I’m fascinated by how people travel and vacation in different ways.

Picture your ideal vacation. Say you get a week off work and have a $1,500 budget. Where do you go? What do you do?

Here’s what I’d do: I’d fly to a foreign land, find a remote town and settle in for the week at a cozy inn. I’d read and write and get drunk with the locals. I’d eat good food–lots of good food. I’d flirt with girls with cute accents. I’d take walks and sleep in. And if there’s something famous in the area, I’d check it out but not obsess over it.

That’s it.

How do I know this? A few years ago I went to Wales because I was working on a novel about Frank Lloyd Wright. We drove all across Wales for three days and then spent three days walking all across London. It was a great trip.

However, two days into the trip, we stopped at a town called Hay-on-Wye. It has the highest number of bookstores per capita of anywhere in the world–it’s a tiny town, and I think they have about 30 bookstores.

We spent the night there, perused the bookstores (I bought a 150-year-old hollow book. Yes, be jealous), and then jetted off to see more of Wales.

I wish we had stayed. I would have been perfectly happy if we had stayed.

I understand that many people have very different ideal vacations. Some people want to run around and see everything. Their trip isn’t complete without 100 photos of them standing in front of churches and monuments and sculptures. Others want to sleep in hostels and meet tons of other travelers. And others want to party–they want to dance in Prague until the sunrise puts them to bed.

These are all good things to know about someone you’re going to travel with. So…how do you travel? Does it match how your significant other likes to travel?

Back during a time when I was making many road trips for my first–and last–long-distance relationship, I wrote an entry about how I’d pimp my ride for long trips if I could. Today I have a few follow-up tips and thoughts for long road trips, particularly those for which you’re alone for 10+ hours.

1. Crunchy foods help keep your mind awake, as do spicy foods. I’d particularly suggest baby carrots since you typically don’t eat much healthy food on road trips.
2. I would pay double for fast drive-thru food on road trips if there were healthier, organic options available. I still like burgers and chicken tenders on the road, but I don’t want processed crap, and I’m willing to pay for it if it’s fast.
3. Idea: Drive-thru restaurants where you get your gas pumped while you wait in line for your food.
4. I unabashedly unbuckle and unzip my pants during long road trips. You don’t realize how constricting your pants are until you undo them. I also tend to wear my oldest jeans since they’ll end up serving napkin double-duty during the drive.
5. I’ve discovered the key to taking fewer bathroom breaks is to take longer bathroom breaks. Don’t rush them. Pee, then simmer down for a 15 seconds, and then pee again. It’s almost as if you have two separate bladder–the first is immediate relief, and the other is long-term storage. Empty both of them.
6. The hands-down scariest vehicle to see on the road is a stormchaser van.
7. My number one new tip is that you should get some stand-up comedy CDs for the ride. They’ll jolt you awake and keep you that way for a full hour. My favorite from my recent trip was Aziz Ansari (you can borrow mine if you know me). Buy them used on Amazon. I tried to find a Netflix for comedy CDs, but there is no such thing. You could make tens of dollars if you started one of your own!

What tips would you add to this list?

I’ve been quoted in many books of quotes as saying, “The best test of a relationship is to take a trip together.”

In my experience, it’s completely true. When you’re on a trip, you’re outside of your comfort zone. Your raw, unedited side comes out, and you get to see what your significant others’ raw, unedited side looks like. I actually think this would make an interesting dating site idea: Your first date is a trip somewhere. It would combine a flight deal and date stuff.

I remember one of the first road trips I took with a girlfriend. I remember nothing about the trip except that I discovered that she drove about 200 miles an hour on the highway, pulling right up behind cars until they moved out of her way. It didn’t change my view of her personality–she really was a lovely woman–but I saw a different side of her. And I had to deal with it for many hours, so part of the test was seeing how I reacted.

This past weekend, essentially on a whim, I used some frequent flyer miles to purchase a ticket to Ireland. For a while (about a week) I’ve been fantasizing about spending some time in Ireland, writing and reading on rolling hills and in ancient castles, buying rounds of Bud Select in pubs for cute Irish girls.

So when I spotted an available frequent flier ticket in the fall, I jumped at the chance. I’ve also lined up a five-night stay at a castle hotel. That’s right. I’m going to live in a castle for almost a week.

My natural inclination is to include someone on the trip. Not someone in particular, just someone, a lady companion. But just like my intentionally single period back in ’09, I really want–and need–to go at this alone. A solo trip will be a huge challenge for me, a huge stretch.

Basically, it’ll be a great test of my relationship with my single self.

Have you ever taken an enlightening (or difficult) trip with a significant other? Have you taken a solo trip abroad? How was it?

…I’ll be a stranger in a strange land.

