Everything Great About Airports

A friend of mine whom is constantly on the road making his living in a sales field once told me of how much he hates airports. Between the line-ups, the paper work and the hauling of luggage to kingdom come (or the next terminal at DFW), he has associated these hubs of long range travel with the same ill-will that the average commuter would place upon a big city highway at 5:30pm. This couldn’t be further from how I feel about airports.

I don’t work in sales and I have never had to travel for work. Also because of my job (which is steady, well-paying and one that I consider myself lucky to have) I don’t have the opportunity to jet-set around the world like some of the “digital nomads” we all love to read about online. The vacation time I have accrued allows me to take maybe two major trips per year. The good part about such infrequent travel is for one, the time I have on my side to plan the perfect vacation, and maybe more importantly the scarcity allows me to fully appreciate all that contributes to the magic of travel, of which the airport experience is an integral part.

Love getting up close and personal with one of these beauties 

With my selective memory conveniently blocking out painful customs lines and the occasional flight delay, here is everything I love about airports and airplanes:

The 4am Wakeup Call

…and leaving the house well before sunrise. I don’t do this when I go to work. I surely don’t do this on the weekend. I only do this when I’m going to the airport. Thus 4am wake-up call = vacation!

The Departure Board

Call me weird but sometimes I just love to stand in front of this thing and imagine all of the different places I could get to in a matter of hours. I could be in Lima for lunch or Delhi for dinner.

Oh, the places you can go...

The Obligatory Facebook Airport Check-in

Remember all those times sitting at your desk eating leftovers, reading about who’s about to takeoff to Europe? Well now it’s my turn, and you’re getting an Eiffel Tower emoji with that too!

The Duty Free

So what if I will have no shortage of opportunity to buy cheap booze while at my destination. I’m at the airport, I’m on vacation and dammit I’m going to at least look at all of the bottles and cigars. 

The Airline’s Destination Map

Similar to the destination board, look at all the places you can go! Beautifully illustrated with hub-and-spoke airports all over the map. I also enjoy the layout maps of the hub airports and info about the airline’s fleet. Other than Skymall, this is the pinnacle of inflight reading. Oh ya, Skymall!

Unleashing my inner geography nerd on every flight

Skymall

No real explanation required. I will never buy a cat house or a Boston Red Sox themed BBQ set, but these are fun to look at for 5 minutes from the window seat.

Shopping at it's finest

The Views

I know, the major portion of an 8-hour trans-Atlantic flight is pretty damn boring, but man those views from above during take-off and descent are stunning.

The Mediterranean is a sight from above

Deplaning

This only really applies when flying to the tropics. The heat and humidity you feel when stepping off the plane in Miami or Punta Cana is awesome, especially when there is no tunnel and you step off right on to the tarmac in the mid-day sun. #Summertimeandthelivinseasy

Mike @ Palms & Pints
@palmsandpints

I Love Europe, But Dream of The Caribbean...

I have been lucky enough to travel to Europe two springs in a row and four times in total. I have had the pleasure of experiencing so many of the cities I wanted to visit all my life; Prague, Venice, Barcelona, Vienna, Munich, just to name a few. I would surely head back every year if time and funds allowed it.

Europe, with all of its culture, food, architecture and history, sits comfortably as my 'number 2' favorite type of vacation. The 'number 1' spot however has always belonged to the Caribbean All-Inclusive… and here’s why!

Price

Vacations in Europe or North America just can’t get you the same bang for your buck as a Caribbean All-Inclusive (AI) can. To get to Europe (from Toronto) you are looking at anywhere from $700-$1500 depending on itinerary and time of year… and that’s for flights alone, we haven’t even begun to discuss hotel costs, food, bar tabs, sights or additional travel within the continent. As low as $1,000 can net me a round-trip flight, 4+ star accommodations and unlimited food and drink for a week. Even the little things like airport transfers and tips are included in the one-time price.  

