FAQ

FAQ, New York, North America

Planning a trip to the Thousand Islands

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Q: Planning a trip to the Thousand Islands… Can you offer any info? I’m planning a trip to the Thousand Islands region of New York and I’ve never been there. Basically what I’m wondering is which islands are full of fun touristy things to do, and which hotels are affordable but nice. Thanks. Response: There is an island with the large Boldt Castle, which has a sad but interesting story behind it. On the American side in Alexandria Bay there is also an old hotel / restaurant where it is said the salad dressing by the same name was invented. If you do venture across the bridge to Canada, which provides a great view of the Thousand Islands, many go over to Kingston, ON for the day. Back on the American side, about 30 miles or so south (along the water through Clayton or down the freeway to Watertown then west) is a cute little town called Sackets Harbor, right on Lake Ontario Bay. Small but nice, hip little village. Most restaurants are open Memorial Day through Labor Day except for the occasional festival. The cobblestone buildings (now apartments and hotels) were once the military barracks during the war of 1812. One of the buildings provided quarters to the famous General Grant, although at that time he was Lieutenant Grant. (I once lived in the brick building, right next door to stone building that was Grant’s quarters – many, many years later, of course. I had the option to rent Grant’s quarters for the winter, but the electric bills were unbelievable!). A little further down the road from Sackets is a little beach and park – and the water is warmer than you would expect. Additional drives and scenic places could include Whiteface Mountain in the Adirondacks, Lake Placid and Saranac Lake . . .

ECUADOR, FAQ, PERU, South America

Best way to travel from Lima, Peru to Vilcabamba, Ecuador?

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Q: What is the best way to travel from Lima, Peru to Vilcabamba, Ecuador? Response: Just spent a little time in Vilcabamba, Ecuador this past April. We stayed with a new friend through the Couchsurfing program, and he had friends from Lima arrive the following night. They came by bus, and apparently make the trip often. We have not made that exact journey ourselves, but bus is the method our friend chooses when going to Lima and what his friend’s choose when coming to Vilcabamba. A note about flying in – we did that from Guayaquil: The airport is an hour and a half from Vilcabamba, out in a field in the middle of nowhere farm country outside a town called Catamayo. Although I would think they exist, I did not see a bus or option for one from the airport to the town of Catamayo. Here are your options: (1) Take a 45 minute taxi ride from the airport in Catamayo to a company called Ruta de Taxi located at Once de Mayo (11th of May -name of the street) in Loja ($20). You will then get in a shared taxi for another 45 minute ride (nice drive) to a central drop off location in Vilcabamba, about 2 blocks from town square / central park. The shared taxi was $1.75 total vs $15 if you wanted a normal, private taxi. The company “Ruta de Taxi” runs back and forth all day. You may just have to wait a few minutes to gather a few more passengers. We never waited more than about 2-3 minutes. (2) If you can get from the airport to the bus stop in Catamayo, the bus would probably cost about 50 cents to get to the bus stop in Loja. we made a day trip to Loja, and from Loja took the bus back to that same drop off location in Vilcabamba for 45 cents each.

toll free airline phone numbers travelswithmiha
FAQ, General Travel Related

Where can I find toll-free airline phone numbers?

