Most Commented Travel Blogs (264)

History shows this. From the days of caravans, stage coaches and wooden ships travel has always been dangerous.

Often the danger came from both Mother Nature and robbers or pirates laying in wait. Sometimes the danger came from fellow travelers taking advantage. All these dangers continue and can still be found on some journeys. In the old days when we traveled sensible precautions included bringing provisions, friends and also good weapons.

Society has somewhat changed with denser populations and the abdication of personal responsibility for safety to government police or security forces. Still, in America at least, when we travel long distances by car or foot, subject to local laws, we try to ensure we have a means to protect ourselves (sometimes just a working cell phone, but even that is better than nothing at all), sufficient provisions for the trip, and often a friend or family member comes with us.

In the time of my youth, even when traveling by iron ship or airplane one brought enough money or provisions, was accompanied by friends or family when practical and some travelers on some airlines and cruise ships even brought firearms. Laws change and today's travelers on mass transit are usually no longer allowed to bring personal weapons or have them accessible if they do bring them. Instead we abdicate our safety to others and just trust them to do their job and ensure our safety en-route.

Often that works. Yes, there are accidents. Fellow travelers still sometimes attack. Pirates still exist. Mother Nature still causes problems, but for the most part the airways are safe modes of travel.

However a new phenomena seems to be becoming more common. Suicidal and homicidal crew members on the flight. This week a new name joins the list of publicly known names of pilots who slaughter everyone on-board for unknown motivation and without warning. Andreas Lubitz now has his name placed alongside that of Tsu Way Ming, Gameel Al-Batouti, and Herminio dos Santos Fernandes.

It is also distressing to note that in the latest incident the killer had recently passed a psychiatric evaluation and been deemed safe to pilot a plane. Clearly we need to stop wasting money on testing that doesn't give accurate results. Clearly some changes need to occur in the industry. We made the planes cockpits safe from our fellow travelers doing hijacks by armoring the cockpit door and locking it, but no one thought about what to do when or if the flight crew goes crazy. Pilot's Unions do not like the concept of video cameras inside the cockpit. They like being able to scratch and pick their nose without a camera filming that. Understood. It wouldn't have helped stop Andreas anyway.

Will the events of this week change how you feel about flying? Do you foresee better testing of pilots? Should their private lives be more closely examined? Do you believe a pilot who takes anti-depressants or who has personal psychological issues should even be hired, much less entrusted with your life?

Note: since 2010 the US FAA has decided pilots who have been prescribed anti-depressants may fly. It is not required by the FAA that they actually take the anti-depressant medications, nor is there testing to make sure they do.

For those not aware, the NE USA is hunkering down in anticipation of a major blizzard.

Some who live in places without snow may ask, what is a blizzard?

Officially, the National Weather Service defines a blizzard as a storm which contains large amounts of snow OR blowing snow, with winds in excess of 35 mph and visibilities of less than 1/4 mile for an extended period of time (at least 3 hours).

This coming storm (beginning this afternoon) is supposed to be of two days duration with at least 2 feet of snow accumulation.

Here it means, cut firewood (500 pounds cut and ready, enough for 20 loads of the wood (heating) stove, obtain kerosene for the kerosene heater (12 gallons now stored), buy food, goodies, and batteries for a flashlight, top off the cars gas tank, charge all phone batteries and make sure the shovels and the snow blower are ready.

The utility companies are warning that if power goes out, due to the high winds making bucket trucks unsafe, it may be a day or three before electricity is restored.

I feel for those living in houses with only electricity as the primary heat source. I have that too, but being an older home with fireplace and a wood stove, as well as my own small forest, I have a built in resource to which I have added kerosene heaters as an option. Including a big one I call the dragon which belches out an amazing 110,000 BTUs. I don't turn it on often (cause it can consume 3 gallons of Ksene in about 2 hours) but when I do, it heats things up quick. There are also some smaller 20,000 BTU (they eat 3 gallons per 12 hours) units.

Bring it on. I am ready.

The truck is prepped for snow accumulation.



A half hour before a radar map shows the snow will probably begin to arrive.



My wood stove is lit and full. The warmth begins.



Electric heaters are working too.

Where are my apple turnovers..?

It's been exactly 8 years already, and I still can't seem to move on. Yeah, I move on, on the outside, new people, new relationships, but still no one that compares to her.

"I've turned away from you, and now I am Godless".

Shit man, how do you cope? How do you move on? Srsly. How? When?

You can be walking along one minute, and everything is fine, then suddenly water starts falling on you. And we just accept it without question. Sometimes it seems that people will stand for anything.

For the last several years since my children have grown into adults, I have been traveling about, exploring this beautiful country. I go where there's opportunities and in some cases, where I'm needed....a bit of a nomad, I suppose. I came back to Connecticut to help my daughter with some things and now that my help has been rendered, the grandkids are now all in school, it's time to move on again, so as not to hinder her progress in adult life. Though, I'm not sure if I plan to leave Connecticut before or after winter, I also have to decide where my next destination will be ....and where I can serve a purpose to help others. And different environments where to begin my art sales again. I have already lived in Florida, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Connecticut. California looks promising, but maybe some input from others here can give me some insight as to a good destination

My favourite hobby by far is caving. It's a little bit more challenging than the hiking, and scrambling I normally do. Caves are very fascinating to me. Recently, I explored the ape caves at Mt. St. Helen's national park. The caves were chilly, and damp. Moss covered everything, which is classic for Washington state. These caves are a little different from traditional caves that are carved out by water mostly. These caves are old lava tunnels. You can still see where some of the lava flowed out of the rocks, and solidified. It was a intresting experience climbing over rocks, and crawling through tunnels. I got a little banged up, and muddy, but it was a fun adventure. I especially liked the way the light came down from openings in the ceiling, and made the place look even more enchanting. Any one else been caving?

...but I had to write it...true ?

The joys of traveling alone...u can do what you want when you want .

Eg.

Man: what would you like to do today
Woman: I dont know, what do you want to do.
Man: i'm asking you
Woman: I'm happy to do what you wanna do
Man: ok don't moan if you don't like it
Off they go.

Next day:-
Man: come on
Woman: why what we doing.
Man: hiring a moped , check the sites and get a quad and go off road
Woman: well did you think to ask me?
Man: well when I do, you answer a question with a question, and you says you're happy to do what I wanna do
Woman: yes but there are two of us on holiday you know.
Man: yea and I'm making all the decisions

Suffice to say she makes your life hell all day...??

and that's me away to Alicante, Spain, at the end of September.

Sun, sea, sand, well actually none of that, my sister lives inland. But if there is anyone on CS not a gazillion miles from Bedar, Almeria, gies a shout, would love to meet up for a lunch and my sister is much nicer than I am.

Now to earn the money to pay for it all: leaving the car in airport parking, organizing a house-sitter for the animals, all the other costs that bounce up beaming just when you think you've paid for it all. Yikes.

These are my top 10 countries in the world never to visit because u'll most certainly die there.lol

1. Yemen
2. Nigeria
3. Kenya
4. Syria
5. Iraq
6. Mexico
7. Afganistan
8. Pakistan
9. Haiti
10. Saudi arabia

Guys feel free to comment and add your list of countries to the above list.