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What It’s Like to Attend an NFL Game in London

October 25, 2016 Lana @TravelSavvyGal Comments 2 comments

The American National Football League (NFL) has been playing games in London for nearly a decade. As a huge football fan, I have been tracking which teams and dates have been selected since moving to Italy in the fall of 2013, and was very excited a year ago when the New York Giants – my home team – was selected to play one of the games this season.

The NFL games in London are not like international competitions or exhibitions, when one country’s national team plays another. Both of the teams involved are American, playing on British soil an ocean away. When I purchased my ticket for Sunday’s game, I really did not know what to expect.

Who would attend? Would there be a lot of American expats living in Europe, like me? Americans who flew over for the weekend to go to the game? A lot of British people? Would there be other Giants fans there?

I didn’t have a clue about the answers to any of my questions ahead of time, other than some intel from an American friend living in London that people would wear any NFL jersey they owned, regardless of whether that particular team was playing. Having brunch the morning of the game in central London I passed two people, each wearing the jersey of a different NFL team. I wondered, might they also be attending the game?

So, what was it like? On my way to Twickenham Stadium on London’s outskirts for the game, I took in the full experience, both for the things that were so familiar to me from other American sporting events (NFL games included) and those that were just a bit different.

Catching the Reading train line from Waterloo Station to Twickenham was the first time I saw fellow NFL fans en masse. There were a lot of other fans in NY Giants jerseys, so I was able to find the correct train platform easily just by following the crowd. I even ended up sitting in a section of the train that had other New Yorkers, although they had flown in just for the weekend. I was lucky to have found a seat, as all of the standing areas became packed with people as the train got closer and closer to Twickenham.

Upon leaving the train, the rainbow of different NFL team jerseys became apparent as most of the train’s occupants streamed onto the platform and formed a giant mass of people carried forward toward the station’s exits. There was basically one main road that led to the stadium, and as I walked with the pace of the crowd, the sight was a familiar one.

First, the NFL team jerseys. I haven’t bought new NY Giants attire in a while, so I was actually wearing the jersey of the previous player at #27, Brandon Jacobs – and I wasn’t the only one. While the New York jerseys I saw were mostly those of current popular Giants players (Eli Manning, Odell Beckham Jr. & Victor Cruz), there were actually quite a few older team jerseys being worn: those of Michael Strahan, Jeremy Shockey, Tiki Barber, & Lawrence Taylor to name a few.

Also, many of the houses and restaurants that lined the way to the stadium had food stands set up next to the sidewalk, with the smell of grilled meat and onions wafting up and tempting many of the people to pause for a snack and a beer. Options even extended into various ethnic options, from African to Asian to Latin American. Basically any street food you could imagine.

The official area surrounding the stadium was quite familiar as well, with more food stands, even some with Krispy Kreme donuts. And one of the beers on tap at the stadium was Budweiser, which I’m guessing is not standard fare at Twickenham for rugby games (although I’m honestly not sure).

When I arrived at my seat, I noticed quite a few Giants jerseys, and thought there might be a sizeable representation of Americans. I was wrong. While I did encounter plenty of Americans, the crowd was overwhelmingly British, which became apparent right before the game. For the national anthem, first Nicole Scherzinger sang the American one, with everyone standing at polite attention. Then, as the first few notes of the British national anthem started, an overwhelming number of people in the crowd starting belting out “God Save the Queen.” Yup, very British crowd.

And most of that British crowd was cheering for the Los Angeles Rams. As soon as the Rams players started taking the field, all of the free LA Rams flags that had been distributed came out and blanketed the stadium with the flapping noise of fierce flag-waving echoing throughout. Not only were the Rams the “home team” for this game, but they were actually slated for a while to play in London over three consecutive years. This was starting in 2012 when they were still the St. Louis Rams. Although the team backed out after their first year, some locals definitely adopted the Rams as their own.

There were plenty of New York Giants fans, too. Nowhere near as loud as the British booing at points, but as the Giants tied up the game and took the lead, decently loud chants of “LET’S GO GI- ANTS” clap, clap, clap-clap-clap would start and make it through a few cycles before dying out. Basically, you could hear the Giants fans when the Rams fans were relatively quiet, but it was still nice to know the others were there =)

The British fans are still learning the NFL rules. American football is different enough from the familiar similar local sports in the UK, like rugby and soccer, that there still is some confusion about the rules. The local commentators went out of their way to accentuate their booming voices for each Rams first down and play celebratory stadium music, even more so than you would expect at an NFL game in the States. And the video monitors had a lot of text explaining some of the game basics, like time outs.

