Back from Vacation

Actually, I returned last Sunday, January 3, from a rather stressful (but memorable) vacation.  Instead of documenting where I’ve been, I just want to point out what I’ve learned:

• Never go to a vacation where the weather is COLD!  A “White Christmas” is a neat thing, but the novelty wears off quickly when it’s 2°F outside (plus windchill)!
• Never go on a vacation when it’s the holiday season, especially Christmas.  The airports were jammed with people, and road traffic were terrible.  Long lines, everywhere.
• When in doubt, there’s always Chinatown for Chinese food!
• With a family of 18 people, it’s not easy to take them all sight-seeing at the same time.  Especially when I have no experience acting as a tour guide!
• Wi-Fi connection, anywhere, is a must for travels!  Gotta update my Facebook status!
• No matter how prepared we are with buying gifts, there will always be a reason to go out on a last minute Christmas shopping spree!
• When renting a car, never be late returning it for more than 2 hours.  They’ll charge an additional day’s worth of rent charges.
• Be prepared to pay a lot of money for incidentals: Parking fees, taxi fares, airline baggage fares, and tips for waiters¹.
• Terrorists make things difficult for travelers.
• When visiting a city for sightseeing, it is better to book a professional tour guide.
• Never bring food items through US Customs.  They questioned everything!
• When I least expect it, a situation will change for the better.  For example, I’ve been to Niagara Falls before and didn’t think it would be fun.  But I never went in winter time.  It was snow covered, and family had a great time.  A nice new experience.

Happy New Year 2010!

1. We eat out, a lot! [↩]

Tags: airport, christmas, new york city, toronto, tourist, travel, winter