Taking off Travel blog

I’m still loving Google+ for connecting with other travelers and in the past few weeks, I’ve added some of my favorite travel and lifestyle people (mostly nomadic) to circles. Here are my picks (along with a description from their about page):

• John Bardos – Location Independent, Entrepreneur, Marketing Consultant, Blogger
• Corbett Barr – I write for adventurous entrepreneurs at CorbettBarr.com, and help people build thriving online audiences at Think Traffic.
• Jodi Ettenberg – Former lawyer currently eating my way around the world, one country at a time.
• Avril G. – Travel.  Volunteer. Teach.  Learn. Experience. Inspire Action.
• Christine Gilbert – Writer of almostfearless.com, filming the documentary The Wireless Generation and full-time traveler.
• Chris Guillebeau – Pursuing World Domination, Visiting Every Country, Writing Books etc.
• Andy Hayes – Managing Director of Travel Online Partners (TOP), a resource for small business in travel and tourism to get help with online technology.
• Juha Liikala – Location Independent Online Entrepreneur & Blogger.
• Cody McKibben – Entrepreneur, writer, permanent traveler, magician & casanova.
• Shannon O’Donnell – Active traveler, storyteller, lover of books, and vegetarian all rolled into one happy package :
• Sean Ogle – Currently doing the stuff most people just talk about doing
• Brian Peters – Currently traveling the globe after being playing the corporate game for way too long.
• Anil Polat – Digital nomad traveling the world indefinitely.
• Chris Richardson – An aussie with a desire to see the world.. cliche maybe but oh so true
• James Schipper – Blurring the lines between work, life and play!
• Lea Woodward – Brought Location Independent to life. Founding pioneer at Kinetiva. Forever connecting the dots to bring ideas to life. Yes, I’m a domain name addict. Happy just being me.

You’ll have noticed that there are only 16 names here, so why the +? That’s because I’m hoping to add to the list.  I’d love to find some more nomads and lifestyle bloggers to circle and connect with, so if you should be here or know someone else who should, drop a link to your (or their) Google+ profile and a one line description and I’ll make the addition when I update the list! (Oh, and if you’re looking for me, you can find me here till Park Ride Fly USA gets a business Google+ profile.)

I’m not a big ranter, though there are a few things that get me hot under the collar.  But on my last trip, there were a few things that made me feel that I’d really been taken advantage of. My current pet peeve is the cost of getting from an airport to anywhere. Of course, it was my own fault. I know better than to take an official airport cab. On this occasion, I was traveling with my family, we were tired and we hadn’t made an arrangement with our local cab firm to collect us and take us to Jersey City. The result was an expensive lesson – $55 plus tips for a 20 minute cab ride that had only cost us $28 on the way out. I get that airport cab drivers probably have to pay for the privilege of being official, but does that really justify doubling the normal fare? I don’t see how.

Travel Rebates?

And while we’re on the subject of taxis, if I have to use my own GPS to help out a cab driver who doesn’t know the way from the airport to the nearest major city, shouldn’t I get a rebate or something? (Interesting fact of the day: London cabbies have more than average brain development, according to an exhibition at the Museum of Natural History in New York, because they have to learn ‘The Knowledge’ – all London streets – before they can be licensed.) Read more »

I’ve been running the Park Ride Fly USA travel blog for a few years now and, though many may not realize this, I’m British by birth. I’ve been traveling in the US since my 20s and some of my relatives are Americans, so I’m pretty familiar with it, but every now and then I have travel experiences that remind me of my own cultural heritage. Here are some of the things I noticed on my recent trip to New Jersey, New York and Florida.

1. Dressing for Breakfast

Brits are generally pretty conservative (at least in their behavior to other people), so when coming down to a communal breakfast in a hotel, most of us wear something that loosely fits into the daywear category. While in Florida, I noticed several of my fellow guests from various parts of the US dressed in pajamas. I couldn’t quite decide whether I was appalled or envious.

2. Airplane Seating

Just as Brits will naturally form a line for any event, they also tend to stick to the letter of the law – that means sitting in their assigned seats on the plane. To my amazement, on a flight from Fort Lauderdale to Newark, several people just sat wherever they liked – at least until the air crew requested them to return to their proper seats. Interestingly, this included one woman who sat in an emergency exit row, but who moved quickly once the steward had explained that it meant having to help other people leave the plane.