And the game was great! (and not *just* because my team won) There were a lot of possession changes and dramatic plays, so this matchup actually turned out to be a great one for spurring interest in a mostly foreign crowd. While the Rams had some quick scoring and led 10-0 for a while, the Giants managed to tie it up before halftime. The 3^rd quarter was scoreless, and then after a second NY Giants touchdown and some key interceptions, they held a 17-10 lead until the end.

The undisputed ‘play of the game’ was the first-half interception by Landon Collins of the NY Giants, that resulted in a huge run for a touchdown. He seemed to magically dodge Rams players attempting to tackle him as he jumped and spun, traversing the field, and doing what seemed like a magical leap at the very end to cross the threshold into the endzone. The elaborate footwork by defender Collins rivaled any offensive player that day, and was incredibly memorable. Check out the video here.

Is London getting an NFL team? For now, I don’t think so. The NFL has been progressively negotiating both for stadium access. NFL games in London have been played previously at Wembley Stadium, and the Giants game I attended was the first of several that will be played at Twickenham. From the British people in attendance who I chatted with, games have high attendance because of the novelty, so far not more than 3 games a season. It is unclear both with the time difference to the US and the British interest level whether a full season for a single team could be sustained.

TIPS! for Attending an NFL Game in London

From Twickenham Stadium, walk to the Whitton train station to head back toward central London. It is equally close to the stadium, but before the Twickenham stop on the Reading line so I was able to get a seat easily.
Beer cups are reusable and involve a £1 deposit, but if you’re like me, you just want the cups as souvenirs. I discovered that at least at Twickenham, different levels of the stadium use cups with different designs. If you’d like to collect some different ones, either spread out your beer purchasing, or spot someone with a cup you’d like at the line at the beer vendor at the end of the game for people who want their deposit back – you’ll either be able to trade cups or buy them out.
Want to avoid long lines for refreshments or at the bathroom? The British still don’t know American football rules super-well – see above – so the pause for the “2-minute warning” (toward the end of the 2^nd or 4^th quarter) is a good time to go. I would start making my way to the entryway to the inside area with bathrooms when it seemed like it would be one more play before the pause, around 2:10 or so, and you’ll be back before the game starts up again.

And moving forward for the NFL International Series? Well, there is still 1 more NFL game to be played in London this season, this upcoming Sunday also at Twickenham Stadium between the Cincinnati Bengals & Washington Redskins. And another first for the International Series comes this November, with the 1^st game played outside of London – a Monday Night Football match-up between the Oakland Raiders & Houston Texans, which will take place in Mexico City!

Since the NFL is trying to build interest and fans outside of the US for American football, although there are travelling costs involved, tickets to the game itself can be more affordable, plus you get a weekend away. Click to find out about the latest games on the NFL International schedule.

Would you fly to another country to see an American football game? Anything else about attending an NFL game in London that you’re still curious about? Leave a message in the Comments, I’ll reply personally to each one.

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How to Survive Missing Your Airline Connection

January 31, 2017 Lana @TravelSavvyGal Comments 0 Comment

It almost never snows in Milan. In three years of living there, I saw it snow for at most a half hour at a time – usually rain that turned into snow briefly, and then back to rain. Snowfall is typically light or non-existent each winter because most of the cold fronts and snow get trapped in the Alps not far outside of the city. The biggest accumulation I ever saw was a light dusting that lasted just long enough for me (in a brief moment of inspiration) go for a run in Sempione Park.

So last month as I was preparing for my repatriation trip to the United States, a.k.a. moving back “home,” I had a lot of mixed thoughts and emotions about the trip – but none that included a snow-related delay for my flight! I didn’t even check the weather before heading to the airport, since winter in Milan tends to hover just above freezing pretty much every day. (Although I found out later that snow was not in the forecast, so checking the weather wouldn’t have helped anyway.)

Only when I was at the airport all checked in and cleared through customs did I approach the departure gate. Which is when I first glanced outside and was quite surprised to see a sheet of white on the other side of the window. Even then I thought that it was most likely hail, and it was only when I walked closer to the glass did I realize it was snowing. And not just flurries, it was driving snow coming down hard and fast. Of course, since the first leg of my flight was the relatively short hop from Milan to London, we didn’t even have a jetbridge to stroll onto the airplane directly, but ended up boarding by taking a bus to the plane and then ascending on foot.

Getting off the shuttle bus and crossing the tarmac on foot to board the plane, I (along with all of the Milanesi) were consumed by the joy of the snowfall. Smartphones popped into everyone’s hands, with pretty much all the passengers snapping shots of the snow, the airport and the snow, and selfies boarding the plane as it’s snowing. It was such an unusual event, everyone wanted to capture it, and we passengers were all smiles as we boarded.