That’s right, I’m in Ireland. I’m writing this post on Wednesday, but I’ve scheduled it to publish at exactly the time that my plane sets down in Dublin.

This trip is unlike any other I’ve ever taken. The only planning I’ve done is buying a plane ticket and booking a hotel (a castle hotel, no less). I’m also going solo on this trip. I’m trying to stretch myself, step outside of my comfort zone, and give myself the freedom to grow. Sometimes you need to leave your every day life and all the patterns and habits and distractions that go along with it to move forward.

That said, it’s a little scary. I’m excited, but I’m also nervous. It hit me tonight that solo means solo. I’ve flown solo plenty of times, but this is the first time that no one is waiting for me at my destination. It’s freeing, but it’s scary.

I’ll be gone for about a week, and I’ll write about my adventures when I return. Unless, that is, I get swept up in an Irish gypsy bareknuckle boxing ring and have to fight my way home. That’s a distinct possibility.

I’ve always wanted to live in a castle. Unless I ever get filthy rich or decide to pursue a career in butlery, that’s not going to happen. Thus I satisfied part of that childhood desire of mine by staying in a castle the last four nights.

Tonight is my last night in the Clontarf Castle Hotel, and I just wanted to share how incredible the experience has been. I cannot recommend this place enough. Here are a few reasons why:

1. It’s a castle! This hotel is not like any other. Its walls are those of a very old castle. And it’s so much more than just a novelty feature. Sure, the bedrooms just feel like ordinary hotel bedrooms. But there are a number of lounges that intertwine in and out of the castle parts of the building. This is particularly important for rainy Irish days when you don’t want to go out much. Hanging out in the castle parts of the building on those days is a vacation in itself.
2. Location. The hotel is in Clontarf, a little seaside town about 10 minutes away from Dublin and 20 minutes away from Howth, where I spent a lovely day today. Honestly, there’s not a ton to do in Clontarf, but it’s great if you’re like me and want to pretend you’re indigenous for a few days on vacation. Now, there are certain perks to staying in Dublin–considerably more choices of restaurants and pubs, as well as more tourist destinations–but Clontarf feels like an escape from the hubbub of real life, which has its benefits.
3. Affordable luxury. This is a four-star luxury hotel that you can stay at for under $100/night.
4. Amenities. I’ve spent most of my time in an awesome in-hotel bar called the Knight’s Bar, but there’s also a club and an expensive restaurant here. Just depends on what you’re looking for, but it’s nice to have all of them in the hotel. They seem to attract a number of locals, not just people staying at the hotel. And there have been a ton of weddings here during my stay. I may or may not be married to an Irish woman; I’m really not sure what happened in that ceremony.
5. Service. I need a separate section for this, because it’s been astoundingly good. See below.

Make sure you stay tuned for the contest at the end of this entry. It involves Irish chocolate!

I spent the last 6 days just outside Dublin in Clontarf, Ireland. It was a solo trip, and I’ll delve into what I learned about myself tomorrow. But for now, here are 11 insights I have into traveling to and within Ireland, or really just traveling anywhere.

1. When you travel, especially in Ireland, it’s okay to make some friends that are purely there as temporary travel companions. I was befriended by this dog during a hike on the Hill of Howth on Tuesday, and although his company was unexpected, it was quite nice.
2. Plenty of Irish people smoke, but smoking in restaurants and pubs in Ireland is illegal. I was quite happy to learn that.
3. Eat as much indigenous food as possible when you travel abroad. I had Irish stew, fish and chips, shepherd’s pie, corned beef and cabbage, and an assortment of those triangle sandwiches you can only find in the British Isles.
4. It’s okay to break some habits–good and bad–when you’re traveling. For example, if you normally work out five times a week, don’t spend 8 hours in the hotel gym when you travel unless you’re enhancing your travel experience (i.e., talking to people while you work out, doing a completely different kind of workout than in the States–you’ll find lots of very odd exercises in Japan). I rarely sleep in, and I have three meals at almost exactly the same time every day. I broke out of those habits in Ireland because they would have impeded my experience.
5. You need cash. Lots of cash. Don’t wait until you get to the airport, especially if you’re lazy like me. You will not be able to use your credit card nearly as much as you can in America.
6.  Know where the nearest grocery store is. Especially if you’re staying in the same place for most of the trip. Also, the grocery store is the cheapest place to stock up on the best gifts to bring back home to your friends and coworkers: chocolate.
7. The hotel can–and should–be so much more than the place you sleep every night. It’s really nice to have a home base that feels local to the country you’re in. Plus, if you’re in Ireland, you’re going to have some rainy days, so if you have an awesome hotel to explore, you have built-in entertainment.
8. Find the “experience” in everything you do. Two out of the five days of my trip were interrupted by heavy rain. Like, a month’s worth of rain in two days (this was not your average Irish rainfall). I’ll tell you what I did: I walked in it. I got soaked. But I walked in it. This is coming from someone who often doesn’t even drive in the rain, much less play sports in the rain. But I wanted the Irish experience, and so I walked. I honestly don’t think you can have an unsuccessful trip if you take that approach to travel.
9. Google Maps is awesome…but so is getting lost. Google Maps gives you the freedom to roam without the risk of sleeping on a park bench because you can’t find your hotel. But getting lost has its perks too–it forces you to meet people, to interact, to be vulnerable. I’d recommend a mix of both.
10. Remember that it’s a vacation! You should not walk away from Ireland (or any trip) feeling more stressed than when you left. We all relax in different ways, so find your way and make it happen. I know there are some people who feel like they need to see and do everything when they’re in a foreign country. And in a way, you’re right–don’t go all the way to Ireland and spend your time watching movies in your hotel room. Just set clear goals for yourself and leave a little room to unwind. And indulge a little bit! Instead of rushing through a meal so you can make the train to Waterford, savor those potatoes and top it off with dessert and an Irish coffee.
11. Buy an item of clothing. I messed up–I forgot to do this. But let me tell you, when I was in Oxford for 3 hours a few years ago, I stopped by a flea market and picked up a peacoat that I’ve worn ever since. People actually stop me and ask me where I got the coat. And I get to say, “Oh, in Oxford.” There’s a story behind the clothing you buy abroad. I wouldn’t say go on a shopping spree, but buy one or two things that you know you’ll wear. Spend a little money if necessary. You’ll remember those days in Ireland every time you wear that wool sweater.

