Zach Z- Questions about Orlando

I ask all guests a series of questions that I normally ask myself after I come home from travelling, these questions are aimed to give some insight into how these travellers accomplished what they did. These questions also will help you find out if your style of travel matches well with this guest. 

What led you to this destination?
    Opportunity arose to be able to go here specifically, had a very good friend who has a family home, she had always talked about Zach going with her. And this was the one time where her and Zach became free to be able to go south. Her parents had already planned on being there and had gone down a few days before and get the house ready for them.

Were there any surprises during your trip that were contrary to your beliefs?
    Zach did not think that Airport security would be so easy to get through. Thought the searches would be much more extensive than it was. When he was flying had the altitude pop his ears as it was his first time flying, they hurt after that for awhile. After he landed and felt the Orlando heat that was something else, compared to here.

What was the least enjoyable situation for you?
    Being tired and worn out after trying to tackle disney in the limited days they had. Zach ended up following up with guest services and was able to tell them about his negative experiences while being lost and being misdirected by employees. He was able to contact disney and get some benefits for the next time he visits Disney World. Due to the gated community Zach stayed in it meant it was super hard for him to get into any trouble. With his friend paige and her parents being very experienced being there every year helped keep Zach in the know when it came to the dos and donts.

What did you discover  there that was off the beaten path?
    Did many things that weren't as tourist based, lots of things he would have done at home, hung out and played video games in the evenings other fun hobbies such as that.

Do you think you found out anything about yourself that you regularly would not have?
    He found that for him getting to see new places can be very much worth the time and the money. He did not think he would have really enjoyed spending this time on a vacation but treats it as a learning experience for being good at doing something new and preparing to travel.   All of the little things that are part of the process getting to the destinations and being able to be optimistic.

If you went with anyone on this trip what role did they serve for you?
Did they hold you back from anything specific, what would change with different people? 
    Really wanted to go to Duncan donuts but paige laid down the law and would not allow it. Simply due to the hype Zach still needs to get his Duncan donuts. He felt more about disney and paige was a fan of universal, so they had to support each other and do both of their ideas and optimize their time due to paige and her experience in the area they were able to do that.

Did you spend any extensive time with the locals, what were they like?
    He found that most of the people he met in Florida were genuine and good people. Almost everyone he did meet was there for travel and that may have contributed to a more diverse group of people.

Did you try to blend in to that local atmosphere, or act more like a tourist?
    The area that he was in was very climitized to international visitors. Everyone was primed to dealing with and interacting with tourists. Many of those people interacted with tourist mode on so to speak compared to when Zach and paige were exploring places where regular people might live who do not treat tourists much differently.
    

How did your country of Origin influence your behaviour when travelling
    The only thing that always would remind him he was canadian was how the Americans have still not phased out pennies. Zach is a big fan of exact change but it is a lot more difficult when you cannot round to 5 cents.

Was maximizing Utility to cost a priority?
If so how did you do that, if it was not how had this impacted your decisions on a trip
    Zach would say that if you go into things with a general plan but holding off on being super specific allows for lots of activities and sightseeing that he had wanted to do before being there. Being able to roll with the punches is important for anyone going into a new environment.

Would you save or spend more in the future? What would you save or spend more on? Where would this extra saving or spending take place in the scope of your trip?

Next trip wouldn't go back to the ocean, now that he has seen it it is a whole day event to get out there and see it for the day. He would also do 2 days at Disney and maybe do the same amount of total time at disney but would save from being tired and split the disney days with a rest day in between. Found that driving was the easiest way for him to get to and from everywhere they needed to go. Not sure about any transit options to disney and the surrounding area. Would look into bussing in downtown orlando and how Uber and other services play into that.

Are you a vacationer or a traveller?
    Zach would say that he is a vacationer rather than a traveller in this situation. There was never a real point when he had total control over their own transportation and schedule the schedule always was reliant on other people and their own desires. Luckily enough Orlando is a city specifically tailored to vacationers rather than those looking for exploring and travelling.

When people ask about your trip, what do you tell them? Do you tell them what you think they will like or what you really think is worth mentioning? 
    Simply due to his lack of time to travel often, Zach loves to hear all the details about other peoples trips because he assumes he will not get the chance they had to go to this place. Just depending on how close the friends are which he is discussing the trip he adjusts the details he includes. 

Where do you think you will be heading next?
    No idea where he will end up next but is thinking the west coast LA, San Fransisco, Vancouver somewhere new and different. And maybe even make a trip to Japan in 2020 for the Olympics with yours truly as a travel partner!

Kedar Patel- Questions on India

I ask all guests a series of questions that I normally ask myself after I come home from travelling, these questions are aimed to give some insight into how these travellers accomplished what they did. These questions also will help you find out if your style of travel matches well with this guest. 

What led you to this destination?
Family trip to visit relatives. Had been to India when younger but had not been back in some time.
 
At any time was there a reason to leave, ever uncomfortable?
The heat was the hardest thing to deal with along with the humidity, none of the local population had any air conditioning. So many people always cramped into small spaces no airflow or A/C. The pollution coupled with varying dryness and humid conditions. Obviously people adapt well because many locals wear pants and long shirts all the time.

Were there any surprises during your trip that were contrary to your beliefs?
Visited a lot when younger but had not been in awhile. Since Kedar was last there India has become much more open. Becoming more socially and environmentally conscious. Less conservative than what most people see as the classic India. 