It was in the moment after I took my seat that the panic and dread about my connecting flight started to set in. I had an already tight connection of barely over an hour at London Heathrow, one of the largest airports in the world. I wasted no time and flagged over the flight attendant nearly immediately. He tried to reassure me that we’d likely make up time in the air and it shouldn’t be that bad. Then the captain comes on and she starts talking about the growing line to get the plane de-iced and then the likely takeoff delays after that process. Her ballpark estimate of our delay time is a modest 20 minutes. Another flight attendant stops by and she lets me know that my outbound flight should be leaving from the same terminal where we’ll be arriving, and that as long as I clear the transfer desk 35 minutes in advance, all should be well.

But of course de-icing and even the line to start the process takes longer than expected. Then we are far back in the line of planes waiting to leave. By the time we take off, it’s almost an hour after our original departure time. Although we are supposed to make up some of that time in the air, for an unknown reasons we slow down to cross Swiss air space. We land at Heathrow nearly an hour late, so just minutes before my next flight is expected to leave. I head briskly to the transfer desk anyway and find a person who brings me to the front of the line, but when my boarding pass is scanned an unpleasant beep sounds, indicating that I am too late for the electronic gate to let me through.

At a smaller airport, or even some of the larger US ones where I’ve had tight connections before, they might hold the plane for you. Or there could be a cascade of delays, allowing you time to catch the continuing flight. At Heathrow, everything is automated and there is no way for the staff to override the built-in time limits. When my boarding pass for the transfer is rejected by the scanner, there is nothing left to try – I take a deep breath and head straight for the re-booking line.

What to Expect When You Miss Your Connection
The first thing to expect when you miss a flight, especially at a big airport like London’s Heathrow, is . . . waiting. The rush of trying to catch your flight and all of the adrenaline that is pumping through your system comes to a screeching halt as you get in line behind the other delayed and frustrated travelers in the re-booking line. I was fortunate to have been traveling in Business class (this is what happens when it’s a company-booked flight), so there was a separate re-booking line I could join. Even then, it took me nearly a half hour to reach the front of the queue and finally speak to a person.

By this time, a couple of what would have been re-booking options for me had elapsed. They could have re-routed me at that point to a far away airport in the US, but then ground transportation once I arrived would have been at my own expense to the tune of hundreds of dollars. With 3 checked bags and a carry-on, there would have been no way to take cheaper public transit options. However, staying overnight and catching the same connecting flight the following day meant that British Airways would put me up in a hotel and provide meal and transportation vouchers for free.

In the end, it made the most sense for me to simply take the flight the next day, and once that was decided it was just a matter of getting everything booked and my vouchers printed. Here’s what was involved in being put up overnight by the airline:

Phone Calls
It didn’t occur to me that I’d be able to use the airline’s phone to make an international call to the US, until the helpful staff member at the desk saw me fumbling with my Italian cell phone. Although I only made a single call, I found out later that in the European Union (EU), you are entitled to 2 phone calls or some other type of communication in the event of being re-booked (see more in the section below on the Passenger Rights).

Hotel
I imagine that pretty much all airlines will book you at a hotel as close to the airport as possible. For me, the surprise came in that British Airways has a separate hotel for its customers traveling in Business Class. Apparently I would have ended up somewhere else if they were re-booking an Economy ticket. Either way, there seems to be particular hotels they are partnered with, and I did not get a choice about where I stayed.

Transportation
The hotel was close to the airport, but still a bit of a drive, so the airline covered my round-trip transportation. The down side? Transportation was only covered on a specific shuttle bus, so I was subject to their schedule in both directions, and could not simply catch a ride when I was ready. Also, transportation was only covered between the airport and the hotel. When I went into downtown London to stroll around and meet a friend for dinner, that was at my own expense.

Meal Vouchers
Since breakfast was included at the hotel, I received two meal vouchers. The first was for a “snack” and only valid at the airport. So the first thing I did after being re-booked was stay at the airport so I could get some food as I had missed lunch and was actually quite hungry at that point. My second voucher was for dinner, but again with limited validity. I could only use it at the hotel. By the point my vouchers were issued I knew it was likely I’d go into London to meet a friend for dinner, so asked if there was an alternate voucher for this. There wasn’t, so dinner ended up being at my own expense.

Luggage
This is an important one – checked luggage stays checked during the layover. So you will not have access to what’s inside your checked bags. This is one of the reasons that I’m so glad I pack my carry-on bag strategically every time I fly (see more about my essential carry-on items in the next section on How to Be Ready for Every Flight).

Amenities Kit
You may be familiar with the amenities kit you’ll get from an airline for an overnight flight, usually with an eye mask, toothbrush, tissues, and maybe some lotion. When you are put up overnight by the airline at a hotel, it’s a slightly different collection of items. My British Airways kit contained an XL t-shirt (for the record I usually wear a small so this would have been like a dress on me), deodorant, shampoo, lotion, shaving cream, a razor, a comb, & a toothbrush with a tiny toothpaste tube. If I hadn’t been prepared, this would have been great to tide me over until the next day, but I still felt better having my own stuff. In the end, I didn’t use anything from this pack.

