Ocnmeg

I've been a lurker for about a month now as I tied up loose ends for my first trip abroad (Dublin with my son, for his birthday). What started as a few-times-a-week has become a full-blown check a dozen times a day obsession! But I have learned a lot of stuff along the way..with huge thanks to the OP's.
1 - Always pay in the local currency, and notify your bank before travelling.
2 - Scan a copy of your passport and email to yourself. That way if it's stolen it's easier to replace.
3 - Do NOT ever ever ever travel with anyone who you would not marry (and sometimes not even then lol)
4 - You can hang tomato plants upside down in your garage to keep them in the winter.
5 - There is something called Limoncello that I must try.
6 - After reading tons of trip reports (including current fave Barb and the Divas) I can't wait to post my own.
7 - And finally, I have travelled domestically with my son his whole life (he's 13) but never abroad. The whole concept was a bit intimidating, but after reading some of the stories on here I am raring and ready to go!
Thank you, thank you and I'll see you in a week!

hunnym

Congrats on your first trip abroad - I look forward to reading your trip report!

Bon voyage!

Budman

You have to go to Italy and taste the Limoncello. Save that for another trip. When in Dublin, try the Guinness.

Have a great trip!!

mclaurie

Have a great trip! I couldn't begin to count all the things I've learned from my "friends" in Fodorville. Everything from computer stuff to cooking to websites to....life.

PrincessOfPenguins

Cool! Have a good trip!

p.s. - you can always make your own limoncello. Just do a search for recipes and you're halfway there ;-)

ira

Hi OC,

Have a great trip.

Remember to tip the pilot.

chatham

Ocnmeg, Have a great trip and I will wait for your trip report. I've learned so much here about travel, but I've also had some great laughs. Ira and his tipping of the pilot for one.

dabodin

Since no one else is making a list of things they've learned from Fodorites, here's mine, which is just a partial one:

RyanAir's terminal in Germany(advertised as Frankfurt), is over an hour away by bus from the real Frankfurt airport. This would have been a disaster if I hadn't found out about it before booking tickets.

The towns of Dinan and St. Malo in Brittany are wonderful and not to be missed.

The apartment we chose in Rome was well known to several Fodorites which eased my anxieties about renting it. I also got useful info on what was in the immediate neighborhood.

I found the Paris apartment we just rented on this site: it was recommended by many people who had stayed there and it was even better than advertised.

I have learned about several excellent railway-related websites here, the best of which is the one that lets you compare the cost of rail passes versus buying point-to-point tickets (can never remember its name, though!).

I don't think I would have ever known anything about the Paris Segway tours if I hadn't read about it here. We splurged and did the evening tour and it was one of the highlights of our trip.

There are many more examples, but you get the idea. Thanks Fodorites!

mnapoli

And don't marry anyone you wouldn't travel with....

gualalalisa

Everything Ocnmeg lists and so much more!

All the safety tips like having a "lookout" when you use an ATM, carrying your wallet in a front pocket and not leaving obvious tourist stuff visible in your rental car. The stories about travel scams are so good to know.

I've learned to trust the Fodorites with tips on where to stay, what to see and what to avoid - they haven't steered me wrong yet.

But the biggest thing I've learned is how to keep your sense of humor when things don't go exactly as planned. As evidenced by all the LOL posts I've read over the years, the worse the screw-up, the funnier the story. (at least in the telling!)

Let us know how it goes in Dublin.

P_M

Before I came to this board I had done quite a bit of traveling and I thought knew a lot about travel. In a way I did, yet every time I come to this board I learn something new from my fellow Fodorites. I feel like I am 10,000 times more knowledgeable now than in my pre-Fodor's days.

I used to visit Frommer's message board, and I still pop in occasionally. But I like this board a lot more because we don't just talk travel, we actually get to know each other. I enjoy talking travel, but making new friends is the icing on the cake and it keeps me coming back. And the best part of all is the inside jokes and the good laughs we share.

suze

Wishing a wonderful trip for our OP above.

I know I'm in trouble when I am reading Travel + Leisure, Conde Nast, or Budget Travel and disagreeing with what they suggest... thinking Fodorite's would never do that, already know that, well "duh" about a supposedly clever or original travel tip.

LoveItaly

Hi suze, that is why I am not renewing travel magazines as they expire. Last one to expire is CondeNast. Don't you find the articles boring and the recommendtions so expensive? Certainly out of my budget. And compared to the average trip report on Fodor's I have found most magazine articles leave out so many pertinent details. How did they get from this place to that place for example.

