Tips to make your next trip simply Fucking Awesome.

The summer flying season is in full bloom... thunderstorms and short staffed pilot categories and full airplanes flying round the clock makes for long days, short nights, and week after week on the road.  I have a moment now to catch my breath and write, so I'm going to do it!

But before I continue on my narrative of the Epic France Canal Boat trip with Kori, Bob, Marnie, Jim-Bob and Lisa, I want to take a quick detour into some info I’ve gleaned from several sources, including my own experiences.   For those of you who enjoy lists, this is a good one.

How to make your next trip a better one.  An epic one. 

1)    Do not check luggage.  Ever.  EVER.  Travel as lightly as you can possibly travel. If you’re packing so much that you have to check a bag, you’re bringing too damn much.  Americans tend to let their possessions rule.. and are thereby “owned” by their possessions.  Don’t travel like an American.

2)    Don’t waste time and space packing things you MIGHT need but could buy once you arrive.  Every city in the world sells underwear.  And shoes.  And hair gel.  When in doubt, see item number 1, above.

3)    Once you arrive, get some exercise.  You’ve been sitting in a plane or a train or some other cramped conveyance for hours.  Stretch your legs.  Go for a run, or a long, quick paced walk. It’ll clear your head, and will give you a sense of the local geography.  Oh, is there a head-shop and a brothel down the street from my hotel in Amsterdam?  Is there a Biergarten ‘gleick um de ecke’ from my hotel in Munich? There is?  Okay, now you know.

4)    Eat well.  And by well, I mean healthy... mostly.  It’s easy to overindulge on a trip… after all, you’re in “let’s have FUN” mode, right?  But gorging on pastries and cheese in France will make you feel slow and moribund.  Enjoy the local faire, but balance it out with lots of cleansing foods, like veggies, fruits and salads.  And hydrate.  Drink water all day, so you can drink other things all night.  Stay the hell out of McDonalds.  They're everywhere.

5)    Guidebooks generally suck.  Try to avoid them if you can.  A guidebook is generally someone else’s idea of a good time, and because of that, they are often overly subjective and/or commercially bent towards certain tourist venues.  Try doing web searches before you leave home, and print out the interesting stuff.  Wikipedia comes to mind as a good source.  Buy or print out a map.  Foreign language phrasebooks, however, can really help if you don’t speak the language where you’re going.  Like the south. Or New York.

6)    If you want to have a real experience, pick one or two major things to do, and DO them.  You can not see/do/experience everything; it’s just not possible.  Be real about it, and pick a handful of things… two or three… and completely DO them.  Immerse yourself.   Take the time to fully experience the things you choose.

7)    Go/see/do things of historical value and significance.  Battlefields are a good example.  Connection with our pasts creates a very strong sense of belonging and mutual experience.  Remember studying the renaissance art of Italy?  Go see it.  The Battle of Gettysburg?  Walk on terrain where our history happened.  The Bastille is cool.  Dachau is haunting.  So are the killing fields of Cambodia.  Go stand on that hallowed ground.  Connect and reflect.  It’ll make your experience much more meaningful.

8)    Find weird, esoteric, out of the ordinary shit to do at your destination.  Did you know that there is a Sex Museum in Amsterdam?  Now you do.  Did you know that at McDonalds in Japan you can buy a McEbi, and that it’s a truly disgusting shrimp-patty sandwich?  Yes, it’s nasty as hell.  But it’s okay, because you can wash it down with a beer you bought at a vending machine outside on a sidewalk.   Never mind.  You're staying out of McDonalds, remember?  You can also buy used women’s underwear from vending machines in Japan.  Used women's underwear.  I’m not kidding. 

9)    Leave your phone off, but take lots of pictures.  Don’t upgrade to an international plan for your phone… part of the experience is being out of range of the pressures of normal life.  Take lots of pictures, but don’t live the experience through the camera.  Find the balance between taking pictures of significant things and taking pictures of everything.  Don’t be an annoying tourist; come out from behind the camera.

10)  Read while traveling.  You’ll have lots of down time en route, especially if you ride trains.  Use that time to read.  Catch up with yourself.  Also nice for keeping balance: yoga, running, sex, meditation/prayer/reflection, laughter, the occasional beer, and sex.  Meet new people.  Make sure you nourish your soul, just as you do your body.  Breathe.  Relax.  Smile.  Have sex.

11)  Do your best to leave home at home.  The pressures, worries, stressers will accompany you if you let them.  Travel doesn’t interfere with your normal life, does it?  Don’t let your normal life interfere with your travels.  Separate them as much as possible.  That doesn’t mean ignore responsibilities and the people who count on us, it means simply that we should protect the good stuff.  Protect and defend your special travel time and your experiences, and don’t let them be marred by intrusion by everyday blah.

To sum it all up:  Carry less.  Do more.  Eat less, but make what you eat special.  Take some risks.  Get off the beaten path.  Meet people.  Shake hands and chat.  Drink socially.  Relax.  Read.  Write.  Love your life... and live it in such a way that if you were watching someone else do what you're doing, you'd be envious as hell.  Reflect in the knowledge that you are dong exactly what you want to do, where you want to do it, who you want to do it with.

Off you go, now, and be quick about it.  The world won’t sit still for you, get off your ass and go!  And drop me a postcard while you're at it.

Safe travels and Air Crash Survivability

It has been about six weeks since my last Adventure Layover Blog.  I apologize for that, and for the break in the storytelling of the France trip.  Lots going on, including my silly need to make a living.

Since I've returned from the France trip, my mega-Airline employer has needed me for a rather sizable amount of overtime flying.  Because of that, I've been very busy, and I've neglected my writing duties.  So thanks for your patience... there's more on France to come.  But for now, something more important is pressing, and I'd like to talk about it: Last week's crash of Asiana Flight 214 at San Francisco.

