquiring/frugal minds want to know! :D

Btw, notice anything odd about the daily price and the total?  Considering that my rental period was only for five days and not ten?! :P The UK knows I'm coming and is already out to get me - and hopes I can't count. 

Legoland... London?!

Legoland... London?! 

Did you know that there's a Legoland outside of London?  We certainly didn't - until we started looking for lodging near Heathrow Airport and came across a lovely little hostel called Heathrow Lodge which, according to its web page is, "...in close proximity to the airport and Legoland..."  Um, what?!  

Eamon has only been dreaming of visiting Legoland since he was old enough to scatter little plastic bricks across the floor for us to step on.  And to visit a Legoland in London?  I mean, who needs to see the actual Parliament and Big Ben when you can see a Lego facsimile!  So with that little tidbit of tourist information, we have our first day's activity and lodging handled.  Just another 12 days and nights to sort out.  :)

I will admit that I am having a little trouble with the idea of skipping the wonders of London.  I've seen them but this would be my son's only chance on this trip.  What do you think:  would you forgo a day trip to downtown London to take your kids to an amusement park or nah?   

Pint Sized Conversations

Yikes!  It's been a while since I've posted.  :/  Obviously if you'd like to see more frequent updates, periodic school vacation days are required... And since that's about as likely as me winning the billion dollar lottery last month, let's just accept our relationship as it is and move forward. ;) 

So I've actually had very little progress on the vacay planning - other than acquiring a second job to pay for said vacay.  *sigh*  But let's not talk about that.  Let's talk about the awesome interactive link that one of Mark's friends from Ireland sent us all about the amazing Boyne Valley!  And let's talk about Pint Sized Ireland by Evan McHugh, which I've chosen as this month's book club selection!  I'm a chapter in and this book is already hella funny but I'm still struggling to understand the existence a non-American - much less an Australian! - who doesn't immediately like Guinness.  I know that we Americans have been raised on the nasty urine-colored/flavored beers and are therefore prone to gag on Guinness but an Australian?!  REALLY!?  I'm learning all kinds of stuff.  Btw, in case you're wondering, I do enjoy Guinness and have for many years.  Is it something that I have often?  No.  Is it something I can drink cold?  Hell, no!  But I do like a nice room temperature pint of the black stuff every now and then, especially the foamy stuff on top so I seem to at least be more acclimatized to the Irish drink than the author of this book - so far! 

What about you?  Have you ever drunk/do you drink Guinness?  Inquiring minds want to know! 

400+ Miles for Breast Cancer Now

AKA Your husband is doing WHAT in the UK this summer?!

For those of you who don't know why I'm going to the UK this summer with my son, let me fill you in:  because we're tagging along to make sure my crazy husband Mark doesn't injure himself too badly - or cause any international incidents.  And what, you might ask, is your husband planning to do in the UK that could result in injury and/or international censure?  In all seriousness, Mark is planning to run 400+ miles across the highest peaks in Wales, England, and Scotland in order to raise awareness and money for breast cancer research.  This is a cause that's close to both of our hearts as we lost Mark's mother to secondary breast cancer 13 years ago.  Other friends and family members have fought this battle as well so we're just trying to do our small part to help in any way that we can.  You can read Mark's words below:

One of the last things my mom told me was "I beat cancer 4 out of 5 times.  I think that's a winning record."

And while I've always admired her bravery, I can't help but think, "What if it had been Nancy Wood -1, Cancer -0?" What if her breast cancer had been knocked out permanently, instead of coming back as secondary, then metastasizing and spreading into her ovaries, stomach and bowel?  

How many more years together would we have had?  Would she have been there to see me marry the love of my life? Would she have had the chance to watch her eldest granddaughter grow into the amazingly talented young woman she is? Would she have been there for the birth of my son and seen herself in his goofy charm?   

Honestly, I don't know.  And I hate it.  I hate that time was taken from all of us.   I hate that there are women  right now, going through the same things she went through. I hate that there are families worried about their mothers, wives and daughters.   

But mostly? I hate that I've taken this long to act.   

I don't have much to give beyond a decent set of legs and a stubborn streak a mile long (inherited from the amazing woman above ). So, on June 20th, 2016, I'll be setting out on a 400+ mile/8 day trek through Wales, England and Scotland, tackling the highest peaks in each country, as a fund raiser for Breast Cancer Now, the UK's largest breast cancer research foundation. It's going to be a hell of a challenge, but  I WILL finish this run,  I'll finish it for her, for my friends working through their own struggles,  and for anyone else out there facing down breast cancer. 

All I ask is that you give what you can, and help Breast Cancer Now even the odds.

Let's go kick some ass.

To find out more or to donate to the cause, please go here:  https://www.justgiving.com/Mark-Wood27

Please note that anything donated on the Just Giving page goes to the charity Breast Cancer Now and not to Mark or me. 

Worst Travel Agent Ever?

Is it wrong to wish that the U.K. had fewer amazing things to see and do?  With approximately seven days in between when we see Mark off at Snowdon in Wales and meeting him again at Ben Nevis in Scotland, the choices are wide open but we can't do everything.  Should we rent a car and take ferries back and forth across the Irish Sea or maybe bus it or a puddle jump across?  Should we camp or do hostels?  

