Traveling with the Jones

1. The biggest city in Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh, was the capital of South Vietnam from 1954 to 1975. During those years, however, it was called Saigon.

2. Ho Chi Minh City was named after the Vietnamese Communist Revolutionary leader who led the Vietnamese nationalist movement for more than three decades: First against the Japanese, then the French colonial power, and then the US. He was president of North Vietnam from 1954 until his death.

3. The Indochina (or French) War, instigated after Vietnam tried declaring independence from the French in 1945 after WWII, split Vietnam into northern and southern zones. It was decided at the Geneva Conference in 1954 to divide Vietnam into northern and southern borders at the 17th parallel.

4. More than 3 million tourists visit Ho Chi Minh City each year. Visitors are drawn to the city’s historic French colonial buildings wide elegant boulevards located in District 1, including  the Reunification Palace, City Hall, Municipal Theater(Opera House), and Notre-Dame Cathedral. The Gothic-styled Saigon Central Post Office was designed and constructed by the famous architect Gustave Eiffel in 1886, when Vietnam was part of French Indochina. 

Museums that refer to the Vietnam War include the War Remnants Museum,the Ben Duoc Relic of Underground Tunnels, and the Củ Chi tunnels, located northwest of the city in Củ Chi District.

5. The Saigon River joins the Dong Nai River 18 miles northeast of Ho Chi Minh City, and  runs south and southeast for about 140 miles. Although the city lies 45 miles from the mouth of the river, the port of Ho Chi Minh City is the most important in Southeast Asia.

Have you visited Ho Chi Minh City? What interesting fact would you add to this list? Please share in comments below. 

This post is written by Megan Bryde, a forever student of the world while also finishing up her bachelors in English at Truman State University this semester.

Involved in too many activities, she sings as loud as she can, writes, cooks, bakes, and drinks a lot of coffee.

Megan is currently completing an internship with VentureTime Travel and aspires to be teaching English someday.

If you enjoy history and interesting facts about far-flung destinations, check out these other Fun Facts posts:

• 18 Fun Facts About Phuket, Thailand
• 21 Fun Facts About Mormugao, Goa, India
• Visiting Alaska? 22 Fun Facts You Might Want to Know
• 11 Fun Facts to Know About the Cook Islands
• 24 Fun Facts About Cochin “Kochi” India
• 20 Fun Facts About Colombo, Sri Lanka

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When I was traveling in Austria, Hungary, and Germany recently for ten short days, I didn’t restrict my diet in the least.

I ate a huge breakfast. I stuffed myself, making sure I was very full every morning. Then I had a light lunch, like a latte, or just a little snack of something, and then I ate to my heart’s content whenever I could for dinner.

I don’t recommend this approach, however, because I was always just short of falling into a food coma When traveling there are numerous foods that one may happen across, starting each morning at the hotel’s complimentary breakfast.

This included breakfast where any attempt at a healthy diet is first doomed. That continental breakfast does not take into consideration jet lag, the amount of walking you will do while sightseeing that day, or your normal eating cycle. Or the fact that our bodies are likely out of whack while traveling.

The way you eat when you travel overseas could make your experience a more enjoyable one.

How? Eat for health and the culture around you when traveling.

Here are 8 Tips to Healthier Eating While Traveling Overseas:

1. Eat only when you are hungry. Time lapse, and availability of food, will cause you to either over-eat or be too hungry throughout the day, it’s always better to wait until you are hungry to eat.

2. It is always better to eat high protein and fatty meals in the morning. Providing that the meats are fresh and the fat is a good type of fat (No hydrogenous oils). This will make you feel fuller for longer, and, in my experience, helps when you are walking around a lot or know that you won’t be eating again for a long while.

3. Take advantage of the salad bars and the fruit. After long flights you aren’t going to feel very fresh. Eating salads and fruits will get you back to where you need to be.

4. Avoid sweets at everyday meals and save dessert for when it is a special occasion. You’ll know when it is the time to overstuff and splurge on calories. I tend to save these meals when it is traditional cuisine, not on meals that I have already had before.

5. Find a good exercise routine. Whether you are on a cruise, walking through a city, or climbing up a mountain, make sure that you get a good amount of exercise in so that you can eat a little more at meals.

6. Remember that you don’t have to eat out. You are perfectly able to go to a nearby grocery store to get healthier and cheaper food for yourself if you would like. This gives you more control over your diet and allows you to know what you are putting into your body.

7. Eat with people who share the same eating habits as you. This helps ensure that you won’t overeat and make better eating choices.

8. Pack snacks. Remember how I said that your eating schedule will be a little wonky? Packing snacks will help keep your blood sugar level so that you don’t go into a food coma after you first meal.

Doing these eight simple tips could allow you that extra energy boost on your trip and keep you fit and active for when you return home.

What helps you stay fit and healthy and full of energy when you are traveling? Have any quick tips of your own?

This post is written by Megan Bryde, a forever student of the world while also finishing up her bachelors in English at Truman State University this semester.

Involved in too many activities, she sings as loud as she can, writes, cooks, bakes, and drinks a lot of coffee.

Megan is currently completing an internship with VentureTime Travel and aspires to be teaching English someday.

For more ideas on how to eat healthy while traveling, check out these links….

• How to eat healthy while traveling
• Eating Well and Staying Active While Traveling
• 15 Tips To Eating Healthy While You Travel

If your travel will include a cruise, check out this post:

• How to Avoid Weight Gain While Enjoying Your Cruise

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I just recently returned from my first cruise vacation. My aunt and I sailed on Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas. Although I sailed the first week of my summer vacation, I feel like I learned at least as much as I do during a week in school.

22 Things I Learned on My First Cruise Vacation 

1. Irie, a new word I learned in Jamaica means you “feel superb” or “gratified”. For example, “I experienced irie during my first cruise vacation.”

2. There are no problems in Jamaica, only situations. Every situation has a solution.

3. Jamaicans use the term Ya, Mon which means “yes” or “Yes, I understand.”

4. I learned that it’s easier to climb the rock wall when you only weigh a 100 pounds and are very flexible.

5. People like tips.

6. When you sail on one of the world’s two largest cruise ships, you can walk a lot. On average, I walked 11,000 steps each day.

7. In Jamaica, both sugar cane and bananas are grown on plantations.

8. When you are on a cruise is a great time to try new and different foods. (I liked fruit soups and bread pudding.)

9. I learned how to boogie board on the ship’s Flow Rider.

10. During the week, I learned how to how to harness up and how to land when going on a  zip line adventure.

11. When going to a show, it’s worth going early to get a front row seat. Sitting in the front row of the ice skating show was amazing! It was almost like a 3-D movie!

12. Ocean water on the beach near Cozumel, Mexico isn’t as clear as the water on beaches in Haiti and Jamaica.

13. Royal Caribbean handles waste water by running it through a filter. This process makes the water clean, and then it can be released right back into the ocean.

14. All of the water we drink on the ship is originally from the ocean.

15. Some of the swimming pools on the ship contain salt water instead of fresh water.

16. The ship holds more than 8,400 people. This includes about 2,200 crew members and up to 6,296 passengers.

17. On average, 45,000 pounds of  fresh fruit is consumed in one week on the ship.

18. 24 different restaurants and food courts are scattered on the ship. Containing sea food, Chinese food, cheeseburgers, and much more.

19. The Aqua Theater Pool is 17.9 feet deep. Under water there are underwater cameras, spotlights, and equipped divers to help out during the shows.

20. The tallest diving platform on the ship is 60 feet high, and is located in the Aqua Theater. The board is used by professional divers during the aqua shows.

21. “Recombobulate” was a new word I learned in the airport; to my aunt this means to get in order or to become organized after going through security.

22. Always make sure you have your boarding pass in your hand while boarding the plane! (My aunt took my boarding pass on the plane with her, but she finally remembered to bring it back to me.)

Would you like to cruise on the Oasis of the Seas?  Why? Please share in comments below.

This post is written by Justina, a 12-year-old from Iowa who just completed sixth grade.

Justina enjoys reading, dance, swimming and tennis, as well as hanging out with her friends.

Exuberant in every way, she embraces adventure, whether zip lining, Flow Riding or attempting a flip off of the high dive. 

To learn more about Justina’s first cruise,  check out these other posts detailing our Royal Caribbean Oasis of the Seas adventure:

• Cruising With a 12-Year-Old: Making the Most of the Last Sea Day on the Oasis
• Cruising With a 12-Year-Old: Para-sailing from Cozumel, Mexico
• Cruising With a 12-Year-Old: Snorkeling and Climbing Dunn’s River Falls from Falmouth, Jamaica
• Cruising With a 12-Year-Old: Labadee, Royal Caribbean’s Private Resort in Haiti
• Cruising With a 12-Year-Old: A Day at Sea on the Oasis
• Traveling With a 12-Year-Old: Boarding Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas
• Traveling With a 12-Year-Old: Driving, Flying and Trying New Foods
• Traveling With a 12-Year-Old: The Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina Hotel
• A Look Inside Interior Cabin #10425 on Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas

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