If someone was asked to describe me, I can most definitely bet they would not say I was "cheery" and "optimistic". Nope, I'm pleasant, but definitely more realistic and a bit grumpy.  Why should you care? Well, I feel like being a storm cloud of rain today, so here is my week in travel blahs.

After traveling quite a bit the past month, and getting sick quite a bit in the past month, I'm ready for Christmas carols and cookies and lights. Those things make me happy. 

One of the things I've grown a bit accustomed to over the years is airport lounge access. This all started with my mom, who as a Star Alliance Gold member has access to a lounge in most international airports.  When you get off a 14 hour flight, I really find it relaxing to go sit in a lounge, with wifi and a free beer (though for good ol' motion sick me, it's often ginger ale instead). So when DH and I were heading to Bhutan and Thailand, I made sure we would have lounge access along the way.   I'm really not a lounge snob (I know you are out there) and appreciate whatever is available, particularly internationally. More than anything, I like that lounge bathrooms are typically cleaner than those in the general areas. And the chairs are comfier. And I don't have to pay $8 for some water (I'm looking at you Charles de Gaulle).

I don't think anyone goes to Bhutan, at least the first time, and doesn't hike to the Tiger's Nest, which is more correctly called Paro Taktsang Monastery.

For many visitors, hiking to the Tiger's Nest is the most strenuous thing they will do during their visit and as such, a source of some apprehension.  So here are some FAQs from our experience climbing to the Tiger's Nest.

Do you need hiking boots?
Absolutely not. Even if it was really muddy I think hiking boots would be overkill. There are not boulders or rocks, and the hardest part of the whole hike is the set of stairs at the end, close to the monastery. DH and I both hiked in lightweight trail running shoes, and though we are both fit and active, we still feel like hiking boots are really unnecessary. If you are particularly concerned, you can get hiking shoes.

Are there tigers?
Uh, no. But if you see one, you might want to sit down and make sure you aren't about to faint.

I would be remiss in not discussing the Marine Corps Marathon (MCM) this past weekend, which starts in Virginia and runs through the nation's capital. DH and I both received entries in the lottery this year, which was really exciting. I ran the MCM last year, but it was DH's first (and only...he claims) marathon.

The MCM is really quite the event--hotels are booked, and nearly all of the race course (yes, all 26 miles of it) is lined with people. This is one of those times where crowds of people are actually nice...gets a little dull running 26 miles without something to look at! Plus, they are great about encouraging you (and handing out candy).  Yes, the MCM desperately snarls traffic for a bit, but with 25,000 or so runners, it is quite the sight and the Marines and volunteers do such an amazing, amazing job putting the race on, staffing the aid stations, and cheering.

I've been getting admittedly cranky lately with some of the bashing I've seen from travel bloggers regarding organized tours. I get it, not all tours are for every traveler, and I'll be the first (and have been the first) to complain about the annoying throngs of rude tourists who push you out of their way. I'll also be the first to say that taking a tour with 60 or 100 people is pretty much my worst nightmare, as I'm not a people person, and I hate being treated like a sheep (unless it's the black sheep...).

That said, the general bashing of tours, of the people going on the tours, and constant repeating of how independent travel is the only  "right" way to travel is really frustrating to me. 

When I say organized tours, I'm talking about multi-day tours with transport, guides, food included.

Here's why:

TravelingSaurus has received a second Leibster award (read about the first one here)!  

Thanks to a CoupleofBackpackers for nominating me: they recently posted about their visit to the Tintin museum in Brussels (well, just outside Brussels), and I'm so SO excited to find fellow Tintin and Snowy aficionados! They are backpacking while working full-time, with a goal of going to all of Europe before they hit 30, which is just awesome. Did I mention they like Tintin? Oh wait, I did. I have to get to Brussels soon!  


Just a reminder, here are the rules for the Liebster Award:

1. Write a blog post thanking the blogger who nominated you for the Liebster Award, and link back to their blog.
2. Answer the 11 questions that your nominator asks you.
3. Nominate 10 bloggers of our own, with under 600 followers, who you think are awesome and deserving of this honor.
4. Create 11 questions for your nominees.
5. Display the Liebster Award logo on your page.
6. List these rules in your post.

And here are my answers to CoupleofBackpackers questions!

1. How many countries have you visited?

Right now I'm at 24.  Soon to be 26 (in a week)!  I've always taken about one trip a year, but I've really started traveling way, way more in the last few years.

2. Have you planned any trips for 2015 yet?

Yes! I'm one of those people who plans WAY in advance. We have two 2015 trips planned, one in January and one in June.  First one is in Latin America, further details will soon be revealed on the blog :)

3. What is the longest amount of time you have traveled in one country?

I spent over a month in Finland when I was in high school. I typically don't stay in one country for more than about 10 days to 2 weeks, since I work full-time too.  Most recently, last year we spent about 10 days in Uganda.

ETA: If you are a local doing any one of these things, I feel the exact same way as if you were a tourist. I don't discriminate. STOP DOING THEM.