It suddenly dawned on me that maybe I should pick our travel destinations before deciding how to get there.  Yep, it's revolutionary ideas like that that have cemented my status as family trip planner.  Hmm, so what amazing things have I always wanted to do in Ireland?  Follow the family tradition of kissing the Blarney Stone and - bonus! - get to visit the old ancestral lands of Cork, where I've been told that everyone looks exactly like me.  (Seriously, my friend and professional Irish tourist Jonelle swears that she almost got whiplash doing double takes at all of the Marti doppelgangers there.)  Ooh, and let's not forget the Giant's Causeway in Ulster!  OK, this is starting to come together!  Except that those two things are at opposite ends of the country...  Great, back to square one.  But wait, I'm not the only one going on this pilgrimage!  I'll just ask my mini travel companion to weigh in on his preferences, which went something like this:

Me:  "Ok, buddy, I'm trying to plan what we're going to do on our trip.  What would you like to do in Ireland?"

Eamon:  "Uhhhhhh..."

Me:  "Ok, what do you think about going to Blarney Castle and kissing the Blarney Stone like Grandpa John and Aunt Erica?  I mean, you have dangle backwards and upside down over the castle battlements but I'm sure it's totally safe."

Eamon:  "Uhhhhhh..."

Me:  "Or there's the Giant's Causeway!  These awesome basalt columns in the sea that were supposedly put there by giants..."

Eamon:  "Uhhhhhh..."

Me:  "What do you think?  Have you heard of anything in Ireland that you'd like to do?"

Eamon:  "Well, we did study Irish food in school... let me look it up on the internet and show you."

Me:  "Ok, great!"

Eamon:  [googling "Ireland + dessert"]

Me:  "Ummmm..."

Eamon:  <triumphantly> "See?!  That!"

Me:  "Do you mean the scoops of ice cream in a bowl?"

Eamon:  "Yes! <studying the website intently> It says it's at a place called Murphy's Ice Cream... and there's one in Dublin!  We're going to Dublin, right?"

Me:  "Sooo, what you're telling me is that out of the whole country of Ireland, with all of its castles and amazing natural rock formations and everything else, you choose ice cream?"

Eamon: <matter-of-factly>  "Well, yeah." 

So worst travel agent ever?  Or best?  I mean, I can't really fault the boy for choosing ice cream.  It is kind of genetic.  

What would you choose?  Seriously, I need your help with the trip planning because my little travel buddy is obviously just in it for the food!  Leave your trip suggestions in the comments section please! :) 

Worst Travel Agent Ever?

Is it wrong to wish that the U.K. had fewer amazing things to see and do?  With approximately seven days in between when we see Mark off at Snowdon in Wales and meeting him again at Ben Nevis in Scotland, the choices are wide open but we can't do everything.  Should we rent a car and take ferries back and forth across the Irish Sea or maybe bus it or a puddle jump across?  Should we camp or do hostels?  

It suddenly dawned on me that maybe I should pick our travel destinations before deciding how to get there.  Yep, it's revolutionary ideas like that that have cemented my status as family trip planner.  Hmm, so what amazing things have I always wanted to do in Ireland?  Follow the family tradition of kissing the Blarney Stone and - bonus! - get to visit the old ancestral lands of Cork, where I've been told that everyone looks exactly like me.  (Seriously, my friend and professional Irish tourist Jonelle swears that she almost got whiplash doing double takes at all of the Marti doppelgangers there.)  Ooh, and let's not forget the Giant's Causeway in Ulster!  Ok, this is starting to come together!  Except that those two things are at opposite ends of the country...  Great, back to square one.  But wait, I'm not the only one going on this pilgrimage!  I'll just ask my mini travel companion to weigh in on his preferences, which went something like this:

Me:  "Ok, buddy, I'm trying to plan what we're going to do on our trip.  What would you like to do in Ireland?"

Eamon:  "Uhhhhhh..."

Me:  "Ok, what do you think about going to Blarney Castle and kissing the Blarney Stone like Grandpa John and Aunt Erica?  I mean, you have dangle backwards and upside down over the castle battlements but I'm sure it's totally safe."

Eamon:  "Uhhhhhh..."

Me:  "Or there's the Giant's Causeway!  These awesome basalt columns in the sea that were supposedly put there by giants..."

Eamon:  "Uhhhhhh..."

Me:  "What do you think?  Have you heard of anything in Ireland that you'd like to do?"

Eamon:  "Well, we did study Irish food in school... let me look it up on the internet and show you."

Me:  "Ok, great!"

Eamon:  [googling "Ireland + dessert"]

Me:  "Ummmm..."

Eamon:  <triumphantly> "See?!  That!"

Me:  "Do you mean the scoops of ice cream in a bowl?"

Eamon:  "Yes! <studying the website intently> It says it's at a place called Murphy's Ice Cream... and there's one in Dublin!  We're going to Dublin, right?"

Me:  "Sooo, what you're telling me is that out of the whole country of Ireland, with all of its castles and amazing natural rock formations and everything else, you choose ice cream?"

Eamon: <matter-of-factly>  "Well, yeah." 

So worst travel agent ever?  Or best?  I mean, I can't really fault the boy for choosing ice cream.  It is kind of genetic.  

What would you choose?  Seriously, I need your help with the trip planning because my little travel buddy is obviously just in it for the food!  Leave your trip suggestions in the comments section please! :) 

  

Anywhere But Europe...

Time to dust off the travel blog again...

In my continuing quest to travel internationally to any other continent than Europe, I have recently purchased plane tickets to... London of course.  

I know, I KNOW!  England is most definitely considered to be part of the European continent.  But the tickets were such a good price and the flight was right out of Columbia, as opposed to having to drive to Charlotte or Atlanta.  And the UK is such a great travel destination to break Eamon in on his first international trip.  But most importantly, that crazy guy that lives in my house and drinks all the coffee will be running 400+ miles for 8 days across 3 mountains to raise awareness and money for breast cancer research.  I figured we better go over with him to make sure he doesn't cause any international incidents - and to possibly drag him home in a wheelchair when his legs give out.  :)