Around the World Travel Summary Part 2
Dr Mary Travelbest Guide
Where in the world am I? In San Diego today. Trip Summary 2 Hi there. I’m Dr. Mary Travelbest, recently on a 90-day journey around the world, excited to connect with fellow travelers and share our experiences. Listener Story Spotlight Today's listener story is about 79 year old Sandi Biback who I met in Toronto and helped organize an afternoon with women from the JourneyWoman organization. She was called in to help and rose to the occasion. She is traveling to Bhutan in October and has shared several tips with me for purchasing Travel insurance. She's seasoned in...
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Around the World Travel Summary Part 1
Dr Mary Travelbest Guide
Hi there. I’m Dr. Mary Travelbest, coming to you from a recent trip, on a 90-day solo journey around the world. Listener Story Spotlight Alina, whom I met in Toronto and who hosted me for my final four nights, is trying to travel to Seattle this week, but she’s been affected by the Air Canada airline strike. She’s a great traveler who has visited Japan, Spain, and many European countries. She was an excellent Servas host. Look up if you want to encourage world peace with cultural exchange. Quick-fire FAQ: The FAQ for today is: What was my favorite...
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Flashback 2020 Covid travel South Dakota
Dr Mary Travelbest Guide
Flashback to 2020 Travel This was Covid Travel. Solo Travel. Road trip around the midwest USA. This episode is unscripted, unedited and raw. Listen to Dr Mary Travelbest tell you about her travel to some of the best places for women to travel. Badlands, Sioux Falls, and hiking in the National Parks. You will enjoy hearing about me getting poison Ivy, hiking with animals in Centennial, getting a sunburn in the hot springs and driving 5000 miles without touching anyone and being fully masked. Let me know if you listen and what you think. It's an experiment to see how this content resonates with...
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Travel Planning: Peru
Dr Mary Travelbest Guide
Where in the world am I? Peru planning Hi there. I'm Dr. Mary Travelbest, returning from a recent trip to Asia. I'm in San Diego now, sharing my best travel ideas and working on another book for you to enjoy: 5 Steps to Solo Travel, Part C. I'm about to launch on a 90-day trip around the world. Listener Story Spotlight I want to tell you about a listener named Raquel from Peru. She has been a friend for 40 years and has encouraged me to travel to Lima since then. She created all the images and designs for my first published travel book in 1993. She's been a friend for swimming in...
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Travel Planning: Brazil
Dr Mary Travelbest Guide
Where in the world am I? Brazil planning Hi there. I’m Dr. Mary Travelbest, returning from a recent trip to Asia. I’m in San Diego now, sharing my best travel ideas and working on another book for you to enjoy: 5 Steps to Solo Travel, Part C. I’m about to launch on a 90-day trip around the world. Listener Story Spotlight I want to tell you about a listener named Juliana who is from Brazil. She was a student of mine and now she works with me. She gave me a list of all the places in Brazil that I should be going to.She and I have known each other for 3 years. She’s so beautiful...
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2025 Eurail Travel Planning Guide and sinus relief
Dr Mary Travelbest Guide
Where in the world am I? Eurail Travel planning Hi there, I’m Dr. Mary Travelbest. I’m in San Diego now, sharing my best travel ideas and working on another book for you to enjoy: 5 Steps to Solo Travel, Part C. I’m about to launch on a 90-day trip around the world. Listener Story Spotlight I want to tell you about a listener named Kristen. Kristen loves to travel. She recently received a Fullbright Scholarship and took a trip with her husband and sons to a foreign country, Portugal, for several months. She’s full of great travel ideas and will be helpful as I continue to...
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Best of D. C. Smithsonian Museums
Dr Mary Travelbest Guide
This is a Best of..... Have any questions? Please ask. The photo was taken by me on the grounds of one of the many museums of the Smithsonian.
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Train Travel: SLO to San Diego and Gluten Free Travel
Dr Mary Travelbest Guide
Episode title: SLO to San Diego by Train, GF Diets, and a Confidence Challenge Hi there. I’m Dr. Mary Travelbest, a world traveler who has traveled solo for over 50 years. I'm coming to you after a recent trip to Asia. I visited Taiwan and South Korea for 10 days. I’m here to share my best travel ideas and work on solo travel. I’m about to launch on a 90-day trip around the world solo again. The aim is world peace through cultural exchange. I’m about to travel the world for 90 days. Listener Story Spotlight I want to tell you about a listener who recently retired as a...
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Sun Moon Lake, Taiwan
Dr Mary Travelbest Guide
Episode: Sun Moon Lake, Taiwan FAQ Should I use public transportation abroad? Episode: Sun Moon Lake, Taiwan Lesson Learned: Don’t schedule everything Day 1 Travel Tip: Trust your gut instincts, if unsure, pivot fast. FAQ Response: Should I use public transportation abroad? Yes, you should try it at the least, but not in rush hour with all of your luggage. One way to test it out is to try it early in the morning, before rush-hour workers arrive, but while it’s still light outside. Most of the time, you only need a card to swipe, and you...
