#yes including you and the state on the front of your passport! wow!

[tchaikovskaya]

either you think individual citizens ought to be held accountable for the actions of their government or you dont lmao its really very simple 🤡

#yes including you and the state on the front of your passport! wow! #'but its different if theyre passively accepting of it!' again who else do u hold to these standards #im not even saying its wrong to do that (i mean i do think its wrong but of course theres nuance) but... #who you choose to apply it to is ummmm telling

[fific7]

Ticket to Ride - Part 4

Billy Russo x Reader

A/N: Inspired by The Beatles song of the same name. This takes place in my S1 Punisher AU with Arrogant!Billy in attendance, in which he gets a taste of his own medicine.

Warnings: 18+ NSFW due to sexual content, including oral and unprotected, between consenting adults* in some chapters. Drinking and swearing.

*Irl, please don’t go wild in the country without protection.

(My Photo Edit)

𝔹𝕖𝕗𝕠𝕣𝕖 𝕤𝕙𝕖 𝕘𝕖𝕥𝕤 𝕥𝕠 𝕤𝕒𝕪𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕘𝕠𝕠𝕕𝕓𝕪𝕖

𝕊𝕙𝕖 𝕠𝕦𝕘𝕙𝕥 𝕥𝕠 𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕜 𝕥𝕨𝕚𝕔𝕖, 𝕤𝕙𝕖 𝕠𝕦𝕘𝕙𝕥 𝕥𝕠 𝕕𝕠 𝕣𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥 𝕓𝕪 𝕞𝕖

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

Billy woke up really early due to light streaming into his room. The sun was coming up. He couldn’t bring himself to close the curtains the previous night - after all, the view was the big thing in this hotel, wasn’t it? He rearranged his pillows so that he could still lie in bed but also tipped his head up enough so he could see the view.

It was too early to go along to her room yet, so he’d laze a little, shower and then he’d go. He hoped that her anger had cooled overnight, as the two of them really had to have a conversation. Not that he was looking forward to that conversation, but he realised that if he wanted to have even an outside chance of getting her back, he had to man up and tell her the truth. He had the distinct feeling that If he only told her part of it - a sanitised version of what had happened - she’d see right through him and that would be that.

He laughed out loud.... god he hadn’t even slept with the woman, but if he’d known the shitstorm that was going to be stirred up by all of this, maybe he should’ve just damn well done it!

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

Meanwhile, you sat at the departure gate waiting for the boarding call. You’d always wanted to visit your next destination so while you were sad to leave Barcelona, you felt excited to be on your way.

With a little smile, you thought that the only real regret you had was you wouldn’t be there to see the expression on Billy’s face when he realised you’d skipped town again.

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

As soon as he’d had that thought a little voice inside his head had said, if you had then you’d never ever get her back and you know it. Yeah, he did know it. So it was just as well I didn’t, he acknowledged to himself. Some no-strings sex with Madani wasn’t worth wrecking what he’d had with her.

Now he just had to hope that he wasn’t already too late to salvage that.

Billy stepped out onto the 20th floor landing then began walking up the red corridor to her room. He spotted a cleaning cart in the corridor - wait, that wasn’t outside her room, was it? No, it couldn’t be. But he felt a sinking feeling in his stomach the nearer he got.

He came to a halt next to the cart, and looked at the room number on the door for confirmation but he knew it before he even saw it.

She’d run out on him again.

Billy cursed loudly then swung round on his heel and headed back to the lifts. He took his phone out as he walked, hitting a starred number. It rang for a while then a grouchy voice said, “Yeah, what?”

“Micro? Got another job for you.”

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

After clearing Customs and Passport Control you walked briskly out of the terminal building, following a sign indicating where you needed to go. You were getting more and more impatient to get to the city by the minute, but you knew you had to make sure you picked the correct coloured route, as they went to different destinations.

Standing on the jetty at Marco Polo Airport, you waited patiently along with other passengers for the Alilaguna airport boat to moor alongside it and which would then take you to Venice.

La Serenissima. The city which floats on a lagoon.

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

Frank listened to what Micro had to say, then exploded. “Oh for fuck’s sake!!! This is gettin’ out of control. Yeah okay, do his search then let me know - not him - what you find out.”

He ended the call and threw his phone onto the bedside table. He’d have to speak to Bill, this was too much.

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

Billy was in a temper. He threw his clothes and toiletries into his duffel bag and zipped it up viciously. Nothing from Micro yet and he had to check out of his room now. He’d just have to sit in the bar/lounge downstairs and have a drink or two until he did hear back.

An hour and two whiskies later (yes, he’d thought as the barman’s eyebrows raised up at his request, it is damn early for a whisky but you have no idea what I’m going through), Billy was getting more and more impatient. Then his phone buzzed, but hope sank like a stone when he saw it was Frank.

“I guess he called you, then?” Billy said as soon as he answered the call. “Yep,” said Frank, “...he did. And this is the last one, Bill, you hear me?” “It’s not my fault she keeps flyin’ off t’different places!” whined Billy. “It’s your damn fault she took off in the first place, dumbass!” growled Frank and Billy said nothing as he couldn’t argue with that.

“Where’s she gone, Frankie?” he asked after a short silence. “Venice.” “Ah shit!!! Back to the States? Didn’t see that coming.” “Not Venice Beach, Bill... Venice, Italy.”

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

You settled yourself onto the wooden bench inside the vaporetto which would take you on the short hop across the wide Giudecca Canal from Palanca to Zattere. Vaporetti were the Venetian equivalent of public transport but a hugely more pleasurable experience. What would you rather hop on - a bus or a ferry? Yeah, definitely a ferry! You’d decided to stay on Giudecca instead of the main islands as it had a calmer, more relaxed vibe and tourists were much less in evidence.

Karen had texted you as you were getting unpacked in your small but cute room. Your hotel was surrounded by residential gardens and a narrow canal on one side; when you went out onto the large balcony, all you could hear was birdsong and the church bells of Venice. It was heavenly.

But Karen’s text had brought you down somewhat; Billy was on your track again. He’d been told by Frank that they weren’t going to help him out any longer, but you weren’t convinced that would put him off. Billy was the most stubborn sonuvabitch you’d ever met. Looking out the vaporetto windows, you saw a majestic tall ship making its way imperiously up the canal followed by a small tug like a lady in waiting, and wondered where it was sailing off to.

Sighing, you gathered up your bag as the vaporetto docked at Zattere and prepared to disembark. Maybe it was time to just sit down and have ‘that talk’ with him.

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

Billy, meanwhile, was waiting impatiently for his flight to start boarding in Barcelona airport. He just had to pin her down this time. No more escaping him and the talk they had to have.

He marvelled at the fact that in Europe, you were never really that far from your next destination. Here he was in Spain and in less than two hours’ time, he’d be in Italy. He’d bought a travel guide to Venice in one of the airport stores and settled down to read it.

Frank had given him the name and location of her hotel, somewhere called Giudecca. He didn’t have the first fucking clue as to where that was, so he’d better find out and quickly. Okay…. here was a map. Venice seemed to be divided into six sestiere or areas… hmmm no mention of Giudecca. Oh right, here it was, a large island out on its own across the Giudecca Canal from Venice.

He pinpointed the hotel on the map and felt a lot more relaxed.

I know where you are now, kitten.

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

Escaping from the crowd of tourists in Piazza San Marco into the relative peace of Caffé Florian, you sat down and ordered a horribly expensive cappuccino and pastry from the impassive waiter. But it was worth it just to soak up the historical atmosphere. You looked round the opulently decorated and gilded interior and opened up your guide book; it had opened in 1720 and scores of famous faces had passed through its doors or listened to its musicians outside. Wow - Casanova, Lord Byron, Charles Dickens, Ernest Hemingway, Charlie Chaplin, Clark Gable, Andy Warhol. The list went on and on.

Coffee finished, you wandered out of Florian’s and back along the Piazetta next to the Doge’s Palace. There was an arched bridge - the Ponte della Paglia - on the waterfront from which you could see the world-famous Bridge of Sighs, and you joined the huddle of tourists at the top of the bridge to eventually make it to the front and take a picture of it. Your guide book told you the bridge was so called because after their trials, condemned prisoners would be taken from the Doge’s Palace over the small canal at its side to the prison, and their last sight of Venice would be from the bridge. Hence the ‘sighs’.

Next, you walked along to the Arsenale, the huge historical shipyard where Venice had built her vast number of ships which had enabled her to have a huge trading empire. It had been said that they’d been able to construct a fully equipped warship in one day. But that was long in the past, you thought as you looked at an array of stone lion statues outside its main entrance and a bust of Dante set onto the wall.

Turning away, you headed to the vaporetto stop of the same name and waited for the Line 1 vaporetto to arrive and take you on a sail up the Grand Canal.

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

Yet again, Billy was in a bad mood. After a couple of false starts, he’d eventually managed to make his way onto the correct Alilaguna boat at Marco Polo and had alighted at Zitelle on Giudecca.

But now here he was - walking backwards and forwards, backwards and forwards - along the waterfront, trying to find out where this damn fucking hotel was. He just couldn’t find it! Where the hell was it?

Billy spotted a guy around his own age walking towards him and stepped in front of him, asking politely in English if he could help him find this hotel. A stream of Italian burst forth and the guy must’ve realised that Billy didn’t understand one word, as he then took his arm and pulled him along the waterfront a little. He stopped and gestured towards one of the narrowest damn alleyways Billy had ever seen, quite near the vaporetto stop.

He thanked the guy effusively and set off up the alleyway. There were peoples’ houses on each side of it and he tried not to be too nosy as he walked past them. But echoing within the walls of the alley he could hear voices, children’s laughter, a football match on a TV, a dog barking… talk about living on top of each other. He wasn’t sure he could live like that but then it just depended on what you were used to, he supposed.

Arriving in a small open area leading to a canal and a bridge over it - Corte Ferrando, he saw on a sign - he found the Giudecca Hotel right on the corner next to the canal. At last!!!

Walking in to the small but light and airy reception area, he dumped his bag next to reception and asked the guy behind the desk if he could book a room. “Certainly, signore, how many nights would that be for?” Billy shrugged, saying, “I’ll make it for two nights for now, but maybe I’ll need to extend that, I’m not sure.” “That is no problem. Can I have your passport please, signore?”

Billy handed it over, thinking as he did, going by her recent history it might be only the one night!

