TEAtime: Mexico City, Mexico

My trip to Mexico City was the result of two things. One, I was determined to go somewhere for Spring Break. Two, I had limited funds for a trip. After searching through Expedia, Google Flights, and a few other sites, Mexico emerged as one of the cheapest international options and Expedia had a great bundle package for Mexico City. Continue reading “TEAtime: Mexico City, Mexico”

Travel Basics 100: 5 Things to do a Few Days Before Traveling

Imagine this:

You booked a 4-day trip to an all-inclusive resort in Jamaica. You’re getting ready to leave the hard grind of your 40+ hour work week. You don’t know what you’re looking forward to the most, the sun or a massage. Your suitcase, packed with short sleeves, sunglasses, and sunblock, is excited to make room for souvenirs. It’s been forever since you and your friends have hung out. You arrive at the airport promptly 3 hours ahead of your flight. As you near the (TSA) agent, you get your passport and your ticket ready. You see them motion for you to step forward. Before they can even ask you, with a smile you present your documents. Then slowly, and painfully, that smile fades away. Shocked, hurt, befuddled – the piercing words of the agent become clear. “Your passport is expired.” There will be no trip.

Avoid the experience above by reading the tips below. About a week or so before your next trip, make sure you’ve done the following things.Continue reading “Travel Basics 100: 5 Things to do a Few Days Before Traveling”

TEAtime: 10 Things to Eat in Guyana and Suriname

Visa, ✅.
Transportation, ✅.
Time to sightsee and eat.

For this TEAtime, I’m focusing primarily on eating. Given all the delicious foods there are in Suriname and Guyana, this was a really difficult list to make. Initially, I wanted to recommend one food from each country but instead, I ended up with a 2,000-word post and 10 different foods. Even this was still challenging, and once you start reading the post you’ll realize I snuck in a few extras too. “10 Things to Eat in Guyana and Suriname” is part food recommendation and part what I ate while I was visiting the two countries. Without further ado, here are 10ish food highlights from my most recent trip to Guyana and Suriname. 
Continue reading “TEAtime: 10 Things to Eat in Guyana and Suriname”

TEAtime: Aruba

Friend: “JetBlue is having a sale. Let’s go somewhere.”
Me: “What’s cheapest?”
Friend: “Aruba?”
Me: “Aruba it is.”
-October 2016

I’m always on the lookout for a good travel deal to get somewhere new. Some of my friends are too. Occasionally – between our busy schedules, complicated lives, and interesting finances – we manage to go off and find a new adventure.

For this first TEAtime, I’m talking about my five days, four-night trip to Aruba. My trip was booked through JetBlue vacations for December 17-21, 2016. The total cost of the flight and hotel, with continental breakfast, roundtrip airport transportation and taxes, per person was $577.20USD. That works out to about $100USD per day if you think about it. This first TEAtime. will feature updated versions of my TripAdvisor reviews.Continue reading “TEAtime: Aruba”

Travel Basics 101: To Suriname and Back

After getting my visa to Suriname, I was ready to travel! In this post, I’ll share all about my trek in between two of the three Guianas. Continue reading “Travel Basics 101: To Suriname and Back”

Travel Basics 100: How to get a Surinamese Visa

Below are the instructions for American passport holders who want to get a single entry visa, or tourist card, at the Surinamese embassy in Georgetown, Guyana. You can also get a tourist card when you land at the Suriname Airport, Johan Adolf Pengel International Airport (also known as Paramaribo-Zanderij International Airport). I would recommend securing your visa BEFORE you get to Suriname.

For a list of which travelers do and do not need visas to enter Suriname, click here. The internet was kind enough to provide this information. However, there’s not much accurate and up-to-date information on how to actually get visas once you’re in Guyana. The purpose of this post is to correct that and help you get your visa to Suriname while you’re in Guyana. I’ll also provide photos and my story of my own experience.

Continue reading “Travel Basics 100: How to get a Surinamese Visa”

Travel Basics 101: Getting Through Flight Delays

For the most part, airplane travel is pretty straightforward. You buy your ticket, show up at the airport, get on the plane and arrive at your destination. Unfortunately, sometimes things aren’t straightforward and there are delays.

Delays can happen for a variety of reasons, many times it’s due to bad weather. How long will a delay last and when they will occur, are questions for the divine. I’ve personally had delays as short as 20 minutes, and a delay as long as 6 hours when I was trying to get from Shenzhen to Nanjing. What does one do when they are stranded in an airport? These are a few tips so you always have options in case you get stuck.Continue reading “Travel Basics 101: Getting Through Flight Delays”

Travel Basics 100: Before You Go

As a frequent traveler, sometimes I jump the gun in my conversations about my trips. When someone asks me how I got to a particular place, I usually begin by telling them about the book or article I read that inspired my trip. Rarely do I start at the very beginning – getting a passport. And, I regularly skimp on the boring bits about standing in long lines to get my visas. However, following a conversation at the office with one of my colleagues, it seems I’ve skipped over a few crucial details unfamiliar to someone who travels less frequently. Traveling around the world to other countries is a relatively straightforward process, making sure you’re starting off on the right foot is an important part of helping it stay that way.

The following information is about obtaining a U.S. passport and visa requirements for U.S. passport holders.Continue reading “Travel Basics 100: Before You Go”

%d bloggers like this: