Traveling with the Jones — Sharing Travel Discoveries

Destination Discovery: Bioluminescent Bay in Vieques, Puerto Rico

by Janis on June 18, 2013

This post is written by Taysha Ham, an agricultural communications student at New Mexico State University who recently visited Puerto Rico.

Being my first time to really visit the ocean, it surprised me how salty the water is; even speeding across the sunset water I could taste it in the mist.

I was headed to a mysterious, breathtaking Bioluminescent Bay.

I knew our boat had reached the Island of Vieques when I saw these vibrant, colorful houses and buildings welcoming us.

Before I had only ever seen an island in pictures; you must believe me when I say pictures do not do the Caribbean justice.

From the way the sunset was reflected into the waters, to the warm welcome brought by the captain of the boat, it truly was paradise.

From the boat we traveled by car through a series of twists and turns that led to the tour companies headquarters. The road was beautiful, lush green landscape surrounded us on both sides, there were livestock grazing on the side of the road and the most charming houses along the way.

Getting to Bioluminescent Bay

In order to see the bay, we had to contact a company that offers night tours of the dark, glowing waters. From headquarters we piled into a rustic school bus that would take us down a winding dirt road, eventually leading to the bay. Our tour of the bay would be by boat, although there are kayak tours available.

The boat was able to take us deep into the waters, making it easier to see the soft blue glow when the waves rocked in the current. The darker the night sky, the easier it is to see the tiny dinoflagellates that cause the glowing water. Because of the darkness, pictures were not an option for this tour.

We were able to climb down the ladder at the back of the boat and, as we held onto the boat, submerge ourselves into the water. This caused a halo of blue to form around us as we moved our feet and arms back and forth through the water. Some people even made glowing angel forms.

A Bright, Unearthly Blue Glow

When I pulled myself out of the water, back onto the boat, it took several minutes for the water droplets on my skin to finally stop glowing. It is mesmerizing to see this bright, unearthly blue glow coming from the water. It is something you would only expect to see in the special effects of movies, not real life.

Our tour guide explained that the organisms glowed as a defensive tactic and once the glowing stopped, it did not mean the organisms died. They simply ran out of power and needed to recharge.

Before heading back to the shore we were able to sit back, and stare at the night sky while our tour guide pointed out constellations and shared the stories of the stars.

While I was not fortunate enough to capture photos from this amazing experience, National Geographic put together this video that shows some wonderful images you might see at a bay like this.

Taysha Ham knows all about Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. It’s her home town.

A student at New Mexico State University, Taysha is majoring in agricultural communications with a minor in journalism.

This summer she is completing a social media internship for Venture Time Travel.

Other posts on Puerto Rico that you may want to check out…

The Johnsons also enjoyed Vieques, Puerto Rico for its wild ponies. Read about their experience in “Be flexible. Un-planned events are our favorites.” A Travel Chat with the Johnsons, former European Ex-pats.

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7 Travel Apps You Need Before Your Next Travel Adventure

by Janis on June 17, 2013

This is a guest post by Morgan Large, a graduate student at the University of Arkansas.

Gone are the days of pulling out the paper map while sitting in the driver’s side seat to try and find out if you are on the right state route, and gone are the days of asking a local in person for the best place in town to eat. Thanks to today’s ever advancing technologies, there is an app for that! Smartphone applications can track your workouts to tracking how you sleep.

The seven phone apps below are the ones you cannot afford to be without before your next travel adventure.

1. The Weather Channel–

An offshoot from the television network, this app keeps you up to date on the weather while you are traveling. The app offers a radar map, videos, and detailed forecasts for your favorite travel locations.

This app by the Weather Channel is the go to app before deciding to wear flip-flops or a raincoat on your next travel outing.

2. Urbanspoon–

No need to ask a local about the best seafood in town. Urbanspoon is the answer to your prayers. This app allows you to search your location, cuisine, price, or picks from a local to choose your Sunday night dinner.

The app features locations that are nearby, a search for a particular restaurant or cuisine, or a “shake” option that will pick a restaurant destination for you.

Not only is the price, location, directions to that location included, often times there are photos of the menu items, the actual menu and reviewer comments listed on the app making your decision that much easier.

3. Google Maps–

Google Maps is an excellent web mapping application. The app offers turn-by-turn directions to and from any location making those paper maps of days gone by obsolete.

The app allows you to choose a driving, walking or public transit option as to however you are traveling, and it calculates the distance and time it will take to get there.

Applications like Google Maps have skyrocketed us into the next century and created this new way of traveling.

4. Banking application–

Whatever bank you have, be sure to download their mobile application. Most banks today have a mobile app to make banking easier on the go and as stress free as possible.

With a mobile banking app, you can keep track of your accounts to make sure you are spending what you should while you are traveling, make deposits of checks, transfer money, and so much more all at the touch of your fingertips.

This kind of application makes ensures a relaxing travel experience when you know and have control of your finances while on the go.

5. TripAdvisor–

TripAdvisor is the ultimate go to Smartphone application while traveling.

The user can search their current location or other locations to find hotels, restaurants, things to do, and flights along with consumer reviews.

This app has a little bit of everything and serves as an excellent travel tool for your next excursion.

6. Yelp–

Yelp serves to give the user the ins and outs of any travel location.

Need a drugstore? Search it on Yelp. Need an auto repair shop? Search it on Yelp.

Like some of the other apps, Yelp does offer restaurant options and reviews, but Yelp is so much more than that. Almost anything you need in a given location can be found on Yelp.

Next time you are out of town and need a quick haircut and color, search Yelp. The app will be sure to point you in the right direction.

7. GasBuddy–

Granted this application only applies if you are driving to your travel destination, but it is one of the best resources while traveling.

No more guessing which interstate exit has the cheapest gasoline prices, GasBuddy does the work for you. The user chooses which kind of fuel they want and whether they would like the locations to come up by the closest in distance or by the price of the fuel.

The app offers a listing of the service stations or a visual map so the user can see where the stations are in relation to their location.

20 years ago who would have ever thought we would have the technology like these phone apps to meet our traveling needs?

What phone apps do you use most when traveling?

Morgan Large loves to explore the world. She’s traveled across the United States and to 11 countries.

Originally from Ohio, Morgan currently lives in Arkansas with her Australian Shepherd, Oxley.

A graduate student at the University of Arkansas, Morgan’s studies are focused in agricultural communications. Her blog, RazorBuck: A Midwestern girl living in a Southern world highlights her adventures in photography, cooking and travel.

For more travel tips, check out these posts”;.

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7 Steps To Prepare For Your First Trip Abroad

by Janis on June 16, 2013

This post is written by Taysha Ham, an agricultural communications student at New Mexico State University.

A year ago I traveled to Belgium for a summer study abroad program.

It was my first trip out of the country.

While preparing for this new adventure, I realized I had a lot of questions.

I was not sure what I needed to do or what I needed to pack.

I called friends to find out any tips they had and I searched on the internet for any information that could be helpful.

This is a list of the seven steps that I found most helpful preparing for my trip; perhaps it will be helpful to yours as well.

1) Get a passport and make a few copies just in case. You would not want to lose this document while traveling. Pack the copies somewhere different from your actual passport.

2) Contact your bank and let them know exactly when you are leaving and where you are traveling. Do this for each bank and any cards, credit or debit, which you may use. This will prevent the bank from freezing your accounts and also better prevent theft of card numbers while abroad.

3) Call your cell phone company. Find out what your phone is capable of and the international options available through your service provider as well as others. Companies have different rates for calling or texting while abroad, and some phones are able to be used with the help of an international SIM card. You can stay connected to work or family while traveling, find the company that works best for you.

4) Think about electricity. Find out what travel adapter you will need, based on your destination, to convert the chargers for your phone, laptop, hair dryer. There are also special products, such as your curling iron or straightener that can be bought specifically to adapt to electric currents so they won’t burn out.

5) Check your shot records. Make sure you are up-to-date on all vaccinations or shots relevant to your destination. The last thing you want to deal with while you are traveling is getting sick and missing out on the fun.

6) Get a camera. It can be a Digital Camera with Zoom and HD Video Recording or a simple point-and – shoot
or you can even use the one on your phone. There is going to be a lot to see. You will be glad you have something to capture the beauty of your destination.

7) Get a cross body bag. A roomy Cross Body Messenger Bag Purse like this one makes it much easier to keep everything close and more secure while traveling. By wearing your bag across the front of your body, you can carry all of your personal items are directly on your person. The cross body style frees your hands to enjoy your new surroundings, although you always what to remain alert of your bags, especially in popular tourist destinations.