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

You stepped off the vaporetto at Rialto. Well, you just had to walk over the famous bridge and be a total tourist didn’t you, stopping to take a picture looking back down the Grand Canal. You’d gazed at all the big palazzi lining the waterway as the vaporetto zig-zagged its way between all the stops on the canal. They were certainly impressive, but they also had a faded, melancholic air about them.

Some of them had been converted into museums, some rented out on long or short-term leases by their owners, or they were now owned by foreigners who only stayed in them for a handful of weeks each year. When the festivals were taking place… Carnevale, the Biennale, the Film Festival. The rest of the year they lay empty and lonely, no doubt steeped in dreams of the lavish masked balls and elegant dinner parties from centuries past, while the noble Venetian families who used to own them lived in modern condos in Mestre on the mainland, no longer in their beloved Venezia. How sad, you thought.

Heading back to the vaporetto stop, you decided you’d go to Accademia, have a look round the art gallery, visit the huge and famous church Santa Maria della Salute and then wander round the artisan shops in Dorsoduro, perhaps have a glass of vino in one of the cute little wine bars.

You were determined to make this afternoon and evening last for as long as you could. Billy would no doubt be waiting for you when you got back to Giudecca.

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

The man himself hadn’t even bothered unpacking this time, just in case. He’d had a quick shower and then had taken a short stroll around the local area. He noticed very few tourists and decided this was why she’d chosen it. He knew she’d prefer to sample the local life more than the tourist traps.

Not wanting to spend too much time away from the hotel, he made his way back and sat outside on the lone park bench in the courtyard area. He started running over in his mind what he was going to say to her, to be honest he still wasn’t sure how to frame it so that she wouldn’t go ballistic.

His stomach knotted. Who was he kidding? Of course she was going to go ballistic! He was about to admit he’d made out on more than one occasion with another woman. And irrespective of the fact that it had been strictly business from his point of view, his girl was not going to be the least bit impressed with him.

Fuck, I’ve really screwed this up, he allowed himself to think for the first time. He’d made his brain block out this uncomfortable thought what with all the chasing after her in the previous few days. He’d been telling himself over and over that everything would all be alright.

But now he thought… would it? Would it really?

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

Returning on the vaporetto to Palanca, you felt yourself starting to tense up. You knew Billy would either have arrived by now or would very shortly.

Whatever he had to say to to you, you knew you weren’t going to like it. The evidence was too strong that he’d been cheating on you and you weren’t going to let him off the hook for that. The problem was, you loved the stupid douchebag. But how could you trust him now, after he’d been seeing another woman? In some ways, it was worse that it was just the one. And you were sure it was just one, if the perfume evidence was anything to go by. It would almost have been better if he’d gone back to his old tom-catting ways, quantity over quality to coin Frank’s phrase. Your stomach twisted as you remembered him saying to you that at last Billy had reversed that equation when he got with you. But if he was seeing just the one? That was bad.

You began walking up the alleyway and as you reached the open area, you saw a figure sitting on the park bench, the back of a dark head. Billy.

Squaring your shoulders and feeling as if you were about to go into battle, you walked steadily towards him.

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

Venice

(My Photos/video 3 & 7 / June 2012 & 2016)

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

@blackbirddaredevil23 @theshadowkingsqueen @omgrachwrites @behindmyeyes-insidemyhead @ourloveisforthelovely @swthxrry @odetostep @supernaturalcat7 @obscurilicious @strawb3rrydr3ss @bruxa0007 @aleksanderwh0r3 @bat-luna-cat

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

#billy russo #ben barnes #billy russo x reader #billy russo fanfiction #billy russo imagine #billy russo fanfic

[misssophiachase]

Yay prompts! How about, KC + exes who get set up on a blind date by a mutual friend who has no idea they know each other.

Love this prompt anon! Completely inspired. It’s a bit different but I hope you like it : ) Also, it got longer than expected hence why it took so long!

Caroline Forbes has agreed to play pretend girlfriend at a wedding for best friend Enzo not expecting her past to make an unexpected return. Klaus Mikaelson thought he’d never see her again until fate decides to bring all of his unresolved feelings back.

In My Life

Heathrow Airport, 23:34

“If I’d known how badly you travel, I might have rescinded the invitation,” Enzo offered. Before he could continue he felt the blunt force from the pillow she insisted on carrying from JFK to Heathrow. “Ouch, Forbes.”

“It so didn’t hurt but you deserve it,” she shot back, pulling her pillow away. “And last time I checked I was the one doing you a favour by coming to this wedding as your ‘date,’ Lorenzo,” she drawled, using air quotes to emphasise her point.

“Fine,” he conceded, gesturing to the passport checkpoint ahead. “I just wasn’t expecting such an interesting flight.”

“I hate time changes, heights, small spaces and food served on trays, I warned you about this before take-off.”

“Like five minutes before,” he grumbled before facing her menacing pillow again. “Fine, I’m sorry. You are doing me a favour and for that, I will be eternally grateful.”

“You’ve never told me anything about this girl you’re trying to make jealous or even whose wedding this is. Oh god I can’t believe I’m just putting this together, she isn’t the Bride, we’re not breaking up a wedding, right? Just so you know, I didn’t sign up for that.”

Caroline Forbes didn’t usually ramble this much but she didn’t much like to play pretend either, in fact, she avoided it at all costs. One because she wasn’t the best liar and two it reminded her too much of her past with a certain English guy who plagued her thoughts constantly even after all these years. But when her best friend and fellow legal colleague Enzo St John had pleaded for help she couldn’t say no.

