First and foremost, I wanted to thank all of you who filled out the reader survey this week! If you haven’t gotten around to it yet, you’re not too late!! The survey is still open and you can access the link HERE. I would love to hear from you and will put all of your feedback to good use going forward!
Be sure to visit the blog on Monday as I’m announcing a new venture and will be having a fun giveaway!!!!
According to the survey, you all seem pretty happy with the content on Traveling Chic. I’m not looking to make any major updates, but there are a few tweaks I’ll be implementing based on your feedback. Half of you indicated the “Weekend Reading” round-ups are your least favorite posts, but the other half said it was your favorite! With that in mind, I’ve decided to rename the round-ups to “Weekend Wanderlust” and will be adding a bit more travel content (i.e. travel tips, frequently asked questions, etc.) to the posts. Similarly, half of you love the “What to Pack” posts and the other half could take it or leave it. I’m not sure what improvements I should make there, so please let me know if you have any ideas!
Other than that, I hope you all have a great weekend and without further ado here is your Weekend Wanderlust!
Answering Your Frequently Asked Travel Questions
QUESTION: When traveling to Europe, how do you use Google Maps or GPS when WIFI is not available?
ANSWER: Unfortunately I don’t have a perfect answer to this question, but here are a few things I’ve done to make it easier to get around in foreign countries.
- Download the city and transit maps on Google Maps before you go. They won’t provide you with specific directions to get from point A to point B, but you will be able to view the maps without WIFI.
- I haven’t used this app recently, but the Maps.ME app (which is free) imports your custom google maps so you can use it offline. I wrote a blog post on how this works here.
- The CityMapper app is great to use when traveling internationally as well. You can map out your directions while using WIFI in your hotel room and then reference them offline when you’re out and about.
- Talk to your cell phone provider to see what the daily rates are for a short-term international data plan. Last time I was abroad I paid an extra $10 a day to have a limited amount of data to use each day.
Like I said, there is no perfect solution, but hopefully these suggestions make it a little easier to get around!
Travel Tip of the Week
The best way to get over jet lag is to start functioning on local time as soon as you land. 1. Change your watch to local time and don’t think about what time it is at home; 2. Only eat during the local meal times 3. Stay up as long as possible to go to bed at a normal time in your new location. I swear these three things help speed up the jet lag process and will get you feeling (somewhat) fabulous the next day!
Quoting Bill Bryson
“To my mind, the greatest reward and luxury of travel is to be able to experience everyday things as if for the first time, to be in a position in which almost nothing is so familiar it is taken for granted.”
Links from around the web that you may enjoy!
- 14 things on parenting in France.
- 30 insider tips on traveling to Italy.
- ICYMI – Kate and Meghan attended Wimbledon together. Also, are you a Kate or a Meghan?
- Harry Styles covering Shania Twain’s Still the One.
- This Italian destination wedding is what dreams are made of.
- 73 Questions with Saoirse Ronan (she is the Irish actress who starred in Brooklyn and Lady Bird). Love her accent!
- Is wanderlust in your genes?
- Mamma Mia 2 opens this weekend! Mike and I went on our honeymoon in Greece and I’m dying to go back. I think it is one of the most beautiful places in the world and I can’t wait to see the gorgeous scenery on the big screen. I adore Lily James, so it will be fun to see her play a young Meryl Streep!
- This commuter clutch would be the perfect solution to organize my carry-on!
In case you missed it on Traveling Chic this week:
Happy Travels!
xo, Jenny
