Small Travel

Have you ever tried a small travel near you? If you live with your jobs, you have the same routines everyday. People tend to miss the new discoveries for these. If you like jogging, walking or cycling, you can choose different routes.


Preparations:

• Your smartphone with the Internet
• Pens and Notebooks, or an online notebook such as OneNote or Evernote
• Digital Camera

How to:

1. On your smartphone, use maps around your location and research.
2. Find some interests near you such as shops you have ever tried.
3. Note your expectations on your notebook.
4. Go to the locations.
5. Take photos, shoot videos, and record audios for your reminders. 
6. Note your thoughts on your notebook and compare with your expectations.

Brian Williams, the anchor of NBC Nightly News, decided to have a surgery for his knee which was broken in his high school era. Like him, many people such as military uniforms also became disabilities for their activities. If you are training for your obstacles, this is a good way to find a new world. You can try with your abilities.

 "Traveling Man" (1971)

By Stevie Wonder

Discovering the local areas is very interesting. Everyday, we pass some places by car. However, you may have a place that you wonder on the route. Why don't you try the place? You can decide it good or bad, and then you have a topic to talk with your friends.

Travel Tips: Calling & Texting

We need cellphones when we travel. Now people use "smartphones." If we travel in our countries, we can call, text, check emails, and play with a lot of fun services. Also you can take photos, check the maps, write some journals with your facebook, and tweet your impressions to the world. However, for the international uses of your phones, you may have some troubles.

The Way of Communication

If you have some international friends, you may find the same phone of yours with your friends. However, your phone works in your country, but your friends' phones doesn't. In fact, there are some communication ways for phones in the world. One important difference is the frequencies that are used in your countries. There are some big divisions for this in Euro, Northern America, Latin American countries, Africa, Asia and Pacific. Also, their communication systems are different from countries and companies. Still a lot of people in the world use GSM phones, but some countries such as Japan and South Korea, CDMA is the major system for their cellphones. If you live in the United States, both frequencies and system uses don't match with them.

What are the Substitute?

There are two major substitutes with WiFi if you can't use your phones in your destinations.

1. Skype
   When you want to call, "Skype" is one of your substitutes of your phone. You can call and chat through WiFi with your specific phone number named "Skype Number." Using this, you can call with the same number in the world.
   
2. Google Voice
   If "Google Voice" is available in your countries, it's also an alternative of your phone with WiFi. You can call with your specific number that you choose.

Naturally, you can buy a calling card, use a public phone, and rent a cellphone at the airports. You have a lot of alternatives to communicate with your daily life.

(Note: Some countries such as China and North Korea limit using the Internet for the domestic reasons. If you create these accounts before you travel, you may not access your accounts with their blocks. I strongly recommend you to check the communications and the conditions of your destinations before you leave your countries.)

Travel Tips: Saving Money with Coupons

(There are some updates below.)

When we travel, normally shopping is expensive. Especially, people want to travel long, money is very important. If you think your money very much, here are some ways to save.

1. Credit Card
   Once you get your credit card, you can take advantage of a lot of the benefits. In some stores, only you show it, you can get the free gifts and discounts. Also, if the card companies have the offices in your destinations, you may get some coupon books.
2. Coupons in the Newspapers
   You may get some coupons with newspapers. Especially, in the weekend editions, there are some glossary coupons with flyers. You may not use these coupons at small glossary marts, but you can use them at big supermarkets at least.
3. Visitor Center
   Local Visitor Centers also have some coupons. They are normally for local destinations such as museums, restaurants, and shopping malls, and transportation.

The days of the coupons in newspapers are different from countries and areas. Also, usually, before holidays, many stores have some discounts without coupons. Then you can buy some local and cultural food and stuff too.

"Coupons? It's a local way." Maybe, you think so. However, if you stay long, please check and get some destinations' atmospheres with them. It's time to get the influence!

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Update: July 15, 2013

Here are some additional information:

Credit card companies have a lot of international services. For example, some cards are originally with travel insurance. They support when you start traveling to be back home(you may need to buy the ticket with the card.) You may not buy an expensive insurance. Also, with something reasons, you are not able to have credit cards, you may use the international debit cards. Some international debit cards are also issued by major international issuers. They have similar services for your travel.

Here are some major companies for credit/debit cards:

• American Express
• Diners Club
• MasterCard WorldWide
• Visa International

These international companies tie with the domestic issuers, and may provide the international functions. There are some more international issuers such as Discover Card and JCB. For the services, please check your issuers' websites.

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Update: July 17, 2013

Coupon Apps & Sites

Is Saving Money not easy? "No!" It's easy with your smartphone too. Recently, some online coupon companies comes up. They are normally for the local people, but you can use them also with registrations.

Here are some sites:

1. Groupon ( http://www.groupon.com/ )
2. Living Social ( http://www.livingsocial.com/ )
3. Amazon Local ( http://local.amazon.com/ )

You can download their apps on your smartphone and tablets, and also use on your computers. They normally have some special discounts. Many of them are similar with travelers interests.

These are also for the international cities. If they have the information in your destinations, it's worth checking.

After you spend a massage with 50% discount, you may use the rest of money for delicious dinner:-)

Fourth of July

The Independence Day is tomorrow. I'm wondering how people spend time. Personally, today, I bought Budweiser with the Stars and Stripes. I've also got some food made in USA.

By the way, recently, many wildfires have occurred in the West Coast and Mountain areas of the United States. Naturally, people believe these wildfires spontaneously happens. However, some of them might be with cigarettes, fireworks, and campfires. When you'll get fun places, please treat fire carefully.

