Going on overseas trips

[TheCamel]

i haven't been yet, but we're going in February.

I'd like to foresee going at least once every 2 years, but see how the financials work out..
investing is more of a goal for me at this time, where as travel is more a goal for my girlfriend.
I just need to slowly bring her round to the viewpoint that we can travel now, and suffer later, or we can invest now, and travel later in comfort and style

 

[AlmostBob]

Almost Bob,

at what geographic point do the sink spirals start reversing?? Me thinks that is very interesting.
Timbo

I know this one, the spiral is fastest at 45[sup]0[/sup] north or south, non-existent at the equator and the poles and changes from minimum to maximum according to the product of the sign and cosine values of the lattitide. at zero degrees(equator sine=0 so the spiral is zero) and 90 degrees(the poles cosine=0 so the spiral is zero) at 45[sup]0[/sup] sine & cos are both 0.7071 their product is 0.5, the maximum value. How it applies I cannot remember
I found a UCLA thesis discussing the reasons, when I first came to Canada coz nobody would believe me that the toilet flushed the opposite direction, cant locate the reference now. Hunt for the masters thesis or do the math your self
Dos VDanye
they are the same on a smaller scale as hurricanes, cyclones, typhoons or you other choice of circular storm. 10cm/second not 200km/hour speeds

Geek Squad at your sevice

 

[Pushka]

Having not been on a plane until I was 21, I am well and truly making up for it now. Our work takes us to Asia at least two or three times a year, and partner and I are off to Singapore and Hong Kong, leaving Melbourne Cup Day for a week or so. No sightseeing though, but the experiences are worth it. With the now grown up kids, we travelled as much as we could, not bothering about having nice cars etc, because the travel was much more exciting. And we have a wonderful set of memories as a result!
Travel beats anything else, hands down!

 

[Dazz]

Used to fly overseas every 5 weeks and didn't like it one bit.

Depends where you go and what you do when you get there I suppose.

If you go to a rats nest and work yourself stupid, putting yourself at great personal risk....I suppose there isn't much of an attraction.

Now going someone nice and having the time and money to enjoy the sights and experiences, and there is little to no chance of you getting kidnapped, yeah, I can see that would be enjoyable. Haven't done that for a decade or two.

 

[Aceyducey]

Definitely worth it.

Cheers,

Aceyducey

 

[asdf]

The water spinning thing actually works even at the equator. We drove across the equator in Uganda and tried it ourselves.

Travel now means going to 3rd world and developing countries less fortunate than us. Whenever shi* hits the fan, I think back to the poor I've met in my travels, begging for a spare $, just to feed their malnutritioned family. Puts a lot of things into perspective. Us in the devloped nations are a lucky bunch and the majority of us take this for granted.

I heard from a Rolf de Roos taped seminar (funnily enough while I was travelling!) that life is like a book and he who does not travel is forever stuck on one page.

 

[Andrew_A]

I believe it's called the coriolis effect. Re: The direction of spin.

I enjoy travelling, though not airports. If there is a purgatory I imagine it to be an airport where you wait for a connecting flight that keeps on getting delayed. And you travel from terminal 1 to terminal 2 on 100 travellators only to find out the office you are seeking is back in terminal 1, and the only food is a McDonalds and everywhere you go you have to walk around groups of smokers and you keep on having to find a new trolley if you want to go up a level and ... it would be a brilliant place for sinners anyway.

Next destinations I'm aiming for are the US and Beijing 2008.

It's a large expense and it crushes potential future compounding of investment alternatives (at least in my present position) but how do you account for experiences?

Independant travel is a brilliant way to gain perspective I think, it might not make you a better person but it forces you to think about things that you might otherwise have no comprehension of.

 

[sailor]

Yep, I've had some of my most boring times in airports waiting for a connecting flight....that got cancelled or re-routed. Travelling through airports can be very tiresome, and I do feel for those travelling with young children...trying to keep them amused. However, the destination is definitely worth it.

 

[MarkB]

Overseas travel used to be a luxury good that only the wealthy (or high income earners) could afford. Those days are long gone.

Also - the world is a smaller place - and families are now more often multi-national affairs. Mine is, and as a result I am a reasonably regular hopper across "the ditch".

