Cricket's Nomad Tips

Top 5 Skips

Here are 5 places I would skip:

1. Peducah Kentucky - everyone in my family knows why
2. Singapore - go somewhere in Asia that is the real deal
3. Seoul, Korea - only good thing I can think of is their whiskey and karaoke
4. Any Club Med or large tour group - I like to do it on my own, or have small tours.  And having someone whistling in my face about joining the volleyball match is my idea of hell on earth.
5. Mt. Kilimanjaro - I was just so dang sick at the top and the camping was freezing and there are hoardes of people.  I would prefer to rough it and challenge myself in an environment that was prettier wilderness with less folks.  Still, nice to have it under my belt.

Top 5 Wanderlust Places

Top 5 Wanderlust Places
Updated July 2009

This is soooo tough to keep this to only 5 spots.  A am constantly checking my dream book (National Geographic's 50 places from 1999... tattered and torn), showing off my Top Cities book and moving the pins in my wall map.  At the moment:

1. Coastal Norway
2. Columbia
3. The Canadian Rockies
4. The Italian Dolomites
5. Cuba

Top High Style, Low Maintenance Hotels Yet

My Top 5 High Style, Low Maintenance Hotels of All Time

As of July 2016 - will be edited frequently

1. The Esperanza, Cabo, Mexico
2. The Hotel de la Paix, Cambodia
3. Explora, Torres de Paines, Patagonia
4. La Miravetta, Sorrento, Italy
5. The Jenny Lake Lodge, Tetons, Wyoming (run by the National Parks Serice!)

 

Travel Gadgets

1. Mini Speakers – I have a small one from JBL.  You instantly have a stereo for your hotel room, campsite or even on a desert isle.
2. Rolling Suitcase that fits in Overhead Bin 
3. Noise-Cancelling Headphones – I have a set from Bose.  I haven’t even noticed a crying kid on a plane in years. 
4. Playing cards – I know, so old school.  Hours of bite-sized fun.
5. Clear Plastic Case from Flight 101 - keep plane-sized toiletries in here

Top 5 Travel Websites

Top 5 Travel Websites:

1. Tablet Hotels - They only have the best.  Some are a bit too swanky for me, but they never list big, corporate hotels or teddy bear/lace curtain places.
2. Chic Retreats - Small, never frilly hotels.  Better than B&Bs. Join for $15 and get 10% of any of the hotels. 
3. Trip Advisor - Get the inside scoop on what room to request and reviews from all over.  Take it with a grain of salt.  Most people probably don't have the same travel tastes
4. Frommers - They have the entire books on line.  So much better than Lonely Planet or Fodors.
5. Starwood Hotels - Get your American Express for Starwood and ditch the limiting airline points cards.  I've stayed in Venice, Mexico, South Africa, Paris and New York on free points.  I've stayed in many spots I wouldn't splurge on otherwise from their Luxury Collection.