Now on to the contest. I brought back some treats from Ireland–specifically, Butler’s chocolate, made right in the heart of Dublin. One of the bars is filled with whiskey, and the other is solid milk chocolate (see photo below; you can’t tell, but they’re pretty big chocolate bars). One lucky person will win the chocolate and my tour guide to Dublin, just in case all this talk of Ireland makes you think you’ll really go. I’ll cover shipping.

All you have to do is share this blog entry on Facebook and include @jameystegmaier in the message so I see that you’ve posted it (if you need to friend me on Facebook to properly do that, friend me here). If you include another friend in the message (i.e., “@maureensmith, you’d appreciate this guy’s thoughts on Ireland!”), I’ll give you two entries to the random drawing, which I’ll do this Sunday, October 30, at 11:00 am CST. You can only share it once. Oh, and I’ll throw in a third entry if you e-mail me (jamey.stegmaier@gmail.com) with any typos in the above post…I’ve been up since 6:30 am Dublin time and am starting to feel it.

Me in Howth. Just me.

This past week I’ve discussed my Ireland trip in detail, and I’d like to end the week with a reflection on what I learned from going on this trip solo.

I wanted to stretch myself on this trip, to step outside of my comfort zone. I’m a planner at heart, and thus I didn’t plan anything for this trip so I can be more spontaneous and go with the flow. I’m an introvert, so I wanted to push myself to meet new people when I have no default option. I’m terrible at initiating conversations with strangers, so I wanted to put myself in a foreign place to see how I’d respond in that area.

Here are the results from my little experiment. It’s filled with contradictions.

1. It’s really nice not having to worry about someone else’s plans or agendas.
2. It’s nice to have a copilot when traversing foreign soil. There’s certainly something to be said for figuring out things on your own (as I did when taking the bus to Howth), but I was able to enjoy Dublin in a different way when a new friend guided me through the city.
3. I like company when I eat at a restaurant. Those were the most difficult times in Ireland, and it doesn’t help that I’m a really slow eater. I didn’t feel self conscious about eating alone; moreso I was surrounded by people having a wonderful time at their tables, and it make me really aware that I didn’t have someone there to talk to.
4. No matter where I am, at this point in my life, I prefer a quiet beer at the bar over a crazy night at a club. On Friday night, I contemplated going down to the club in the hotel. There were tons of young people there. I almost did it to stick with my adventurous theme. But I kept coming back to the fact that I don’t enjoy clubs. Just because I’m abroad doesn’t mean I should force-feed myself things I don’t like in the name of “growing.” That was a good thing to realize on the first night.
5. I like to write in quiet places, not noisy cafes. It doesn’t have to be a secluded place; just a quiet place.
6. I really like not having a plan when I travel, but after I make a decision to go somewhere, I should research that decision a little bit before going so I don’t miss out on anything huge. For example, the taxi driver on the way to the airport at the end of the trip asked if I had gone to basically the best old pub ever when I was in Howth. I hadn’t, unfortunately, and it made me want to go back to go to that pub. But it was too late.
7. Smithwick’s is my favorite Irish beer.
8. It’s really nice to detach from e-mail. Now, I sent plenty of e-mails when I was at the hotel, but when I left the castle, I no longer had wi-fi. And it was incredibly freeing. The impulse to check e-mail went away because I simply didn’t have that option. I was able to walk and think and breathe without having the exciting prospect of a full inbox prodding at me.
9. Being in a foreign country doesn’t mean that I’m suddenly free to initiate conversations with total strangers. Even in Ireland, where people are notoriously friendly. If that’s an area in which I want to grow, I’m going to have to work on it myself–a new country isn’t going to do the work for me.

