trip

30 Hours in Transit: Africa Day 1

Africa, Blog, Burundi, Expats, Expats and TCKs, International Travel, Third Culture Kids, Uncategorized

We’re in Africa! We’ve been looking forward to this trip for nine years, and we’re finally here.

Kirundi word of the day: Amahoro (hello)

Fun fact: It takes 30 hours to get from Glendale, Arizona to Bujumbura, Burundi.

Actually, it should take longer than that if you schedule long enough layovers– I don’t recommend sprinting across Chicago O’Hare Airport toting six carryon bags and an angry preschooler to catch a connecting flight.

Little Man was happy for most of the trip 🙂

If you’ve been following for a while, you might remember a previous post announcing that we’d be in Kenya for six weeks last spring. Well, that didn’t work out. But the Africa vacation to Burundi and Tanzania that we’re taking now is turning out to be much better than trip to work in the hospital would have been!

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Helping with the luggage

Ben was born in Burundi and lived here until he was four, when his family was displaced to Tanzania during the war. In fact, he lived in the house where I’m writing this– his father built it on the family’s mission station 30 years ago and now his oldest brother lives here. But being born in Burundi gives Ben more than just a passport that makes border agents do a double-take. It’s also given him a lifelong connection to a place that will always feel like home.

It took three hours to get through the Bujumbura airport

After our long trip to Bujumbura, Burundi, we finally managed to extricate ourselves from the airport to find the people who would pick us up. To my joy, I saw eight family members waiting for us in the parking lot, where they had spent hours so they could be sure to greet us! We haven’t seen some of the nephews in six years, so our drive to their home a few miles away was a happy reunion.

Bujumbura, Burundi

Keep following to hear about the rest of our Africa adventures! We’ll be here for a whole month traveling between several locations.

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Africa Day 1: 30 Hours in Transit

Africa Day 2: Crossing Burundi

Africa Day 3: A Dowry Ceremony

Africa Day 4: A Burundian Wedding

Africa Day 5: Gisuru School for the Deaf

A Weekend in Lake Tahoe

Blog, California, International Travel, Nature, United States

 

There comes a time when you have to get out of the heat. And just in case you were wondering, it is HOT here in the Valley of the Sun. Like, your air conditioner is going to die hot. Fry-an-egg-on-the-sidewalk hot. I’ve seen both those things done in Phoenix this past week!

Obviously, we were extremely happy to escape the 117 degree heat and get somewhere cooler. My dad planned a weekend getaway to Lake Tahoe over Father’s Day, and he he invited Ben and I, my sister, and her friend to come!

 

 

The trip started out with the usual mad rush to the airport. Did you know that Phoenix Sky Harbor offers a bag check in the parking lot? We were eager to use this and skip the lines. However, we still had to wait behind a few people, and by the time we got to the kiosk, we were 30 seconds too late and the computer had shut down early bag checks for our flight. So up the escalator and to the bag check we went, dragging our suitcases and heavy backpacks behind us.

 

 

These are the times when we definitely wish we could get a parking spot at the airport without all the hassle. Sky Harbor actually has a pretty good parking system, and it’s still a pain.

There’s actually a parking lot service out there. It’s called ParkitUSA and it’s kind of like Expedia or Priceline, but for airport parking spaces instead of flights! You can see all your options online and then pick the best price. If you go online to ParkitUSA.com and book your parking with them, you can save time and money with daily parking starting around $2. They do it all–long term, short term, onsite, offsite, and discounted airport parking reservations. I haven’t actually used this service yet, but I can tell you it would make life a whole lot easier during that stressful pre-flight scramble.

Anyway, we did manage to survive the airport fiasco and still have time to grab a Starbucks in the process! We made it on our flight and were soon winging it over the dry expanse of mountainous Nevada desert.

 

 

I can’t even describe how wonderful it was to get to Reno and feel the cool air! Of course, once we drove through Carson City to Tahoe South, it was even better.

 

 

We could see snow on the mountains. How long has it been since I’ve seen snow? Probably a good three or four years.

 

 

Fortunately for us desert rats, there was no snow on the ground. I’m not sure we could have handled the chill.

 

 

In case you’re looking for an escape from the heat this summer, Tahoe is a pretty great choice. Sometimes you just need to get out of town for a while and enjoy some time in the mountains! I’m counting the days until my next mountain adventure.

 

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Ways to Make Travel Easier

International Travel

Summer is here, and with it comes the vacation season! Are you headed on an airplane trip this summer? If so, make your travel easier and avoid the usual vacation headaches. After all, travel should be fun, not stressful! If you’ve been following this blog for the past month or so, you’ll remember that our last international plane trip included an unexpected 12 hour layover. However, we managed to keep a good attitude and survive, and it wasn’t so bad! How did we do that? Follow these ten ways to make travel easier and you too can make sure you’re trip goes smoothly, no matter what happens.

Keep your valuables in a safe place

One of the things that makes travel easier is keeping all your valuables in one spot. There’s nothing more awkward than holding up the entire airport security line while you search through your pockets and bags for your passport, and nothing more horrifying than leaving your wallet in the plane! The best way to keep track of your valuables is to store them all together in a small bag. Ideally, the bag will be relatively flat and have a string so you can put it around your neck and slip it into your shirt. This way, it’s impossible to lose your stuff! One great bag is this cork travel bag. I like it because not only does it have room for your passport, phone, debit cards and cash, but it’s equipped with an RFID-blocking compartment to combat identity theft. Now, that’s secure! It costs $25 on Amazon and can save you a whole lot of worry and potentially a lot of time and money. Plus, it even looks cool!

Pack light

Do you really need fourteen books and a your entire wardrobe for a week vacation? Unless you’re headed to a book conference and only own three changes of clothes, I’m going to guess you don’t. To make travel easier, pack light! Only take the stuff you know you’ll need and leave the rest at home. A few changes of clothes and the basic essentials should usually fit into one bag and one carry-on, so you can avoid the cost of checked bags and the hassle of hauling things around. Last, year, I took a five-week multi-national trip out of a backpack. And I’m not talking about one of those fancy camping backpacks– I’m talking about my school bag for college. It was awesome! I only had to worry about one item, and I didn’t have to go to the baggage claim after my flights.

Bring food

Don’t you love airline food? Yeah, me neither. to avoid the expense of airline food and airport restaurants, pack your own snacks for the flight. I like to stash a package of bagels in my carry-on bag. I used to take peanut butter, too, but it got confiscated at security for being a “gel.” I’m pretty sure that TSA agent confiscated someone’s crackers next. Skip the PB, but plan to pack snacks. A package of almonds and a granola bar can be the difference between a great flight and one filled with nausea, headaches, and sleeplessness.

Charge your devices during layovers

I know you’re dying to take a nap in one of those comfy airport terminal seats, but first things first. Be sure to charge your device while you have the chance! Many airplanes have chargers at each seat these days, but enough still hail from the Dark Ages that it’s better to charge things while you’re on the ground. Not all airports have enough outlets to go around, but if you have time, it’s a good idea to wander around until you find a free outlet.

Pack a blanket

If you’re like me and get cold easy, you know that long flights can feel like a trip in a flying iceberg. Don’t count on the airline offering complementary blankets. It’s better to pack your own. If you don’t have a lot of space, bring a light covering of some kind. I usually pack one of those Hawaiian sarongs. I never use those things as swimsuit cover-ups, but they make nice skirts and excellent lightweight blankets! Plus, they condense to the size of a soda bottle when you roll them up tightly.

Do you have any other trips to make airplane trips easier? Let me know in the comments!

 

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