Senior Travel

Prague

joanevans — Fri, 14 Jul 2017 06:42:00 GMT

Arrived in Prague yesterday. Really enjoying this city. Its very small compareds to what I thought - very nice city! Had a fabulous tour guide from California give us a very detailed tour of the Old Town Square and the Jewish Quarter. Very informative! Very impressed!! Hope to see the castle tomorrow!

Yesterday saw the castle and St. Vitus' Cathedral, then ventured into Prague old town by myself, got lost, but found my way to lunch with my old au pair Veronika! Had a great chat and lunch!

Have returned back to america - had a great time traveling with the Fratzkes and Thompsons. Have made memories I wont forget!!

Photos: Prague

joanevans — Fri, 14 Jul 2017 06:08:00 GMT

Photos: Poland

joanevans — Wed, 12 Jul 2017 00:58:00 GMT

Arrived in Poland

joanevans — Tue, 11 Jul 2017 07:20:00 GMT

Drove for 11 hours to Poland today. Everyone was in good spirits and happy to arrive in the small town of Boleslaweic. We had a wonderful, tasteful, and cheap dinner in town. Looking forward to shopping for authentic Polish pottery tomorrow. The countryside in Slovakia, Czech Republic, and Poland was beautiful!

Today is Tuesday, we bought tons of pottery as a group of 6 ladies. I spent less than $100!! Yahoo! Off to Praque tomorrow morning! :-)

Budapest 8 July 2017

joanevans — Sun, 9 Jul 2017 05:53:00 GMT

Photos: Budapest

joanevans — Sat, 8 Jul 2017 15:50:00 GMT

Arrived in Budapest

joanevans — Sat, 8 Jul 2017 15:30:00 GMT

Arrived in Budapest on 6 July. Had a great dinner and visited with Beth Fratzke, Brian and Barbara Thompson, and Julia, Chloe, and Sarah.

On 7 July, ventured into Budapest for the day. Saw all kinds of wonderful things to include the cable car/trains including the one that takes you up to Castle Hill and the Castle District; Chain Bridge - got to walk across it; got to see military guards standing at attention in their full dress uniform; Matyas Church; Parliament; Fisherman's Bastion; St. Stephen's Basilica - beautiful!! Also got to experience Starbucks (Hungarian Style) and got to try a green tea frapacino - awesome! Walked by the Jewish shoe memorial to the victims who were shot into the Danube. Very sad. Also, saw a statue of Ronald Reagan, beloved by the Hungarians; went to a Hungarian donut shop and a Gelato store that makes icecream cones that look like roses! Awesome day with the crew!!

Today is 8 July (Saturday). Did a lot today including visiting a pharmacy, the post office (which was closed), the brand new metro train, an apartment in Budapest with a great view of the Danube, and then onto the Central Market Hall with Barbara while most everyone else slept in :-) Saw a classic underground train system that was very old (the oldest in Europe), well kept, and fancy. Saw the Opera House, a church, and a pseudo castle that we enjoyed a picnic by with lots of brides and beer peddling cars. Really enjoyed being outside and having a picnic with everyone. Took pictures at Heroes' Square. Enjoyed dinner out (burgers, pizza, salmon sandwich, grilled cheese, and a big Mohito drink shared by all the adults :-) at Margaret Island where we also enjoyed a water dancing show to music. We then headed home and crashed! :-) Looking forward to tomorrow's next adventure in Budapest!

Getting Ready to Go to Budapest (Final Steps)

joanevans — Wed, 5 Jul 2017 02:05:00 GMT

Just finishing packing and last minute preparations for trip to Budapest. Any advice for Budapest, Poland, and Prague?

thanks!

Joan

Preparing to go to Budapest, Prague, and Poland

joanevans — Fri, 23 Jun 2017 22:52:00 GMT

Hello!

Here's a few things I'm doing to prepare for my trip to Budapest, Prague, and Poland July 5, 2017. These are things I would recommend for all Seniors traveling overseas.

- Make sure all of my personal affairs are in order (Will, trust, living will, advanced medical directives, life insurance, power of attorney). Share the location of these documents with someone.

- Make arrangements for the pets and plants.

- Make sure my passport is current and is effective at least 6 months after my end date of travel overseas. Check to see if any of the countries I'm traveling to require VISAs. Make copies of my passport, VISA, credit cards, drivers license, etc., email them to myself and my family.

- Put in special dietary requests with the airline I'm flying on; request assistance at the airport if needed.

- Pack a neck pillow for the long plane ride; bring eye mask to sleep, ear plugs, ear buds to listen to music with.

- Get medically checked out before I travel to include dental. Get required immunizations www.cdc.gov/travel, get extra prescription medications.

- Buy travel insurance before I depart.

- Pack a small first aid kit with over the counter meds for the trip and bandaids/moleskin, hand sanitizer, suntan lotion.

- Research customs in the countries I'm visiting. Research border crossing/customs restrictions for countries I’m visiting.

- Give a copy of my itinerary to my family before I depart.

- Bring family/friends’ contact information and addresses.

- Register my trip with https://step.state.gov/step/.

- Get registered for TSA Pre-Check

- Turn on international calling/roaming for the duration of the trip. Put my phone in the Airplane mode when not in use to avoid using data. Turn on WIFI though. Turn on data roaming when I need to use the internet. Use www.free-hotspot.com to find hotspots around the world. Use VOIP (Skype) to make phone calls back home once I arrive.

- Buy a power converter/transformer for my computer and other electrical devices at Brookstone.com or the airport.

- Download any/all apps I want to use while on the trip ahead of time.

- Re-confirm my flight departure, hotel reservations, and transportation reservations.

- Use a packing list to pack for the trip. Don’t exceed 50lbs per checked bag. Get luggage tags.

- Check in online if you can and print out your boarding pass (24 hours prior to flight).

- Arrive at the airport 2-3 hours before the flight.

- Wear comfortable clothes and shoes for the flight; don’t wear new shoes. Bring a sweater or light jacket. Avoid advertising that you’re from America. Wear a money belt. Wear emergency alert bracelets. Stash money in different places on your person and in your carry on bag.

- In carry-on, pack prescription meds, over the counter meds, current immunization records, passport, VISA, drivers license, foreign currency, 2 credit cards, debit card, itinerary, contact info/addresses for hotels you are staying at, emergency numbers, tickets you’ve purchased, hand sanitizer or baby wipes, emergency contact numbers, address book, travel journal, guidebook, maps, eye wear (glasses, sunglasses and prescriptions), neck pillow, ear plugs, eye mask, laptop computer, charger, transformer, cell phone, camera, GPS, book to read, movies to watch, hat, less than 4 oz of liquids, prescription meds in their original containers or with the written prescription.

- Make and carry with you an in case of emergency information sheet about your health conditions, emergency contacts, etc.

- Checked baggage: Pack portable door alarm, alarm clock, rain/winter coat, umbrella, multiple layers of clothes, personal hygiene supplies.

That should be enough to get me started 😊

Thanks for reading!

Sincerely,

Joan Evans

Photos: Admin

joanevans — Thu, 22 Jun 2017 15:16:00 GMT

Admin