Oh, good.  Mr. Smith was able to save his luggage.

As a professional traveler, I've learned that there are some things every traveler can do to fly more safely.  And while there are never guarantees in life, these things can significantly increase your odds of survival in an aviation accident.  They are simple and easy to do.  Let's talk about them!

Takeoff and landing are the two most critical phases of every flight, and because of that, those two short periods of time are when we, as passengers, are most vulnerable.  There are common sense things you should do each and every time you fly.

1)  As you find your seat, note the closest and second closest exits to your seat.  Count the rows.  Is the nearest exit ahead of you or behind? Left side of the fuselage or right?  Window exit or door?  Remember this information.  Plan your exit strategy NOW, before you need it.

Where was my closest exit...?  Wait, where did everybody go?  Hello?

2) Wear flat, rubber soled shoes.  Do not take them off before you reach cruise altitude, and put them back on well before landing.  Don't wear flip flops or sandals. 

Get out as quickly as you can.  Time is of the essence.  These seats survived the crash, but were consumed in flame after the passengers evacuated.

3) During takeoff and landing, ensure your belt is VERY tight.  Sit with your arms at your sides, and if possible, put your hands under your buttocks.  Sit straight in your seat, and keep your head facing forward, feet flat on the floor.  Did I mention to have your belt very tight?  Don't store anything heavy or sharp in the seatback pocket.  Laptops go into the overhead bin.  Have your ID and cellphone in your pocket for takeoff and landing.

4) If there is an "incident" and you have to evacuate the aircraft, remember these things:  Leave ALL your bags behind, grab your cellphone and ID/passport if they aren't in your pocket already and head for the door.  If there is smoke in the cabin, stay as low as you can.  When you reach the exit, if it is still closed, look out the window before you open the door, checking for debris and flames.  Assist other passengers out the exit... and yes, if they won't move, push them.  Yell, scream, curse at them... whatever it takes.  Whatever you do, don't let yourself get killed because you were too polite with someone whose fear had frozen them in place.

5) Exit the aircraft expeditiously.  Leave your bags and all your other shit behind.  Move upwind of the fuselage if at all possible.  Stay in groups and wait for help.

The early pictures tweeted passengers from Asiana 214 right after the accident showed people sitting on the ground on their rollaboard bags near the burning fuselage.  To me, this is a sickening and deadly indicator that some did not have any concept of the truly dangerous nature of the situation.  DO NOT bring your baggage out of the aircraft as you evacuate.  Your belongings are replaceable, but you... and the fellow passengers you are endangering... are not.

The Asiana Flight Attendants have been well known for their beauty and poise.  I've seen them walking through airports around the world, perfectly dressed, made up and coiffed.  From now on, they'll be known for their professionalism, duty and heroism in the face of adversity.  Oh, and there's Mr. Smith again.  Glad he got his bags.  You too, Messrs. Jones and Thompson.  You're idiots.  I hope no one died that day because of your selfishness and stupidity.

So many things went wrong with Asiana 214 that it would be easy to overlook all of the things that went positively right.  First and foremost, kudos to the engineers at Boeing for designing and building an aircraft that remained intact and resisted a rapid fire that could have killed everyone onboard, and to the Asiana Cabin Crew that evacuated the aircraft quickly and professionally.  Flight Attendants aren't simply sky-servers... they are aboard for your safety.  Every passenger onboard that aircraft alive today owes their Flight Attendants a debt of gratitude.

I won't comment on what may have caused the accident except to say that as a type rated and fully qualified B777 First Officer, I felt that this aircraft was the best designed and easiest to fly of any Transport Category jet aircraft I've flown.  It is an incredibly advanced aircraft and obviously, a very strong airframe.  As of this writing, there were no known mechanical defects on the aircraft, and the airplane performed as it should have.  The rest will come out over time.

Aircraft accidents are exceedingly rare.  The odds of being involved in one are similar to winning the lottery... and you aren't going to win the lottery, so what does that tell you?  But preparation is very important... because your life is at stake.  Be aware, and be ready.  And once you've done the basics, relax, because the odds of anything bad happening are infinitesimally small.

So prepare, then go forth and enjoy your trip!

Two Days in Paris: Adventure Layover Style Touring

 

Evening of May 11th:  Jet-Lagged and loving it!

We slept.  We slept like the dead.  And I mean the DEAD. 

One of the most difficult things you'll ever do is drag yourself from the horizontal to the vertical plane after a two hour nap, the afternoon after a transoceanic flight.  

The inertia of sleep... that sweet, utterly delicious nectar of heavy muscles, heavy eyelids, foggy-shrouded wit and the murmuring of your hind-mind singing "sleep... sleep... sleep" ... takes a gargantuan force of will to break.  When your entire being cries out for sleep, when you'd sell your mother, your dog, even your Beatles LP collection... for another 10 minutes of sleep, sitting up, then standing up, is one of the hardest things you'll ever do.  But simply standing up... and breaking the horizontal plane... is all you have to do.  Once you're up, you have it licked.

I was definitely not up.

And I must say this. Anyone who says "I can sleep on the plane!" is delusional.  I'm a professional traveler, and while I can usually catch some sleep while airborne (if I'm not flying the plane, that is), it's not 'real' sleep.  Not REM sleep.  Not recuperative sleep. 

So after our ocean crossing, Kori and I were starting our adventure with a sizable sleep deficit.  We had walked around for a few hours near Notre Dame earlier, while waiting for the hotel to clean the room... once we got in, however, the beds called our name loudly, and we slept for 2 and a half hours.

Kori (younger than me, and eager to see Paris) woke first.  She kicked my foot, which was dangling off the end of the short, european style twin bed.  Damn, being 6' 3" sucks sometimes.