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Question: Where can I find a list of toll free airline phone numbers? Response: Right here at Travels With Miha now. Here is my list of toll free airline phone numbers. Airline Phone Number Aer Lingus 800.474.7424 Aeroflot 888.340.6400 Aerolineas Argentinas 800.333.0276 Aeromexico 800.237.6639 Air Berlin 866.266.5588 Air Canada 800.247.2262 800.361.8071 Speech/Hearing impaired Air China 800.982.8802 Air Europa 888.238.7672 Air Fiji 877.247.3454 Air France 800.237.2747 Air India 800.223.2250 Air Jamaica 800.523.5585 Air Mauritius 800.537.1182 Air New Zealand 800.262.1234 Air Pacific 800.227.4446 Air Portugal (TAP) 800.221.7370 Air Tahiti Nui 877.824.4846 Air Transat 877.872.6728 Air Zimbabwe 800.742.3006 AirTran Airways 800.247.8726 Alaska Airlines 800.426.0333 800.682.2221 Speech/Hearing impaired Alitalia 800.223.5730 All Nippon Airways 800.235.9262 American Airlines 800.433.7300 800.543.1586 Speech/Hearing impaired 800.633.3711 Spanish Asiana Airlines 800.227.4262 Austrian Airlines 800.843.0002 Avianca 800.284.2622 Bahamas Air 800.222.4262 Bemidji Aviation 800.332.7133 British Airways 800.247.9297 866.393.0961 Speech/Hearing impaired British Midland 800.788.0555 CanJet 888.201.2289 Cape Air 800.352.0714 Caribbean Airlines 800.920.4225 Cathay Pacific Airways 800.233.2742 Cayman Airways 800.441.3003 China Airlines 800.227.5118 China Eastern Airlines 800.200.5118 China Southern Airlines 888.338.8988 Comair 800.354.9822 Condor 800.524.6975 Copa Airlines 800.359.2672 Czech Airlines 800.223.2365 Delta Air Lines 800.221.1212 800.831.4488 Speech/Hearing impaired 800.208.8601 Spanish Egyptair 800.334.6787 El Al Israel Airlines 800.223.6700 Emirates Air 800.777.3999 EVA Airways 800.695.1188 Finnair 800.950.5000 Frontier Airlines 800.432.1359 Garuda Indonesia 800.342.7832 go! Operated by Mesa Airlines 888.435.9462 Great Lakes Airlines 800.554.5111 Gulf Air 888.359.4853 Gulfstream Intl Airlines 800.992.8532 Hawaiian Airlines 800.367.5320 Iberia Airlines 800.772.4642 Icelandair 800.223.5500 Island Air 800.323.3345 Japan Airlines 800.525.3663 JetBlue Airways 800.538.2583 800.336.5530 Speech/Hearing impaired KLM Royal Dutch 866.434.0320 Korean Air 800.438.5000 Kuwait Airways 800.458.9248 Lacsa Costa Rica 800.225.2272 LAN Chile Airlines 866.435.9526 LIAT 268.480.5625 (not toll-free) LTU International 866.266.5588 LOT 212.789.0970 (not toll-free) Lufthansa 800.645.3880 Malaysia Airlines 800.552.9264 Martinair Holland 800.627.8462 Mesa Airlines 800.637.2247 Olympic Airways 800.223.1226 Pacific Coastal Airlines 800.663.2872 Pacific Wings 808.873.0877 Philippine Airlines 800.435.9725 Qantas Airways 800.227.4500 Qatar Airways 877.877.2827 Royal Air Maroc 800.344.6726 Royal Jordanian Airlines 212.949.0050 (not toll-free) SAS Scandinavian Airlines 800.221.2350 Saudia Arabian Airlines 800.472.8342 Singapore Airlines 800.742.3333 South African Airways 800.722.9675 Southwest Airlines 800.435.9792 Spirit Airlines 800.772.7117 SriLankan 877.915.2652 Sun Country 800.359.6786 Suriname Airways 800.327.6864 SWISS International Air Lines 877.359.7947 TACA Airlines 800.400.8222 TAM +5511.3123.1000 (not toll-free) TAP Air Portugal 800.221.7370 Thai Air 800.426.5204 Turkish Airlines 800.874.8875 Ukraine Intl Airlines 800.876.0114 United Airlines 800.241.6522 800.323.0170 Speech/Hearing Impaired 800.426.5561 Spanish US Airways 800.428.4322 800.245.2966 Speech/Hearing impaired Virgin America 877.359.8474 Virgin Atlantic 800.862.8621 800.847.4641 Speech/Hearing impaired WestJet 800.538.5696

Europe, FAQ, ROMANIA

Romanian Currency: Where to Exchange?

