Category Archives: Trip Reports

a heart made of coffee beans

Bean Around the World: A Great Coffee & Bakery Combo

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My favorite combo is when a great coffee space is coupled with a great bakery. Even if those two are across the street from each other. Or even next door. I discovered a great combo in Boston that I want you to know about.  The last time I was in Boston, I checked out and reviewed one-off coffee shops. On a recent trip, I decided to enjoy my tried-and-true favorite coffee chain, Peets Coffee. Peets doesn’t have a big presence in Massachusetts, but there is one in Cambridge and two in Boston proper. The Cambridge Peets is in Harvard Square. The interior has plenty of seating and I enjoy the outdoor space in the garden. Any Peets with a relaxing outdoor space scores extra points in my book.

a building with a few people walking on the sidewalk

Harvard Square Peets Coffee. Image source: https://harvardsquare.blogspot.com/2011/10/peets-coffee-and-tea.html

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a map of europe with black text

How do you Handle Rude Taxi Drivers?

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Time for a reality check! And when I need one, who better to check with than TWG readers? Here’s the backstory. I have a taxi service I use to go to the airport. I’ve been using the same one for a few years now because they give me a great flat rate fee, and up until recently, I haven’t had an issue with them. The company always sends different drivers and it’s always worked well. Drivers are always on time and the cars are generally in good enough shape.

a cartoon of a man driving a yellow taxi

Image source: http://www.universaltaxidispatch.com/blog/2015/01/dealing-with-rude-cabbie-drivers/

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a blue sky with clouds and words

What’s Your Funniest Travel Story? Here’s Mine!

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Happy Saturday, everyone! It’s the weekend, so let’s relax and have some laughs. I was thinking about how there are certain experiences we’ve all had that no matter how many times we conjure them up in our memories, they ALWAYS make us laugh. And since we all travel a lot, I wondered if any of your “always make me laugh out loud” experiences are travel-related. I have one that’s travel-related to share with you!

A few years ago, I was staying in an Embassy Suites. I was working while I stayed there, so I preferred to have housekeeping as little as possible. After a few days, it seemed to me that my room needed to be vacuumed. I looked in the hall and didn’t see a housekeeper. I did see a vacuum, though. I thought, why bother the housekeeper when it would only take me a few minutes to vacuum. Turns out the vacuum was broken and barely worked.

a vacuum cleaner on a carpeted hallway

This is not the vacuum I found and this is not the hotel I stayed at. Image source: https://www.tripadvisor.com/LocationPhotoDirectLink-g255069-d257801-i231589895-Pullman_Cairns_International-Cairns_Cairns_Region_Queensland.html

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a close up of a white and blue object

Riding the Rails of China’s High Speed Train Network

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During our trip to China over the winter holidays, we took three trips on Chinese high-speed trains:

  • Shanghai to Hangzhou – 99 miles, 52 minutes
  • Chengdu to Leshan – 62 miles, 1 hour
  • Chengdu to Xi’an – 528 miles, 4 hours, 15 minutes

I was really impressed with our experiences. The trains were clean, modern, reasonably comfortable, very punctual, and extremely reasonably priced – the shorter trips cost $8-12 USD per person, and the longer one was $62 USD in first class – much cheaper than flying.

Photo of a panda in an outdoor enclosure.

Taking the train is a great way to visit the pandas in Chengdu.

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a heart made of coffee beans

Best of Bean Around The World

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Some things we do just go hand-in-hand. Maybe you like to travel and sample different beers around the world. Maybe you travel and ride famous roller coasters or visit Disneyland around the world. For me, travelling and drinking coffee go hand-in-hand. I’m not telling you anything about me you don’t already know, given I write a series called Bean Around The World! I’m a coffee snob who never misses an opportunity to support local roasters, sample local coffee houses, and get to know local baristas and other coffee fanatics wherever I travel.  Since the high summer travel season is upon us, I wanted to bring together all the blog posts I’ve written about coffee so you’ll have easy access to use them when you’re planning a visit to these places. I’ve covered quite a bit of caffeinated ground :)

Newly added in October 2018:

When you head to Scandinavia, you’re in for a real treat. Here are my recommendations for Copenhagen and Stockholm.

Newly added in July 2018:

1. If you like a combo of great coffee and wonderful pastry, try this place in Boston.

2. Madrid is a coffee drinkers paradise. See for yourself.

In Europe, the two places I’ve written about so far both hold a special spot in my caffeinated heart. Both Lisbon and Slovenia are places I fell in love with after my first sip. When you visit these places, do not forget to enjoy the very unique coffee scenes. Read about the Lisbon coffee scene here. Slovenia’s local coffee scene required two articles!

a cup of coffee with a design in the foam

Cokl Flat White

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