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The Biggest Lesson You Learn When You Travel

A crowded metro full of sweaty Germans on one of the hottest days of the year isn’t exactly the ideal space for inspiration. It’s not an ideal space for anything, really. Unless you just like being in a cramped space with sweaty Germans. But hey, to each their own, I guess.

So, here I was, sitting in a metro in Frankfurt, Germany (where I’m living for the next year) when two families hop on board. One of the families were presumably of German heritage and the other of Middle Eastern heritage (I’m not sure of the exact country), but they didn’t know each other, and each couple had a baby, both around the same age. Each of them somehow managed to fit into the sweaty mass of humans and once the metro starts up, the absolute worst thing happens. One of the babies starts crying and screaming like he just heard a Donald Trump speech. Yeah great, just what I wanted! Adding a crying toddler to the sweaty German metro mixture was just perfect, ya know?

But then, as I was turning up the volume on the new Carly Rae Jepsen album and trying to block out the crying, the non-squealing baby starts giggling and smiling at the squealing baby. And all of a sudden, at the snap of a finger, the crying stopped. Both babies start smiling and giggling at each other, which was kind of cute, but also still kind of annoying because they were interrupting my Queen Jepsen time.

As the babies started laughing, the two couples started smiling and making eye contact with the each other. Even some strangers gave a little grin at the babies just doing their cute thing.

Now, the point of this article isn’t to talk about cute babies or how gross that sweaty metro ride was, even though I could easily do that. We all know the world pretty much seems like it’s going to complete and utter shit right now. When I hear the news, this is how I imagine the world:

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The Unfriendliest Cities In The World

Over the last four years, we’ve asked our readers to rate a city’s “friendliness” in the Readers’ Choice Awards survey, especially with respect to where you felt welcome (and where you did not). Did an outgoing local show you the way? Was the city easy to navigate? Some 128,000 people took the survey in 2015—and for the first time ever, we’re seeing how U.S. cities compare to the rest of the world. Counting down, here are the unfriendliest cities in the world…

See the full list of friendliest and unfriendliest cities in the world

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Health Insurance Coverage From as Little as $80 a Month Overseas

Health Insurance Coverage From as Little as $80 a Month Overseas

By the staff of International Living

Healthcare costs in the U.S. continue to rise. According to PwC’s Health Research Institute, medical costs look set to grow by 6.5% this year alone. Out-of-pocket medical expenses are one of the main reasons U.S. citizens go into debt, according to the Association of Healthcare Journalists. And with the average health insurance premium for a family topping $18,000 as of last year (up 58% since 2006), it’s small wonder that more than 11% of U.S.adultsare still uninsured.

 

Fortunately, there are countries overseas where you can find a great retirement lifestyle…and excellent, affordable healthcare when you need it. The five countries below rank among the top retirement destinations in the world. You can more than halve your healthcare costs in all these places—without compromising on quality.

In these countries, you can get yourself fully insured from just $80 a month, see a specialist for as little as $30, and have surgery performed by a well-trained professional for half or less (often much less) of the U.S. price. All of which leaves you with a lot more money to enjoy everything these retirement havens offer.

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Young & Entrepreneurial: Let the Adventures Begin with the Adventure Bucket List Founding Team

Young and Entrepreneurial is a series of articles where I’ve decided to interview and write about young individuals disrupting the world. By sharing the stories of these individuals, I hope to inspire youth from all over the world to follow their passions, to take the road less traveled and to disrupt the status quo. This is the 20th post in the Young and Entrepreneurial Series. To read previous features and to stay up to date with future features, like our Facebook page here.

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Everyone loves traveling because of the endless possible adventures and experiences that traveling offers. I recently got the opportunity to interview the founders of Adventure Bucket List, a startup that aims to empower travellers, allowing them to discover and book things before they arrive by aggregating all the adventure activities out there into one website. They also provide activity providers with an extensive network so that travelers can discover their offerings more easily.

The three founders Ryan Stobie (CEO), Blake Pridham (COO) and Rita LeBlanc (Customer and Relationships Manager) all graduated from the University of British Columbia in 2014 before deciding to jump full-force into Adventure Bucket List(ABL).

 

 

They recently had a soft launch of their booking software in specific regions and have been rapidly on boarding companies. They plan to continue expanding to new places through both partner travel ties and by creating their own market place for travel activities.

They have been making waves in the Canada startup scene, having won multiple competitions like the UBC Entrepreneur Boot Camp, the Vancouver Startup Showdown and the Plug and Play Tech Center Fall Expo 2014. The Travel Startups Incubator has also invested in them as well.

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6 Life-Saving Travel Accessories Under $10

You know that feeling you get when, just as you get to the airport, you realize you forgot your phone charger? Well, while it’s a heart-sinking feeling, it’s not a matter of life and death. Except for your cell phone battery, anyway. But when it comes to matters of life, death, and just general safety on vacation, some of the smallest investments can reap the greatest rewards.

To help you spend and pack wisely, we’ve put together a list of 12 travel accessories under $10 that will absolutely save your bacon — because no bacon should ever be squandered.

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The Best Gifts and Gadgets for Serious Travelers

Sadly, not every item we covered in last year’s gift guide made it to the list this year. Some just broke along the way and ending up being sad disappointments. This, unfortunately, includes our beloved Muji suitcase and Bellroy Travel Wallet.

The good news is that there are a bunch of newcomers mixed in with some old faces that are standing the test of time. Skip the travel socks this year, here’s stuff that will actually delight most hardcore travelers.

This post originally appeared on Map Happy.

Bags
There are no winners in the bag category this year. This includes brands we’re currently testing like the Minaal, Tom Bihn and others. There was no standout.

Technology
Satechi Travel Router
There’s power adapters and there’s power adapters. This power adapter lets you convert to all the major plugs out there, has two slots for USB charging and GET THIS, even turns into a router. Because when you get into the hotel, chances are you’ll have more than one doodad that needs a little bit of Internet juice. This is singlehandedly the best travel gadget I own.

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Hotels With Over-The-Top Poolside Experiences

From foot-washing attendants to cabanas with verandas, here are our favorite poolside experiences and amenities from around the globe.

See our list of the best resorts in the U.S.

1. Faena Hotel Miami Beach, Florida

Pool life is the good life at this posh Miami Beach resort, where attendants cater to guests’ every whim: from cleaning sunglasses to handing out carafes of lemon-infused water and complimentary snacks (curated daily by the hotel’s chef, pastry chef, and bartender). They’ll even wash your feet with a slow trickle of fresh water from a watering tin (we’re not kidding).

2. Oil Nut Bay, Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands

Become the bastion of Instagram envy at Oil Nut Bay’s three-tiered pool, where your own dedicated staff member will set up and take photos of you with floating props — including rideable unicorns and flamingos. If that’s not your thing, fear not: the jaw-dropping backdrop of turquoise Caribbean waters is more than enough to make your friends jealous.