"Lemmebe" I said groggily.  "I'm schleepun." Snort.  Ehrmagherd.

She kicked me again, harder.  Shit. 

"Ok... gettin' up."  Ten minutes of vertical and two espressos from the room machine later, I was ready.  We set out to see Paris.

Kori and I had discussed a plan of attack.  I've been to Paris many, many times as a working pilot.  How many?  Well, without checking my logbook, I know it's over twenty.  So I've seen almost everything touristy at one point of another.  But this was Kori's first time, and I wanted it to be a good one.

I made a list, from most important to see to least, of the major sights.  Tour Eiffel.  Louvre.  Musee' D'Orsay.  The Sacre Coeur.  The Catacombs.  Jim Morrison's grave.  Notre Dame. The Champs d'Elysees.  The Arc de Triomphe.  The Tuilleries.   Am I misspelling some of these names?  Probably.

There were a few others, but suffice it to say, that list itself is too big for two days.   We put our heads together, and came up with a plan.  Can we do/see/experience EVERYTHING? No.  But we CAN see the big stuff and experience the reality of Paris.  We came up with a list of must-see items.

Tour Eiffel-- the symbol of Paris everyone recognizes.  I took this photo from the top of the Arc de Triomphe.

The Louvre--famously closed on tuesdays, it's the home of everything from Egyptian Mummies and heiroglyphics to Leonardo Da Vinci's Mona Lisa to the Venus De Milo and Michelangelo's Slave.  It's got something for everyone.

The first of Kori's many "Oh my GOSH!" faces.

The Sacre Coeur--The lovely white cathedral on a hill overlooking the Montmarte section of Paris.  From it's steps, the entire city is at your feet.

The Tuilleries--The Gardens just west of the Louvre.  The Louvre, the Tuilleries, the Champs Elysee' and the Arc de Triomphe lie in a straight line that stretches almost 4 miles from east to west.  We walked the route that first night.

The Tuilleries have their own automatic lawnmowers.  Kori speaks their lingo.

Walking from the Tuilleries towards the Champs d'Elysees and the Arc in the distance.

There are 283 steps you have to climb when you go to the top of the Arc de Triomphe.  Ask me how I know this useless, random fact.

As you can see, the first day was above ground... wandering and walking.  I am of the opinion that you can't really 'see' Paris unless you walk it.  And by walking it, you commit yourself to many, many miles of sights, sounds, smells and experiences that you wouldn't get if you used taxis or the Metro.

So that evening, and the next day, we resolved to move about the city on foot.  After walking from the Louvre, through the Tuilleries, along the Champs d'Elysees, we climbed the Arc de Triomphe and surveyed the city.

After the hike up, we found a nice Brasserie a couple blocks off the Champs and sat down for dinner. 

I'm starting to develop a taste for mineral water, or "l'eau avec gas." But I still enjoy my beers.  Being from Oregon, the French have yet to impress me with their beers. Just because they suck doesn't mean they're cheap, however.

This simple meal was one of the most delicious.  Steak Tartare, on the right, was incredible. The Croque Madam (basically a grilled ham and cheese sandwich baked with more cheese and and egg on top) was just shy of orgasmic.  The first of many, many incredible meals on this trip.

Dinner was spectacular in it's simplicity of design, it's complexity of tastes, smells and textures, and was amazingly cheap.  The beer was the most expensive part at 12 euros (French beer... especially Kronenbourg's 1664... is NOT worth the money.  Try one so you'll know, then never have another) and the Steak Tartare was only 10.  The croque was 5 or 6 euro, I don't remember.  Suffice it to say, the meal as a whole was inexpensive.

And delicious.  I can't explain... a grilled cheese sandwich and some raw hamburger.  But it was incredible.  The Steak was perfectly seasoned and was mixed with diced pickles and onions.  The croque was made of some kind of magical peasants' bread that smelled of rosemary.  That's all we needed... Kori and I resolved at that point to bypass every McDonald's we saw in France, no matter what.

And we did.  We saw at least ten McD's in France, and never even considered stopping in.

After dinner at the brasserie, a light rain began to fall.  It was nearing midnight, and we had a big day planned the next day.  We cabbed it back to the hotel, compared photos and experiences, and went to bed.

I was happy... my friend Kori had experienced her first day in Paris!  It was a good one... I had stopped counting the number of times she said "Oh My Gosh!" at fifteen.  Onward to day two, as the adventure was just beginning.

Go see something!

Moose

Spring in France 2013

May 08-11: Queens, NY - Bend, OR- Portland, OR.

Finding a Suitable Travel Companion

It may sound easy, or simple, but finding someone with which you travel 'well' is not always an easy proposition.  Six months ago, when I planned this trip with my friend Bob (master travel planner), I had just started dating someone and had planned on her traveling with me.  As it happens, we stopped seeing each other rather soon thereafter and I found myself with a planned and paid for trip to France without a Travel Companion.

But finding someone with the right mix of adventure, laissez-faire atttitude, 'roll-with-the-punches' ability to adapt to (and sometimes cope with) the challenges of Guerrilla, hit-and-run travel can be a difficult task.

Traveling can be an adventure, but it can also challenge relationships.  The best planned trip can often be described as 'order emerging from chaos,' which means that things can sometimes--and sometimes often--go askew to the plan.  Having a partner who can absorb the normal to and fro of the process can really be the difference between a wonderful experience and a truly dreadful one.

So with that in mind, I set about the process of finding someone to travel with me.

It wasn't easy.  My first choice was my oldest daughter, Jennie.  At 19, she's already a seasoned international traveler.  I've taken her to France, Canada, Japan, China, Saipan... she knows her way around an airport, and is as level-headed as I am when it comes to dealing with the chaos of traveling.

