Live and Learn: Los Angeles

It’s been a while since I’ve done a live and learn post. I like to think I’m getting closer to being a super-efficient traveler. While I packed even less this time and only didn’t wear one thing I packed (two if you count a Halloween costume), I still found that I learned quite a bit of stuff on my trip. Some is universal, some is specific to the Los Angeles/Anaheim area, but all may be helpful to you. It just proves, there’s always something to learn, no matter how experienced you are. This is true in life and in travel.

The least amount of clothes we've ever packed - almost perfect!

Everything takes longer than you think it will

This is especially true in the LA area. If you want to go anywhere around the city or to/from a nearby city (like Anaheim to Hollywood), give yourself a good two hours to get there. It may not take as long, but chances are there will be some sort of hold-up, like an accident, and you’ll be glad you left early. It took us 30 minutes to drive 2 miles in the city. We probably should have just walked.

Horrible picture of the Disney Symphony building

Don’t take a city tour at night

If I had known what sorts of cool stuff our tour guide was taking us to see, I would have opted to take a day tour of the city rather than the Los Angeles by Night one we went on. It was very cool – especially since we were the only ones on it – and the tour guide was amazingly knowledgeable, but it’s terrible trying to take pictures in the dark even when you aren’t in a moving coach. Read about mytour here.

I love these shoes, but they are a poor substitute for flip flops

It’s never a dumb idea to pack flip flops

So, I would think after a billion trips I would have learned by now that flip flops are always a good idea. Knowing that I was going to be spending 75% of my time in theme parks, I figured there was no point in packing these, but I was wrong. My feet hurt so badly one evening when we got back to our room that I took my walking shoes off and tried to put on a pair of walking flats I had in my bag. My feet had swollen so much they were more painful than the trainers. I planned to go downstairs to the gift shop for a pair of flip flops when I realized that I had packed a pair of foldable flats. They are great, because they aren’t structured, so they can feel like walking barefoot, but without getting the bottom of your feet icky. I wore those downstairs to buy a pair of flip flops.

This was just the line to get through security!

Get to the parks at least an hour before they open

We didn’t take our own advice and showed up right before opening on a Monday at California Adventure. The weather was unseasonably warm and the lines were longer than I’d ever seen them. Even the lady who checked my bag at the gate said it was like summer crowds and crazy. We ended up standing in two different lines to try to beat the odds, but still didn’t make it into the park until 30 minutes after it opened. Even if you’re visiting Disney during the week on the off-season, get there way before you think you need to. If there’s no line, you can always go grab a coffee at La Brea Bakery (or similar).

At least I didn't have to buy shorts, too!

Always bring a warm weather Halloween costume

I realize this is an odd problem for anyone to have. When we go to Disney, we often do it during the Fall and Halloweentime. We buy tickets to go the Halloween party and bring costumes to get into the spirit. As I said, it was crazy warm in Southern California when we went at the end of September. I had brought a sailor costume that had pants and long sleeves (and was polyester). I realized the days before the party that even at night, the temperature was not going to be cool enough for me to not die of heat stroke in my costume. We hit up Target, but their selection was miserable, so we ended up going to a local shop that had sports gear and I shelled out money for an Angels t-shirt and ball cap. It was unimaginative and used money I could have spent on something else, but at least I can re-wear it. It would have been smarter for me to have brought an outfit that was good for summer weather and a pair of tights to wear in case it was actually cold. Now I know!

There are more things I learned in my 11 days in the Anaheim/Los Angeles area, but we’ll save that for the next post. What useful things have you learned on your last trips that could help others when they travel?

48 Hours of Fun on a Budget in Kharkov, Ukraine

In this blog series I show you how easy it is to budget travel anywhere and I also give you a quick overview of a new city each time in a brief 48-hour itinerary.

You may or may not have heard of Kharkov. It is new to me, though it is the second largest city in Ukraine. I generally do cities in this series that are well known, but sometimes you find yourself close to a place you may not know much about and then realize it would make a fun day or weekend trip away from your regular vacation.

This photo of Freedom Square is courtesy of TripAdvisor

Day 1

Get up early and visit Freedom Square – the 2^nd largest city square in Europe – where you can view one of the surviving statues of Lenin still standing since the fall of the Soviet Union. This is a great place to people watch, but you can see it before it’s crowded and then head off to breakfast at Petit Paris, Kharkov’s only French patisserie. 

Photo credit: Виталий З.

Why not start off your day with some delicious, sugary carbs and caffeine?

After a lovely breakfast, a visit to the Kharkov Historical Museum is in order, where you can learn about the city's history all the way up to the Soviet Period, including cannons used by the Red Army. Though not as big as other war museums, tourists have said this is a plus, because it is easier to see all of it.

Across the street from the museum is a monastery, which is also worth a visit. Pokrovsky Monastery has spectacular domes that are visible from miles away. 

Stop by Gostinaya for a delicious dinner. The restaurant is open 24 hours, so you can eat European and Japanese entrees at any hour. If it's warm out, try to get a table on the patio, where you'll enjoy fresh air and good people watching.