Did you run into any trouble while there?
What was the least enjoyable situation for you?
Stayed at a resort that was supposed to be very nice, their family was charged for the newest part of a hotel but they got put in the old unkept half of the resort while being charged for the nicer rooms. Had a travel agent organize everything so it was even more of a hassle having to call and reorganize the accommodations.

What did you discover  there that was off the beaten path?
Found a shop for custom cricket bats. If you buy in the city then they are very overpriced. Having found a local spot that makes them by hand meant that Kedar and his cousins could get their names engraved in their own bat. The local spot had a couple different stores, avoiding the big box stores is a MUST the locals are very highly skilled.
 
Do you think you found out anything about yourself that you regularly would not have?
Found that Kedar does not need as many of the creature comforts as he thought. Learned to pack much lighter than he used to having been someone when he goes home from school tried to bring as much as possible home. But now a sense of anxiety has been washed away when it comes to being prepared and recognizing the priorities of a situation. All that is really necessary when traveling internationally is your passport wallet and phone after that everything else is entirely optional. Acceptance that you will definitely not be without what you need for very long.

If you went with anyone on this trip what role did they serve for you?
Did they hold you back from anything specific, what would change with different people? 
Had a younger uncle and aunt that ended up pushing Kedar to do a motorcycle ride that even he didn't opt for. His family was very supportive to doing things that most tourists don't get to see. Kedar’s Uncle took him to a local slum to see how those people live and to gain that perspective. Kedar’s father also grew up there as a teenager so he wanted to share how he grew up in the area with his son. Had to go with his little cousin to get groceries and would be treated as the adult, he would constantly have to point people toward his cousin who knows the area and the language much better than Kedar. 

Did you spend any extensive time with the locals, what were they like?
Had to deal a lot more with the reality of how things get done and how people work. He had to go and haggle the tailor because he was late preparing their clothes. Something you never find here from stores you cannot see the behind scenes so to speak. All of the locals are there to get a job done and to survive and thrive for their family, everyone knows each other in the area, much more intimate, they are all in it together, pushing each other to be successful within the community.

Did you try to blend in to that local atmosphere, or act more like a tourist?
How did that position affect your trip? Do you believe people treated you differently
Tried to blend in but all the locals pick up that you are not from the area. How you walk dress and look can be major indicators that you don't belong in the local scene.

How did your country of Origin influence your behaviour when travelling
There wasn't anything particular about being Canadian that set Kedar apart it was more of just not being from there at all that people were skeptical about you being in that area to start but only once they warmed up to you then you felt like you could be there without being silently watched to make sure you weren't trouble.

Was maximizing Utility to cost a priority?
If so how did you do that, if it was not how had this impacted your decisions on a trip
Using a travel agent with a big family was found helpful to have everything taken care of in advance. If you are not a local there are certain nuances that you would rather avoid with use of advanced planning and someone who is educated about how you should handle yourself in that area.

Would you save or spend more in the future? What would you save or spend more on? Where would this extra saving or spending take place in the scope of your trip?
All the down time due to the uncle and aunt having to work would be something Kedar would have avoided. He had already made up his mind as to what exactly he was going to buy for everyone. He was going to do and buy everything in Bombay but his uncle recommended buying the souvenirs in local places for keychains. He would also have purchased a pashmina a super nice shawl that is super soft waterproof and warm. When buying a rug apparently if it is made well then the design should look exactly the same on both sides of the rug. If he had had the money he would have bought one of the carpets that change colour based on how you look at it but for a full size rug those would be about $10000. Lots of local places sell these rugs but you will need to do your research ask the local people and visit many different stores to get an average consensus.

What was the approx cost of the trip, how did you save for it?
$1500 for the plane ticket at the time about $1200 on top of that for general expenses to have a chance to do what Kedar did. 

After the experience, was it easy to justify the time spent doing what you did? 
Very easy to rationalize going
Why are you so attracted to travelling?
Loves to see the different places with things you cannot see here in Canada. Cultures that are not easy to understand

Are you a vacationer or a traveller?
Doesn't enjoy just going to the beach and hanging out has to be doing something and seeing something different and worthwhile for him and his goals. Would like to really commit to the travel bug he is getting but understands he needs to get done things that are necessary at home, such as school and family and friends

Any new technology that you used while you were there that seemed helpful?
Hola, just a car company similar to Uber. No need for any translation lots of signs with english as well as other language

When people ask about your trip, what do you tell them? Do you tell them what you think they will like or what you really think is worth mentioning? 
Always starts with his favourite story climbing a glacier in kashmir and gauges how someone views the story he told to tell a deeper story after that.

What kind of mindset did you have to make the trip the best it could be, what consistent action did you take to continue the ball rolling when it comes to positivity?
Always keeping in mind to go with the flow. Take it day by day. You always have 24 hours in the day that you always have to use to the best of your ability. Having many things planned really helps to go with the flow feeling the obligation to do cool stuff.

Where do you think you will be heading next?
South America, next year. Possibly go to Peru for the mountains and Brazil.

Who are YOU when you travel?
Just trying to be a more open version of Kedar, feels like when you come back you are a little bit different overtime. An example would be that there are many locks inside yourself, and when you travel you find different keys to unlock that part of yourself, you don't necessarily need to travel to feel or access those parts of yourself but having those different stimuli from different places and people seems to help find out exactly who you are.