RO Banner

Welcome
To My Blog

About Me: My grandparents were born in the Indian Territory / Oklahoma. My parents were born in Oklahoma, as was I, my wife, my children and my grandchildren. I was an irresponsbile teenager (it was the 60's, what can I say?) but managed to mature a little. I attend the University of Oklahoma and got a BA in History and went to work for a Fortune 500 company where I was unhappy. Eventually, I went back to OU for my MBA and PhD in MIS (ABD). I became a contract programmer because I programmed much better than I published. I also became a VAR for a firm selling accounting software written in a computer language called dBase that was designed for the Intel 8088 processor. I stayed firmly seated at the grindstone and in the first years of the new millenium I decided I needed a change. I figured that if I was ever going to to do all those things I said that I wanted to do, I'd better get going. In 2005 I sold my house and business and went to truck driving school. I now drive a Big Rig - mine - and I try not to work more than 6 months a year. I make an effort to spend at least 3 months a year outside of the U.S. I'm married. My wife and I have 6 kids and 9 grandchildren. Maybe that's why I like to travel so much.

Postscript: In December, 2010 I hung up my Driver's cap for good. The road had taken its' toll. I was no longer willing to drive 180 days a year, regardless of the money and the ability to work when I wanted. I had seen America. I was tired of being gone from home for 9 months a year. I needed a rest. In 2011 I sold my truck and trailer and was unemployed for the year. However, I wasn't inactive. I traveled overseas to Asia and South America for several months. In the fall I enrolled in an online course to to become certified in Oracle, the world's preeminent database. I want to go back to work sometime in the near future as a software developer or administrator. Even though I programmed for 20+ years, my skills are dated. Fortunately, I have a little flexibility as to my future.

RollingOkie OKC, Jan 1, 2012

Travel Tips - Internet References

Everyone travels differently. I once sat in the main concourse of a large airport. I had a couple of hours to kill before my next flight and I started categorizing people. It was amazing how many different categories there were. All that aside, we all, no matter different we are, travel in the same environments and have to deal with the same problems. Why read travel tips? They're a good way to learn without a lot of suffering.

U.S. Department of State is a good first stop on your way out of the country. Their Travel Warnings should always be a consideration. Yes, I know that our government is overly protective and a pain in places where you really don't want to get pains, but we have them for a reason. They do have a lot of tips. You'd think they would, as much money as they spend.

Transportation Security Administration is another government agency. The truth is, if you're going to leave the U.S., you're probably going to fly. These people are going to be at the airports in the U.S. and most seem to have been bullied in high school and now it's their turn. You have to deal with it, you might as well get a head start.

Rick Steves is a true travel professional. He came up through the ranks. I think Rick may slept in more bus and train stations than he would like to admit. There was a time when my primary travel destination was Europe and his was the first book I took with me. I'm a fan and he has a great tips section.

Lonely Planet has a tips section in the Thorn Tree Forum, although it's not really listed as such. Actually, any travel forum is, in essence, a tips and advise section. For example, when I went to Thorn Tree and put in "what to pack" as a search term I got back 18,002 entries. A bit much, I must say. However, I could probably zone in a little bit by putting in a location such as "Rome" or a sub-topic such as "rain gear" to narrow the list down a bit.

Fodor's is a well-respected company that publishes travel guidebooks. There is a large community of folks there who are willing to share in their travel tips section.

Frommer's is another well-respected company that publishes travel guidebooks. There is also a large community of folks there who are willing to share in their travel tips section.

1000 Tips 4 Trips is a cute name for a Web site. No I didn't count them, nor did I read them all. Heck, I didn't even check out each section. I'm not sure why I would need to read the Tips for Pregnant Women section, but it probably wouldn't hurt me. This looks like a fairly good tips site.

Travel Sense is a nice Web site that has a good tips section.

traveltip.org gives travel tips from everyday folks like you and me who happen to travel and want to leave tips for others.

Travel and Leisure is a well-respected company that publishes travel a great travel magazine that I can't afford. The people who read Travel and Leisure tend to travel in a much better style than I do. The Web site has a nice tips index.

Google as well as other search engines are a great way to get specific travel tips. Put in the term "travel tip" along with your specific search term such as a location or concern and get some results to wander through. For example, want some tips about what raingear to take to Egypt? Go to your favorite search engine and search for "travel tip egypt rain gear" and get a bewildering flood of information.