Wednesday, June 20, 2012

#TTOT Round-Up: Travel Surprises

Every Tuesday, it's Travel Talk on Twitter! Each week is a fun, new topic. Join either of the two sessions at 9:30am GMT and 9:30pm GMT to get in on all the fun travel talk! Just follow the #TTOT hashtag!

Here's the round-up of this week's #TTOT on "Travel Surprises!" 

Q1 via : What's the best surprise you've had on your travels?
  • : Finding a leatherback turtle laying eggs on the beach in South Africa
  • : When my mom and I got free airline tickets and other coupons for taking a later flight (which we preferred), that was REALLY great
  • : When I realized that in most countries I can linger after a meal at the restaurant and they just don't care
  • : I've loved how nice people have been to me. When you're alone on the road, you're frequently relying on the kindness of strangers
  • : That I can convert currency in my head when travelling, despite being terrible at maths. If shopping is involved then I step up
  • : How landmarks actually look like in real life, TV gives a very different view
  • : Biggest surprise: the world is a lot smaller than you might think

Q2 via What surprises you most when traveling?
  • : How people connect despite differences in cultures and how we find ourselves 
  • : How much more of the world there is to see and experience 
  • : I'm still always pleasantly surprised by how nice, welcoming, and generous people around the world can b
  • : How good street food is wrapped in newspaper. Grosses out the wife though 
  • : How you can go from "stranger" to "friend" so quickly. Beer and shared experiences make friends for life
  • : When I see someone that I think looks just like someone I know - except the Chinese version
  • : How badly I deal with the heat
  • : I am often surprised at how many people complain about how it isn't like home-that's the point of traveling

Q3 via Which country has challenged your preconceptions the most?
  • : Fiji. It was the first time I felt like a minority. Met some kids who had never a white person before. It was amazing
  • : India for sure! India has tested me on so many levels and it is for that same reason it is my favorite country 
  • : Germany, it's much more interesting than I thought. Many preconceived ideas annihilated 
  • : Columbia! Everybody was telling us horror stories so we were a bit scared but then it was the best of all on our trip 
  • : The US surprised. Especially when this cow-boy in Texas told me : "You know what? Jesus told me to give you 100 bucks." So he did 
  • : Pakistan. I expected cold stares and to feel uncomfortable, instead the people thanked us for coming to see their beautiful country 
  • : China. you think you got it all figured out then BOOM ass-less chaps for kids. Whuuut?!

Q4 via What's been the most unwelcome surprise whilst traveling?
  • : Worst feeling is realizing the bag that just got stolen had a passport in it
  • : The poverty you find when venturing out of the very touristic areas. It is sad, like taking off a mask 
  • : Every bout of surprise food poisoning
  • : People trying to rip you off because you are a tourist
  • : Usually the expats and the expat 'Scene'
  • : Getting stung by lots of baby Jelly Fishes off the coast of Zanzibar whilst diving 
  • : Pretty much every time I checked my bank account
  • : having my round-the-world flight cancelled by the airline for no reason half way through trip

Q5 via Which destination was surprisingly different than expected, and why?
  • : I wasn't expecting the Philippines to be so very different to rest of SE Asia
  • : Scotland. I assumed they spoke English, but I couldn't understand any of the people there
  • : I bet Israel is surprisingly different to what people gather from the news 
  • : Iceland's tiny population was surprising (325,000) and how village-like Reykjavik is
  • : Everywhere in the Middle East has been so welcoming - very unlike common perception
  • : How much there is to do in Luxembourg. It may be small, but good things come in small packages 
  • : Oman. wasn't expecting to be treated well as an american solo female traveler. Completely surprised by amazing local hospitality  

And there you have it, "Travel Surprises!"  

Next week's #TTOT topic is: "Mountains!" Submit your questions HERE!

See you next Tuesday 9:30am and 9:30pm GMT for the next #TTOT!

As always, a HUGE travel community thank you to our #TTOT hosts and organizers: traveldudes, , , , , , and !

Have YOU got anything to add to the "Travel Surprises" discussion? 

© Connie Hum 2012

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