This photo of IT Cafe is courtesy of TripAdvisor

Day 2
Sleep in a bit today and sit down for a yummy breakfast at IT Cafe. It has free Wifi and is a great place for working meals, but you'll find their food very good and the atmosphere cozy. This will be your dining splurge for your two days, as this restaurant is a little on the spendy side.

This photo of Shevchenko Park is courtesy of TripAdvisor

Want to see the city with a local? What about a 3-hour city tour that's free! Yeah, I thought you might like that. Free Tour Kharkov has been voted one of the best tours in Europe. The tour meets at 11am on Sundays, though you can book on other days for the free tour instead of just showing up. A local will take you to all the major sites in the city including Karazin University, Mirror Stream and the Lopansky Bridge. Free tours are conducted in English and have been highly praised by visitors. Pitch in what you deem a fair tip and you've had one of the most budget-friendly afternoons of travel.

This photo of Gorky Park is courtesy of TripAdvisor

Remember that old Scorpions song Winds of Change? There is a line in there about Gorky Park and I never knew what that was. Well, it’s actually in Moscow, but the park has been used as a template for parks across the former Soviet Union and you can spend half a day in the Gorky Park in Kharkov taking in the gorgeous scenery, riding theme park rides, playing tennis and letting the kids burn off steam in the playground. Grab a meal at one of the park’s restaurants or cafes if it’s cold out, or have a picnic while you take a break from exploring this huge outdoor space. Maybe next to a fancy fountain!

Photo credit: Kharkov For Rent

After two days of walking around sightseeing, go back to your accommodation and relax and pack up. If you aren't sure how to find a great place to stay on a budget, check out Kharkov For Rent where you can pick from a long list of lovely rental apartments. These are wonderful, because you feel more at home, plus you can save money on dining out. even though you'll only be staying for a few days, maybe you'd like to save on breakfasts by bringing along your own morning staples, like bagels and pastries. If nothing else, you will be able to stock your rental's fridge with beverages and to keep all the baked goods you found while out and about to take back home with you.

You'll find an apartment rental for any budget, so whether you're looking for something upscale or a place just comfortable enough for sleeping, it'll be listed at Kharkov for Rent. In fact, there are apartment rentals for as little as 25 euros. As I've said of other cities, an apartment in Kharkov is more cost-effective than a hotel, as it gives you more living space and is priced per night instead of how many travelers there are in your party. You can find comfortable options all over Kharkov, including the center of the city. With the money you save on convenient, privately-owned accommodations, you can splurge on fine dining or souvenirs.

Photo credit

Even though it's easy to walk all over the city center, you can get around Kharkov on the metro. With only three lines, it is simple to navigate and you can quickly get to any desired attractions in the city by using it.

If you've ever been to Ukraine, what was your favorite part of your trip?

Disclosure: This post was brought to you by Kharkov For Rent. You can also find them on Facebook and Twitter.

Super Useful Travel Links

Happy Friday! I hope you all are having a great week – or at least gearing up for a great weekend. Perhaps you’ll be hiding eggs for your little ones or kicking back by the pool in a sunny locale. Whatever you’re doing, let’s learn some fun and interesting stuff about travel this week.

FareCompare always brings us some of the best travel tips. If you missed their 7 unexpected travel problem fixes, then here it is again. It seems that wearing offensive words across your chest would be a given as something you shouldn’t do in a family-friendly space, but some people just don’t get it. I once witnessed a lady coming for her first day of work (in a retail environment) in a pair of ripped jeans and a beat up t-shirt with the phrase Paxil is for P***ies and photos of razor blades on them, so I am not all that shocked when people wear crazy inappropriate clothing anymore. Here’s why you should use your common sense regarding travel clothing, as well as 6 more problems.

I’ve been trying really hard to eat healthy lately and I’ve been making my own (mostly vegetarian) meals and freezing extra servings for later. Luckily, this makes dinner time so much easier and gives us a decent selection of ready-made meals. The “problem” with eating so well is that when you travel, it’s hard to find similar options, especially at the airport when you are faced with the likes of McDonald’s, Wendy’s and Chili’s Too. ABC brings you America’s healthiest airport food. If you are a vegetarian, take a look back at my post on what items you can order and where at most airports.

I love food, and I don’t like to offend anyone. If you’re the same, then you may want to check out Budget Travel’s international dining etiquette rules. I learned a lot that I will be taking with me on my trips.

Want to see your destination like a local? Then maybe book a tour a local suggests.  Peek.com pulls together some of the most interesting activities and tours that have been highly rated by other travelers. Don’t go in blind and just assume something is awesome just based on the company website. Learn more about Peek here on USA Today.

And I leave you with this super-impressive use of frequent flyer miles. I posted this on Facebook from my new favorite travel blogger, Vanessa from Turnip Seed Travel, but in case you missed it, it deserves another post. Vanessa and her husband are doing a mini round-the-world trip with seven stops and they paid just $700 and 80,000 frequent flyer miles to do it. So, if you think you can’t afford to travel anywhere her post can show you how it can be done, as long as you are willing to put in the effort to find great deals and use (and accumulate) your miles. This way beats my $5 tickets to L.A.

Have you found any interesting travel links lately?