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I’m travelling to Romania in a few weeks and I normally just grab whatever currency I need from the Travelex booth before I get on my flight somewhere (yes, I know it’s not always the most cost effective). Anyway, Romanian Lei is not available from the Travelex booth. So what do you recommend – change in Bucharest airport, or find an ATM? Presumably there will be an awful lot of people all trying to do the same thing? Response: There are also Money Exchange offices all over along the streets. We normally use these, as they tend to have the better rates. Like gas stations in the US, where there is one, there is usually three or four within close proximity. Just compare the rates and choose the one that is best. Not only will ATMs have fees, but your banking / credit institution may charge an additional “foreign transaction fee.” Between the two, these fees combined usually come out to more than what you will give up at one of the exchange offices.

Netherlands
Europe, EUROPE, FAQ, Netherlands

Netherlands: A Country or Group of Countries? Is Holland one of them?

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Q: Does The Netherlands refer to one country or a group of countries, and is Holland one of them? Response: Good one. Yes and No, but yes. Borrowing the line from a popular song “…this is the land of confusion” this is probably a good trivia game question. For those who prefer the short, quick answer: Netherlands is a country. There is NO country called Holland. Holland is a province of Netherlands (actually two provinces: North Holland and South Holland). For those who possess a little more intrigue: The confusion over The Netherlands and the common misconception that Holland is a country, or that it is one and the same place, has some historic roots. Commonly referred to by some as Holland, and yet others as The Netherlands, they are referring to same place, sort of. To start with the basics: Netherlands is a European country that is part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, ruled by the Dutch royal family. The country itself, Netherlands, is comprised of  12 local provinces (Brabant, Drenthe, Flevoland, Friesland, Gelderland, Groningen, Noord (North) Holland, Zuid (South) Holland, Limburg, Overijssel, Utrecht, and Zeeland). The confusion extends into the Caribbean islands as well; Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba are cities of the country of Netherlands, while Aruba, Curaçao, and Sint Maarten are self-governing countries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Summarized on the blog by cgpgrey: So in the end, there are 6 Caribbean islands, four countries, twelve provinces, two Hollands, two Netherlands and one kingdom, all Dutch. Quite simply, Holland makes up two provinces of the country, Netherlands. So why the confusion? Why do people say “Amsterdam, Holland” but “Rotterdam, Netherlands” when both cities are located in the province of Holland in the country of Netherlands? It is like saying one is going to Seattle, Washington or Arad, Transylvania versus Seattle, USA or Arad, Romania, respectively. Looking into the the history of this common reference, a few excerpts below give a little insight regarding origins and advice,  taken from the site internationalstudents.nl: When the Dutch went out into the world … starting in the 17th century… to establish trading routes, most ships came from the two provinces now called North Holland and South Holland… The Netherlands did not exist at that time yet, so when you would ask the sailor where they were from they would respond with the name of their city-state (province). Most of the time the sailor response would be that he was from Holland. Ever since Holland has been an synonym for the area that would later be called The Netherlands. . . … since there are ten other provinces with each having their own proud history, I would not recommend saying Holland when you are actually trying to refer to The Netherlands. It is just not correct and can even be seen as offensive or insulting, . . . There are many other sources which add to the confusion, including the country itself choosing to use the name Holland on their official sites for promoting tourism (www.holland.com, www.lekkerweg.nl). And many countries have the use of Holland rather than Netherlands historically ingrained into their languages and unchanged to this day. For example; Holandés in Spanish, Olandese in Italian, Hollandais in French, Olanda in Romanian, and Holländisch in German. So a bit of history follows us through the ages and makes for interesting discussion. Speaking of which, why are Netherlanders referred to as Dutch (or are they?), and the Germans as Deutsche? Another post for another day. In the meantime, below are a few [somewhat contrasting] references to get you warmed up: Why are people from the Netherlands called Dutch? Why are the Dutch called Dutch? First of all, we do not call… Dutch People Names of Germany

FAQ

Is it realistic to want to move abroad?