M

 

[fernfurn]

Just returned from 3 weeks in Italy and 1 in Hong Kong & China. Absolutely loved every minute of it, even (in hindsight) the bad bits. Definitely broadens your outlook on life, extends your confidence (coping with situations out of your control) and revitalises and releases your creativity.
Italy with the Euro in is double the cost of doing it in Australia. Regularly paid $A24 for 2 cups coffee and 2 cakes. Food has gone downhill fast, anything on the tourist trail, (because thats where you want to be) is cheap and nasty and costs a fortune. Room with two camp type beds pushed together to make double, toilet seat broken and falling off every time you used it and hand held shower with no holder (admittedly with patio/balcony)$A180. Course, it was in the middle of Rome. Contrast China, 5 star hotel room with full fabulous bathroom including bath & seperate round glass shower, beautiful little kitchen, 20' long main bedroom with lovely little office section, table & chairs, complimentary fruit & Evian water, lounge chair with ottoman, massive bed, full glass windows two sides to the suite where you could lay in bed on 20th floor and look down huge main street of Shenzhen at night with all the lights on - priceless, no $A94.00.
The panicky bits.

 

[fernfurn]

Sorry, locked up the computer somehow. The panicky bits were - just arrived in Rome Airport and ready to catch the Airport Express train into Rome. Partner gets on with luggage, Asian girl asks me if this is the train to Bologna, I turn to say no, train doors shut and lock, partner & I look at each other through glass, realise we have no way of contacting each other (l mobile between us in case we lost them) and train glides away, leaving me on platform with no money, no luggage, no ticket. Mouthed at each other, we would meet at other end and then went into absolute decline, would they reroute the next train to another platform, how long was the next train, would he do something unpredictable and get off a next stop, where was next stop. Anyway to cut a long story short, totally focussed on him being on platform when I pulled in half and hour later, and there he was a bit further down in the crowd (panic, panic)
Another train one, wanted to leave Rome early and got flight with 2 hrs to pack and get to airport. Arrived on airport express train, checked it was going to Fuminico, calmed down a bit. 10 mins into ride I pulled out Itinerary and it said Leonardo Da Vinci Airport. Asked people in carriage and no it was going to Fuminico. Absolute panic, we so wanted out of Rome, no way to make plane now, would have to go back and find another hotel. Started to think, Terminal C?, there couldnt be two huge airports even in Rome, looked up trusty Lonely Planet - Leonardo Da Vinci - locally known as Fuminico.
Ahhhh the joys of travellling.
But the end result is, it makes you stronger, more resilient, more trusting in your own decisions and builds your confidence. Last time I came back I quit a job I should have quit 2 years before, and this time I'm raring to go and build another house. So yes, every time against a bigger TV

 

[Quasar217]

Coriolis effect

I know this one, the spiral is fastest at 45[sup]0[/sup] north or south, non-existent at the equator and the poles and changes from minimum to maximum according to the product of the sign and cosine values of the lattitide. at zero degrees(equator sine=0 so the spiral is zero) and 90 degrees(the poles cosine=0 so the spiral is zero) at 45[sup]0[/sup] sine & cos are both 0.7071 their product is 0.5, the maximum value. How it applies I cannot remember
I found a UCLA thesis discussing the reasons, when I first came to Canada coz nobody would believe me that the toilet flushed the opposite direction, cant locate the reference now. Hunt for the masters thesis or do the math your self
Dos VDanye
they are the same on a smaller scale as hurricanes, cyclones, typhoons or you other choice of circular storm. 10cm/second not 200km/hour speeds

Geek Squad at your sevice

It's actually a very popular myth that this works at the level of sinks and bathtubs - it doesn't.

Try it yourself - You'll probably find it goes down clockwise sometimes and anti-clockwise others (but don't waste water in the current drought!), depending on the flow of the water to begin with.

The coriolis effect is very real at the scale of weather systems and ocean currents (low pressure/cyclones go clockwise in the southern hemisphere and anti-clockwise in the north, high pressure the opposite), but to observe it in household sized bodies of water you need a perfectly still tank, isolated from all other effects, and some pretty sophisticated measuring equipment to observe the tiny currents.

Those guys on the equator just need to give the water in their cups a slight nudge to make it go the way the tourists want to see...