Two and a half years ago, my friend Eric quit his job as a lawyer and moved down to Austin with his girlfriend to pursue the dream of owning a restaurant. 8 weeks later, he had a food truck called The Peached Tortilla up and running, and he’s been quite successful.

I’ve been wanting to visit Eric and Kris (and eat Peached Tortilla food, of course) for a long time. I had been to Austin once about 5 years ago for work and loved it, so when I realized last month that I had enough frequent flier miles saved up, I jumped at the chance to visit my friends.

A quick note before I share some photos from the trip: When I take a travel vacation, I don’t like to try to see and do everything. I end up exhausted from those types of trips, which isn’t the point of a vacation to me. Plus, I greatly prefer making memories than going around to every historic landmark and taking a photo in front of it. It’s just not my style.

One of the key ways that I make memories on trips is eating local food. After all, they say the sense of smell is the most closely tied to memories, right? And the nose is connected to the mouth, or as I like to call it, the “the place where food goes.” Hence the forthcoming ratio of food photos to non-food photos.

One of the reasons I was really looking forward to this trip was the warm Austin weather. It’s been in the 20s in St. Louis the last few weeks. Winter in Austin is just a tad bit warmer…

It was dinnertime when I arrived last Thursday, so we went straight to a restaurant. Apparently the latest food fad in Austin is ramen, which I could not be happier about (it’s on target to be a craze in St. Louis in 5-6 years). I ate ramen at least once a week when I was in Japan, but I haven’t had it since then. Just like in Japan, the line at this place was out the door–I’m telling you, the nostalgia was off the charts. (I also just remembered that I posted this photo on Friday. I want it all in one place here, though.) It’s called Ramen Tatsu-ya.

On Friday we went to an amazing taco place called Taco Deli (not a great name, but seriously, I’m still thinking about the Cowboy taco). I was pretty tired after that, so Eric and Kris’ dog, Jetta, joined me on the couch for a nap. Have you ever taken a nap and woken up to find that there are photos of you sleeping on Facebook? It’s surreal.

Afterward, we went to an area near the University of Texas to oggle at college girls and achieve one of my life goals: eat at a restaurant owned by a Top Chef winner. In this case, it wasn’t just any Top Chef winner–it was Paul Qui, one of my favorite contestants ever. He has a series of food trailers across the city, as well as a restaurant/dive bar inspired by his food trucks. We essentially ordered his food truck food. Here you can see the pork buns (decent), Thai chicken (awesome), fried brussell sprouts (spectacular), and fried beets (eh. The aoli was a little too heavy on mayo). The food was prepared in true Austin style by three hipsters.

After that we unlocked another one of my life goals: Go to a movie at the Alamo Drafthouse. You see, for the past 12 years I’ve read a movie review website called Ain’t It Cool News. The owner of the site, Harry Knowles, talks endlessly about the Alamo Drafthouse. It’s one of the first theaters where you can order a variety of food from your seat, and waiters deliver it to you. They’ve also gotten press recently from their extremely strict (but totally justified) rules for not allowing cell phone use of any kind in the theater. If they catch you even looking at your phone more than once, you’re thrown out without a refund. They’re trying to keep the theater a great place to see a movie, and they’re achieving that goal remarkably well. In addition to that, when you buy a ticket there, you reserve specific seats in the theater, and there isn’t a bad seat in the house. Also, before the movie, instead of ads you get a 30-minute series of clips of the actors’ previous roles. We were there to see This Is 40 (my review: “This is 40 minutes too long.”), so there were a number of Paul Rudd clips and a few others from the other actors. It really set the tone for the movie itself, which I loved. My only disappointment (other than the movie. My review: “I bet the horror movie ‘Mama’ is funnier than this.”) is that the popcorn was pretty bad. Aside from the movie (my review: “Please let Lena Dunham write Judd Apatow’s movies from now on.”), it was an amazing movie-watching experience. (Note: I did not take this photo. As noted, you’ll get kicked out if you use your phone here.)

The next morning, I finally got to go to The Peached Tortilla. Before I get to the food, I want to say that I was impressed by the sheer size and layout of the truck. Look at this thing–trucks in St. Louis don’t even come close to looking like this. Very cool. Eric was kind enough to get me an order of fries with egg and bacon jam, a bahn mi taco, and a Yume dog (a hot dog with crispy onions and some amazing sauces). I wish I could have eaten more, but I was stuffed. I’d say this even if Eric weren’t my friend: If you’re in Austin, you need to track down The Peached Tortilla and eat their food. Seriously.

