Tag: travel

KingsCanyon
Red Center Way
Sunset Viewing Deck
Heart Attack Hill
Garden of Eden
Way point marker at King's Canyon

King’s Canyon and Miss Congeniality

Posted on by Michael

I feel sorry for King’s Canyon. Sitting all alone in the back of the Northern Territory of Australia. In the class rankings of Australian travel must-sees, it’s never as popular as the Sydney Opera House, the Great Barrier Reef, or even the less visited but comparatively better known sites like Uluru and Kakadu National Park. King’s Canyon is the Miss Congeniality of Australian travel. In the mix but… you know.

A Miss Congeniality, though, with a wicked temper.

King's Canyon
King’s Canyon is an isolated spot, even for Australia, but well worth the trip.

You don’t take the area lightly. Much like Uluru, where we had just wrapped production for that part of The Palette Project, you have to really want to get there. Actually, you have to want to get there even more than you want Continue reading “King’s Canyon and Miss Congeniality” →

Using Cellphones Overseas
Yes on Spectacular Scenery, No on Cellphone Service

Using Cell Phones Overseas: Phoning It In, Part I

Posted on by Michael

Using cell phones overseas is much more complicated than it seems. The production itinerary for our current documentary

calls for us to be shooting in a total of six countries outside the United States. This is, by far, the most ambitious schedule I’ve ever put together. As of this writing, we’ve completed production in two of those countries – Australia and New Zealand – and I can tell you the most volatile line item on our budget was the cost of using cell phones overseas. However, I can also tell you this volatility did not have to be the case. Two  examples immediately spring to mind when it came to mistakes I made.

Using cell phones overseas
Choosing whether or not you will be using cell phones overseas, especially if it will be your own phone, is a big decision.

 

The first stumbling block hit us in the Australian outback at our hotel near King’s Canyon. If you’re heading into this part of the Northern Territory, you should be aware that Continue reading “Using Cell Phones Overseas: Phoning It In, Part I” →

Choosing a Hostel

Hostel Intentions: Tips for Staying in a Hostel

Posted on by Michael

There are so few certainties in life. The house always wins. Australians will try to put beets on everything. No matter how many or how few beds there are in your hostel quarters, one of them will always be occupied by the loudest snorer you have ever heard, and it will last all… night… long.

So let’s get you up to speed on hostels.

Privacy goes out the window via the hostel route, but it can lead to some of your most memorable travel experiences.
Privacy goes out the window via the hostel route, but it can lead to some of your most memorable travel experiences.

You don’t need much to be a hosteler. Just being a traveler with an aversion to spending large sums of money qualifies. However, like so many aspects of travel life, there is quite Continue reading “Hostel Intentions: Tips for Staying in a Hostel” →

Uluru - Ready For Its Close-Up

Uluru, Part III: My Apologies to Mrs. Henle

Posted on by Michael

My tenth grade English teacher would most likely have an aneurysm if she knew I was violating one of the most sacrosanct rules of the road when it comes to essay writing… never use words like “thing” and “stuff.” There are always better words that are more accurate and more descriptive.

Still…

Here’s the thing: after spending most of my adult life trying to get to places like Uluru… places that speak to our most primal nature and searching for those once in a lifetime experiences that have to be seen Continue reading “Uluru, Part III: My Apologies to Mrs. Henle” →

Avoiding Hotel Fees

Hotel Fees: Avoiding Costly And Unexpected Charges

Posted on by Michael

“If your mother says she loves you, get confirmation.” This piece of advice, which can only be the sign of someone who has spent too many Thanksgivings, Christmases and Saint Swivens Days (that last one always hurt the most) in a newsroom rather than grandmother’s dining room, was actually a literal sign on the desk of one of my newsroom ex-pats in the early days of my career. I’m not sure I ever bought in to that level of skepticism, even in my days as an investigative reporter, but when it comes to traveling in general, and avoiding costly hotel fees in particular, skepticism should be the order of the day when it comes to whether you’re seeing the whole picture..

So let’s talk a little more about hotel fees.

Avoiding hotel fees
You can avoid paying some hotel fees if you do your homework before you travel.

I’ve written about steps you can take to make the actual process of traveling to a hotel, booking a hotel and staying in a hotel easier. However, avoiding hotel fees can have a big impact on your wallet. As always, the goal when it comes to travel Continue reading “Hotel Fees: Avoiding Costly And Unexpected Charges” →