Quasar

 

[Jenga]

I first left Australia at the age of 27 (45 now) for a 4 month trip from Bali to Kathmandu, then overland from Kathmandu to London with a company called Top Deck Travel which was started by Skroo Turner (from Flight Centre) and a few friends.
Within 2 weeks I knew there was no way I was going home after 4 months. I ended up getting a job with Top Deck as a tour guide taking tours all over Europe, Turkey & the Eastern Block.
I worked for Top Deck for 3 years seeing some amazing places and meeting some wonderful people. During the off season (European Winter) I would go to places like Africa for a few months backpacking.
I eventually came home and started working for Flight Centre which seemed like a natural progession for ex Top Deck staff. This is where I met my wife Jackie. We ended up leaving our jobs as Managers for Flight Centre in Tassie and travelled for 12 months. We got off the plane in Shanghai China and didn't get on another flight until Libraville in Gabon, West Africa. A huge trip of trains, buses, boats and other bizarre forms of transport.

I have been fortunate enough to have travelled to over 70 countries and want to instil the sense of adventure in our boys (aged 6 & 4). We would love to go back to Europe when the boys are 12 & 10 and spend 6 months or a year over there. Jackie's family are from Berlin so we would probably base ourselves there.

For what it's worth I think everyone should make the effort to travel overseas, and if all they get out of it is the realization that we live in the best country in the world, then it's all been worth it.

Happy travels,

Pete

 

[Goldminer]

Holidays a good treat!

In feb 2007 im going on a holiday for 3 weeks to the south island of NZ, with a soaring dry summer with plenty of bushfires predicted im out of Melbourne, just cant stand hot summers no more! First real holiday since visiting Canada in 1992. I feel i deserve a break as i have accumalated $1,162,500.00 in assets after working hard for the past 21.5 years.
In NZ im whitewater rafting, trout fishing, gold dredging and just looking around.

 

[sailor]

Way to go Goldminer! Hope you have a great time. What a delicious marshmellow.

 

[thefirstbruce]

For Christmas hols, I am leaving Qld for Melbourne, to escape Victoria coming up here.

 

[pennyk]

Yep, I've had some of my most boring times in airports waiting for a connecting flight....that got cancelled or re-routed. Travelling through airports can be very tiresome, and I do feel for those travelling with young children...trying to keep them amused. However, the destination is definitely worth it.

When my daughter (2nd child) was about 6 mths old, I thought it would be a great idea to take her to a conference in Florida, and on the way to visit my friends in Colorado Springs and my sister in law in Houston. So, we travelled to LA, our flight to CS was delayed by several hours. Then when we got nearly to CS, they said the airport was fogged in, and diverted us to Alberqueque. They had nowhere for anyone to stay, so after we refuelled, they diverted us to Dallas. By this stage, I'd run out of baby food, nappies etc, and the airline ground staff were extremely unhelpful. They said they had rebooked us on a flight the next day, so we got to go to the airport hotel. Next morning, back to the airport, and no flight had been booked. We waited around for 4-5 hours and finally got a flight to Denver..... 36 hours after leaving Sydney, we finally saw something other than a plane and an airport terminal!! (24 hours later, it was time to do it all again, head back to Dallas and onto Houston!)

But, it didn't dampen our enthusiasm for travel at all - and I was very grateful for my daughters easy going nature!

Pen

 

[AlmostBob]

Me Mum hasnt been answering her email of late
got a couple from her yesterday & today,
she's enjoying Rome
I guess she approves of overseas trips
so long as she doesnt turn up on the doorstep again, at 7:00 in the morning shouting "Surprise"

 

[sue78]

It depends on the individual. Some people don't like travelling and prefer to spend their money on material goods.

I feel that things like expensive cars i.e BMW 7 series, boat etc are a waste of money.

I love travelling, experiencing new places, food, culture...it's priceless.

Travelling is expensive but then you can cut down on costs too. I don't mind budget hotels/backpackers because I's hardly be in the hotel anyway.

I am 27y.o and have travelled extensively. A large part of that was working holiday where I actually had no money to begin with.

To be out of my comfort zone and be challenged is quite testing but also rewarding at the same time.

I remember I was desperately homesick after 1 week in NYC but persevered and after spending 3 mths working in NYC and travelling all around US, now I have so many good friends and fond memories. London was worse....I hated it so much that I actually bought a one way ticket home and cried every night for 3 weeks. But I persevered, met loads of good friends, landed a good job and best part of it was meeting my husband. I even went backpacking on my own around Europe twice.

I love travelling. I respect all countries and their way of life and I find all experiences a good experience. Some places I think are over-rated though but still worth while to visit.

It's actually the travel mis-haps that make great stories for years to come.

My baby and travelling is what makes me motivated to work hard and invest in real estate.