In the afternoon, Eric had to work an event at Kong Screenprinting, so I tagged along and was joined by another St. Louis friend who now lives in Austin. We caught up for a while and eventually went back to her place to check out her…chickens. Yep, she has chickens living in her backyard. Who knew that there were so many different colors of chickens?! I wanted to cuddle with them, but they weren’t interested.

I have an uncle once removed who lives in Austin, and by sheer coincidence, I found out though my cousin that the uncle was throwing his big annual Burns Night party this year. This isn’t the typical Austin experience, but it’s a pretty cool concept, so I thought I’d share. Apparently there is a famous Scottish poet named Robert Burns. 7 years ago, my uncle (who shares the Burns last name) decided that he would host a big Scottish party every year, complete with poetry readings. Eric and I realized that of all the places in Austin, my uncle’s house was within walking distance of Eric’s apartment.

Burns Night has become a pretty huge party–I think there were over 50 people in attendance, many of them in kilts. This photo shows my uncle concluding the poetry portion of the night with a moving rendition of Auld Lang Syne, of which, I learned, I only know three words.

And that’s Austin, my friends. Have you been there? Would you recommend anything that I missed? The one thing I noticed about the city that I wasn’t a big fan of was that it kind of felt like a massive strip mall. Also, the hipsters were a little over the top, but it was so normal there that I was probably the true hipster for dressing so normally and having no facial hair.

Also, there’s nothing better about traveling than coming home to your family:

Yesterday a site called Twisted Sifter posted their top 100 photos of 2012. There are some really creative photos in the mix, but the ones that truly moved me were of locations I had never heard of or seen before. They struck me as a few of the places I’d love to visit in my lifetime. For the cities, I’d like to settle down and live among the locals for the week. For the vistas, I’d like to sit and write and soak in the beauty as long as possible. And for the restaurant…well, I want to eat there.

I have many other places I’d like to visit and experience, but here are five that I’d like to share with you today. I’d love to hear your thoughts if you’ve been to any of these places or if you have any bucket list destinations you’d like to share.

1. Gásadalur Village: This little gem in the Faroe Islands (I had to look it up too–they’re between Scotland and Iceland, and you have to take a specific route to get there like in Lost or you’ll end up in Greenland with Walt) would be beautiful enough as it is. But then you add in that waterfall, and suddenly I have a naturection. I want to write there and eat whatever weird food they serve (I’m guessing it involves fish buried underground for 12 days and then served over cow tonsils. And I want it in my belly).

Photograph by GARETH CODD PHOTOGRAPHY on Flickr

2. Bern: When I think of Switzerland, I think of the rolling hills of the Sound of Music, not “place that looks like Euro-style board games.” But if this city were a board game, I’d play it all day. Also, I’d love to write here. I’m sure I’d end up getting into some In Brugges-style hijinks here, but the permanent limp and nipple scars would totally be worth it.

Photograph via loki010 on Reddit

3. The Redwoods Treehouse: When I was little, I was fascinated by redwood trees. So tall, so old, and so majestic. I’ve never seen them in person, and what better way to do so than this incredible restaurant in the canopy. They no longer serve food to individuals, but book a party of 30 and you’re in. Destination wedding in New Zealand, anyone? (Note to readers: That does not count as a marriage proposal. But the first lady to say yes in the comments wins a lifetime of this (*gestures to pale, skinny, hairy-in-the-wrong places, hairless-in-the-other-wrong places body*).

4. Cinque Terre: This tiny town is either located in Italy or a fantasy novel where the color of your house indicates the type of magic you’re capable of. Either way, I want to live here for a week among the spiraling buildings, the warm Mediterranean Sea, and the topless women. I bet the seafood is amazing too.

5. Beachy Head Chalk Cliff: This place sounds like a type of viral dandruff, but it’s so much more than that. I’ve honestly never seen anything like this. Apparently–and unfortunately–a lot of people commit suicide off of this thing. I wonder if people seek it out as a place to commit suicide, or if the human instinct when you get to the edge is to give in to that fear of jumping you get when you’re on top of something really tall. Or maybe they just think that there’s a glorious land of chocolate rivers and trampolines below those clouds (in reality I think there’s a gas station and a Captain D’s down there). Regardless, like the other places on this list, I want to go to there.

Photograph by RHYS DAVIES

Where do you want to go to there?*

*“I want to go to there” is a joke from 30 Rock, perhaps even the most repeated line from that show. Someday it will become grammatically correct.