Weather

Europe in the winter can be great, don’t get me wrong. There are Christmas markets, beautiful city streets and even at its coldest it is usually more tolerable than back in Canada. That being said, one of my biggest pull factors when going abroad is the sunshine. Aside from a brief hurricane season in the fall, the weather in the Caribbean is typically awesome year-round. As I mentioned in a previous posting, there is nothing quite like boarding a plane in -25C Toronto weather and disembarking in +30C island heat.  

The Caribbean sun just makes you fee good!

Beach

The beaches in Florida are some of my favorites, and Europe has some good ones as well (I was in Malta last year and absolutely loved it!), but if you have ever been to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic you know there is just no comparison. Stretching as long as the eye can see, powdery white, lined with palms and warm clear waters all year long… a good Caribbean beach is simply in a league of its own.

Not all beaches are created equal

Relaxation

Most of us in North America are subject to the go-go-go lifestyle of working 40+ hours a week (not including rush hour commuting) and then spending our precious free time with the chores and errands required to maintain a household. When it finally comes time for a vacation, I just want to relax! In the Caribbean you are not trying to squeeze 10 famous sites into a day’s itinerary. You are not walking past countless restaurants each night wondering which are authentic and which are overpriced tourist traps. You are not rushing to the airport or train station at 5am to connect to your next location. You are chillin’ pool or beach-side, catching rays, sipping on a mojito and deciding which of the five gourmet on-site restaurants you want to head to that night.

The definition of a "vacation" for me. 

I will end by saying my experiences do not cover the entire globe as I have never been in Asia or Africa. I have been doing a bit of reading this winter and it seems like some of the beach locales in the Far East have the potential to amaze. Thailand? Philippines? Vietnam? Hopefully someday soon!  

Looking to book a Caribbean all-inclusive? Check these postings out! Part 1 & Part 2.

Mike @palmsandpints

The Part-Time Traveler

I started my travel blog (and related twitter account) back in January, as travel planning has been a huge passion of mine for quite some time. I was looking for a way to pass on some of my knowledge on the subject, but more so to connect with and learn from other like-minded bloggers. In just a few months in the community I have been exposed to so many whose lives revolve around travelling the globe. My first reaction was a bit of jealously. I typically go on two major trips per year. “Major” being defined as a trip of a week or longer. On top of that I may squeeze in another 2 or 3 long-weekend type getaways. The jealousy lies in the fact that many of these bloggers are spending more time on foreign soil in a month than I do in a year!  It’s seems the sentiment from many of these full-time globe-trotters is that “anyone can do it, but it’s not for everyone”, and this couldn’t be more accurate.

Venice - sadly one of only two major trips I will take this year

I love to travel, and maybe just as much, I love to plan travel. For my February ten-day Europe trip I must have spent 30+ hours over 3 months planning it, ensuring we were getting the best possible value and the most out of our brief time in each location. Same could be said for my Florida “guys trip” in April. I find myself reverting back into travel-plan mode mere days after returning from a previous trip. If holding down a full-time job means that I can only travel a few times a year, so be it, but it’s sure not going to stop me from the research!

With that said I will be the first to admit that “full time travel” might not be for me, even if the work schedule provided more flexibility. Part of what makes travel so special for me is the rarity and exclusivity of it. Little things like being at an airport, checking into a hotel or grocery shopping in another city are exciting events. I work downtown Toronto and my office is in a hotel building in the city’s tourist-filled entertainment district. Everyday going to and from work I see those arriving in the city with their luggage, grabbing breakfast in the hotel or strolling Canada’s Walk of Fame along King Street West. On one hand I’m jealous of their current travel excitement juxtaposed against my dull work-day grind, but at the same time it prompts me to think about my next adventure abroad. A friend of mine who travels more than regularly on business told me that he looks at airports like a stop-and-go highway during rush hour. Nothing but a hassle. I can’t imagine experiencing an airport like this. Airports represent your gateway to amazing new places and memories. There is just something about being on the road at 5AM en-route to a 7AM flight that screams VACATION!