But as a freshman at the University of Oregon, she couldn't take the time away from school.  I also considered my nephew, Nick, who is a professional videographer and web designer.  Again, schedules got in the way.

Bob, the master trip planner, had some suggestions, but for one reason or another, none of them worked out.  As the departure date loomed, I resigned myself to the possibility of traveling alone.  That's not a bad option, though.  Being able to set my own schedule, traveling light and fast and at my own whim, can be a wonderful thing.  The drawback, of course, is having no one to share the experience with.

And I considered pretty much every person I knew.  I didn't ask everyone, because, of course, there are baseline requirements.  Do they have the time to make the trip?  Do they have the money?  (Unfortunately, this was NOT going to be a cheap travel experience.)  Most importantly, does that person have the right temperament for travel?

Most possible travel partners were eliminated without even knowing they were in the running.  I called one friend and left a message: "Hey!  It's been forever since I've heard your voice.  Call me back when you get this and let's catch up!"  But they never did call me back.  Everything happens for a reason, I have learned.

So when Jennie suggested I call my friend Kori, I really didn't expect her to be able to come on the trip.  Kori and I have been friends for almost fifteen years... we go waaaay back.   But really, I hadn't called her earlier, because I knew she wouldn't be able to make it work.  She juggles two careers and is a parent to boot; Kori is a rock star at scheduling 'life.'  She works full time as an emergency services manager for a public agency, while also serving as a Major in the Air National Guard.  I really was not surprised that when I called her up and asked if she wanted to go, she regretfully declined.

She already had a trip planned with coworkers to Las Vegas, and she would have to take a full two weeks off work to go to France.  There was just no way she could make it work.  And I completely understood.

We caught up and rung off, and I resigned myself to traveling solo.

It wasn't long before she called me back.

"I told my coworkers about your trip, and they all looked at me like I was crazy.  I told my parents and the told me I was crazy.  I told my boss, and... you know what?  I am crazy if I say no.  I need to go on this trip!" She said.

And with that, I had a last minute travel companion.

And I was excited, because I've known Kori for such a long time.  We've been friends forever, and while we hadn't traveled together like this before, I knew the kind of traveler she would most probably be.  Level headed, open to changes, able to be scheduled without being anal compulsive about the whole thing.  Flexible.  An asset in challenging situations.  A resource, not just a body in the seat.  I was stoked.

The Beginning

When my last work trip ended at La Guardia on Monday afternoon, I still had a couple of reserve days on my line and sat in the crashpad for 48 hours while they passed.  There was a twelve hour window where Mother D could have given me a one or two day trip on short call, but the period passed uneventfully, and by Wednesday I was on my way west, home to pack.  Once I left New York, the clock was ticking... it would be a very short trip home. 36 hours, during which I had to pay my bills, wash my clothes, repack my work bag, then pack for France. 

I wrote about my packing "theology" in a previous blog... suffice it to say that I ended up with 6 lbs of clothes and 15 lbs of camera and computer gear.  It was an appropriate ratio.

Leaving Bend, I hit the ground running.  Sleep was a secondary priority... I got my chores done, packed my kit and headed for Portland to meet up with Kori.

I crashed at her house in Beaverton that night, and watched her pack... she whittled her piles down from "all" her clothes, to "most" of her clothes... to almost none of her clothes.  After several iterations, she ended up with a very respectable packing job... one medium rollaboard for her clothes and a backpack for books, camera and other gear.  I asked if she had read my blog on packing.  She hadn't, but it didn't matter.  Kori, I already knew, had her head in the game.  She was of a like mind... less is more.

The next morning we caught the morning flight from Portland to Salt Lake.  Loads had been tightening significantly in the weeks prior to the trip, and I had been nervously monitoring the dwindling seat numbers.   You should probably realize that I'm skipping the nerve-wracking part, where I checked aircraft loads every hour, gaming the system to see if there were better odds flying out of different cities in the US to different cities in Europe.  Bob and his wife Marnie were traveling from Dallas, Texas to Paris... and ended up getting bumped off the JFK-CDG flight and flew to London-Heathrow, then took the TGV Bullet Train through the Chunnel (Channel-Tunnel) into Paris, which cost them a pretty penny.   As Bob so eloquently stated, "It's only money."  He was smiling as he said it, there's that.

After a three hour sit in Salt Lake, we boarded the Paris flight.  We were elated to see that we had been upgraded to First Class (called Business Elite nowadays), and that the food, alcohol and movies were 'gratis.'  Most importantly, the seats were 'lay-flat,' which means that when you want to sleep, the seat lays back to horizontal, and the seat becomes a bed.   This makes a HUGE difference in your fatigue level on arrival.  Any sleep you can get on the inbound flight is good sleep... even if you have to take a sleeping aid of some kind.   The vibration, light and noise make for restless, shallow sleep, but do not try to stay awake, watching movies all night and simply 'power thru' till landing.  The inertia of sleep will overtake you later that day, and you'll be absolutely miserable.

A hearty meal, a quick movie (End of Watch, Jake Gyllenhaal), and then sleep.  And 10 hours later, we landed in Paris.  Passport control, no bags to claim (remember, never ever check bags unless absolutely necessary!), an ATM to get Euros...

A quick note about Travelex and other money-changing services... avoid them at all costs.  They give the worst exchange rate, and charge a percentage fee on top of the crappy exchange rate.  You'll lose the most value using these services.  I can see where it might be necessary on rare occasion, but try to minimize their use.  The cheapest way to exchange money is almost always via an ATM.  I use USAA, who refunds any ATM fees, gives money at the direct daily exchange rate as set by the market, and does not charge an exchange fee.  Basically, it's a direct, free exchange.  Other banks may charge fees, but they won't approach the costs of using a Travelex or other Money Broker.