Well, that and the fact he’d paid her way to London and promised her free coffee and donuts forever. Caroline didn’t have the heart to tell him that caffeine and sugar weren’t the only motivators she loved a good mystery and this trip was payment enough if she discovered his deep, dark secret. Enzo had always been so cagey about his love life and Caroline was certain this girl was the reason why.

“We’re not breaking up a wedding, darling and you don’t need to know the details,” he offered, flashing his passport at the guard.

“You realise I’m the queen of details, right?” She baulked, handing over her passport and wishing she had a better picture. “And I won’t stop until I drag them out of you, St John.”

“I can’t wait,” he drawled. “But after we get your seven pieces of luggage. I can only use so much effort at once.” Caroline rolled her eyes knowing his delaying tactics would only get him so far even if his luggage count was correct.

Mayfair, 6:19

“Why aren’t you bringing a date, Niklaus?” Kol enquired. “Last time I checked you had more phone numbers than…”

“Don’t bother finishing that sentence,” he growled, crossing the room and grabbing his tie from his brother’s greedy grasp. Yes, Klaus Mikaelson had more conquests and phone numbers than he could count but he didn’t like talking about it. “And why are you bothering me so early? Don’t you have a long-suffering wife to please?”

It was a joke of course; photographer Bonnie Bennett was the best thing to happen to his younger brother. He might have been an accomplished aerospace engineer but his incessant meddling was second to none.

“Well, if you must know, Bonnie is away on assignment for National Geographic until tomorrow and…”

“You have nothing better to do than hound me about my love life?”

“Your non-existent love life don’t you mean?” He teased, flashing his pearly whites in the process.

“I have a social life, Kol,” he reiterated. “It doesn’t need to include love, that only gets you into trouble.” For once in his life, Kol quietened briefly allowing Klaus to gather his thoughts.

Yes, he had a social life which kept him satisfied to a certain point. It was all he could manage when she was still front and centre in his thoughts even ten years later.

“So, if I told you Elijah has a date…”

“Get out,” he ordered. Kol left, albeit slowly, but Klaus couldn’t miss the mischievous grin on his brother’s lips before he did.

He scrolled through his phone urgently knowing he wasn’t going to be outdone by his older, stuffy sibling.

Covent Garden, 20:39

“You realise not telling me the details is only going to make this supposed relationship hard to believe,” Caroline offered, checking out her appearance in the cab’s rearview mirror. She’d decided the red Prada was her best bet jealousy wise but Enzo had been far too silent on the details and it was wearing on her last nerve.

“It will be fine,” he grumbled, passing a handful of pounds to the driver before exiting the vehicle.

“It won’t be,” Caroline hissed, noting his dark expression. “I’m not going in there until you tell me the truth.” He faltered, his mouth twitching slightly. “All of it, Enzo.”

“The Maid of Honour, her name is Rebekah,” he sighed.

“And?”

“She broke my heart,” he murmured, suddenly finding the snow-covered ground interesting. “Although I’m not really sure she even cared so that’s why I need a date so she knows I don’t care either.” By his sudden mood change, she was pretty certain he did care not that she was going to relay that observation aloud.

Caroline immediately felt bad for pushing him, placing her arm around him protectively and simultaneously wishing she’d worn a coat to ward of the chill. “I’m sorry, but we all know she’s the one missing out and I mean that from a totally platonic viewpoint.”

“Well, I’d be offended but we all know nobody could compete with your dream guy, Forbes,” he argued.

“I have no idea…”

“Now who’s in denial?” Enzo interrupted, pulling them towards the entrance. She’d told him once when they were drunk about the mystery guy who’d stolen her heart and he’d never let her forget it since.

“This place is not what I expected for the welcome celebrations given their wealthy pedigrees,” Caroline noted as they entered the historic Lamb and Flag Hotel.

“Charles Dickens frequented the Lamb and Flag, the bride-to-be is a journalist and the groom a novelist. Besides those coincidences, turns out this was where they first met.”

“Wow, it all sounds extremely poetic.”

“Apparently so. Shall we?” He asked, lacing his arm through hers. Caroline knew she couldn’t refuse him given just how far they’d come in their act, there was no turning back now.

20:59

Klaus grabbed the beer greedily, glad to have something to take his mind off the party momentarily. Not that he wasn’t happy for his sister and her soon-to-be husband but the date he’d hurriedly invited was smothering him.

He’d met Hayley a few months earlier and Klaus had realised that her overly friendly tendencies hadn’t abated in that time. He was cursing himself inwardly for choosing her but decided to blame it on his eldest brother who was suddenly joined at the hip with his investment firm’s publicist Katherine Pierce.

That wasn’t a real date it was all just a ridiculous ploy by his family to make him defrost. That hadn’t happened for a long time and Klaus wasn’t sure it ever would. She still appeared in his dreams. They were filled with intersecting snippets of golden waves, blue eyes and that knowing smile.

“Niklaus.”

“Katherine, really brother? That’s not a date, it’s a business arrangement.”

“I’d be offended if it didn’t come from you,” the brunette chided, joining his brother.

“You two, really?”

“If you hadn’t been so focused on work you would have realised,” Elijah noted, his arm tightening around Katherine’s waist affectionately.