I feel like I'm pretty understanding, and I need to be, considering I live in a hugely popular tourist destination. I'm friendly, I smile, and I'm happy to help with directions or a restaurant recommendation. I don't even mind chit-chatting with you, or letting you pet my dog when you miss your dog at home.

I do feel (and realize) this has been done to death. I also don't want to seem cranky or negative, but some of these things just have got to be said, publicly. These aren't nit-picky. They aren't pet-peeves. You can't read these and say I'm being unreasonable (and if you do, I think you're unreasonable. Fine. I'm cranky). And no, these are not isolated incidents. Yes, I would say most of the time they are done by visitors. So, sorry I'm not sorry for doing this post.

These are the five things I see tourists do in Washington DC that make me want to throw sh*t. They really, really get my goat.

This weekend was my 30th birthday. Yup, the big 3-0. I'm not in my 20's anymore. So much has happened in the last 10 years...I finished a doctorate degree, got married, raised a dog (success of this is still questionable), ran a marathon (and liked/hated it enough to do another), and visited five continents.

I'm not a big party person, but I had the perfect weekend with friends (including one of the best from a far, far away island who was in the States for a visit), seafood with DH, and cupcakes. It was a good way to ring in my next decade.  I've always been a bit secretive about my age--mainly because people always assume I'm older than I actually am, but now it's all out on the internet.  I'll get over it with another cupcake.

This year will be a big travel year for us...and I can't think of a better way to ring in my 30's.  And in the spirit of TravelingSaurus, here are 30 tidbits of nonsense and wanderlusting, accompanied by photos. Enjoy!

We went to Egypt in September of 2012.   Yes, we were in the country when they burned the flag at the American Embassy, and we were in Cairo directly 3 days after. 

Everything was fine. Despite the ridiculous American news, the rest of the city was unaffected. The coverage in the States desperately tried to make it seem as if the sky was falling.  "There are rioters everywhere!"  Uh, false.  If Cairo was the Pacific Ocean, there were rioters in Kauai.  I.e. about two blocks of an absolutely enormous city.  Sure, I wouldn't go to that one block, or probably the surrounding radius, but to say all of Cairo--much less all of Egypt--was in chaos was ridiculous. 

Times were tough for an economy that relies heavily on tourists, which was easy to see when we were the only--yes only--group at the pyramids one morning.  One other bus showed up a few minutes later, and a few more trickled in as we were leaving.  The place was empty. I commend tour companies, like Abercrombie and Kent (who we used), who continued (and still continue) to run tours. I really, strongly, feel that safety was not an issue when we were there. Yes, we did have an armed guard with us in the bus, and yes, there were gunmen on nearly every boat we saw on the Nile (including our own).  But if there was ever a trip that convinced me not to believe American news coverage, this was it. Perhaps our experience would have been different as independent travelers?

Locals were nothing but courteous, kind, and helpful. And we were actually harassed FAR less in Cairo than we were in other parts of the country.  While people in Khan el-Khalili (one of the biggest souks) surely tried to sell us things, it was not the in-your-face type approach found at Luxor, Karnak, Abu Simbel, and other places.  In those places, they would latch on and continue yelling through the bus windows, to the point where you were both uncomfortable and exhausted.  In Cairo, they'd just ask if you were interested in something if you picked it up. Fair enough. They also would ask you where you were from and thank you for visiting Egypt.

Unfortunately, trash collectors were also on strike when we were there...I'm sure the city isn't sparkling clean when they aren't on strike, but it was the dirtiest city that we've been in, ever.  And when I think of bad traffic yesterday in Washington DC...nothing compares to Cairo. That traffic is truly horrible. 

But, Cairo is truly a beautiful city, with much intrigue and incredible history. It's called the city of a thousand minarets for a reason! If you like religious studies or archaeology, it's obviously a wonderful destination.  Here are my favorite sights from Cairo for this week's Flashback Photos.

Have you been to Cairo or Egypt more recently? What was your experience?

Yup, this is a boring topic. But I think that part-time travelers really need to think about the pros and cons of travel insurance, and whether it is worth it to them.  To me the math is pretty simple.

Rudimentary, my dear Watson.

But really, here are our four guidelines we pretty much stick to for whether or not we purchase travel insurance.  Notably, we are young, healthy 30-somethings (well, I'm soon to be 30), that do have some cushion in our budget for the unforeseen.  However, neither of us have a significant tolerance for watching our money go down the drain due to the unforeseen.  So we do get travel insurance with some frequency. I also (unfortunately) have a terrible knack for having my luggage lost or pillaged, so trip insurance is good for that, too.

1. If the total trip cost is more than $3500, we usually get trip insurance.  This is pretty simple.  While trip insurance won't likely reimburse the whole cost of the trip, and while it's highly unlikely we'd ever have to completely cancel, it's nice to know that I'll get approximately 2/3 of that back, depending on the coverage that I choose.  Yes, losing 1/3 is still a lot of money, but it's better than losing it all.  If you have a lower tolerance, you might opt for higher coverage. If you can't afford to lose anything and still are going on a big trip...well, you are braver than we are! I should note, that while I'm relatively averse to risk, I'm not averse enough to pay for the "any-reason" cancellation coverage.