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I have wanted to move abroad for a couple of years. I am believer in “you only have one life”. Although I don’t have much money to work with. I am from the UK and thinking of Turkey or Spain. How do-able is this and what kind of money would I need? Response: Anything is do-able. Why not? Like you said, you only have one life. Depending on what you want to do and how much money you want to have, there are a few options. I personally do not know the rules between these countries as far as being from the UK and living in one of them, but there are usually ways. For example, if you have a skill set that allows you to get a job with a corporation doing business in one of those countries. Or volunteer work to get you started . .. I do not know your preferences, but for low cost trying out an area, maybe look into things like staying at a hostel in exchange for working X number of hours per week. There are also a couple of links below for things like staying at someone’s house in exchange for helping them so many hours per week. Granted, volunteer and/or low pay may not be what you are after, but it may provide for a quick, temporary solution, and you never know what opportunities will find you through the people you meet. These are just a few options. I have heard stories that range from great experiences to poor accommodations with owners just looking to take advantage of free labor. Sometimes you just have to move on. http://www.staydu.com http://www.workaway.info/ http://www.wwoofinternational.org/ This site lists some ideas, however with the agenda of selling a product: http://matadornetwork.com/abroad/10-travel-jobs-within-your-reach/ Here’s how one blogger did it: http://www.aroundtheworldin80jobs.com/These sites will give you a list of hostels in the areas of interest to you, that you could contact for volunteer / exchange agreements if you wish: www.hostelbookers.com www.hostelworld.com www.hostelz.com  

Aeroflot
Chronicles, Europe, Vagabond

Aeroflot: Try the Russian Airline?

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Recently I needed to get to Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. There was a flight combination that worked well for me, going to New York City then flying out the following day, which would allow me to spend an evening with some friends and family. The next day flight was with the Russian airline, Aeroflot, through Moscow and on to Bishkek. Aeroflot was one I had never flown. Some of my colleagues had, but not I.  A colleague had cautioned me about delayed connections through Moscow, stating it was an airport with not much to do, but the connection times on this route seemed ok. Not knowing much about this airline I decided to try it. (As everyone wished me a good trip, my adorable little niece said “I wish you a shiny plane aunt Miha.” Funny – look what I got.) I was impressed with the Airbus A330-300. Clean leather seats and a TV monitor for each seat. Lots of movies, documentaries and music options. Our Russian crew was nice and accommodating. I moved to another seat after boarding was done and they brought me my previously requested vegetarian meal to my new seat. The flight left NY on time and landed in Moscow early and the meal was very good. However, our connecting plane from Moscow to Bishkek was far away from the terminal. We had to take a crowded bus and enter the plane by stairs out in the rain. Moscow to Bishkek was a short but tiring flight due to the crying babies and loud and restless passengers. The crew was nice and the meal good but the other people in the plane moved constantly, changing seats and bothering each other. Landing in Bishkek we found out that a lot of the checked luggage from NY did not make it. The personnel in FRU (Bishkek airport) was nice but not too helpful. They had to be pushed to make calls to find out where the bags were. Yet, by the time we reached our far away hotel there was a message from them. The bags were in Moscow and arriving the next morning. I learned from fellow passengers that checked bags are often late and this is a common problem many Aeroflot passengers deal with. Another minus I was told is that the catering from FRU (Bishkek) or SVO (Moscow) back to the states is not good. I was told the food going that direction is a nightmare. Something most do not want to taste, or wished they had not. However later speaking with one of my colleagues, they said the food was fine on an Aeroflot flight they took back to the states. For those who are curious, I found here some Aeroflot reviews. I will be on a different flight back to the states, so guess I will find out another day. When the day comes, I will be sure to have a carry on and back up food supply, just in case.

