PicaJet Blog

“Why do you have to travel so much?” he asked.

“Why do you have to breathe?” I shot back.

For some, travel is an addiction to adventure; for others, travel is a way to survive, in the same way that breathing oxygen ensures our continued existence.  The knowledge that an escape has been planned can make our daily routines — our weekly drudgery — that much easier to bear.

But what if you can’t afford to travel?  That might be, but that shouldn’t stop you from having a rejuvenating adventure.  Some of the best escapes are right in your own backyard.  But like all travel, they’ll take a little planning.

Read on . . .

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Looking for drugs?  Do you need a tooth fixed?  Or maybe you just have a yen for a darn good taco.

A visit to Brownsville, Texas is great but you must spend at least one day in a foreign country when in the area.   And that’s so easy to do, because Mexico is just a short drive, or walk, away.

You can choose from a variety of entry points (International Bridges), but double your fun with a drive up Hwy 281, the “Old Military” highway, and hang a left at Progresso.

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Okay, call me a traitor, call me a fool, call me any name you like but I had to take the chance.  I made a decision, before a recent trip to southern Texas and New Orleans, to leave my heavy Olympus Evolt E-300 DSLR at home.  I replaced it with a sleek little 12-megapixel Fuji FinePix F50 compact digital camera. 

My husband looked at me askance as he repeatedly asked me if I still wanted to take my DSLR camera.  I told him, firmly, “No.”  That I would take my chances.  And that I would live with my decision.  Only time would tell if I had made a terrible mistake . . .

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“Oh, look a snake!” 

The urgency in my husband’s voice was alarming.  We had just been warned by a local Texan to watch out for snakes inhabiting the bushes.  And sure enough, in one of the older, more deserted, most appealing graveyards, just outside of Brownsville, along Highway 281, a snake crossed our paths.

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I don’t usually gush about one travel booking site over another, but in this case I must make an exception.  As a travel writer, I travel frequently.  I recently discovered that an event I needed to cover back home had switched its dates, right over top of one of my flight dates.

I do all my airline bookings online, but I have never needed to make changes before.  So, I wasn’t sure what I was in for.  However, I pulled up the site’s contact number, and placed a call. 

I was in for a big disappointment.

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Who owns the most haunted house in New Orleans, Louisiana?  He’s a big star, he’s done lots of movies, he’s an Oscar-winner, and he was once married to the child of a King.  Can you guess?

Okay, here’s another clue: he lives down the street from another famous star, in fact, a pair of Hollywood notables: Brad and Angelina.

Have you guessed yet?  No? 

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Ignore its dumpy exterior because if you want to eat in this New Orleans restaurant, you’ll have to get over first appearances.  Besides, the place was good enough for celebrities like Steve Martin, Jimmy Buffet, Kathleen Turner, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and LeAnn Rimes.

Look for a plain building with a side entrance; one of the entrances probably has a busted door, so you’ll have to go to the side.  You’ll see lots of people coming and going; that’s always a good sign of good eats.  Once inside, don’t stand around waiting for any special attention, just grab a menu, and place your order.

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Are you a frequent rental car user?  Do you do your research BEFORE booking a vehicle?  Or do you just book the first car you see on the first website you search. 

What a costly mistake!  You could be throwing away hundreds of dollars.

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Nothing proclaims, “This person is an adventurer” like a Tilley hat.  It’s true; look at a group of tourists - the ones in the khaki Tilley hats don’t look so touristy - they look more serious, more experienced, more like seasoned travelers.

Yes, it’s all good when you wear a Tilley hat unless, of course, you (like my husband and world travel companion) refuse to wear the hat’s chin strap.  That decision, or lack thereof, can get you into a lot of trouble.

Read on. . .

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I was feeling a tad envious as I watched other passengers board the charming Taieri Gorge vintage train.  They didn’t even have to drive into Dunedin because the train pulled up alongside our Celebrity ship. 

However, had I known how wonderful a day in Dunedin, New Zealand was going to be, I would have merrily waved them on their way, without a second thought. 

I found out later those folks didn’t get much of a chance to explore Dunedin (Celtic for Edinburgh) and that would have meant missing so much.

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