Immigration
I’ve even had to clear immigration for long layovers that were not delayed. Certainly in the case of a flight delay of many hours or an overnight in a different country than where you left from, you will have to be processed (plus, you’ll want to leave the airport anyway). I have Global Entry for arriving in the US, so I was not expected any new passport stamps before returning home and being able to get a new passport, as mine was almost completely full. Fortunately while the Immigration Officer made sure I wasn’t traveling anywhere else besides the UK that would require space for a stamp, he found a somewhat empty corner to place the UK stamp and let me in =)

Passenger Rights
I wouldn’t have thought to ask for this, but the re-booking desk provided me with a copy of the Passenger Rights for the EU. Other countries have similar policies. Some of the compensation I received was specific to Europe, so be sure to request a copy of what your rights are in the country where you’ve been delayed. If a copy is not available, find it online to know what you’re entitled to get in your specific scenario.

How to Be Ready for Every Flight

Some of the reason I survived staying overnight unexpectedly in a surprise country with the greatest of ease is because I am *always* prepared for the unexpected every time I board a flight. What does this mean?

First, if you have any sort of connecting flight, be sure to book with the same airline for whole itinerary. An airline only has an obligation to help you if it one of their flights that caused you to miss the next one. Otherwise, if you are traveling on two different carriers, there is no help if you’re delayed and miss the connection. It will be your financial responsibility to sort it out.

I’ve had my luggage delayed on several occasions, this was the first time I was waylaid en route. That’s usually the contingency I’m planning for – me making it to my final destination without luggage. I’ve had my luggage delayed for anywhere from a few hours to several days, and my carry on bag is always packed with that possibility in mind.

Another general preparation tip – make sure your carry on bag makes it onto the plane with you! All of the emergency provisions you pack are only useful if you still have access to them if your luggage doesn’t make it or ends up routed to a wrong destination. To do this, I go to great lengths to make sure that the plane does not run out of overhead space before I board, requiring me to “gate check” my bag. Even it means queuing up early to board the plane.

With the “gate check” process, sometimes your bag is brought to you at the jetway to pick up and sometimes it comes out on the belt with your checked luggage (causing you to spend additional time once you arrive to retrieve it). Sometimes they tell you that your bag will come to the jetway, and you only find out at your destination that it will come out with the checked luggage instead. Again, reasons I try my best to avoid being in the situation of having to “gate check” my bag. Just in case.

Here’s what to pack in your carry-on for any “just in case” situation, whether it’s your checked bag not arriving at your destination or you needing to stay overnight unexpectedly in a strange city or country:

Laptop, e-reader, and other key electronics
Chargers for your phone & any other electronics you have with you
Universal plug adapter (for any international travel)
Basic toiletries, including toothbrush, hairbrush, & deodorant
Other basic items, including nail clippers, tweezers, band-aids, & a sewing kit
Any moisturizers or lotions, plus travel-sized shower items (for me this is shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, facewash, & body lotion) And yes, this all fits in my quart-sized bag. And then some.
Any medicines you might need, plus several pills of a basic pain-killer and an anti-diarrheal
Pajamas
At least 1 clean additional shirt and 1 pair of socks
Several clean pairs of underwear.
→ Yes, even though I only bring one shirt and a pair of socks, I bring several pairs of underwear. Because other things can be dirty in a pinch if you’re delayed longer than expected (or your lost luggage takes extra time to arrive). You want your underwear to be clean.

There are a few other things that I typically have in my carry-on bag – like an umbrella – but this list is just the essentials to be sure to include for those “just in case” situations. There’s definitely space for more than this in my carry-on, with the specifics of the other contents depending on the trip.

In this particular instance, I was especially glad to have my universal adapter, as the UK is on a different plug from both Italy and the US. Without it, I wouldn’t have been able to charge my devices. And even though I got basic toiletries and a t-shirt from the airline, I was far more relaxed and comfortable having my own clothes and basics to get me through my unexpected layover in London.

Plus, since I didn’t have to spend any time scrambling to buy clothing or toiletries or electronics, I was able to focus my time on meeting up last-minute with friends (I saw 2 different friends during my surprise layover!) and soaking up the holiday atmosphere of London, just a few days before Christmas.

Have you ever missed your connecting flight? What do you wish you had known beforehand? Share any tips I missed for how to survive a surprise overnight layover!