“And here I was thinking you were asexual,” he joked, noting Katherine’s outraged stare.

“I’ll have you know that last night Elijah came three times and….”

“As much as I want to hear the rest of that sentence,” Klaus growled, “actually I take that back, I don’t want to know anything.”

“And my work here is done,” Katherine grinned, before stalking a nearby waiter for some champagne.

“I’m going to have to put up with that every Christmas now, right?” He asked. Klaus liked to pretend he hated Katherine and vice versa but they were more alike than ever and she was already unofficially part of the Mikaelson family.

“I think she’s the least of your worries,” he murmured, pointing downstairs. His eyes darted to the newest arrival and suddenly Klaus felt like he couldn’t breathe his chest was that constricted.

“Why?” He managed to bite out.

“Maybe you need to ask your mate Enzo,” Elijah offered.

21:09

“Why do I feel like everyone is staring at us?” Caroline asked, looking around the crowded bar ominously.

“Not to burst your bubble, darling, but I think they’re looking at yours truly,” he quipped. “I have a bit of a reputation in these parts.”

“Like being a smug son-of-a-bitch, St John?” The imposing but beautiful blonde was upon them before they could react.

“Rebekah?” Caroline asked, not realising that Enzo had asked the same question. Rebekah Mikaelson had been her closest friend when she lived in England, unfortunately, they’d lost touch when she returned to the States.

“Right on both counts,” she shot back tersely. There was no welcome smile, in fact, there wasn’t anything good to come from her greeting. “I didn’t realise that you two were…”

“We’re n…” Caroline began before Enzo interrupted.

“A couple yes,” he confirmed placing his arm around her. Caroline wanted to crawl into a corner given the way Rebekah’s penetrating gaze was boring holes into her. “Caroline and I.”

“Don’t you mean, me and Caroline?”

“I see you still do that annoying thing where you correct people’s grammar,”

“And I don’t have all night to list the annoying things you do,” she hissed. “Excuse me.”

Caroline wanted to go after Rebekah and tell her it was a big misunderstanding but Enzo’s grip on her was tighter than ever. “Enzo.”

“I panicked okay,” he admitted, glancing across the room at a burley brunette. “It doesn’t help that Alexander is here.”

“Alexander?”

“The guy she chose over me, it’s like taking a bullet to the chest again.”

“Explains that drama major you took,” she teased, attempting to lighten the situation. “Look, you don’t even know if they’re still together.”

“Do you touch a friend’s ass like that?” He gestured to them together at the bar. “Anyway back to the matter at hand, how do you know Rebekah Mikaelson?”

Of course, she knew her, she knew the whole family given how welcoming they’d been during her time in England. “From my high school exchange.”

“Why didn’t you tell me it was the Mikaelsons you stayed with?”

“I didn’t think it was relevant given I met you eight years later. How do you know them?”

“I studied with Klaus at Oxford he was my roommate for six years.”

“Well, this isn’t awkward at all,” she murmured.

“But that doesn’t mean we can’t forge ahead with the plan still. I mean it isn’t like you had any relations with her siblings, right?”

“Do you really want me to answer that?”

“Please tell me it was Kol or Elijah.”

“And if I don’t?”

“Caroline! Just great. I’m pretty sure Klaus Mikaelson is going to kill me and I mean dead, I’ve seen enough of that temper to last a lifetime.”

“Look, as much as I want to help you I feel bad lying to Rebekah.” It was at that moment his comment hit her. “Hang on, you’re joking about the killing part, right? If Rebekah’s here it doesn’t mean Klaus is right?”

Suddenly Caroline felt sick. She’d imagined their reunion a thousand times in her dreams but a surprise attack wasn’t one of those scenarios.

“His sister Freya is the one getting married to Lucien Castle so I think it’s highly possible you’ll run into him and then he’ll kill me. What exactly happened between you two?”

“Funny story actually.”

“I’d love to hear your version of events, love,” a familiar voice interrupted. She felt a shiver course through her body cursing inwardly that he still had the same effect on her. And why did he have to look so damn good in a suit?

“It’s time for the speeches,” Rebekah announced, glancing wearily in their direction.

“Saved by the bell,” Enzo whispered in her ear.

“Caroline, Enzo I look forward to picking up where we left of from afterwards,” Klaus offered with a slight nod in their direction. “I have best man duties to attend to.”

“I spoke too soon, it’s more like a stay of execution,” he mumbled as the room broke out in applause.

22:13

She was there one minute during the speeches and the next she was gone. Klaus attempted to contain his composure but had been searching the place for a good twenty minutes without much luck.

“Looking for someone?”

“I thought my best mate might have told me he was dating someone new,” Klaus offered, not bothering to hide his jealousy. When he’d seen Caroline in person and looking so beautiful it had floored him but finding her with Enzo was more painful than he’d imagined. All those years of regret for not chasing after her flooding back.

“Someone it turns out you know well.”

“Maybe ten years ago.”

“But yet you seem jealous, mate,” he observed. “Something you’re not telling me?”

“I don’t think it’s entirely appropriate to discuss my feelings for my ex-girlfriend with her current boyfriend, do you Enzo?”

“We’re not together, Klaus,” he admitted his sheepish expression enough to tell him that Enzo was telling the truth.

“But I saw you with your arm around her and Rebekah told me you were together and has been venting to me ever since.”