Yesterday I had a heated debate with a friend about Megabus vs. Amtrak. Megabus is a bus that offers super low fairs if you book your seat well in advance, and every day the price goes up a little bit. Amtrak is the system of trains in the US.

The debate itself is irrelevant (it mostly had to do with which mode of transportation smelled worse), but it reminded me of an article I read recently about Amtrak offering writer’s residencies to authors.

The idea is that a train is a great place to write. It removes you from normal, daily life, and makes you feel like you’re on an adventure, but sitting down and slow-moving scenery as your only distraction. I could totally see writers curling up with a moleskin notebook as the train chugs across America’s heartland.

Plus, a train offers something that every writer needs: A deadline.

In fact, when I was about 13 years old, my family took an Amtrak trip across America. Like most things, I don’t think I fully appreciated it at the time, but it was a great way to see the country. A train is a place where you really get to enjoy the journey (perhaps even more than the destination). Of course, I spent half of the trip trying to figure out how to talk to girls on the train. I’ll always love you, Seat 14B, even though we never spoke.

Perhaps the coolest part of this is that the idea was catalyzed and ignited on Twitter. Amtrak saw a tweet from an author who wished that the train system offered residencies for writers, and they ran with the idea. This is something they’re actually going to do. For real.

What do you think? Would a long train ride put you in the mood for writing?

You can apply to Amtrak’s first residency here.

I would do anything for some good takoyaki. Anything.

While feasting on one of the many delicious homecooked meals I ate while in Virginia recently, the topic of “food vacations” came up. Whenever I travel–particularly abroad–eating at a lot of interesting, local dishes is really important to me. My family visited me in Kyoto for a week back in 2001, and I planned every day around food. To me it’s a big part of experiencing the culture.

So while in Virginia, we posited the question: Where would you go for a week just for the food? Imagine an entire trip planned around food–basically, the “eat” portion of “Eat, Pray, Love.” You start with breakfast or brunch, move on to lunch, take a break in the afternoon for a light snack or tea, then a nice dinner and dessert at night. Local drinks could be included at the appropriate times as well.

With that in mind, where would you go and why?

I would be hard pressed not to choose Japan. I really love Japanese food, and they offer quite a wide variety of dishes. The only thing holding me back is breakfast–I’m not a fan of Japanese breakfasts. However, there are a number of French bakeries in Kyoto, so I would gladly go there for breakfast. Or just have rice. Warm rice is a great way to start the day.

Second in contention for me is Italy. So much good food there, including lots of gelato. I would really love to eat my way through Naples and the rest of Italy someday. Is there such thing as a food tour? If so, I want to go to there.

What about you?

I love this concept. 

There’s a company starting something called a “Sacred Introvert Retreat Tour” in the Somerset/Wessex region of England.

In some ways, it’s a typical tour. You visit beautiful, ancient landmarks and soak in the scenery. You eat local food. You learn about the history.

But where it deviates from the norm is that it’s specifically catered towards introverts. It’s essentially a tour built around the idea of traveling alone…with other people who like to travel alone. A lot of this means that people will have lots of time to recharge in between the group portions of the tour, and the social activities are geared around quiet contemplation, not partying and social interactions.

Also, I really like that the tour is focused on a specific area. You’re not rushing around to see half the country in a week. Rather, you settle down in Glastonbury and stay there the entire time. That’s exactly how I like to travel.

This is essentially what my solo trip to Ireland a few years ago could have been. As much as I like my quiet time to be creative, it would have been nice to have similar people around from time to time.

What do you think, fellow introverts? How do you like to travel?

As I mentioned yesterday, this past weekend in Austin provided a weekend of firsts for me, including my first-ever stay in an Airbnb.

For a long time I’ve confused Airbnb with couchsurfing. Couchsurfing is when you crash on someone’s couch or spare bed while they’re still in the house. I assume shenanigans are often involved.

Airbnb, however, is more like you’re renting someone’s home for a few days. It’s an alternative to a hotel (usually cheaper), and it offers things a hotel does not: full kitchen access, free wi-fi, and usually more space.

A few months ago I selected the Airbnb based on its proximity to the wedding location. A few friends and I decided to split the cost for a 3-night stay (they were there an extra night). Mark, the owner, sent us a ton of helpful communication in advance.

Overall, I had a really good experience. Even though we didn’t cook, it was awesome to have the feel of a home instead of a hotel. It just feels better.

The one downside is that hotels provide certain amenities that you can’t really expect an Airbnb owner to provide, like shampoo and soap. So make sure to bring your own. Otherwise the house had plenty of towels and bedding.

I kind of wish I had some crazy story about the Airbnb, but it was a simple, streamlined, pleasant experience. Perhaps you have a better story from when you’ve used it?

If you want to use Airbnb in the future, feel free to type in my referral code. I get $25 on my next stay, and you get a high five.