After arrival in Paris, it was time to find the Hotel.   We trained to the Les Halles section for Paris, just east of the Louvre, and about three blocks from the Centre Georges Pompadeau.  We were exhausted... and the room wasn't ready for us yet.  We checked in, dropped our bags, and headed to the Cathedral Notre Dame, about 1/2 of a km from the hotel, on an island in the middle of the Seine River (Isle de Paris).  We sat in the sun, reflected on the the fact that yes, we were actually here, in Paris and eating a baguette with ham and brie.  After an hour, the room was ready, and we crashed... hard.   We slept in the way that only sleep deprived, jet-lagged travelers can sleep.  We slept the sleep of the dead.

More to come.  So sorry to rush thru the 'en route' portion, but the real experience awaits.   We were in Paris.  Cheers.




   

Adventure Layover Secret Number One: Packing Light

It's been a busy few weeks, out flying the line.  Lots of 4 am wake-ups, long days in the cockpit, short layovers in airport hotels.  And it's been a fun few weeks as well!  I've shared beers with new friends, met some challenges head-on, and plotted out my next adventure... and that's the reason for the whole shebang, isn't it?

I'm airborne right now, commuting home to Oregon to do a quick turn (48 hours), then head off on a two week trip to France.  Some friends and I are renting a canal boat and are wine-touring the Loire Valley (near Bordeaux) via canal for 10 days.  I'm going to sleep for 18 hours, shop for some new travel duds, play with my new camera and organize everything by color, weight, texture and usefulness.  Every moment of my time at home is planned out, to the minute.  

Okay, well, no it isn't.  I'm just not that organized!  And who would ever want to be?  But I am organized enough to get the job done.  Anyone can be.  It just tales some realistic planning and thought.  And that's what today's Adventure Layover blog is about: Realistic Adventure Layover Packing--The Serenity of Lightness.

In most cases, the trip you're about to take will very clearly dictate how much organizing and packing is required.  If you're headed out to catch a cruise ship for two weeks, you obviously need to bring things you wouldn't want to bring on a quick weekend trip to the beach or, as in my case, a tour of Paris and a week on a canal boat with friends.  I won't need my tophat and tails for this one.

Moose Weatherman's First Rule of Guerilla Travel:  When in doubt, leave it out!

Here's what I mean.  

Do you need five pairs of shoes?  No, probably not.  Bring comfortable shoes that are appropriate for the trip.  Hikers.  Or sneakers.  Sandals for the beach, if that's where you're going.  But don't bring "just in case" shoes.  It's an extra burden both in weight and in volume, and you'll regret having brought them.   Women are not the only ones who do this.  Guys, listen up.

Do you need a fresh, clean pair of underwear for each day you're on the road?  Surprisingly, NO, you don't.  Before you start questioning my personal hygiene (and remember, I am a Moose), let me remind you that two or three pair of the right kind of underwear is plenty!  REI (Recreational Equipment, Inc.), Patagonia and ExOfficio offer really good polyester underwear and tee shirts that can be easily washed in a sink or basin, and will be dry within a couple hours of being wrung out and hung up on a shower curtain.

Same is true for pants, skirts, socks, hats.  The stores above also carry "convertible" pants, or pants that zip off the legs to become shorts.  Just don't lose the legs... or mix them up with other pants' legs.  I carry a few ounces of a mild, biodegradeable detergent and usually spend 15 minutes washing clothes every second or third day.  Regular soap works fine too, just be sure to rinse it all out when you are done or it'll show up on your clothes the next day... and if you sweat or it rains, you'll be walking around wearing suds.  Ask me how I know this.

For my two week France trip, I will pack exceedingly light.  Three pairs of underwear, three pairs of socks, all polyester.  Two pullover breatheable/wickable tee shirts.  A pair of shorts to sleep and/or swim or run in.  Two button front polyester wrinkle-free semi-dress shirts.  Two pairs of convertible pants, with zip-off legs.  One pair of shoes (travel-ready Vasque Hikers) and one pair of flip-flops.  One hat.  One polypro sweater.  One breatheable waterproof rain jacket.

All of this will weigh about 8 lbs, and will leave tons of room for souvenirs and for my camera equipment.  No, all these specialty clothes aren't cheap, and you may be reluctant to spend $10-15 on one pair of underwear and $30 on a tee shirt.  But it's an investment that you're going to be using over and over again.

If you pack jeans and cotton shirts and unmentionables, you may end up having to check an overweight bag.  That can cost hundreds of dollars!  And really, unless it is absolutely necessary, you never-never-ever want to check a bag with an airline.  Any airline!  Ask any flight crew... pilots or Flight Attendants... how often they check bags.  You will be surprised at the looks you get.

Additionally, you simply can not wash cotton in a sink at night, wring it out, hang it up and wear it the next morning.  Period.  If you bring cotton, bring enough for every day you're away, or plan to pay and wait on hotel cleaning services.   For me, in most cases, it's actually cheaper to buy the expensive travel-oriented gear.  And how do you compute the value of having significantly less weight and lots of extra room in your bag?   It's easy math for me.

On this trip, I'm leaving my trusty, bulletproof rollaboard bag behind and packing all my clothes into my 3850 cubic inch Osprey Backpack.  Because of this, weight and volume are of paramount importance.  Everything I take with me, I will wear on my back.  And since I'm no longer a young Moose, my back requires me to be quite a bit more realistic with my packing!   As you approach middle age, you'll understand.   Also, it is my goal to leave ample room in the pack to bring home souvenirs and wine.

Once all is said and done, I'll be carrying about 30 to 35 pounds of gear and clothing for my journey, including my camera and laptop.  I organize using fabric cubes so that my clothes won't be jumbled up the first time I paw through the pack to get a clean pair of socks or my toiletries kit out.