“Venting? Really?”

“Oh please don’t tell me you were trying to make my sister jealous, Enzo. Haven’t we evolved past these childish games since University?”

“That was only once and she deserved it,” he argued as Klaus raised his eyebrows questioningly. “Fine, I acted immaturely but your sister brings it out in me and after she chose Alexander all those years ago I couldn’t show up without a date.”

“It was always you, you bloody idiot,” Klaus chided. “But you left the UK before she could realise that.”

“But her and Alexander…”

“It seems like you and she had the same fake relationship idea,” he drawled. “You deserve each other, mate.”

“And you and Caroline?”

“Well, we did start out our relationship pretending we were together to make Camille O'Connell jealous.”

“Sounds like you two deserve each other too,” Enzo smiled. “She’s standing out the front without a jacket and pretending she’s not cold. You know if that’s who you were looking for.”

Klaus merely nodded, knowing what he had to do.

22:27

“Enzo, I told you I don’t need a jacket,” she groaned as he slipped it across her shoulders.

“Nothing’s changed I see, still as obstinate as ever, sweetheart,” Klaus chuckled knowingly.

“I learnt it from you,” she shot back, a slight smile tugging at her lips.

“Touche,” he laughed. “You know, I’ve spent the last ten years missing you most days, but I didn’t realise just how much until you walked into my country and back into my life.”

“On the arm of your best friend you mean?”

“An intense ripple of jealousy may have played a part,” he conceded. “Why did we think it was a good idea to end things so abruptly?” He asked, taking a seat nearby and gesturing for her to join him.

“You were headed to Oxford and me to Harvard,” she sighed. “We had our plans and staying together was just too difficult a prospect, Klaus.”

“Do you regret it?”

“Sometimes,” she shared, “but I wouldn’t be on the path to junior partner at my firm. We were always so passionate about our future careers and given your rise up through the CEO ranks I think you’d say the same.”

“True,” he agreed before realising what she’d said. “You been spying on me, Forbes?”

“Maybe,” she admitted. “Page six seemed to have featured you prominently over the years.”

“Says the girl who is all but engaged to a Kennedy but turns up here with my best mate.” She didn’t respond just rolled her eyes at the false reports about her and Tyler. “Ah, you have to love all that unsubstantiated gossip.”

“Seems like we’ve spent a lot of time checking up on each other.”

“It does,” he murmured, turning to face her, his expression earnest. “Maybe it’s time we stop living through the tabloids and…”

“And?” She murmured, moving closer so his arms could encircle her waist.

“Make up for ten years of lost time,” his nose was now grazing hers, the cold air long forgot. “I never stopped loving you, Caroline. Not for one second.”

“Me too,” she sighed, her hands running through his dark blonde curls. “Shut up and kiss me, Mikaelson.”

“Yes ma'am,” he chuckled before greedily capturing her lips with his. Suddenly it seemed as if time had stood still and they were the same teenagers who’d fallen in love all those years ago.

#ask #answered #klaroline drabbles #klaroline fanfiction #misssophiachase

[sunkissis]

Hi There,

So are you ready for this rad guide to finalizing our long stay visitor visa?! Here we go… Once you arrive in Paris at the airport you must go through customs and you get your passport/visa stamped with a date. We arrived in Paris on March 2, 2018. Wow, feels like years ago.

This dated stamp is very important because it is your ticking time bomb to finalizing your visa. You get 90 days from the date of that stamp to send your OFII (French Office for Immigration and Integration) application and a copy of your stamped visa. Then you wait patiently for your convocation letters. Convocation is a fancy word for a letter summoning you to complete your visa process. You usually will get two letters for two separate appointments.

Once you get the letter in the mail you will get an appointment for a medical exam. This appointment is outside of Paris but our Metro passes worked fine. We were lucky to get our appointment scheduled for 10:30 am. I was dreading a 8:00 am appointment which would mean we would have to bring Olivia with us so she was in school. It took about 45 minutes to get there and we arrived an hour early. We stood in line outside and after waiting about 40 minutes Antz realized we were waiting in the refugees seeking asylum line. Whoopsie. If you have an appointment you just go to the door and show the security guard your letter.

  This appointment is to get a chest x-ray to prove you don’t have tuberculosis (how is that still a thing?) we also had our blood drawn, had a quick medical questionnaire with a doctor and did I mention I had to be topless TWICE?!

I knew I would have to take my shirt off for the chest x-ray but I thought I could leave my bra on. We had to navigate the whole appointment with our terrible French and there seemed to be only a few doctors who spoke English. I reluctantly disrobed and went into a room with no female doctor as I anticipated, but a tiny male doctor who was intent on having a conversation with me about the Royal Wedding while I held my boobs awkwardly.

He tells me to stand in front of the x-ray machine and press my boobs into the screen. I’m like, okay anything to stay in Paris, I guess? He then tells me to put my arms down and put my necklace in my mouth so it won’t show up in the x-ray. Then he asks me if I attended the royal wedding? Do I personally know Meghan Markle because she is from Los Angeles? Then he tried to make me answer these annoying questions with my Olivia necklace in my mouth while I tried to keep my boobs on a metal x-ray machine. This really happened. This doctor was as tall as Olivia and he was one of the only English speaking doctors. I heard him say the exact same thing to the next woman who went in. She sounded more amused than I was.