I’m a middle-seat guy.

Apparently that’s a rare preference–so much so that airline experts are actively discussing ideas of how to encourage people to choose the middle seat. As this Fast Company article noted, “[The middle seat is] inherently less comfortable, and a third of people on a plane will be stuck with it.”

When I was young, I enjoyed the window seat. Back then, flying was still a small miracle, as was the view from the heavens. Now I just want to close the window the reduce the glare. Plus, the slant of the plane provides less leg room for the window passenger.

As I grew older, I started preferring the aisle seat. More leg room, better view of what was happening on the plane, direct lane to the bathroom. But that also means that people are always climbing over you to go to the bathroom, and you live in fear of the drink cart bashing an adrift knee or elbow.

So one day I looked around and realized that the seat I had been looking for my whole life was right there in the middle. It doesn’t have the negative qualities of the other two seats, and there’s ample leg room. Plus, when you’re okay with the middle seat, you often have your pick of any seat on the plane. Every time I walk onto a Southwest flight, ALL of my favorite seats are available. It’s awesome.

I’m curious where you stand (or sit) in terms of seating preference–there’s a poll below to see which seat is the most popular.

Over the weekend I had a nice long chat with a friend about vacations. A long time ago, she identified a personal need/desire to take one vacation each year. She’s traveled around the world and experienced lots of different places, but for these vacations, she specifically likes to go to someplace exotic and relax for a week.

I made a personal goal a long time ago to do something similar: Once a year, I wanted to go somewhere I had never been. When I travel, I like to go to one specific place and get to know it at a leisurely pace. I also like to eat a lot of local cuisine.

However, over the last few years (it is no coincidence that timeframe coincides with me running my company as a full-time job), my vacations haven’t exactly been exotic. Nor have they really even been relaxing. I went to the beach for a week-long family reunion two summers ago, and I visited Virginia for a week at Christmas for both of the last two years.

In fact, looking back at my blog, the last real vacation I took was to Ireland in 2011. I could be forgetting something, but that’s the last record of a vacation I have on file.

Anyway, all of this has me thinking about vacations and the possibility of taking another real one sometime before I’m 40.

So if money weren’t a factor, where would you go on a week-long vacation? It doesn’t have to be a journey to another country. You could rent a cabin in the woods for a week by yourself or with a dozen of your favorite people. You could go on a whirlwind tour of an entire region, or you can relax and be pampered at a resort.

The trickiest thing I’ve found is that I want to come back from a vacation feeling more relaxed than before the vacation, but I come back to thousands of e-mails, so the very act of vacationing results in a less relaxing return.

Where would you go?

I’m a few years behind on this news, but while watching Last Week Tonight today, I heard that rapper Pitbull once ran an online poll to let fans decide where he would go next. The result?

Pitbull performed at the Walmart in Kodiak, Alaska.

(To his credit, not only did he travel from Miami to Kodiak for the concert, but he also said, “I heard that Kodiak, Alaska, has the most likes due to someone that thinks he was playing a prank … but you’ve got to understand, I will go anywhere in the world for my fans.”

So I thought it might be fun to let people choose something similar for me: My next bucket-list item.

Here are the things I’ve already checked off my bucket list (feel free to judge as you wish!):

• run my own company
• finish writing a novel
• eat at one of my favorite Top Chef contestant’s restaurants
• skinny dip
• sleep in a castle
• eat sushi off a naked lady
• produce a board game

Which one should I do next? I won’t say the results are binding, but it honestly will give me some focus. Here’s the poll:

I subscribe to a lot of YouTube channels, and I “like” maybe 5% of those that I watch. On rare occasions, I’ll share videos on this blog, or maybe I’ll send them to 1 or 2 friends if I think they’ll like them.

So it was a surprise to me when I found myself sharing a video with 5 people (separate e-mails to each of them), just minutes after watching it. And now I’m sharing it here.

The video is basically an announcement for a “board game camp” in Poland. Okay, sounds fine. I love board games, but why would I travel halfway around the world to do something I could do in my house?

Because of the setting. 

I love the idea of playing games in unique, memorable environments. The cottages at this camp look like something out of Lord of the Rings. There are medieval castles in the area, along with other medieval activities. And there’s other stuff you’d get at any resort.

But the environment is what really gets me. I would love to play games in a place like that–it looks beautiful and immersive. I’m not sure I’ll attend, but I’m thinking about it.

What do you think about this camp? And is there any video that you’ve found yourself personally sharing with a number of people?

Last week I spent 3 days in Seattle, primarily to visit my brother and his new baby. I had a great time, and along the way I learned some things about Seattle that I thought I’d share with you:

1. Awesome gaming culture. Okay, I only saw a very small slice of gaming culture at Mox Boarding House, but the place was huge, and it was packed on a Tuesday evening. There were 30 or so people there for a Stonemaier Games event, but that was just a fraction of the number of people who were there to play games, eat, and drink.