3. Food

How hard is it to shell an egg? The US is the first place I’ve seen pre-shelled, packaged hard boiled eggs. Of course, I bought some, and I will admit that I enjoyed not getting bits of eggshell stuck under my fingernails. This struck me as a good example of the ultra-convenience I take for granted when visiting the US.

Still on the subject of food, can anyone explain why a couple opposite me had two plates each for the all-you-can-eat buffet at Sweet Tomatoes?

4. Shopping

In America, I use less cash than anywhere else in the world where I travel. It is so easy – you have no Chip and PIN, no need to enter a PIN and electronic signatures. This makes it easy for a shopping trip to go way over budget. And speaking of shopping, here’s something for my wish list: unified sizing by clothing manufacturers. While in some cases it was easy to work out US sizes (many clothes now include US, European and UK sizing), in others it was amazing that a Small was bigger than the Large I bought in another country. Go figure!

I’ll be writing about some of my other travel experiences over the next week or two. I’d love to hear your thoughts on the differences between your home country and places you’ve visited.

Image: Patou / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Nothing broadens our horizons or is quite as fulfilling as travelling. Meeting new people, having exciting experiences and seeing foreign places is a deeply life affirming and confidence building thing to do and often gives our lives fresh perspective.

However, travel needn’t be consigned to just your annual two week holiday or gap year before university. Working abroad lets you experience life in far-flung places at any age, while giving your CV some attractive, unique and transferable skills.

If you want to live like a local, be part of a new culture and community and best of all, get paid for it, then say goodbye to dreary UK weather and check out our 5 best jobs that will help you get up and go globetrotting…

1. Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL)

Teaching English is a great way to travel overseas. A TEFL qualification only takes a month to complete and gives you a better chance of finding work. Even without it there are many countries that require native English speakers for teaching positions. You can find teaching jobs in most countries from European cities to the far flung Far East. Some countries are better paid than others like China, South Korea and parts of Europe but they may require more qualifications. Contracts vary from a few months to a year so you can change locations as often as you like. Teaching overseas is often a very rewarding experience and usually involves teaching young learners right through to adults.

2. Interpreter

If you have language skills you can put them to good use as a conference (or simultaneous), consecutive or public service (or liaison) interpreter. Full-time opportunities can be tricky to come by and there is a lot of competition for posts. Many positions are found in international organisations such as the European Commission, the United Nations and NATO or in large international companies but once you get some experience under your belt this can be a great way to combine work with travel.

3. Chef

If you are an experienced chef, international hotels and restaurants may offer you the opportunity to further your career overseas while offering you room and board at very reasonable cost.  You will need experience and relevant qualifications, unless you are willing to work your way up from the bottom, but if you’re keen and talented you could enjoy many foodie travel adventures whether you decide to book flights to somewhere like Australia or a lively European city, you’re guaranteed to broaden your culinary repertoire.

4. Massage Therapist

Massage therapists are often sought after either in hotels and spas across the world or there are even exciting opportunities with cruise liners, giving you a chance to explore many countries in one go. The living accommodations may be small on a ship, but at least you’ll save money on housing. You will need a suitable qualification and experience for the better paid positions but this could be a lucrative way of seeing the world doing something you love. Massage you way around the world from Papua New Guinea to Portugal!

5. Au Pair/Nanny

If you like children, then being an Au Pair or nanny are great ways to get work abroad. Room and board will usually be thrown in, meaning you get to save most of the money you earn. You could even offer to teach the children English on the side to earn some additional income and add another skill to your CV. Pay varies internationally, but the overall perk is the opportunity to see other parts of the world without having to worry about accommodation. It’s a good idea to register with an agency for safety reasons and they will also assist you with the relevant paperwork and visas needed.

James is a global nomad and part-time travel blogger. With a decade of travel, and even more experience working, he is suitably qualified to speak about the joys – and pains – of working holidays.

Image: Vlado / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

It’s summer vacation time for millions of people – and one of those people is me!  I’ll soon be on my travels. Now, I wouldn’t want you to have to do without your daily fix of PRF goodness, so I’ve lined up some great guest posts for the time that I’m away.  Here are just a few of the awesome posts that are coming your way:

• Improving the Ergonomics of Your Seat
• Best Cars for Road Trips
• Unmissable Historical Sites
• A polemic on travel insurance (more interesting than it sounds)
• and much more.

I’ll be checking in from time to time to see what’s happening here and on Twitter and Facebook, of course, and I’ll be back with you full time in early August, when you can look forward to updates on the places I’ve visited. I’m going to be checking out some new Florida attractions and seeing a few sights in New York and New Jersey.  See you soon!