So after I survived that trauma, I went into another room. There a doctor who doesn’t speak English. He weighed me (I’ve lost 10 pounds!!) measured my height, gave me an eye test and drew my blood (ouchie). He was amazing with sign language so I understood everything. Then sent me to go wait again.

The last room is another take off your top area and then you walk into a small office. This time I kept my bra on because I was feeling like an unpaid prostitute. I casually sat down and spoke to a handsome doctor who had to use Google to translate our conversation. He explained that I was healthy, asked me some questions and stamped a certificate stating I was all good. He checked my heartbeat which is why I needed my shirt off. So ladies, wear a nice bra because you want to impress!

Then it was over. Hooray!

The front desk gives you the signed and stamped medical certificates and then you take the long, hot bus back into Paris. The funny thing is, the city we were in had this modern tram so we wanted to try to take it back into Paris. We hopped on and noticed we were heading further away from Paris so we took it back to the original station.

The Health Exam office is:

221 Avenue Pierre Brossolette Montrouge, France

Our next appointment was a week later, also scheduled for 10:00 am. This OFII office was located in the 11th so it was close by. This time we knew to walk right in. We waited in a room for about a half an hour and listened to the three clerks interact with the people. Most of the people waiting spoke French but the few that spoke English ended up with the guy clerk. There was a mean lady and a nice-sounding lady. After hearing the mean lady, we crossed our fingers we would be called by the nice one. Luckily, she called my name! She asked for my paperwork and only spoke French. Since we hired a visa consultant, I knew everything she would ask for so it was easy to understand. She accepted all my paperwork and didn’t have any issues. She asked me if my husband was here and I called Antz over. He handed over his papers and she told me to relax and breathe as she stamped our visas.

I have never said Merci more in my life. I was so happy! Guess what? Five months before March (October) we get to start the process all over again for our renewal!

We decided to celebrate by going to lunch at one of the most touristy places in Paris.

I was feeling officially French but then we got a waiter who didn’t have time for me ordering in French. I literally was saying “Je voudrais oeufs avec frommage et un croissant beurre.” He then impatiently said “What do you want?” Le Sigh.

I am destined to never speak French.

This is what we brought to our visa appointment:

Proof of residence (lease agreement or housing attestation) The clerk asked if we had a utility bill in our name but our utilities are included in our rent so she said okay.

Medical certificate (this is why you need to go to the first appointment) I’ve also heard some people may need to bring a vaccination chart, they just asked me if I was vaccinated for tetanus and I said yes when I was pregnant with Olivia.

Passport with your stamped visa (I still hate the picture the LA French consulate took)

Another passport size photo (remember when I bought $96 worth of visa photos?)

A receipt showing you paid your tariffs. Our timbres were €250 each. Children do not have to attend this appointment or pay a tariff.

The address to send your OFII application and stamped visa is:

48 rue de la Roquette 75011 Paris, France

Here is a recap of our Los Angeles visa experience, please ask me anything in the comments.

Moving abroad guides: part one & part two, and my guide for applying for a visa.

Bisous

SaveSaveSaveSave

Moving Abroad: Finalizing our visas at the OFII in France Hi There, So are you ready for this rad guide to finalizing our long stay visitor visa?!

#moving abroad #Paris #visa

[pom-conjuring]

Best Traveling Experience at Affordable Cost

We like to freshen after long days of work, occasionally we fed up with our everyday life. Busy and hectic life isn't always good, our soul and mind requires some refreshments. Sometime, we will need to break loose and go for a few refreshing travel.

Traveling into the new areas and within distinct people and civilization gets your body and mind boggling. There are numerous time for travel it's possible to opt for weekend travel, per week traveling or a months long travel. Some may like adventure traveling and a few prefer to explore new culture, food and customs. An individual can choose nature of the travel according to time period and interest.

As an example, we can categorize traveling into two unique sections, one is inbound travel and other is outbound travel . In bound travel refers to travel inside one's nation, where outbound travel is traveling to another country. People do not just travel for pleasure, they travel sometime for business purpose also. As an example, meeting new company parties or to explore new business ventures, for this one requires everything that business class service offers. You're suggested to select a dependable travel provider or travel tour operators, who have a long experience of organizing, otherwise your time and money can go waste. You can also get advice from relatives or friends who have an experience of travel that place where you're going to.

Before deciding, you will need to keep in mind several things like booking a flight, train ticket to visit some other country or town, booking a resort or package where you are It's a smart choice to reserve these from a certified travel provider or tour operators, they'll manage all of your traveling needs based on your requirements including hotel booking, flight, train ticket booking, excursion or tour packages. You must plan or book your journey in advance otherwise it can be problematic to have tickets and everything becomes expensive in the past minutes, as you know.

Before opting for a holiday to another country there are just a few things you need to ensure to check firsthand, about passport and visas, travel insurance, custom regulations and rules of visiting state as well as the weather conditions. You have to bring suitable clothing according to the weather state of the new location, if you collect information regarding customs, religions and culture of visiting new location or country it'll be quite easy to travel as you're well aware of the scenarios.

Picking a responsible and knowledgeable travel company which offers the cheapest ticket pricing and cheapest travel package cost makes your journey pleasant and memorable.

