The 24 hour Rule

Most travelers don't know but when you purchase a plane ticket, you usually have 24hrs to change your mind and receive a full refund. That grace period was originally established by the Airlines Reporting Corporation, which handles ticketing services  behind the scene for more than 130 airlines. It was adopted long ago to give customers a chance to address any second thoughts or for a travel agency to review and correct any issues.
Most  airlines and travel agencies still offer customers 24 hours to cancel and get a full refund. Companies don't go out of their way to inform you of this, which is why I'm here! If you get your ticket receipt via email, read the fine print- you'll most likely have to call for any chances.
Just keep in mind, that if making changes you can only book currently available fares!

Traveling Alone

Solo journeys are something I true love. I embrace the excitement in knowing that this trip might change me and only me in some profound way. As a solo traveler I am more likely to stray from a path and just follow where my wondering heart leads... often I get lost, but the places I find are well worth the taxi ride back.
However, as a solo traveler I am reckless. I rarely think about my safety, which would make my family shiver. A 26yr old woman in a foreign place alone is a very easy target. Budget Travel post this article recently and I couldn't agree more. So what can we do to stay safe when traveling alone?
Dress: Be appropriate. What you are wearing says a lot to the public and in certain countries can seem as an invitation. Modesty is always the best policy.
Communication: I try to let my friends and family know points of contact on any trip I am taking. It usually includes my itinerary, housing information, and a schedule of times they should expect an email from me. I also have photocopies of all of my travel documents (passports, visas, birth certificate) with my next of kin.
Day Travel: Do most of your sightseeing during the day. If you want to visit something at night, be cautious. Stay in well-lit areas with lots of people.

Most importantly, use common sense. This is your safety! After all, we don't want this trip to be your last.

MIA, my bad!

Sorry I've been absent from the blog in the past two weeks. I have been moving apartments and going through the processes of an internal transfer with one of the largest companies in the world. It's all very excited and equally confusing, but for the most part my life is settling down a bit.
Something that I've observed during this move is that I am a terrible packer when it comes to moving! I can pack for a trip or vacation, but packing up my entire life is something that I have NO skill at. As I begin to sift through boxes and choosing new place for my treasures I find myself thinking "Why is this packed with this?! That makes no sense." Just goes to show how finite my skill set is!
Other announcements: My trip to Italy is on fast approach and I am excited to announce that the 2nd destination for this trip is going to be Budapest! There will be a blog highlighting this city in the near future. Also, my best friend has moved to Birmingham, so be prepared for a blog about that city after my next 3 Day weekend.
Lots happening people, isn't it so exciting!
~Greet

Dear Grandma

This post is about the importance of a proper postcard. Something every traveler needs to know!

I've never been much good with family communication. I've skipped a lot of family events over the years. It's not that I don't love them or that I'm not welcome, there's just always been reasons. It seemed like it was only going to get worse when I told my family I was dropping out of College and moving to Europe... Yeah, that's a big ol' bomb! Especially for my Grandmother. All of her other 8 grand children have college degrees, as do their spouses. Why did I have to be such a wild child? I was breaking her heart, she thought me a quitter and didn't understand my urge to roam at all.
I vowed to make her see that I was still getting an education! She was always a fan of a well written letter, usually LONG ones. I'm not much good for more than a paragraph or two, so I settled for Postcards. Killing two birds with one stone as it were. She would read about my adventures and learnings, while experiencing the same beauty I was witnessing first hand. I sent her one from each city I visited. I think in that 8months they totaled 10 or so. And they contained my whole heart.

So what goes into a great Post Card? It's simple, really.

1. Greet your audience. Make it familiar, something you would actually say. "Yo Bro!" or "Hey Lady" It doesn't need to contain their name since that will be in the address area.
2. Wish them well and that they were here with you! It leads right into the next part.
3. Explain the greatest thing you saw that day and how it made you think of them in some way. Let's face it, as much as they want to hear about what you're doing on your journey, they're still human! They wanna hear about themselves!
4. What's next? Are you catching a train or looking forward to a tour. Let them know there's more going on then could possibly be summed up here. They'll be looking for that next card!
5. Closing. Goodbyes and laters are the traditional ending. I, personally, use "Until next time!" it's just something that's stuck with me.
There you have it! Simple, but effective postcards. They mean more than you know to your friends and family.
Grandma has been gone 3 years now. I don't know if she ever forgave me for quitting college? I did go back, so that soothed her some what. After she passed, we cleared out her house and my aunt found all my postcards in a bundle along with letters from my Grandpa from WWII... I still write one for her on every trip, it's just that now I don't have to pay the postage.