istanbul turkey
Asia, FAQ, TURKEY

Traveling to Turkey for a week

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I will be traveling to Turkey for a week and would appreciate some help. I know turkey has a lot of places to visit and since I’ll be there for about a week I am confused as to which ones I should visit, how much they might cost, and how to get there.  I will be staying in Istanbul and also wanted an idea about the hotels and prices, etc. Response: Turkey has a few fascinating places to see like no other. Outside of Istanbul I recommend you look up and consider visiting Pamukkale and the area in Cappadocia with the unique stone formations and caves. In Istanbul there is of course the Blue Mosque, the Grand Bazaar, and Topkapi Palace where you can view and learn about thousands of years of history. Depending on your budget, you might want to check the hostel sites. We used them and had a nice hotel (not hostel, but booked through a hostel site) down near the water in the historic area. The hotel was walking distance to the palace and everything Istanbul mentioned above. Staying in a tree house in Antalya (seasonal) and Fethiye are also popular. There are also a number of travel agents around the area I mentioned in Istanbul that can help, and of course your hotel concierge should be able to assist. If you stay at a hostel, there will be people there to guide you via cheaper routes.  

Machu Picchu Morning Peru
ECUADOR, FAQ, PERU, South America

Ecuador or Peru worth visiting while backpacking through South America?

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In short, yes. Both are, and if you are backpacking through South America then why not hit them both. Not sure where you are beginning your journey from, however as I am sure you are aware Peru and Ecuador share a border. Miha spent a few weeks in Peru, hiked the Andean trail into sunrise at Machu Picchu and has awesome photos and memories. On her way, she flew over the Nazca Lines, enjoyed time in Cusco, out into the jungle with the shamans, and along the coast in Lima. Recently we spent a couple of weeks in Ecuador. Did not get out to the beach, but toured from Cotacahi and Otavalo all the way down the Andes to Loja and Vilcabamba. Inexpensive, scenic, and if you like to see native cultures still living their way, you will see it here. Personally, I think starting in Cartagena and working down through Colombia to Ecuador into Peru and then wherever you are onto next would be great. Keep in mind if you visit Quito -which you should if in Ecuador – to be very cautious and do not take any valuables out after dark. We had no problems, but the warnings were everywhere and everyone we met had a “been robbed” story. Definitely a city worth seeing though. Check out the Couchsurfing program as well as hostels. You can meet some great people, fellow travelers, and significantly reduce your costs. Feel free to send us an email if you want any further or specific info. We’ll be happy to share.

antalya turkey
Asia, FAQ, TURKEY

Have you been to Antalya, Turkey?

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Yes, I have been to Antalya. Antalya is by the Taurus Mountains and the Mediterranean Sea, in the southern part of Turkey and is a popular destination for tourists in the summer. Just look at images of Antalya on Google and you will understand the attraction. Clear blue water and numerous hotels and resorts competing in eye delighting modern architecture including spectacular pools. Yet, Antalya is an old city with a long history and you can see the old Hadrian’s Gate, an old town and mosques. Trips outside the city will take you to many remarkable places in this amazing region. In Antalya and around you can visit Pamukkale, Düden Waterfalls, Antalya Museum, Ulu Cami, Konyaaltı Beach, Köprülü Canyon, Hadrian’s Gate, Hıdırlık Tower, Karaalioglu Park, Murat Paşa Mosque, Atatürk’s House Museum, Tekeli Mehmet Paşa Mosque. My favorite city in this region is Fethiye but everyone has their own taste. You can take a great three day cruise between Fethiye and Olympus (for me, the memorable place of tree houses). Here are a few links: http://www.antalyamuzesi.gov.tr/en http://www.turkeytravelplanner.com/go/med/Antalya/sights/hadrian_gate.html http://www.funtouristattractions.com/a/duden-waterfalls-antalya-turkey/4812 http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/485 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/bestbeaches/7634770/Best-beaches-in-Turkey-Konyaalti-beach-Antalya.html

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