Pack heavier things towards the bottom of your bag, whether you're carrying a pack or a suitcase.  Heavy items high up can unbalance the load, especially in a pack that you're going to be hauling for any significant distances.  Load medicines, passport, sunscreen and sunglasses, and reading materials last, on top; if there is a smaller accessories pouch on the top, that's perfect.  Basically, the things you might need first or while you're en route, pack them last, with ease of access in mind.

Some things to think about.  Do you need a power converter where you're going?  Get it before you leave if you can... airport concessions charge 50% more in many cases because you're now a captive audience.  How about a towel?  An empty water bottle/Nalgene?  If you are staying at Hostels, it's not a bad idea to invest $40-50 in a silk sleep-sack.  Toilet tissue and a hair dryer?  Sometimes the most basic things get left behind... and herein lies the big anxiety of packing.   Let me tell you, you will forget things that you planned to bring.  You will also not think about things that you will need at some point.   There is a simple, easy and foolproof fix for this, and if you truly embrace the concept, you anxiety over over-packing, under-packing or even not packing at all should be immediately alleviated... if you bring this with you.

A credit card.  Don't forget your credit card!  It's probably the most important thing you'll bring, next to your identification.

I've walked out of Moose Landing on a 15 day tour around Asia and didn't realize until the aircraft door was closing behind me that I forgot to pack underwear.  True story.  I've forgotten my socks.   Even my toothbrush.  Ack!

But in almost every major city on the planet you can buy these things, for a very reasonable price, with a credit card.

So do your best to let go of the anxiety.  Plan.  Be realistic.  Pack minimally.  Make lists.  Make more lists.  Do your best-- then relax, knowing you'll probably forget something.  It'll be okay, I promise.  Stop worrying and get your travel on!

How about a little Bavarian Flash Mob action from Munich?  While you're watching, check out the different fast-food vendors... and then there's the McDonald's.  No matter where you go, there's always a little bit of home nearby.

Jimmy Buffet had it right:  Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes

I’ve spent the last couple of years commuting from Moose Landing, nestled in the tranquil and beautiful Pacific Northwest, to New York to fly domestically as Captain on the MD-88, a 150 seat narrowbody jet.  It’s been a truly enjoyable, challenging experience… a new airplane I had never flown before with new routes north and southbound along the east coast, and lots and lots of takeoffs and landings… and now that era of my flying career is coming to an end.

I came to the conclusion early on that while the flying was good and the people were great, the commute from the upper left corner of the map to the Big Apple was extremely time consuming, exhausting and difficult, and that I could not do it forever.

So now the time has come to return to west coast flying, international routes, and an easier lifestyle that doesn’t include a transcontinental commute.  Starting in June, I’ll train on the Boeing 767 and begin flying out of Seattle.

And while leaving the MD-88… affectionately known as the MadDog... is bittersweet, there are adventures in my future that really get me excited.  The MD-88 is my first Captaincy, and it’s sad to put that venerable airplane, the wonderful flight crews and the fun flying in my rearview mirror, but tomorrow is a new day, and the entire globe awaits.

The flying out of Seattle is some of the best in the world, and I’m not exaggerating in the slightest.  Europe, Asia, Hawaii, and the entirety of the United States are going to be my backyard playground again, and I couldn't be more excited.

So stick around, and check my blog often.  I’ll be talking about travel, offering tips, tricks and techniques for cheap, exciting travel, and I’ll also be shooting videos from the road to share my adventures with you.  I welcome your feedback, and I’d love to hear from you! 

I want to hear about YOUR adventures in travel.  I want to hear about your plans, your challenges, and your accomplishments.  Tell me what you’ve done and what you want to do on your next Adventure Layover.  Share your own tips and tricks, your own adventures, and send me feedback about what you’ve learned.

The Adventure is about to begin anew, so get ready to start planning your next Adventure Layover!

Happy Travels!

Moose

Guerilla Travel:  TheTrip of a Lifetime, or a Lifetime of Trips?

I grew up watching TV shows about travel.  And movies.  Although Rick Steves and James Bond inhabited different ends of the masculinity spectrum, they both showed us the world in ways that stoked our wanderlust, and made us dream of seeing the world.  In my case, I also wanted a tuxuedo, an Omega watch and an Astin Martin. 

Most Travel TV is really only about stoking that wanderlust.  I noticed long ago that it isn’t about actually going anywhere.  And the how of travel is often left out.  It’s pretty pictures in a magazine.  It is simply intended to titillate your Travel Bone and make you wish you had unlimited money, unlimited time and no responsibilities so that you could go and see the world, too.   Of course, it's not real life.  It's a fun, entertaining diversion, nothing more.

It’s Travel Porn… not that there’s anything wrong with that.  But it’s simply not real.

And the ‘normal’ way to travel is this:  Save, for years.  Maybe even your whole life.  Then, in your later years, spend thousands upon thousands of dollars buying a prepackaged tour, or a cruise, or even following the path of a travel book.  And spend those thousands of dollars, and that lifelong dream in one big, extravagant, roll-of-the-dice trip to that one destination that you’ve had your heart set on forever.  Spend a month abroad, break your bank, exhaust yourself, and in the end, be really, really, really ready for it be over, and to be home once again.

They call it ‘the Trip of a Lifetime’ because it’s such a huge endeavor that you can’t afford the time and money to ever do it again.   It’s expensive, exhausting, and really, in the end, takes a lot of the fun out of seeing the world.

That’s the classic method of travel.

I’m here to tell you that there is a better way.  And while we are not going to live the life of Rick Steves (none of us can, not even Rick Steves himself), you can travel.   Inexpensively.  Often.  Your goal should be to travel in a way that others will envy… not because you’re a jerk and crave the attention, but because if you can look at your own travel life and tell yourself “yeah, that’s really cool,” you know you’re not wasting your opportunities and your precious time on earth.