Made a 3-day trek to DC last summer

From my reading, long-term travel is typically done on a modest budget, thus one would have to have the lifestyle to match. I don’t fancy myself much of a budget traveler like many of the aforementioned “digital nomads”. I enjoy certain comforts when I travel and this is twice-fold for my main travel companion, my wife. This doesn’t mean that we stay at the Four Seasons, but it means that backpacking between hostels is not necessarily our cup of tea.

Does the idea of travelling the world full-time appeal to me? Absolutely! But I don’t think it’s something I will ever do. I love my house and take great pride in its ownership. We have a pool in the backyard and settling back there on a hot and sunny day with a drink in hand is something not even a five-star hotel room overseas would ever replace. I love my car, my MacBook and my gadgets. I couldn’t sell off all of these things to fund full-time travel. I am a self-proclaimed “Trip Research Aficionado”, and this is a passion I can maintain from the homestead. There are so many destinations to learn about and hotel reviews to read through, so travel will always be a huge and on-going part of my life... and when it does eventually come time for my next adventure, I’ll be wide-eyed and well-prepared.

Nothing beats home in the summer time!

Mike @ Palms & Pints
@palmsndpints

The Sunshine State

Other than Algonquin Park here in Ontario, there may not be a vacation destination on this planet that I'm more familiar with than Florida. The "Sunshine State" is just one of those places I can travel to over and over again. While I love the Caribbean, there is something to be said about having both warm waters and fine sands intertwined with high standards of living and classic American culture.

The state of Florida is a peninsula separating the Atlantic Ocean from the Gulf of Mexico. While it is geographically in the "southern" region, I personally find it more culturally similar to southern California than it's own neighbours. It's dual coastlines give it two different, yet equally enjoyable beach experiences. In fact, I don't think it's possible to be more than a 75 minute drive from the ocean, anywhere in the state. 

Miami, while not the capital (that's surprisingly Tallahassee), is Florida's largest and most well known city. Miami Beach is a spectacular bustling beach town with tonnes of great food, nightlife, art-deco architecture, and of course that world famous sand and sea. For a foodie, there is no better place in the country for a mojito and Cuban sandwich. 

Orlando, sitting in roughly the middle of the state, is Florida's most famous non-coastal city, due in large part to it's legendary resorts Walt Disney World & Universal Studios, amongst others. Children from all over the world yearn for a live glimpse of their favorite Disney characters and the iconic castle. 

While I have been to both of these places, and agree they are fantastic, it is some of the more lesser known parts of Florida which draw me back time and time again:

Cocoa Beach - sitting midway down the Atlantic coast, Cocoa beach is the perfect "chill spot" for a true Florida beach vacation. Billed as "Orlando's closest beach", CB provides fantastic swimming, top notch hotels and a bustling enough beach town to keep you occupied when you're not getting your tan on. You are also quite well located for a day trip Cape Canaveral to witness a live rocket lauch. 

The famous Ron Jon Surf Shop in Cocoa Beach  Source

Fort De Soto County Park -  A 40 minute drive from Tampa is a beautiful piece of beachland where waters are as calm and as clean as they get this side of Cuba. A beach connoisseur such as myself will notice the Turks and Caicos-esque sand bars. Not much in the way of facilities, but pack a lunch and come for day of R&R. 

Catching some rays in Fort De Soto

Key West - A little bit of a pain to get to, but well worth it. A (beautiful) 3 hour and change drive from Miami, Key West is that hipster little town that marches to the beat of it's own drum. I was surprised to discover that there isn't much in the way of quality beaches here, but the town is charming ...and hey,  you can say you visited the "Southernmost Point in Continental USA"! 

The boys were super excited for this famous marker (or maybe it was just me)

Note - When driving to Key West, be sure to stop for a swim at Bahia Honda Key Park. Quiet, pristine beaches and incredible sunsets. 

Tough to beat a sunset on Bahia Honda Key

Been to a part of Florida I haven't? (panhandle, north-east coast, Naples/Marco Island area?) I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments! 

Mike @ Palms & Pints 

@palmsandpints