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Seoul, South Korea and travel insurance comparisons
Dr Mary Travelbest Guide
Seoul, Korea episode Listener Story Spotlight A friend and a listener named Lois recently went to Hawaii. She told me she spent much time getting travel insurance for herself and her partner. She had to pay more than she expected as her partner was having a birthday between the day she bought the service and the day of the trip. But she said it was well worth it for her peace of mind. The FAQ for today is: Where to find the best travel insurance for a long trip abroad. 1. Start with a neutral comparison engine; you can see this in the show notes. Why use it first? Where to click ...
info_outlinePhnom Penh, Cambodia
I’ve been on a 90-day trip to every time zone around the globe. My mission is world peace through cultural exchange. I was sustainable when I could by using local transportation, buses, and trains. I was solo, carrying a small backpack, called a “personal item,” that fit under the seat in front of me on a plane.
In this episode, the FAQ is: Should I bring earplugs on my trip?
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Today’s Destination is Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Today’s Mistake- I left my phone at the bus office.
Travel Advice: Keep a pen handy
FAQ: Should I bring earplugs on my trip?
Yes. You can first step away from the noise, turn the volume down, or try these tips to save your hearing. Noise-canceling headphones may be preferred, but you can use earplugs if traveling light. Do they work well? They are better than nothing. Here are three steps to using foam earplugs: Roll, pull, and hold. Roll them to fit your ear, pull back your ear, and then insert them until they fit comfortably. The show notes have tips to help you out.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zM3R_1JceWo
Today’s destination: Phnom Penh, Cambodia
…..before you go, read up on the region's history and try to understand the heartbreaking things that happened in this country. The country went through some tough years in the last century. They are a comparatively less developed country, but the people have hope for the future. Phnom Penh, Cambodia’s capital, meets at the junction of the Mekong and Tonlé Sap rivers. Historically, it became a trading hub for the Khmer Empire and French colonialists. Listen to the Siem Reap podcast if you can later on.
I flew here from Ho Chi Minh City, but taking a bus and a lot cheaper would have been easy. Cambodia Angkor Airlines is reputed to have the best safety standards in the country, although I noticed that my plane was very seasoned. It was a much older model.
https://www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-guides/cambodia-travel-tips/phnom-penh/
US citizens need to apply for a Cambodia visa. Cambodia e-visa cost: The Total fee is USD 36, and the E-visa processing time takes 2 - 5 business days. I had to change the date of birth on my visa application, as it was incorrect, which was easy to accomplish. Between when I first submitted it and it printed out, the date got switched, so I fixed it ahead of time.
Rice (bai) is the most essential food in the country, and more than 2,000 species once grew in Cambodia. There's hardly a dish that does not contain rice, including noodles made from rice, desserts, cakes, and alcoholic beverages, and no Khmer meal is complete without boiled rice.
Although Cambodia's official currency is the Riel, the US Dollar is used in most transactions, so I recommend taking some US Dollars in cash (with some small denomination notes).
The city’s walkable riverfront is lined with parks, restaurants, and bars, including the ornate Royal Palace, Silver Pagoda, and the National Museum, displaying artifacts from around the country. At the city’s heart is the Art Deco Central Market. I did a lot of mid-day walking along the river at Sisowath Quay, the most popular downtown promenade. There were few people there mid-day. It is scenic; you can see boats on the Tonle Sap River and look across a beautiful vista. Walk here between the Royal Palace and Wat Phnom.
My hotel in Phnom Penh was across the street from the Independence Monument and near the Cambodia Friendship Monument. They called it the Monument District. At night, the locals, by the hundreds, walked in a counterclockwise direction around the park to get some fresh air and exercise. It was a social experience, too. Families and singles all gathered here. I was part of the walk since I had been too hot to walk much during the day's heat.
The Independence Monument in Phnom Penh was built in 1958 to memorialize Cambodia's independence from France in 1953. It stands on a roundabout at the intersection of Norodom Boulevard and Sihanouk Boulevard in the city's center.
https://www.planetware.com/cambodia/phnom-penh-cam-1-2.htm
In the Khmer Rouge's Security Prison S-21, it was here that some of the regime's worst torture atrocities were carried out. More than 17,000 people passed through these gates between 1975 and 1978, accused of betraying the revolution in some way. The Tuol Sleng Museum was where prisoners were housed, a former school. You can see photographs of what happened here. You can walk through the prison rooms, formerly classrooms. It’s two stories, with offices and rooms with evidence of those killed. The detailed notes and photographs remain along with some of the remnants of furniture and statues of those who died. I took a tuk-tuk to visit this sad place at Street 113, Phnom Penh. I was unhappy but hopeful for a better future when I left here.
Today’s Mistake- I left my phone at the bus office.
While waiting for the bus, I entered the station and met the people working for the bus tour company. I had about an hour to wait, so I said hi and then sat down to relax from the sun. What I forgot at the desk was my phone. About ten minutes later, the driver arrived and said it was time to board the bus. In my rush, I left my phone on the desk. We started down the road, and then I remembered, so I told the tour guide I needed to get out. He said he would call and make sure they had it, and we would soon go back for it after we dropped someone at the hospital. I thought that was strange, but that’s precisely what happened. That was my second time leaving my phone behind on this trip. I was learning a lesson again. Not to leave my phone anywhere. Don’t be like me. I was lucky. You may not be so fortunate.
Today’s Travel Advice-Keep a pen handy
In today’s world of digital technology, one thing you will still need is a pen. There will be a time you need to write down something to remember. It could be a code, a phone number, or a key phrase. Keep something to write with nearby.
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