Also, this weekend, people go out and enjoy with the attractions such as parades, music lives, and fireworks. When you go out for these attractions, you feel thirsty in the Sun. Don't be patient, and drink water for your body conditions.

If you travel in the United States, here are some ideas for American foods.

• Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwiches, Milk and Apples(Breakfast)
• Hotdogs, or Hamburgers with French Fries + Coke(Lunch)
• BBQ with spareribs, and garden salads + Budweiser(Dinner)  

You also can try some American food near your traveling areas. Some restaurants serve their favorite dishes and beers with special discounts. Also if you are not in the United States, you can try these this summer. You can check how to cook online!

"Listen To The Music" (1972)

by The Doobie Brothers

Originally, Fourth of July is the independent day. It's not only a fun day, but also the day of thank for the nation and veterans. Don't forget the meaning, and enjoy the holiday!

If you want to know more about Fourth of July, you can check on History Channel.

• History of Fourth of July

Travel Tips: Culture & Thoughts

When people travel around the world, they meet a lot of travelers and local people. In many cases, they have big culture gaps among them. When they become familiar, it's time to talk about their culture.

Culture things are very difficult to explain. 10 years ago, people worried, "What do I indicate these complicated thing?" Now you have your smartphone on your hand with public WiFi called "Hotspot". Only you search and show the images, you can be familiar with your next guys.

However, you may not talk all the your interests.

1. Religions
   Recently, this is especially important if you walk around the conflict areas such as middle east, South Asia, and Africa. One of the famous conflict in the world is between Jewish and Islam in Israel. Without this, there are a lot of similar condition in the world. In China, for the governmental reasons, the government and Tibet people(Buddhism) have strong conflicts.
2. Races
   All people belong to races. Frankly to say, people call them "White," "Black," and "Yellow." For a long years in the history, white people have been superior than others. Now their rights becomes little by little equalized. However, the feuds and the memories are still on their mind. They are closely related to their lives.
3. Political Thoughts
   If you live in a peaceful country, you may not care about this. However, in some countries, political groups are with religions such as Christian and Islam. These groups are strongly against each other. When travelers tell about their thoughts, these affect to the treatments of the travelers.

These three are on the common senses of travelers. In common of these things are: 1) they are with thoughts, 2) closely related to their lives, and 3) permanent situations. Especially, if you plan to encounter with local people, please mind these and be a beautiful stranger:-)

"Beautiful Stranger"(1999)

By Madonna

A few years ago, especially, airline companies prohibited to use digital equipments such as smartphone, music players, digital cameras on board. However, now many of them turn to permit them. Also you can use in some buses and trains. You've got a chance to talk with people. Make friends, and enjoy your summer vacation!

RSS Reader

RSS Reader is useful for everything. If you use your smartphone, I think you have one. I'm also using a RSS Reader for my life. It's called "Google Reader." However, Google announced they will shut down it, and we can't use it anymore after July 1, 2013. What do we do for this?

Here are some alternatives:

1. Feedly ( http://www.feedly.com/ )
   Feedly is very popular. We can use it with smartphones and with Firefox(You need to install the add-on). This is also with Google ID.
2. NetNewsWire ( http://netnewswireapp.com/)
   This is desktop application for Mac. After you download the subscriptions via Google Takeout, you can import the file to NetNewsWire. When you adjust the setting, you can use like Google Reader.
3. Feed Demon ( http://www.feeddemon.com/ )
   This is also the desktop application for PC. As the same as NetNewsWire, after you download the subscriptions via Google Takeout, you can import the file to Feed Demon.
4. Flipboard ( http://flipboard.com/ )
   Flipboard is similar with Feedly. It's for the smartphones and tablets. When you register for your account, you can store your information and the subscriptions. Also you can make your magazines on it.

In fact, you can subscribe this blog on these apps. I have the subscription address on the right column. When you click the subscription, you can get the address of this blog.

Reading "lifehacker," Newsblur and Netvibes are also good and stylish alternatives.

When you register your favorite information, these will be your magazine. Using these tools are a good way to rearrange your daily needs and the information. Also you can register for your next travel and the destinations.

Enjoy yourself with your favorite information!

"Enjoy Yourself" by A+ (1999)

Sochi A-Go-Go

Last year, London Olympics was open in July. The games were impressive, and many Olympians showed their artistic body moving in front of the audiences.

Well, what is the next? Some people like the Olympic Games. They can't wait for next, and prepare for the next destinations.

Here is a summery of 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi (Russia). Sochi is a leisure city on the shore of the Black Sea. This game happens from February 7 to 23 in 2014. The motto is "Hot. Cool. Yours." The tickets are already on sale on their website ( http://www.sochi2014.com/ ).

When Soviet Union was alive, Moscow Olympics was occurred in 1980. Then many Western countries such as the United States, Canada, Sweden, West Germany and Japan boycotted the games. Ironically, this was the symbolic games of the Cold War. After 34 years later, the Olympic Games comes back to Russia. In Sochi, athletes plays for 15 sports. There is no physical border on the map like the western and eastern countries, and only the athletes have the mental and financial borders for the games now.

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Personally, I checked the Internet to find about Sochi, Russia, but there are only some websites related to travel and sightseeing. I think Lonely Planet is the best one to check about Sochi.

Sochi, Russia (Lonely Planet)
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/russia/russian-caucasus/sochi

In Sochi, the games happen near the leisure city. However, the scale of the city is not big like London. If you want to visit there, carefully you need to decide the accommodations and transportation you use.