Walking around Plug-Inn Hostel with wild hair, I tried to achieve at least this much sophistication…

Wednesday. I walked around the hostel all day with wild hair. I think I scared the guy at the desk when I walked out of my room looking like Phyllis Diller (think: Miley Cyrus on steroids.) He recovered, however.

I spent all day writing a resume and typing it. It’s tough to do from memory. Naturally, my Hotmail account is still frozen or I could easily print a resume from my Sent folder. Talk about circumstances conspiring to keep me from applying for positions in Paris.

…when I probably only achieved this much.

Someone also stole my dinner from the fridge, drank my lemon drink (and was considerate enough to leave the empty bottle in the trash so I would see it), and stole my water bottle. I don’t blame anyone on Plug-Inn staff or any of the real guests, but rather one of the people who always seem to be around me, texting away, while I am in a common area in the hostel. The staff is way too nice to do anything like this, and I don’t believe world travelers in general do this – especially since the person’s actions seem aimed at me. Since they left the lemon drink bottle in the trash for me to see, how can I not take it personally? Most thieves don’t want to leave a trace of what they’ve done: this one did.

I drank a few cappuccinos, talked with staff and travelers, and later read for a bit. I’m bummed because I can’t remember all of the details that make my resume worth reading.

Salut !

Images by Can Stock Photo.

While luggage like this will likely get dirty, it is much easier to find among everyone else’s black luggage if it is lost.

For the next 30 days, I will be republishing my travel diary of my last Paris trip. With few exceptions, the diary will be published as I first wrote it.

I’m republishing it because of the many positive comments I received on it, and because, in all honesty, I am job-seeking, and I believe readers get an insight into who I am and how I think from reading it. I am skilled at planning events, coordinating details, and finding my way around foreign cultures. I take seriously that I am a representative of the United States while visiting other countries — and am well aware that locals make judgments of Americans based on their experiences of me — yet I can also laugh about situations of cultural confusion. Rather than getting angry at a misperception, I try to see it from the other person’s viewpoint. This is true not only while traveling, but in my every day life, as well.

So, without further adieu, I begin:

For the next 30 days, I will be publishing my travel diary that I wrote during my recent trip to Paris, along with additions based on my Filofax daily planner entries, receipts (what I kept), bank statements, cell phone records, and my long-term memory, which is significantly better than my short-term. I can remember beating the two fastest guys in the 100-yard dash in fourth grade, but if you ask me what I had for lunch yesterday I’d probably have to think about it. You will notice I make a lot of references to Rick Steves’ Paris 2014 guide book: I used it extensively during my trip. I can’t say enough good things about the travel advice Rick gives.

Sometimes I’ve talked about how much money I’ve spent and how I feel about it. I don’t go through life putting a price tag on everything because you can’t put a price tag on life experiences. I’ve talked about these experiences as information for my readers. (Hopefully, I have a few by now.) Also, some days I have a lot to say, and other days…not so much.

All names have been changed except for hostel management and public figures.

I make several references to the television program Seinfeld, so if an observation doesn’t make sense, it’s probably a reference to that program.

I make a few references to “Fancy Boy Idiots.” This is actually a pseudonym (or nom de guerre). I’m sure you can figure it out once you think about it.

Salut !

Image by Can Stock Photo.

Have you ever been so afraid that you couldn’t scream? I have. Hook the Ila alarm to your handbag or belt loop, pull the string, and let it scream for you!

Source: Screaming Personal Safety Alarm — from CorporateTravelSafety.com.

The Ila Dusk alarm is 3″ x 1.5″ x 3″ and is $27.95 at Corporate Travel Safety.com.

Imagine: You’re walking down the street at night in a foreign country with map in hand trying to find your lodging. You sense a man walking behind you, picking up his pace, and you start to fear he intends to rob you. What do you do?

Studies show that cries for help are more likely to get a response than alarms and whistles; after all, how many times have you heard a car alarm go off and ignored it as just another noise? At the pull of its string, the Ila Dusk alarm registers a female scream at 130 decibels that is meant to disorient and/or scare off a would-be attacker. I wish I had had it when I was in Paris last year: I was visiting Pere Lachaise Cemetery, and I was in a fairly secluded area where no one else was around when two men approached me and came within an inch of my face. They taunted me as I held onto my handbag and muttered that I didn’t speak French well. They eventually left. Had I had the Ila alarm, they would have left much sooner — and in a hurry.

In addition, I could have used it when I was robbed about 100 yards from my apartment building: I had taken a shortcut after walking to the grocery store, and there was no one around because everyone was in front of their TVs waiting for the kickoff of the Superbowl. I wanted to throw a glass bottle of white vinegar at my three attackers who approached me from behind, but I was shaking so hard I couldn’t manage to get my hand into my plastic grocery bag. They ripped my brand new handbag off of me and left me clutching a strap. I couldn’t even scream as they walked away from me, scouring my handbag for stolen loot. I needed someone — or something — to scream for me.

Please note that the product description states the decibel level as 130, but the graph puts the decibel level at 101. I emailed the company requesting clarification of this inconsistency, but I never received a reply. No matter: 100 decibels is roughly the sound the sound of a wood shop (you know, the sound of a wood-cutting blade), which is still more than enough to ward off a would-be attacker. Just do yourself a favor and think twice before pulling the alarm on an airplane or other tightly-enclosed place.

Au revoir!

Image of Ila Dusk Screaming Alarm from CorporateTravelSafety.com.

All packed and ready to go to Paris.

In previous posts, I shared a “To Do” list to plan a trip to Paris, wrote about how to pick a travel wardrobe and travel gear, and how to pack everything so you can find it. So, it’s time to travel to Paris!

I’m all packed and ready to go. (No, this isn’t my luggage. Remember, I’m trying to advocate using anything but black luggage.)

For the next 30 days, I will be publishing my travel diary that I wrote during my recent trip to Paris, along with additions based on my Filofax daily planner entries, receipts (what I kept), bank statements, cell phone records, and my long-term memory, which is significantly better than my short-term. I can remember beating the two fastest guys in the 100-yard dash in fourth grade, but if you ask me what I had for lunch yesterday I’d probably have to think about it. You will notice I make a lot of references to Rick Steves’ Paris 2014 guide book: I used it extensively during my trip. I can’t say enough good things about the travel advice Rick gives.

Sometimes I’ve talked about how much money I’ve spent and how I feel about it. I don’t go through life putting a price tag on everything because you can’t put a price tag on life experiences. I’ve talked about these experiences as information for my readers. (Hopefully, I have a few by now.) Also, some days I have a lot to say, and other days…not so much.

All names have been changed except for hostel management and public figures.

I make several references to the television program Seinfeld, so if an observation doesn’t make sense, it’s probably a reference to that program.

I make a few references to “Fancy Boy Idiots.” This is actually a pseudonym (or nom de guerre) for a U.S. government agency. I’m sure you can figure it out once you think about it.

Salut.

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