P_M I so enjoy travel reports from Fodorites. So much more then some article in a travel magazine. To read a Fodorite's questions about their trip, read the answers, the comments back and forth and then one day there is the trip report from the Fodorite!!
How wonderful. One almost feels as though they have invested in the trip and so many trip reports here are so personal, to detailed you almost feel like you have been on the trip with them. So much more personal isn't it?

And getting to know each other is beautiful. With a couple of exceptions I think the people here on Fodors are such a joy..including you and so many others.

tuscanlifeedit

LoveItaly, you amaze me. Not only did you reach out and comfort me in my hour of need, but we think alike, which is so nice.

Suze and LoveItaly, I too am letting all my travel mag subscriptions go. I get them all for a dollar an issue, and I still don't want them!

I find some guidebooks fairly useless, too. One night recently Sam's Club had Eyewitness Italy at a great price, so I bought it. Rather a waste of money, for you guys know more about the places mentioned than they do.

LoveItaly

Oh tuscanlifeedit, what a nice comment. Thank you dear one. I was so happy when I saw everything went beautiful that day!!

I was just saying to my dear daughter today that there are so many beautiful people on Fodor's. And I have had the pleasure to meet some of them. In fact two Fodorites are coming here Thanksgiving weekend! I am so looking forward to being with them. Maybe we will have a fun trip report for all of you, LOL. Unfortunatly the restaurant I wanted to take them to is closed for the whole weekend. The JellyBelly Factory they wanted to visit only has videos as their employees do not work on the weekend. Sigh! But other fun things are flitting through my mind.

Personally I think Fodor's is a very special website with very special people.

And I sure hope everyone realizes how much they helped me this year with the various problems that were swirling around our family. I will never forget all the good wishes, the care and the concern. It truly meant a lot to me. Best wishes to all.

cigalechanta

I have met several fodorites and they all all very nice people. I think the ones who are open to meet usually are as they aren't hiding anything.
That's wonderful Loveitaly to have support when you need it.
I learned to ignore the trolls and those who are nasty to others. It takes more energy to hate than to love.

starrsville

Talking about Fodorite friends...just tonight I was asking a close friend to consider taking me along if she has to go to California to deal with family medical problems. I offered to "babysit" the father with Alzheimers, cook for the ill mother, interpret what the doctors may say (you know how stress interferes with the input of information) AND just "disappear" for a while if that would be best for the family.

I said I had "a friend in Vacaville" I could crash at - although I have no idea where Vacaville is in relation to the family home.

And, although I've never "met" LoveItaly, I truly believe that if I found myself in California and did need to get away for a day or so, I could call and ask "Hey, it's Starrsville. Can I come by for a day or so?"

I've NEVER been an internet or chat room fan - until this board. I do feel that I have "unmet" friends in other states - and in mine - as a result of this board.

Pretty darn wonderful, if you ask me.

artlover

YEs, have a great trip...we took our daughter to Europe for the first time when she was 13 and guess where she spent the last 6 months...it's a great time to take them...

Things I've learned here:

about the Paradors in Spain

great websites for getting train and bus schedules

great websites for actually finding locations

wonderful restaurants

great advise about books to read

wonderful recipes for dishes I've had in Europe

and even some fun times--a get together in Paris...and such

some great hotel suggestions too

really, too many to mention

Thanks all!

Simone1

Let me see, the past few days I have been engrossed in several trip reports.

I think I am learning to let go of all my inhibitions. I let myself be carried away by such great stories. I have learned to have an open mind, to make myself feel part of a crazy trip with six divas, be happy stopping in every Irish pubs in Tuscany, join a honeymoon couple in Venice and Verona and finally I let myself be a first-timer in Venice. I have been in most of these places before, but Fodor’s has a way of making me experience and enjoy everything over and over again.

5alive

Nice thread.

I personally feel that this is one of the friendlier boards I have ever seen on any topic and appears to be mostly self policing. I too read it for about one month before my very first post because the boards I read before were so very rude. About my only quibble is that the search engine is not the greatest.

So far...
I learned about how some credit card issuers might have one's account frozen because of suspected fradulent charges if you haven't warned them about 10 times that you are going overseas.

I learned how to book a Scavi tour at the Vatican.

I learned a lot about group travel and kid travel.

We will probably not do overseas travel for years after the trip we have coming up for budgetary reasons, but I suspect I will still check in here and read more of the USA board for trips closer to home.