go to content go to search box go to global site navigation

Thorn Tree Forum

Older Travellers

Messages: 3,910 - Threads: 312

sort by
jump to
← Back

May 17, 2013 1:03 AM
go_2

last reply
May 18, 2013 12:07 AM
Brax

2 replies
190 views


Jamilla - my Camino Donkey

A work in progress

LeeGil asked how I'm going to make the donkey I'll be taking with me to carry my baggage on my Camino walk next spring. I thought she deserved a posting of her own, as there will be much more news about her in the coming weeks/months. So here goes:

Jamilla, my donkey (the name means 'perfection' in Arabic) will be about the size of a miniature Mediterranean donkey.

Her framework has been cannibalised from an old ironing board, which I've dismantled and cut down to size/shape. Oh, my poor hands! On top of the (now smaller) ironing surface goes Jamilla's body, which also doubles as my bag. This has been configured to hold 45+ litres, as I carry about 40 litres, summer or winter and, along with my research on donkeys, has determined her over-all size.

Her body and legs, etc. will be made from a pvc-covered fabric, which will keep her waterproof. Shape ... more »

May 16, 2013 11:36 PM
workingNOMAD

last reply
May 18, 2013 6:00 AM
gawkabout

8 replies
280 views


How old?

How old is an older traveller? Are we talking 40 plus?

May 16, 2013 10:11 PM
LeeGil

last reply
May 16, 2013 10:11 PM
LeeGil

0 replies
50 views


Latin America travel report

Hi guys,
As usual I spent this past winter traveling in warm climes (I live in the drizzle/drear of the Pacific Northwest of the US). This trip was largely in familiar territory; but due to serious foot pain I didn’t want to stress, so the trip ended up being more ad hoc, more invent-it-as-you-go than usual.

Accordingly, this travel report is more scattered, and the product of a camera that manifested less inspiration than usual.

Nevertheless, enjoy.
Lee

Check it out

May 16, 2013 10:53 AM
sir007

last reply
May 16, 2013 10:53 AM
sir007

0 replies
47 views


Suspense in the air

I recently heard that on a flight out of the UK, the pilot made an announcement.
"Ladies and gentlemen, this is the captain speaking. We are currently at, Oh my God".., a pause of several seconds, then he continued, "Sorry, one of the flight attendants accidentally spilled a very hot cup on coffee on my lap; you should see the front of my pants".
A passenger at the rear of the plane shouted, "You should see the BACK of mine".

May 12, 2013 12:53 PM
Watsoff

last reply
May 16, 2013 4:02 PM
Watsoff

20 replies
666 views


Pages 1 2

More Bad Karma

My bad karma is at it again! I really don't think I'm that evil to warrant all this nonsense.

I'm leaving for five weeks in Fiji in a couple of days and wanted to take 350 pds stlg I've had lying around since my last trip to London, as backup funds. Yesterday I separated the stlg bills from the coins, stored the coins in a wallet along with spare Euros and put the coins back in the drawer where all my left-over foreign currency bits and pieces are kept. This morning I decided to pack up my travel handbag, looked for the stlg bills only to find they had completely disappeared from the face of the earth. I am SO SURE I left them on the bureau along with all the other things that have to go into the handbag.

I have gone through every handbag and wallet I own, 2 or 3 times, including the foreign coin collections, unpacked and repacked both the checked bag and the carry on bag... more »

May 12, 2013 2:23 AM
go_2

last reply
May 17, 2013 1:09 AM
go_2

13 replies
519 views


Best bag I've ever had!

This is a shameless plug for the bag I carried - or wheeled, rather - around Spain for three weeks.
Because, unlike some past trips, not once did I ever find myself complaining about distance to walk finding hostels, how many times I'd have to lug it between hostel, bus -plane home, even.
It was small enough to carry on the plane and easy to sling into luggage compartments, didn't impede anyone's progress on city buses, held up through rain, didn't skew sideways on cambered roads or pavements, etc. etc. etc.
No matter how tightly packed it was easy to pull along.

The zips and seams are strong, as is the fabric. And it has a five-year guarantee, which means the manufacturers expect it to last much longer. I think they're probably right.
I don't treat my bags like flowers; I expect them to be like me - a bit rugged and up for the odd spot of mountain walking if the urge takes ... more »

May 11, 2013 6:42 PM
mahendratiger

last reply
May 15, 2013 12:50 AM
Brax

2 replies
193 views


travelling companion

hi
well i am mahendra 54 from india. i am looking for travelling companion to travel in my country. any one of similar age who is keen to do budget travelling in next 2 months are welcomed. plan and dates are flexible.
love to hear soon
mahendra

May 10, 2013 6:37 PM
maz5555

last reply
May 16, 2013 11:35 PM
workingNOMAD

4 replies
238 views


Overland Central Asia

Hi

I am considering doing a 96 day Central Asia overland trip with someone like Dragonman or Intrepid. The trip starts in Beijing and ends at Istanbul. I have done an overland trip before when I was 48...I am now 62 years old physically fit and mentally young.
Has anyone out there done an overland trip as a "senior" and if so what was their experience. Many thanks

May 10, 2013 1:42 PM
Lee52

last reply
May 18, 2013 6:28 AM
gawkabout

33 replies
1,196 views


Pages 1 2 3

Travel Companion.....