2. There’s no air conditioning. I’m sure there’s air conditioning somewhere in Seattle, but when a hot summer day is 75 degrees, you really don’t need it. The only time I noticed it was when I arrived at my AirBnB and the room felt a bit stuffy. The weather was beautiful, if not even a little cold at times–there were people wearing light winter coats in late June!

3. Dogs are accepted; babies are not. I saw at least one dog inside of every building I entered in Seattle–bar, restaurant, office, coffee shop, etc. Dogs seem very welcome in Seattle. However, that doesn’t appear to be the case for babies. My niece is 3 months old, and we were turned away by several restaurants and bars that cited laws about people under 21. As someone who doesn’t particularly enjoy screaming babies, I guess I can kind of understand, but it was an odd choice for certain restaurants (I’m looking at you, The Sexton) to enforce it on a slow Tuesday.

4. Drenched in Asian culture. I studied abroad in Japan and love Asian food and culture, and it was a delight to see how steeped in it Seattle is. I ate some delicious ramen at Kizuki, and we went to this amazing Asian grocery store that made me extremely nostalgic for my year in Kyoto. I even found Chu-hi there!

5. The wealth is palpable. I knew Seattle has headquarters for Amazon, Microsoft, and Starbucks, but I don’t think I quite comprehended the impact of those companies and others on the level of wealth in Seattle. This city is thriving, and while renting and buying property is quite expensive, I got the feeling that the wealth going into the city was having a positive impact on most everyone there.

6. Limebikes are everywhere. Seattle is a lot hillier than I thought, and I’m grateful for the sheer number of battery-assisted Limebikes on every corner. We have these bikes in St. Louis, and I love the concept of a bike you can pick up and desert anywhere, but St. Louis is flat and relatively traffic-free. In Seattle, that battery assist goes a long way. Again, this reminded me of my time in Japan, where I biked everywhere.

7. Willy Wonka works here. I had no idea that Seattle had a prominent chocolate factory run by a company called Theo. We took the tour, and it was fantastic. You learn a lot about the chocolate-making process from bean to bar, and you get to eat chocolate samples throughout the tour, not just at the end. Chocolate is one of my favorite things, so it was fascinating to get a sneak peek behind the curtain. Oh, and you get a 20% discount from the store at the end of the tour, which I took full advantage of.

8. Airport security takes a while. When I bought my plane ticket, I noticed an interesting reminder on the notification saying that Seattle’s airport has been experiencing abysmally slow security lines. As a result, I got to the airport really early. Indeed, the security line was quite long, and it took about 40 minutes to get through it, though with the advance notice it wasn’t an issue.

I’ll talk more about a few other aspects of Seattle later this week. I really enjoyed how walkable the city is, and the food was amazing. I hope to return someday.

Have you been to Seattle? If so, are there any fun facts you’d like to share?

Lately I’ve been thinking about the concept and future of travel, especially with the proliferation of technology.

I think I was in Seattle when this occurred to me in reference to a World’s Fair. From what I understand, people used to travel from far and wide to attend World’s Fairs. But now if you want to see what type of food people eat in Japan or the newest German invention, you can just go online and read about it.

I started thinking: Will this apply to travel and tourism too? The Great Wall of China is a remarkable architectural achievement, but in a world of HD images and virtual reality, will people be satisfied with looking at the wall remotely instead of going through all of the inconveniences to get there?

So lest this become reality, I thought I’d make a list of the 3 most beautiful places I’ve ever been. My memory of these sights is that they were so overwhelming beautiful that I felt entirely unequipped as a human to fully comprehend the beauty. For each of these places, photos truly do not do them justice.

Bryce Canyon at sunset

I visited Bryce Canyon (Utah) with my family when I was a kid. I distinctly remember watching the sunset one evening when we were ready to go back to our lodge, and I was simply in awe. I don’t know how to describe it–it was so much beauty that I literally found it difficult to breathe.

Stonehenge

Stonehenge is an odd one, because it’s both majestic and ordinary at the same time. It’s out in the middle of nowhere–people chose to build it in this specific place. I think its beauty is tied to how ancient it is. I could have stared at it for hours.

Kyoto trees in the autumn

When I studied abroad in Kyoto, I biked through and past these leaves every day. Yet despite how commonplace they were, I couldn’t help to constantly be struck by how beautiful my surroundings were. I grew up in Virginia–we have autumn there, and it’s pretty. Yet it doesn’t hold a candle to Kyoto in the fall.

What are the 3 most beautiful places you’ve ever been? Places that no photograph, video, or virtual reality can ever capture as well as physically being there?