Travel Superlatives of 2016

December 27, 2016 Lana @TravelSavvyGal Comments 0 Comment

As I reflect back on this past year in travel, there are so many memories that bubble up. Unexpected adventures, delicious meals, and shared laughter with friends. And of course, also rushing through airports, lost luggage, or barely making the last train. About half my trips were with friends or family, and the other half as a solo traveler.

Travel is definitely not all rainbows and unicorns, but as someone told me once about travel: It’s either a great experience . . . or a great story! I end this year with quite a few of both, and heaps of gratitude for all of the adventures I was privileged to experience – the good, the bad, and the random.

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Most New Countries in a Year: 11! (and a full passport to boot)

I didn’t set out this year to visit a ton of new countries, it just sort of happened. Looking back, the new countries I made it to in Europe in 2016 – 6 – is actually quite similar to the 5 new European countries I explored last year (this year it was Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, Liechtenstein, Romania, & Sweden for those of you keeping track). Ditto for Asia. Last year, I went to 2 new countries, and this year the same: Indonesia & Singapore. What really put me over the top was making it to Costa Rica for the first time on my family vacation back in August, and also getting a chance to explore 2 new countries in the Middle East with my sister this December: Oman & United Arab Emirates. Thanks, family!!

FYI, my American readers, the US phased out adding extra pages to passports at the end of 2015, so if your passport becomes full like mine, you’ll have to renew it to travel even if it’s not expiring yet. The good news is that when you renew, you can choose the longer length for no additional cost. Obviously something on my immediate to-do list in the new year 😉

Hardest Time Finding a Restaurant: Berat, Albania

When you’re traveling in Albania, you seek out Berat. Its old city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and it is known as The Town of a Thousand Windows for the beautifully window-filled view you get of the hillside from the river. Many people stay in Berat overnight, but it can also be visited as a day trip during a weekend in Tirana like I did with friends back in May. We got an early start, and spent a good part of the morning hiking uphill and exploring the Berat Castle. Well after noon, we felt that we had taken in the sights, but had not been particularly inspired by the food choices inside the castle walls. And we saw one place right outside the walls, but it was a giant eatery with tour buses parked outside, so didn’t seem like our style either. Instead we found the restaurant that everyone had been raving about online as being the spot locals prefer, and started to make our way in that direction.

There were four of us including me, and with several people consulting the maps on their phone, we thought that surely we could find our way to this nearby spot quite quickly, as we were starting to get quite hungry. We started down the one hill connecting the castle entrance to town and it kept looking like a wiggle down the next side street would lead us to the restaurant entrance. I would pop down one alleyway, certain it was finally the right one, and then reappear a minute later dejected that there was no eatery present. Eventually, we made it to the bottom of the hill to town and close to the car, but let’s be real – we were committed to finding the restaurant at this stage! We drove a bit to side streets where an alternate online map placed the taverna. Then we returned to the bottom of the hill where we had started, and asked some locals passing by if they knew how to get there. Finally, after what was probably *way* too much time floundering on our own, we called the restaurant. The owner, being so gracious at what was now probably around 2pm, actually came to fetch us.

We were able to follow him in his car on a meandering path that brought us . . . to a restaurant right at the top of the path right by the castle! I think it had been hidden by the hilltop and the large restaurant with the tourist buses, but of course we had been right there at the beginning. Fortunately all of our efforts were rewarded, with a massive, delectable feast of Albanian food with a Greek twist at Taverna Lazaro.

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Place I Made the Most Friends on the Road: Waiting in Line for a Kebab in Berlin

I usually make the most friends on the road when I am traveling solo, and this year is no exception. In the end, I actually had relatively few trips when I was in a hostel-type accommodation, which is where I would normally meet other travelers. And although I did walking tours and other group activities on my own, it was actually in a quest for food that I found the most kindred spirits. Nothing brings people together quite like shared queuing, and on this particular night in Berlin, I was set on getting what is probably the city’s most famous kebab. The line was moving along at a decent clip, but then the stand ran out of supplies (!) and had to re-stock. So what was looking like a 20-minute wait became closer to an hour, and I had a chance to gain some insight on the city from two other expats: a Spaniard living and working in Berlin and a Taiwanese student studying there. More proof that you never know who’ll you meet on the road.

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Best Wine Tasting: Argiolas in Cagliari (Sardinia, Italy)

One of the best parts of living in Europe is the wine. Grapes tend to be very local, and grown and processed in a way to complement the typical food of a region. I’ve done my fair share of wine tasting all over Europe in 2016 (and even a bit in Australia this year), but there was one experience that was especially memorable and stands out from the rest – doing a tour and tasting at Argiolas Winery in Sardinia, a bit outside of Cagliari. Although I’ve gone on many wine tours, I felt like I actually learned about their specific techniques and how they differ from other wineries. And the tasting itself was just fabulous. My friend and I had one person talking us through the wines, accompanied by a bit of local food. All of the staff was so friendly and knowledgeable, and the wines were so delicious, that we didn’t even realize until we had finished the last wine that we had taken so long our tasting had gone past the winery’s opening hours. Which really, is just a testament to the level of Italian hospitality we received.

