Check out our special travel tips below. This is our real experience and our story of the world. We are not a tourist guide book! We love to hear from you, send in your comments. 24 tips on 2 pages are here to be explored, enjoy! 😊
Canada: The subtle difference
Look, you know black bears are not always black. Grizzlies may or may not look black on the other hand. If you pretend to be dead, the bear should be a Grizzly, because if it is a Black Bear, it will also be a scavenger and nibble your feet. If it comes to get you, you can climb a tree. Then pray that it is a Grizzly, as it does not climb trees. But the Black Bear will climb the tree to enjoy the view and you. If there is no tree nearby, then run faster than a racehorse, because all bears are that fast for a short period of time. What do we learn from this? Either you recognize a bear immediately and have a tree nearby or you are dark-color blind but you can run faster than the fastest horse. The truth, these animals are only dangerous if you surprise them or some moron has already fed them and thus spoiled them. If you feed a bear, you kill it! With a lot of noise while hiking and the necessary respect, you should get unmolested through bear areas. And do not take the cute little ones in your arms – this is not a good idea… 🤪
USA: Where to celebrate birthday in New York? East village – that is the place to go.
It has entire streets of Indian restaurants and great food. The „Rose of India“, however, is a unique experience. A narrow tube of tables stretches through the small space. Every square inch is decorated with plastic flowers and strings of painted lights. It’s a nightmarish mix of colors. My first impression was, this is a horrible mix of a fairy tale and kitsch.
Our American friends suddenly had a special gag in store. When it’s your birthday, all the lights suddenly go out and the fairy bulbs start flashing like crazy. Then an Indian waiter appears and sways his hips to the beat of indescribable music. In his hands he holds a dessert with sparklers and the whole restaurant claps their hands and just stares at you, because it’s your birthday! 🙈
Canada: Tobacco planting, the job of your dreams in Ontario
A little farm work won’t hurt, you think? But imagine if you really want to spend 6 weeks planting tobacco in Canada. Sure, you earn CAN$9.50 an hour but you are as dirty and exhausted as never before. When the sun has burned your last brain cell and the “Black Flies” get into your hair and you bleed from a hundred wounds (because these creatures are vampires), then you really long for a Kölsch in your corner bar.
You won’t be deterred? Drive through South-Western Ontario in mid-May, especially through the Tillsonburg and Simcoe area. Search and ask for work from farm to farm. It is a fantastic work & travel opportunity. Besides tobacco, the area is good for strawberry and cucumber picking. And by the way, there are roughly 2 jobs planting tobacco. On the tractor and behind: Take the tractor 😜
Mexico: Tequila or what?
The Mexican town of Tequila in the Sierra Madre lives from the firewater from the agave. A detour to Tequila is worthwhile not only for this reason. The small town (35,000 inhabitants) is also worth a visit and a good stopover on the way from Morelia to Mexico City.
Situated impressively in Mexico’s desert-barren countryside, in the midst of endless agave groves spread over crimson farmland, the town has retained its dreamy village character. It’s hot here, the orange trees in the church square provide shade – it’s the only place you can stand it. Everything is very tranquil: children sell the boiled flower stalks of the female agave (called “quiote”, which taste juicy fresh like wild honey when chewed and sucked), parked pick-ups loaded with hundreds of agave hearts surround the square. These hearts are ripped out of the ten-year-old cactus plants to distill the Mexican high proof. The only true tequila is 100 percent agave. This is however rather rare and not cheap. The noble liquid costs between 20 and 75 Dollar. The Mexican drink it purely by the way – thus no salt and no lemon! Cheers! 😎
North America: Serial Killer seen
This story is true, even if it cannot be fully proven. We had read a report from the FBI, assuming there are about 52 active serial killers in North America. So one per state in the US. After waking up one morning in a lonely Provincial Park in Canada and having 2 flat tires on our car and also hearing noises at night, we became restless.
The only other soul within 60 miles was a creepy man with shaking hands. He was dressed in light blue jeans that were way too tight. We had seen him the day before, a woman picking flowers near him. When we reached him, he seemed to be waiting for us. Immediately he was eager to help us, he had an electric tire pump with him.
The only person around and a pump with him?
The first thing he told us was a rather weird thing about his “mother” and there were dried roses on the storage place of his car.
For Guido, the profile of a serial killer was obvious, moreover the man spontaneously accompanied us without saying anything to his wife in this lonely place. It was clear to us: she was already dead. While he was inflating both our tires, his erratic movements were driving us crazy. We asked him what he was doing in this godforsaken area. “I’m hunting these little chicks!” he said and he laughed like in a horror movie. „Chicks“ now also may mean „girls“ and we were on the verge of a panic attack, just waiting for this guy to pull out a pump gun.
But then he let us drive, the tire pressure held until the next garage and we drove on – exhausted, but happy. Unfortunately, despite repairs, both tires were flat again the next morning…pretty unusual, right? 😥
USA: Upper Peninsula, Michigan
Michigan is divided into Lower and Upper Michigan, connected by a massive bridge over 10km long between Mackinaw City and St. Ignace. Surrounded by Indian reservations, you can enjoy this wonderful area under the bridge, at the top of the bridge and on the bridge.