Let’s talk about brass tacks.  Let’s talk about “how to.”  My travel blog isn’t about sweeping vistas and pretty pictures, although I will share some of those.  I’m guessing you already know where you want to go, so I’m not going to spend a lot of time right now emphasizing the where of travel.  I’m going to emphasize the what, the why, and most importantly, the how of travel.  I’m going to show you how to see the parts of the world your heart longs to see without crippling yourself economically or waiting your whole life for that one trip.

It’s not about the ‘trip of a lifetime,’ it’s about a lifetime of trips.

Planning.  The KEY.

I am as spontaneous as the next guy, and maybe even more so.  It’s really normal for me to see that I have a 3 or 4 day gap in my schedule coming up and pack my backpack or rollaboard before I even know where I’m going to go... and then head to the airport without a clear idea of where I'm headed.  Of course, as an airline pilot, I have access to free or very cheap transportation to pretty much any destination in the world, so I have a rather large advantage over most travelers.  But there are ways that the thoughtful traveler can also access free or reduced rate transportation with some effort and some prior planning.  Seriously.  I’m not kidding.

I will say right off the bat that there isn’t a free lunch here.  You will have to make a plan, execute it properly, and stick to it in order to access many of the methods for free or reduced cost travel that are out there.  It will take time and effort.  But it is absolutely doable.

The same is true for free or reduced rate lodging, and the method for attaining that is very much the same as it is for gaining access to free or cheap transportation.

The Branded Rewards Credit Card

Every major Airline in the world and every major hotel chain in the world offer credit cards that accumulate points for the use of their credit cards.  When you spend money using one of these branded credit cards, the credit card company gives you reward points based on how much you spend.  Those points are then used to “buy” free airline travel or free hotel stay nights at the “branded” Airline or hotel company.

“Oh my god you want me to get a credit card!!”  Yes, I do.  But you absolutely have to approach this in a very rigid and regimented way.  Because the secret here is that you have to pay off your balance every single month.  Do not, under any circumstances, carry a credit balance on your account.  Use  the card for everything you buy… groceries, gas, movies… everything you normally buy every month, you should buy using that branded credit card.  And every month, like clockwork, you must pay the bill in it’s entirety.

Over time (and not a very long time!) you will accumulate points for use at airlines and hotels.  Some cards let you use the points for both airlines and hotels, and even for other things.  But if you do this as I’ve described, you will quickly find yourself with enough points to fly for free and stay for free… without spending a dime more than you would have otherwise.

You must decide whether you are dedicated and controlled enough to use these cards properly, without carrying a balance month to month.  Realize that many people can’t or won’t so this, and that’s how the credit card companies can give these perks away... because they are paid for my those who carry a balance.  The people that pay off their balances every month are considered “deadbeats” by the credit card companies… because these smart consumers reap the benefits of the points and miles without paying a dime for them.

Your Research Project

One of the most important aspects of this plan is that you pick one or two credit card plans and stick with it. When you do this, you accumulate the most points and miles towards your travel.  It also means, however, that your travels can end up being dependent on one or two airlines, and one or two hotel chains.

Realize that as much as I’d like to tell you that anything is possible, the truth is that one of the most important tasks we have is to recognize our limitations.  Whether they are financial, familial, chronological, or something else, we all have limits.  Find out what yours are, and work within them.  Just don’t let them stop you!

For instance, perhaps you have bad credit.  Well, there is no easy fix for that, but it is fixable.  Or you have family obligations, work obligations, or severe financial constraints.  That’s really, truly, totally okay.  The secret sauce in this is to address your personal limitations, and work with them, not against them.  Don’t let them stop you.

Your job is to be master of the possible, and not be disheartened by the impossibilities that you can’t change.  Just be honest with yourself about what you can and can not do.

Your first step is to open up mileage/points accounts with all major airlines and hotel chains.  Yes, I said all of them.  Why?  Because while you will concentrate your efforts with the programs that will best meet your needs, often these programs will offer some very nice freebies for new or inactive members.  You definitely want to be in the game for these perks.

A great resource for airline and hotel points is The Points Guy. Check it out.  But don’t stop your research there!  Become a points expert, and get to know the programs inside and out.

So now you have your homework for this week.  Next blog is under construction, and you don't want to fall behind.  Get busy!

Cheers,

Moose

Here's a video I shot a few years ago in Dubai... I shot, edited and published this whole video during a 48 hour layover.  It just goes to show you how much you can do in a short period of time.  Enjoy this fun little trip.

Welcome to your Adventure Layover!

My name is Moose Weatherman, and I've had a crazy idea.

Why not talk about REAL travel in a way that REAL people can relate to it?  Unless you're rich, or retired, or both, travel has to fit into our lives in a way that makes sense.  In today's hectic lifestyle, travel can often be spur of the moment, hit and run, on a shoestring budget.  

Do you have a weekend off and extra airline miles to burn?  Why not take a trip somewhere you've never been?   Are you stuck in an airport when your flight home cancels?   Don't just 'wait around,' go hit the town!

Moose Weatherman's Adventure Layover isn't about prepackaged travel experiences, or following the well worn steps of a PBS travel guru, or even about hitting the "high spots" of a particular destination.  It's about true guerilla travel... 'hit and run, get in, get out, see it all' travel!  The kind that leaves you feeling like you've had an unforgettable experience.    I'm going to show you how to do it all, and see it all, quickly, efficiently and on a budget.

It's about how to get the most out of your travel experience using the time tested tips and tricks of the Worlds Most Experienced Travelers... Airline Flight Crews!