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Craziest Hotel Check-in: Nessebar, Bulgaria

We’ve all been there. The crazy frustration of trying to find your hotel. It should be just around the corner. Or the GPS sends you one direction, but it just doesn’t like the correct route. Or in this case, sends you down a precarious gravel path. “No,” you think, “this can’t be right.” So you try an alternate route – which also turns out to be another gravel path. Finally you give up, and just park the corner in a random corner of the Bulgarian gravel road. And look up. And your friend says, “Hey, doesn’t that look like the picture of our hotel?”

End of story, right? If only… After confirmation from a nearby shop owner that we had indeed arrived at the correct destination, we walk into the building lobby. And there’s no reception. Hmmm….surely there must be staff somewhere, right? A quick pop to the salon downstairs finds it deserted. We call the phone number in the booking confirmation, and no reply. Then the waitress at the on-site restaurant is trying to be helpful, but speaks no English (and we speak no Bulgarian). Finally she directs us to one of the men sunbathing at the pool. My first thought is that it’s because he speaks English, but he actually turns out to be the building’s owner. “Great!” was my first – and misplaced – reaction. After studying the booking confirmation, the owner declares that there is no rental in his building under that description.

Ah, every frequent traveler’s nightmare. They gave away the last room, or the booking never existed in the first place. Images of curling up in the tiny car’s backseat for the night flash through my head, when the owner takes a moment to call the phone number we have on speakerphone. I catch a glance at his phone screen and realize that when he clicked “Send” a name popped up from his phone’s Contact List. As I wonder whether this is a good or bad sign, he quickly hangs up before someone has a chance to answer. He makes another call. This time it finally sounds promising, and I hear what sounds like “Italien” and I start gesturing saying, yes, I have an Italian phone number I used for my booking, it’s us. Does that mean we finally have a place to stay?? And yes, we have a room! He knows this person, and she is going to come and show us to our rooms. Imagine our relief when the room is just as expected, and even has a complimentary bottle of Bulgarian wine to greet us. As the door clicks behind her, out comes the joint, palpable, audible sigh. We’re finally checked in.

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Most People Visited in a Country I’ve Never Lived: 8 in Singapore

I visit friends in my travels often, and in fact, having a friend living in a foreign country is the best reason to get there for a visit! It’s great having a reason to explore a new, unexpected destination, and was how I picked several of my travel destinations this past year. Usually I travel to visit a single friend or family, with London as my usual exception, although most of my friends who live there I met in Milan. So it was quite random when I realized as I planned my November travel that I actually know quite a few people living in Singapore and there was never a better time to go.

There is the close Milan friend and previous around-the-corner neighbor who lives there with her husband and daughter, but may not be staying in Singapore much longer. The Singaporean college friend who I had seen relatively recently when she came to visit Milan during the World Expo last year, but whose days in Singapore are probably numbered as well. And then there’s the high school friend and her Singaporean husband and two children who only recently moved to Singapore. Several of these friends are now what I like to call 3-continent friends – people I’ve spent time with on three different continents. And for me it’s definitely notable to have so many different people from different stages of my life who just happen to all live in the same tiny island nation. While I didn’t know much about Singapore before visiting (other than having a ton of friends to visit), I became obsessed with the Singaporean style of breakfast and Singapore was one of my favorite destinations this year!

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Craziest Adventurous Things I Did:

Pemberton Climbing Trees (Australia) & Walking to Al Sawadi Island and Fort (Oman)

For me being adventurous doesn’t mean having no fear. Being adventurous is being confronted with something scary and/or dangerous, and then going outside of your comfort zone to do it anyway. There were two things in 2016 that really got my adrenaline pumping, both for being ostensibly dangerous, as well as me not really knowing what to expect ahead of time. First, was scaling the Pemberton climbing trees, which involved some incredibly tall trees and not much of a safety net. It was a bit terrifying, but also quite rewarding to reach the tops and take in the expansive views. Read more about the full experience in my post linked above and here.

The second pretty crazy thing I did was on my recent Oman trip with my sister. On the coast north of Muscat, there is a spot called Al Sawadi, with a nearby island and fort not too far off the beach. While there are boats you can pay to take you across, I had read something about being able to *walk* to the island during low tide. We arrived around 4pm and the water was looking quite low, but there was no one else walking across or anyone to ask. After a little bit of a walk when the water reached just up to knee level, we decided to go for it. This is only slightly complicated in Oman by the fact that it is a modest Muslim country where your shoulders and knees should be covered at all times in public. So you’re not just stripping down to your bikini and going for it. But venturing out into the unknown was great – the thrill and exhilaration of not knowing whether we’d be able to make it across, or if we did, how high the water level would rise before we reached the shore. In the end, my zip-off pants only got a little wet, and then we arrived and had the island entirely to ourselves! We hiked in our sport sandals to the top of the fort, took lots of pictures with the cell phones we were brave enough to carry for the journey, and had an even-lower tide for the walk back to where we had left the car, making it back across just as the sun set. An incredible and memorable experience, I’m reliving the excitement just typing about it.