„Under the Bridge“: Take a boat tour on Lake Superior and Lake Huron and enjoy a sunset with a stunning view. „On the top“: Go see the Bridge Authority and tell them you are “important” photo journalists from Germany and – with a little luck – you will be allowed to ride in the elevator to the top of the bridge, which is a unique experience. „On the bridge“: Once a year, on Labor Day, you are allowed to cross the bridge walking over it, sometimes even the American President has been seen. 😊
New Zealand: Abel Tasman: Trekking and Sea Kayaking Rough seas, 2.5 meter waves and us alone and for the first time on the ocean with a sea kayak. The north shore of the southern kiwi island is a huge and beautiful National Park. If the weather allows.
Great story, great screams between panicking people at sea. Once again, that almost went in the pants. The first day, close to catastrophic experience, the second day sun, below the boat diving seals and a blissful life.
No stress, no fun! Our tip: a stretch by kayak and back trekking along the coast, so you have two views of a wonderful National Park. 😜
USA: How do I open a store in San Diego?
Life in California is different, more carefree. We always parked and slept somewhere on the street in our van. You can brush your teeth in public toilets in the evening, and you take a shower in the swimming pool every few days. Simply perfect. Relax at the sandy beach during day time.
Even when we parked our van in „Mission Beach“, across the sea, no one got upset. We wanted to sell homemade jewelry with little plastic fishes, our rollerblades and – after all – our car. A few necklesses were sold to some Californian girls: „Fancy Necklaces for 3$ a piece! And the rollerblades went off like crazy. 😂
USA: Lodge in New England
In Maine there is an area called „Mooseheadlake“. Here you can observe moose very well. There are often warning signs with moose pictures on the road, so you should drive slowly and carefully.
Moose see very bad, but smell all the better. Since they have lost their antlers in spring and also lose their winter fur, they absolutely need salt. Therefore, they like to stand in the middle of the road and lick it for salt residue.
And the secret tip? A place called „Kokadjo“. Check the lodge and campsite. We will not tell you more. ⛄️
Chile: Rafting Extreme
Alto or Bajo part of the river? That was the question in Pucon. We decided for the difficult part and had a lot of fun. Of course you have to say that the guides here in Chile are real freaks and you don’t necessarily have the feeling to be with a professional.
But it went well. Never without helmet and life jacket! By the way, none of us went overboard. ✌️
Australia: Dangerous goo in Oz
The box jellyfish also called sea wasp. Biologically, jellyfish belong to the category of cnidarians. Maybe “stinging nettle animals”?, at least that’s how my contact with Malayan jellyfish felt while snorkeling off Tioman Island. A feeling like a thousand needles on the skin, awakened in me the childhood memory of having accidentally sat down in the stinging nettles while “peeing” – OUCH – that hurt, but is probably nothing compared to the pain after an encounter with the Australian sea wasp, which can also be fatal.
Here are a few facts about these nasty yet fascinating goo: Jellyfish have populated the Blue Planet for 670 million years, so they are pioneers of life. They are made up of 2 layers of cells with a gelatinous supporting mass in between, which consists of 95% water. Jellyfish are constantly in motion. They swim according to the recoil principle and contract up to 90 times per minute, thus pushing the water out of the cavity on the underside.
So-called cube jellyfish (to which also the Australian sea wasp belongs) bring it up to 9km/h – set the world record over 100m crawl! (Source: P.M. 8/2000) It is absolutely necessary to follow the warning signs at the coasts, because the Australian sea wasp is by far the most dangerous animal on earth. The jellyfish, the size of a soccer ball, has tentacles up to 150 meters long that contain enough venom to kill 250 people. If you get caught in the tentacles, you feel a sharp, cutting pain, like a knife stabbing you.
With the force of a rifle bullet, the stiletto-like tip penetrates the prey, digs into it like a dowel into a concrete wall, and then the stinging tube pushes the venom inside the body.
Tip: To be able to give first aid, you should always have a bottle of vinegar with you. On some beaches you can find first aid boxes with a bottle of vinegar inside. Even if the beaches look so inviting: Always check with the locals first, if it is really safe to swim. Off the coast of Darwin, for example, only tourists actually swim in the sea, Australians prefer to go to the pool. Better safe than sorry, also because of the crocodiles, of course. 😜
Australia: Uluru “If you worry about Aboriginal law, then leave it, don’t climb it. The chain is still there if you want to climb it. You should think about Tjukurpa and stay on the ground. Please don’t climb!“
With these words, Barbara Tjikatu, an indigenous Anangus woman, asks the many tourists at Ayers Rock not to climb the sacred Uluru (Ayers Rock). What is frightening is how many ignorant people do it anyway. Like insects (the Anangus already call the tourists “Mingas”, which means ant) the masses make a pilgrimage up the monolith.
For the indigenous people this stone is sacred. In the dream time of the Anangus this path is the way of a mala male and of great spiritual importance. In the national park you can find everywhere the signs of the Anangus:
“Anagus prefer that you choose to respect the cultural significance of Uluru and their duty of care for your safety by not climbing Uluru.“
How disrespectful do you have to be, after all the education on site, to climb the sanctuary of the aborigines anyway, and to proudly boast with the T-shirt “I climbed Ayers Rock”? 😒