Recently, I had dinner with a friend who is into photography. She stated that the last time we went on a day outing, I stopped at various times to wait for her to take photographs of various sights that was of interest her which made her uncomfortable and therefore she would not invite someone out with her again unless that person has an interest in photography. So, I said, "fair enough" for I don't think I could travel with someone who takes 6000 photos during a three weeks trip. She looked astounded as if I had said something sacrilegious. lol

In a recent Journeywoman article, I read that someone travelled with a matched tc from hell. This woman actually bullied her and made her trip miserable. Perhaps it is better to bear the cost of paying a single supplement then allowing someone to ruin your trip.

So, what are the worst traits that you came across when you venture out with... more »

May 8, 2013 5:02 PM
Lee52

last reply
May 17, 2013 12:34 AM
go_2

32 replies
1,615 views


Pages 1 2 3

Packing light....help!

I need to master the art of packing light so for this trip, my check luggage must not exceed 15 kilos but once I hit Europe, it has to be 10 kilos as I will only use carry on luggage.

Sometimes, I think I am crazy not to pay for a check luggage in Europe but what the heck! It is time to be self discipline.

So, I need a few tips. The 10kilos must include the ipad. Prepare to sacrifice the camera, phone but will not compromise on the ipad.

Any tips, advise and funny stories will be gratefully read.

Thanks, folks

May 7, 2013 10:23 PM
Lee52

last reply
May 10, 2013 8:01 AM
gawkabout

8 replies
324 views


I am being cruel....

Yesterday, I was asked by work colleagues why I was frowning. My reply was that I couldn't make up my mind whether to visit Croatia, Greece or Turkey. Would love to do all three but as usual it is a matter of time. lol

So, I was asked if I wanted "a smack in the chops by one colleague and another saying "what a tough life" and that they hate me and to go away. Well, not in such polite words. lol

I really didn't mean to rub it in (says she gleefully) for I was getting stressed thinking about where I should go but I guess some would say that I was being. But, perhaps I was.

Couldn't wait till the day of the morning send off tea break. I am going to thank the CFO profusely for knocking my request for leave without pay so I can travel. Well, it is all thanks to him that I will now be travelling for almost 5 months. :)

May 7, 2013 11:59 AM
Lor

last reply
May 11, 2013 3:01 AM
Lee52

5 replies
233 views


My Blog

You can see these same postings, but with pictures, on my blog. It is:

May 7, 2013 9:19 AM
Lor

last reply
May 7, 2013 9:19 AM
Lor

0 replies
148 views


#6 Morocco, May 7, 2013

Well, that didn’t take long. I walked all around the ‘downtown’ of Er-Rachidia and was back at my hotel in 45 minutes! The town seemed to be quite spread out, but the centro was just a few blocks each way. I stopped in at the covered market at 9:20 AM, but nothing was doing yet---everything was still covered with tarpaulins. Morocco does not get going very early! Still it was worthwhile to stay here two nights as it gave me a chance to catch up on my laundry. In the mountains where I had been it took three days for a tee shirt to dry---cool and damp weather. In the desert in Er-Rachidia it was hot and dry, so I had a chance to wash all my clothes!

At the bus depot, I waited quite some time before I got the bus for Tinerhir, the jumping off point to the Todra Gorge, which promised beautiful scenery. I struck up a friendship with some fellow waiters---one had lovely henna desi... more »

May 5, 2013 7:36 PM
Mariag232

last reply
May 6, 2013 9:39 AM
living2

2 replies
234 views


Older travellers

Hi all,

I'm 56 years old and my friend is 62yo. We will be in Italy from 9th to 23rd May and in Paris from 23rd to 28th May, We would like to know how senior citizens discounts work at this places. Where we have to apply for it and what we have to do to get them?

Thank you in advance.
Greetings from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

May 4, 2013 3:21 AM
go_2

last reply
May 9, 2013 7:06 AM
Watsoff

19 replies
821 views


Pages 1 2

Ho...ho... ho... ho... home!

You know that old adage about it being better to travel hopefully than to arrive.
Well, I never expected to have problems getting home from a trip . But if you have an idle moment, read on ...

I expected to get home and roll into bed at around 2.30 am. Finally made it by 5.00 am.
First our plane was held up by an approximately half hour delay at Gatwick. We set off late but made good time and would have been only about 10 minutes late to land - except there wasn't a landing slot available just then so we had to circle around waiting for one.
The pilot was excellent, keeping us totally informed every step of the way - except he forgot to tell us we'd landed at the South Terminal, not the North one, from which my easybus journey was going. So I missed my bus. And because I'd allowed an hour's wait at the airport I didn't know how long I'd have to wait for another. Sod the e... more »

← Back
ADVERTISEMENT

Welcome & Getting Started

*Welcome to Thorn Tree - the oldest and most diverse travel forum on the web.

Our Community Guidelines and Community FAQs will help you get started.

Businesses and commerical interests please note, this is a strictly no advertising community. Our members do not tolerate solicitation or guerilla marketing, and accounts are for individual travellers only.

Email: community@lonelyplanet.com with feedback or questions.
 

Featured threads on this branch


Trip of a lifetime
First trip to Asia
Coping with blistered feet
Snoring - is it fair to travel?


Nominate the best threads in this branch by clicking on the trophy icon in any thread. We'll highlight your choices here, or on our homepage.

 

Join us on Facebook & Twitter

Become a fan of Lonely Planet on Facebook for travel news updates, polls and more.

Follow us on Twitter @lonelyplanet for the best in travel tips and inspiration.

If you’re on Twitter, tag your travel related tips with #lp and we’ll share the best of them with our community of followers.
 

In our shop

See all shop products

Hotels & Hostels

Check out all our reviewed and recommended accommodation and book online.

Find hotels & hostels