Time Most Worth it to Trust a Stranger: Heading to the Cave at Wadi Khalid, Oman

I’m from New York, so it’s sort of second nature that when a stranger offers to help me out of the blue, my radar goes off and I become super skeptical of everything the person says and suggests. Perhaps it’s not the most open and loving way to live, but that is always my knee-jerk reaction: caution. Fortunately, the day exploring Wadi Khalid in Oman (a series of interconnected water pools and caves in the desert) came far enough into the week-long road trip that I already knew how hospitable Omanis were. Plus, they are so excited to see tourists – especially American ones – that they want you to have an amazing experience so you inspire others to visit when you go home.

As my sister and I were following the vague arrows pointing toward the Wadi’s famous cave, a man in traditional Omani dress fell into step beside us. He told us that he was heading to the cave as well, and as a local, knew the way quite well. My mind at this point was racing with possibilities, but we were just walking in that direction and were outside with plenty of other visitors. At one point I did inquire as to why he was so interested in showing us around, and he revealed that he was a police officer in Muscat and wanted to practice his English. It sounded legit, and again, we were not alone, but it was quite interesting crouching into a dark cave with no signs or directions, blindly following the instincts of a local who had been many times before. Our new Omani friend Said was a great guide, showing us the water source of the wadi, pointing out bats that were hanging from the ceiling just above our heads, and giving us the full experience of the cave. There’s no way my sister and I would have ventured that far alone, and it was just incredible to see the caverns and crevices inside.

Biggest Travel Injury: Stubbed Toe in Abu Dhabi

Anyone who knows me knows that I can be quite clumsy, so an injured toe as my biggest injury of the year is a major accomplishment. Interestingly enough, if I am doing a potentially dangerous activity like rock climbing or cliff diving, I’m quite attentive and tend to emerge unscathed. My biggest injuries ever? Both my broken collarbone and severely injured finger resulted from what was essentially me tripping over my own feet.

Stubbing my toe in Abu Dhabi doesn’t sound serious, but it was quite a wound. Basically, I was walking back to bed after a middle-of-the-night trip to the bathroom, and didn’t realize that one of the stylish chairs with metal legs reached out almost to the edge of the bed. I thought I would have cleared it by a mile, but instead I walked quite decisively forward and essentially sliced my second toe open. So it was more serious (and bloody) than your typical stubbed toe, and it hurt to walk for the next 10 days, as in it was painful taking e-v-e-r-y s-i-n-g-l-e s-t-e-p. But for a year of travel and adventure (and given my lifelong tendency to injure myself weirdly and quite seriously), not too bad at all.

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Travel First: Getting Put Up in a Hotel

Lost luggage? Yes, many times, sometimes for up to several days.

Missed a connecting flight? Of course, but usually with good, alternate options to still get there within a few hours.

Been on an overbooked flight offering vouchers? Plenty of times, but usually when I was in the US traveling for work and had to be somewhere by a certain time, so I’d never taken advantage.

Slept in an airport? Sure, most memorably at the Dallas airport in a snowstorm when I was trying to be there for the first flight back to New York for New Year’s Eve & at the Kuala Lumpur budget terminal (never again!)

Missing a connection and needing to stay in a hotel overnight? That had never happened to me before – until a week ago, so just under the wire to be part of my 2016 travel superlatives. I had just over an hour of transit time at London’s Heathrow Airport, which is cutting it quite close to begin with. Then, as we were lining up to board the bus that would take us to the plane in Milan, the snow started to fall. What?!? It almost never snows in Milan, because it’s usually not quite cold enough. And snow certainly had not been part of the forecast. When the captain announced that there was a long line to de-ice the plane and we would likely be delayed at least 30 minutes, I flagged over a flight attendant to ask about my connection. When he informed me that you need to scan through the transfer desk at Heathrow 35 minutes before your departure time to be allowed on the plane, I knew I was in trouble. In the US, they would likely send information up to the plane about the connecting flight, or at least the crew would be able to phone and request it. For this London connection, I had the sinking feeling that I would be out of luck, which was confirmed when we touched down an hour late.

