A5 #TRLT Follow your dreams. If you haven’t done it, start small & see if you like it. If so, do a bigger trip and keep building on that. In 1996, I knew nothing about how to travel, so I sent myself to school and never looked back.

A4 #TRLT One story I had heard all my life was the story of Vesuvius & Pompeii. I enjoyed finally seeing it & having authentic Napoleon pizza on the side of Vesuvius.

A3 #TRLT Kruger National Park in 2015. I have several favorite pictures

A1 #TRLT My reason has always been to better understand the world & other societies. If you understand a little more, you’ll fear a lot less. Vietnam was a good example.

A1 #TRLT The first big trip I took was to SoCal in 1996. It was a big deal at the time as I had not seen anything outside of the PNW & knew nothing about travel. These are pictures I took years later.

Hello from Oregon #TRLT

A6 Embrace the unknown, keep your wits about you but just enjoy the experience…it’s more likely to be unique and memorable than something more planned and well known. #PTTravel

A5 #PTTravel I really have no desire to visit Russia, at least with the current regime.

A4 #PTTravel Antarctica, it’s the last big unknown for me. It’s booked for next year.

A3 #PTTravel Macau was a bit of an unknown that turned out to be an interesting place

A2 #PTTravel Kuala Lumpur was a complete unknown & I did it without much preparation. I went up from Singapore for 24 hrs to see the Petronas Towers. As it turns out, I really liked the place & I’m planning a larger trip to Malaysia for the fall.

A1 #PTTravel Travel really is about the unknown. I like to arrive at a destination in the daytime. After that, exploring the unknown is part of the trip.

Hello from Oregon #PTTravel

A6 #travchat Use mass transit. In Dubai, I used the Metro system to get around. I’ll also use the Hop on buses just to see where local attractions are ahead of visiting them or to make sure I’m not missing something like I did in Dubai.

A5 #travchat email, social media

A4 #travchat Also consider going either first thing in the morning or in the evening. The Louvre is a good example, hardly anyone up there after 6 PM.

A1 #travchat Buy tickets online. More attractions are offering this & will save a lot of time. I bought tickets for Reina Sofia in Madrid & was glad I did as there were 50 people in the ticket line. Hiring a day tour is also a consideration. They line up the tickets.

A3 #travchat That’s where my phone comes in. I use Google Maps to see what nearby & TripAdvisor to see what people think of them.

A2 #travchat After COVID, I bought a carry on case that is considered carry on by most airlines. I take 4 sets of clothes, the minimum things I’ll need and no check on cases. I use local laundries & it’s worked pretty well. It also discourages me from buying a lot of souvenirs

A1 #travchat I usually go to the bank first to see if I can get currency there. Otherwise, I’ll just exchange at the airport. I would be interested to hear other suggestions