See the City Like Never Before

A few weeks ago we had family in town and wanted to do something fun and different for Eric's cousin's birthday. I suggested taking a tour of the city, but with a twist. Instead of just tromping around the city, I purchased a scavenger hunt that worked via your smartphone WiFi signal, you could go at your own pace and didn't need to wait for anyone to take you on the tour. I purchased our city hunt through Urban Adventure Quest, which I found through a quick internet search. Though it wasn't super cheap, it wasn't too bad considering five of us were entertained for a good two hours and saw a lot of Portland that we hadn't seen previously, even though three of us live here.

For $49 (less if you find a promo code online), you can take five people on a totally cool tour. To be fair, there is no way to regulate who goes on a hunt, so if you have more people who want to work together, there's really no stopping you. Of course, maybe you want to compete with another group of friends to see who can finish the hunt first. Then you'll want to purchase more than one.

So, what do you get? Each city hunt has an average finish time of about two hours, but if you don't care about time, you may want to take a lot longer to check out the places you end up. You'll get around 20 puzzles or instructions to find answers to get you to your next destination. Ours took us from one side of downtown to the other, stopping off at popular Portland landmarks and ones that we didn't even know existed. 

Make sure to wear good walking shoes, bring your camera (or use your phone) to take pics of your progress and fun, plus the more people who have a smartphone, the better. Though you can only run the hunt on one phone, the others may need theirs to look up answers, take notes or check out a map. You'll also want to bring a few pieces of paper and a pen, water to keep hydrated, a few bucks for public transportation (will be specified on the UAQ website) and don't forget the sunscreen.

You can't go downtown without eating at one of our many awesome restaurants, but we wanted to continue our adventure with an adventurous meal and popped into Brunch Box for lunch. If you've never heard of it, you can order a cheeseburger with bacon, spam and all the fixings in between two grilled cheese sandwiches made with Texas toast. That's what you're looking at there (the Redonkadonk).

With Urban Adventure Quest, you can see your city in a whole new light or learn a ton of stuff about a totally new city. I look forward to trying it on one of my future travels. Another similar company that runs these sorts of scavenger hunts is Stray Boots.

Have you ever taken a unique tour of your own or any other city? If so, tell us what you liked about it!

Disclaimer: I was not paid to write this post. I just genuinely thought the hunt was fun and wanted to share my experience.

Super Useful Travel Posts

Happy Friday, All! I hope you've been having a great week. If not, at least the weekend is here! As I write this, I'm listening to a group of birds singing in my yard, celebrating the sunny day and it seriously sounds like a Disney movie. Can't ask for a better day than that, but let's try with some fun, useful or interesting links I've found lately, shall we? I know it's been a long time since SUTP has been a thing, but I'm hoping to bring it back regularly.

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Do you travel with your pet, or want to, or have to? It can be difficult and expensive, especially if you have several dogs or an exotic pet that needs special consideration. What should you pack? Who should you call? (I promise, it's not Ghostbusters.) When should you start preparing for your trip? Fathom answers all these questions for you. 

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I don't know about you, but I love to watch airplanes take off and land, so the airport is kind of a fun place for me. If you've got an overnight layover in a city, sometimes it just makes sense to stay at a hotel attached to or near the airport, especially if your flight is reeeeeeally early in the morning. USA Today has a list of 15 airports that have views of the runway.

People aren't getting smaller, yet the airlines don't seem to care, do they? Seats and legroom appear to be shrinking and, since the airlines are private companies, there's not much we can do about it. Right now, there's no protection for passengers regarding personal space or overcrowding, but petitions are being put up to the Department of Transportation to hopefully change this. The Washington Post talks about the most recent one.

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From tiny airplane seats to tiny hotel rooms. Micro and pod hotels are becoming more and more popular, especially in destinations where rooms can cost hundreds of dollars a night, like New York City. How much time do you actually spend in your room anyway? These new little hotels make up for cramped rooms with awesome shared spaces. They have large, comfortable lobbies and rooftop lounges. These appeal to those who love to be social and connect with others when they travel, and really just view their room as a place to lay their head and keep their stuff.

Food. I love it. I always try to find local dishes when I travel and often research what to eat where I go. CNN put it to social media to ask what people called their country's best dish. This is great, because it puts it to the people who actually eat the food everyday. 

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Computer problems aren't just an issue at your job, but it can also be an huge issue for you at someone else's job. There have been some problems with the airlines' networks, apps and more, including American Airlines and United. I've been at the airport when a glitch has occurred on another airline and it's been packed with disgruntled travelers stuck at the airport until the problem is resolved. The NY Times takes a look at the most recent issue.

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Were you planning on a ski vacation this year? If so, you know how much flights into those great ski hubs can be. Instead, check out the new bargain skiing destination: Las Vegas. Yup, it's true. You can take a trip to Sin City in the winter and enjoy the slopes at the same time. Everyone in your travel party can enjoy this trip, because there's not just skiing in Vegas. There's something for everybody. Forbes tells you more.

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Does it feel like you just charged your phone, but it's dead already? Battery life is the single biggest complaints about phones, but it might be your own fault that your battery sucks. Brit + Co talks about how you're ruining your phone. 

That's all I got for you this week. If you've come across anything awesome and travel-related that you'd like to share, I'd like to see it. Leave a link and a little comment below, so I can check it out too! Have a great weekend and I'll "see" you tomorrow.

Free Museum Tickets For You!

On Saturday over 1,400 museums in America (and Puerto Rico) will be offering free admission all day. This is a great promotion and can save you big bucks whether you are on vacation or at home. It’s also the perfect time to get your kiddos some culture without having to dish out the cash when they may or may not let you stay long enough to get your entry money’s worth.

We almost always visit at least one museum on any trip we take. From the Museums de la Mitad del Mundo in Ecuador to the Queen's House in Greenwich, London, we have seen some very interesting bits of history indeed. I know not all museums are fascinating for children, but there are plenty that are educational and fun for them. In Oregon alone, I found several that would keep their attention: ScienceWorks Hands-on Museum (Ashland), World Forestry Center Discovery Museum (Portland) and the Antique Powerland Museum (Salem).

World Forestry Center - Portland, Oregon

If you don’t have kids and just want to see some fantastic art, that’s great too, and you will have plenty more to choose from. Museums of history, art and sculptures fill the list in each state, so you will find something that will fit your mood. All you have to do is go to the website, choose your preferred museum and submit your information. You’ll get an email to print out your free ticket and gain admission for two people. It’s that easy! You can get a free ticket for two per email address/household. If there are more people in your group, use your husband’s email address or a friend’s. I don’t think you’ll need to go so far as to pretend you don’t know each other when you enter, but use your own judgment.

Cape Henry Lighthouse - Virginia City, Virginia

The majority of the free entries are September 26, but a select few aren’t open on Saturdays and are offering it on Sunday, September 27. You MUST have your printed ticket to get free entry.

Will YOU be attending Museum Day Live! organized by Smithsonian Magazine?