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!@#$%

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    Dear ________,

    in Channel Zero

    Posted

    dear cil/inj

     

    you are welcome.

    seriously, i hope it helps.

    i've managed to alter the course of a few people's lives by inspiring them to travel, and it's one of the most satisfying things ever. people get happy and their minds usually open when they travel

     

    also, i've read that when you are looking domestically, it's best to buy 6-8 weeks before your dates

    overseas it's a little more unpredictable, but the best fares appear most often about 3 months before your preferred dates.

     

    when you search, do that thing +/- 3 days on each end as well.

     

    i don't do miles. but i do have a credit card that refunds 3% on travel

     

    good luck

    !@#$%

    Dear ________,

    in Channel Zero

    Posted

    Dear CIL.

     

    this is my BASIC strategy:

     

    come up with a list of places you would like to go

    come up with a list of potential airports you can leave from

    (try to include at least one that isn't super close to you but you can drive to or take a bus to)

     

    then, spend some free time, i'd say about 10-15 minutes every few days doing a bunch of searches.

    never search on the weekends, only weekdays, and try to do it in the morning

     

    this will give you a good idea of what a typical price is for certain destinations, and the range

    if there is one place you REALLY want to go, create a price alert.

    i use http://www.kayak.com (international)

    i generally try to fly southwest domestically.

     

    then search and search.

    eventually, you will see a price that gets you stoked. then you bite the bullet and hope you did well.

     

    also, check out tripadvisor (or any travel site/mag) lists of best places or destinations on the rise and shit like that. i've gotten some good ideas and just spur of the moment found amazing fares to places i hadn't even considered (when i go to scandinavia in the fall, we are flying to Riga, Latvia for one day -i did it on a whim cuz i heard Riga is awesome.)

     

    this strategy has worked for me MANY times

    i'm hamstrung by things like overseas weddings - stuff that you cannot modify dates for

    but i find that if you are flexible with dates, times, and long layovers, you can usually get something good.

     

    flying has gotten more expensive in the past ten years.

    i think a lot of it has to do with fuel prices.

     

    but this is what i consider good for a round trip:

     

    east coast to europe: $600

    US to bangkok: $850

    US to australia or new zealand: $900

    US to japan or china: $800

    east coast to mexico/caribbean: $300 - 450 depends on island

    US to south america: $700

     

    '

    i have managed to land flights at or below those prices, i think that's decent.

     

    you cannot check bags if you can help it.

    i know that insane for many people, but it can add TONS of fees

    it also means wherever you go if you are lugging shittons of baggage, public transit might no longer be an option, and the trip suddenly got a lot more expensive.

     

    when you travel somewhere, bring energy bars and shop in grocery stores for food

    research free things to do or times when museums have free admission when you go

    get a pass for foreigners only, like a japan rail pass, before you go

    stay in hostels if possible - many have private rooms that are just very small. use their kitchen.

     

    i can usually factor in about $80/night for a place to sleep and $50 a day, but it can be done much cheaper. if you know someone, you are set. when i started traveling, i always stayed at someone's place. (thanks seven.13, TTBoy and Europe!)

     

    if you are into boats, there are some websites that let you search last minute cruise cabins,

    basically the rooms a ship hasn't sold right before they're leaving port.

    if you are crazy flexible, i've heard you can get a cabin for as little as a couple hundred bucks for the whole trip. i hate boats though, so i'm not up on this.

    cannot vouch for this site but check it out http://www.lastminutecruises.com/

     

    if you have questions, let me know

    • Like 3

    What are you doing RIGHT NOW.

    in Channel Zero

    Posted

    where you going next symbols?

     

    i'm changing my passwords on everything ... heart-whatever is to blame.

     

     

     

     

    we are going to mothafuckin Machu Picchu and Choquequirao

     

    that trip also has two days in Lima and a long stopover in El Salvador. we stop for an hour or so in Bogota.

     

     

     

     

    7. Choquequirao

    Photograph by Jason Rothe, Alamy

     

    Often referred to as Machu Picchu’s sister city because of its striking similarity to the more famous site, Choquequirao may in fact be the larger of the two. (Only 30 percent of the original complex is believed to have been uncovered; in 2005, several sets of ancient agricultural terraces decorated with stone llamas were found.) In addition to its fascinating ruins around a central plaza (as at Machu Picchu), Choquequirao offers the most breathtaking views of any Inca site. The arduous two-day walk to what was probably the estate of an Inca emperor is slowly gaining in popularity as an alternative to the Inca Trail, but to reach the ruins one must walk up and down the steep sides of a valley almost a mile deep.

     

     

    choquequirao-peru_36090_600x450.jpg

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    a few months after that, it's Scandinavia with a super quick stop in Riga, Latvia

    i should do a Japan photothread.

    last thing you ate?

    in Channel Zero

    Posted

    ^may I ask why?

     

    unless you have celiacs i dont understand why people feel the need to cut gluten out entirely. four people at my job are gluten free, only one has any real medical reason to be so.

     

    i have insane joint problems.

    they swell and it is so fucking painful

    comes and goes though

    i am not celiac, but i'm concerned i'm gluten intolerant

    i've noticed that on days when i eat a ton of wheat, like a lot of bread and cupcakes and pasta, i have a lot of pain in the night and can't sleep.

    the docs can't figure it out. i'm severely vitamin D deficient, but not deficient in any other stuff so it's not my diet, something is wrong with my metabolism or absorption.. i'm only wondering if the wheat is playing a role.

    i figured i'd try to elimination diet for 3 weeks and see what happened. i fucked up and ate barley the other night though. gluten free vegan ain't easy so i don't want to continue with this forever.

     

    i agree the gluten thing is a bit of a fad, but i also think there is way too much of that shit in processed foods.

     

     

    anyway, just had a green smoothie.

    Travel Log - Hunting, Hitchhiking, Painting & Getting Dirty: Traveling Across America

    in Channel Zero

    Posted

     

     

     

    Difficult! Most of the troubles I am working around is finding my own voice and also finding time and motivation to write. I have a lot of stuff typed up (typewriter) which I like much more because it requires confidence and premeditation (there is no backspace). And afterwards editing in pencil. I just read recently that's how Vonnegut worked, he had a nice little insert about his writing process in his latest, or late book. I forget the name, it's in the backseat of the car. Anyway, Because I like to read, I tend to gravitate mentally and writily towards whoever I'm reading. It's often Holden Caufield, Sal Paradise, Krakauer, London... you know the folk. The same with who you admire art-wise or graffiti-wise. Even those who seem to spring from a well of originality can only respond to the world around them: they don't bite, but they nibble.

     

     

     

    no joke, you should get on kickstarter and get people to pay you to do this shit.

    i'm guessing between the photos and the stories, you'll have no problems getting funds that would make completing said project much easier. ... seriously. i know it won't solve a motivation problem, but if it's only filling gaps in writing, you can fill in the blanks with pictures

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