By the time someone was available to help me at the re-booking desk, the best option was just to take the same early afternoon flight the following day. Spend an unexpected 24 hours in London, catching up with friends and soaking up the holiday atmosphere? If I must…

Most Times Crossing Paths with a Friend – and half the time accidentally!

It’s one thing to plan a lot of travel with a good friend, it’s quite another to have the one person you keep running into at unplanned moments in unexpected cities. Of the 6 times I’ve crossed paths with this one particular friend, our run-ins have spanned 4 cities on 2 continents – and only 2 were arranged in advance! We had planned to be in Bucharest, Romania (where she is from) over the same weekend in early June so she could show me around and we could hang out. Then a few weeks beforehand when her schedule was too busy on a business trip to Milan, a work dinner fell through and she messaged me last minute so we met up for a meal. In August when I was in New York, she messaged me about a last-minute work trip that had also brought her to the city, so we had another unplanned meal together. And then, the very next night on the way to meet another friend, I walked into another restaurant in a completely different part of town. And the first person I see? This same friend! Our 5^th meeting of the year was arranged in advance, when I came to London to see the American football (NFL) game with my home team playing. And then on my recent missed connection in London, I messaged this friend to see if she was possibly around. It turned out that about an hour after my message she was actually coming to the same terminal of Heathrow Airport where I was stranded! So we met up for a coffee, and our last in a string of prolific, unexpected run-ins throughout 2016.

What were the stand-out moments of your 2016 travel??

Unexpected Foods to Seek Out in European Cities

October 4, 2016 Lana @TravelSavvyGal Comments 0 Comment

I wholly subscribe to my grandfather’s assertion that “travel is an adventure in eating” and enjoying the local food specialties of a destination is an essential part of my travel, especially lately. Living in Italy has given me a even deeper appreciation of the concept, as food here is not just regional (Italy has 20 different regions), but is often particular to a specific town with a traditional dish and a local grape that produces wine that pairs perfectly with that culinary specialty.

While eating local food has its perks, sometimes there is an unexpected food – often from another culture – that has become a typical food of the area worth seeking out during your visit. In Washington, DC where I lived for many years, you may not know that there are both large Ethiopian and Salvadorean populations, making it a prime city for swiping a chunk of injera through a mound of kitfo or sampling pupusas for the first time.

In Europe, several cities I’ve visited also have non-native food specialties you’ll see available everywhere you turn, but with long enough traditions that you can find particularly delectable versions with just a little bit of sleuthing.

Here are some of the foods that have been unexpected for me, and where to find them:

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Amsterdam: Falafel

My first trip to Amsterdam was visiting a friend who was studying there at the time, and I was quite surprised when she told me how excellent the falafel was there. The word may be out already beyond Europe, at least among my DC friends, as there is actually a shop in DC called “Amsterdam Falafel.” So why is falafel so popular in Amsterdam? I honestly have no idea (if you do, please share in the Comments section below!) but whether you’re a vegetarian or not, it is an excellent snack during your time in the city.

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Berlin: Kebab

Kebab is an ethnic food found in many cities across Europe, from Paris to Vienna, so why do I associate it in particular with Berlin? As you can see in my recent Berlin rundown, kebab options are plentiful in Berlin. There is a kebab stand – or several – on pretty much every corner, and you’ll frequently see people walking around with a kebab in hand. And the options and opinions about kebab abound. On my recent trip, I waited in line for over an hour at possibly the most popular spot for a €3 kebab, which was well worth it as the kebab was by far the best I have ever tasted.

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London: Curry

When you think of British food, you’re likely to conjure images of fish and chips, and possibly bangers and mash or shepherd’s pie. If you’ve visited London though, you know that its colonial history on the Indian sub-continent has resulted into curry being an art form, available in excellent renditions all over town. While there are some renowned chains (like Dishoom) in many parts of the city, there is no need to take the tube for ages. In any neighborhood you stay in, there is likely to be an excellent restaurant serving up traditional curry. Do a bit of research or asking around, and then like me, curry will be on your “must eat” list every time you’re in London for a visit or just passing through.

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Stockholm: Korv (hot dog)

You probably don’t know the word korv if you’re never visited Sweden, but calling it a hot dog or even a sausage is a misnomer. Again, like Berlin, korv is available all over town and is a frequently consumed street food. However korv is unique in that the places that really specialize in it don’t just offer one or two versions, but 20 or more combinations of meat and spices to entice the palate. I also appreciated that the “korvspecialists” are really catering to locals, with posted menus only in Swedish (although asking will produce an English recommendation or possibly even a menu behind the stand). In any case, I enjoyed my spicy lamb sausage on a baguette with all of the toppings.

What are some non-native food specialties in your city? And what is the most under-the-radar food you’ve sampled somewhere you were visiting? Share in the Comments below.

Travel Savvy Gal

Making the Most of Your Time Away

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