I'm  Moose Weatherman, and I'm a Captain for a major international airline based in the US.  In over twenty years as an airline pilot, I've been around the world... many, many times.  It's hard core, industrial travel... moving light and fast, and seeing the whole world cheaply and quickly.  It's getting out and back before most people even know you were gone.   It's living a life of experience and adventure.   It's an Adventure Layover!

I'm going to share with you the secrets and tricks all flight crews use while away from home to enhance your travel experience.   You'll see how to get in, get out, and see it all... on both a time and cash budget.  With a little preparation and forethought, your trip can be a positive, memorable one.  And it can leave you hungry and ready for the next trip, all without breaking your bank.

So check in with my blog often!  I'll be laying out everything you need to know and think about when planning your trip.   Thanks for reading, and have a great trip!

The Making of Moose Weatherman

I was a new Captain. And I was wound tight-tight-tight.  I was like a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs... simply wound tight.

Sure, I had been flying commercially for years, more than a decade really, and the mechanics of flying from the Captain's seat were pretty much identical to the Copilot's seat.  It wasn't the mechanics of flying so much... it was the responsibility.  That responsibility was heavy, and it was new enough to me that I felt it's weight with every decision I made.  I realized that I held more than a hundred and fifty lives in my hands, and an error would be so very costly.  I felt the weight of every life every moment, every second.

That fateful day we were flying to Chicago.  It was a normal flight, without much in the way of excitement or adventure, and we anticipated a quick 50 minute turn on the ground before flying back out.   In every way, it was an average trip on an average day.   My approach and landing were uneventful, all the way up until I applied the brakes to slow the aircraft after a gentle touchdown.

With an audible "bang" and an immediate, violent shudder, the aircraft lurched to the left and headed for the edge of the runway at 140 knots.  It happened in an instant... there was no time to think, no time to analyze; 125,000 pounds of aluminum, jet fuel and humanity were moving quickly towards an accident.  I reacted without conscious thought, and tried to wrestle the aircraft back towards the center of the runway.


Braking was minimal.  Steering was only marginally effective.  We were headed for the ditch to the left.  Running off the runway, I knew, would be a bad thing.  A very bad thing.  Significant aircraft damage was guaranteed.  There could be a fire.  There would certainly be an emergency evacuation.  People would be hurt, possibly killed.  

I could not let that happen.  

For fifteen seconds or so, I didn't know if I'd be able to keep the plane on the runway.  Reverse thrust worked, marginally at first, but then began to slow the aircraft.   Braking on the right side of the aircraft was unaffected, and began to help slow us down.  As we slowed, the aircraft began to respond to my commands, and I turned us back towards the center of the runway.   After several eternal moments, the crisis passed.

I slowed the aircraft as we turned on to a taxiway, and I could hear a loud roar of applause and cheering from behind me as I brought the aircraft to a stop.  I don't think my heart has ever beat that fast and hard before, or since.

In moments, we were surrounded by fire trucks and firemen, spraying foam on the left side landing gear.  Part of our left main gear had disintegrated when I applied the brakes, spraying the braking system with rubber shrapnel.  It damaged the underside of the wing and trailing edge flaps, as well.  I would find out later that the cost of the damage to the aircraft totaled over a million dollars. 

It took over an hour to make sure the landing gear was safe, and to get the aircraft towed to the gate.  There would be phone calls to make, paperwork to fill out, narrative of the incident to write.  I was not looking forward to the paperwork.

Part of being a Captain includes saying goodbye to our passengers after a flight, and it was especially important after this one.  I was standing in the door, alternating between saying “Thanks for flying Delta” and “Sorry for the inconvenience." Nearly everyone wanted to shake my hand, and many offered their thanks and gratitude.  

I simply wanted to apologize to these great folks, but every single one of them wanted to thank me for keeping them alive... it was truly a humbling experience.  I had no idea that one of the most moving moments of my life was about to happen.  

At the end of the line, a young mother and her son were waiting shake my hand and exit. The boy, tow-headed and about 9 years old, grabbed my hand strongly, looked me up and down and said, “Is your name ‘Moose?’”

I wasn't sure I had head him correctly, and I smiled at him.  He had a stuffed brown Moose with yellow antlers in his arms. 

"Is MY name Moose?" I asked. “Why do you ask, buddy?”

"Mmm hmmm."  he nodded vigorously.  "Are you 'Moose?'"


I looked at his mother with some confusion, then back down to meet his gaze.  "I'm sorry, buddy, I don't understand."


“My Grandpa gave me my ‘Moose’ because I was a little scared to fly."  He held up the Moose for me to see.   "Grandpa told me that my Moose would keep me safe and make everything alright. And then.... we landed and the tire blew up and the airplane skidded and everyone started crying and screaming, we were all so scared!”  A frown crossed his face as he remembered the terror of the landing.  

“But then the airplane slowed down and stopped, and it was okay. And then Mommy said that maybe the Pilot’s name is Moose, too!" 

"So," he said, "are you Moose?”

I thought about it for a moment.   “Well, of course I am!  Today, I’m Captain Moose, aren’t I?”

"Yay!"  He jumped up and hugged me, and offered the his stuffed Moose’s hoof for a Fist-to-Hoof bump, which I gratefully accepted. 

The boy's pretty young mother also hugged me, kissed my cheek and whispered "Thank you, Captain Moose!" in my ear as she hugged me.  As they walked off the aircraft, I watched the boy bounce up the jetway.  I could hear him singing at the top of his voice “Cap-tain-MOOSE! Cap- tain-MOOSE!” over and over again, until his joyful cries faded in the distance.


The Flight Attendant standing next to punched my arm.  "Wow," she said, laughing and wiping away a tear.  She handed me a tissue as well, which I accepted gratefully.


And that's why today, my name is Captain Moose Weatherman.    Safe travels, my friends.