Do Travel Agents Get Free Trips? Part 2

Yes: travel agents DO traveling for free

In an earlier article, I discussed 4 ways that travel agents do come out of the pocket to pay for their trips. This time around I will explain how they also save and even travel for free.

Booking Groups Can Get You a Free Pass

There are incentives for booking groups (that group travel is the most lucrative bookings in the travel industry ought to be incentive enough). When an agent publications so many rooms (hotel) or cottages (on a cruise), they cold get a free room or cottage or cash (not counting the commission) that they can use toward their room or cottage. Of course this is all dependent on the seller's group coverage, quantity needed and that is assigned as group leader.

Actually you don't need to be a travel agent to have this benefit I'm described above. If you're not a travel agent and you choose to book a group, if you're the group leader, you might well get these benefits (ask your travel agent they ought to inform you that up front). This is the only way (out of a regular guest program) a non-travel agent could get perks extended to them... so in case you wish to get some perks from your journey. . .think in groups!

Travel Contests

Another way a broker could go free may be determined by sales volume for a particular property or destination in a special niche. Some travel sellers and agencies may offer free excursions to top brokers as incentive or awards for sales performance. Such awards are offered as contents too! I have seen some really exotic destinations, life a fully expense paid trip to Costa Rica (wow!) Offered to competition winners in my agency, making it worth trying to have your sales

Travel Perks can be Great

Agents can sometimes benefit from extended'courtesies' or perks, which is an extra advantage of being in the travel sector. We call them courtesies because no seller is bound to expand perks just because a traveling professional identifies themselves as such. If an alternative for a room upgrade or car rental update can be obtained, agents will ask first if of course, and it is up to the seller to expand free amenities, services or perks to brokers upward presentation of valid credentials. These perks may also have displays, attraction tickets, tours and much more.

Agents Travel Free from the Future

This is the part I love about being a home travel professional! It truly is all free in the long term! How is that? Travel professionals are permitted to legally write off their travel 100%. Yes, they can, so regardless if you're a broker who paid for their trip, you're in the business of travel, making all of your traveling 100% tax deductable. So if you're a travel agent, the secret is to record your trip and save your receipts so that you can legally write off your excursions at the close of the tax year!

Just to recap, there are 4 main ways travel agents can travel for free:

1. Booking groups and Receiving room, cottage, or financial credit 2. Agency and Vendor Contests 3. Perks & updates 4. Write-off your travel 100 percent

Attention All Agents: save those receipts and document, document, document!

If you're not a travel agent and you're an avid traveler, you're throwing money away! Discover how to be a part time travel agent and receive the benefits of owning an online travel business!

#travel #traveling professional #Travel Agents #Best Traveling Experience #Affordable Cost

[gypsysouladventr-blog]

Before going on my cruise, I specifically asked my friend Patricia if we could choose islands that I have never been to before. I wanted to get as many of those pins on my world map as I could. So that when my friends came over I could get a surge of dopamine we all crave when you hear them exclaim, “Wow! Look at all the places you have been! I’m so jealous!” Then I would smile with an air of pride & respond, “Yeah, I have been really lucky to be able to travel to THAT many places”. It wasn’t that I wanted to make them feel smaller for my having traveled so much, but more because I have my own insecurities about SEVERAL different things that seem to constantly hold me back. So to get this type of response from visitors, man it is a powerful rush & really makes me feel like one of the cool kids!

Well, Jamaica changed me, at least it did with the people that I was able to encounter there. I am not one who likes to follow the herd. I wanted a unique and private adventure where Patricia and I could bond, enjoy nature and take lots of cool pictures (for FB & IG of course).

(below: Carolyn giving this sweet little puppy some love 🙂

We met up with Carolyn, from Barrett Adventures, and her tag line “off the beaten path” was literally like I found a kindred spirit a half a world away! I LOVED this, her, and the adventures she had in store for us. So I talked with Patricia who was very hesitant in doing anything that did not involve the overly priced shore excursion, with 80 other people photo bombing you throughout your expensive trip. Through my negotiating powers, and begging and pleading, she agreed to do go with Barret Adventures; but said I would be held personally responsible by her husband if anything should happen to her. She said she was only half joking (insert large gulp).

Well we got to Jamaica, Carolyn was there waiting for us with a sign, and she quickly whisked us away from the main town center ahead of the crowd. We started winding up the hills, were taken through the small beachside towns, and would stop frequently to show us the different plants that were so abundant on the island for anyone to eat.

Here you see a Cocoa plant, I had no idea how much they look like acorn squash! Not only that but how tough the skin is to cut through, the sticky outer shell that has an incredibly slimy texture, but is so sweet you think your just ate a piece of candy, and then the slightly powdery bitter center that is the chocolate bean itself. It was the part she said next that really got me, “now you see how it has that bitter taste? Think of how much sugar they are actually putting inside chocolate to make it taste so sweet. Something to think about”.

We continued on our journey, Carolyn told us about how she ended up in Jamaica. She was actually one of the only female divers that was able to be accepted into a diving school. When she told her parents, they nearly disowned her and chained her to her bed. But Carolyn’s adventurous and strong willed nature propelled her to what she calls her life today. She left the East Coast, with all its stuffy over cramped buildings and headed to the ocean, where she was this young woman who was keeping company with…. well….. roughens of her time. Guys who were likely just let out of jail and a diving job is what they could get. She put up a good fight, learned how to swear like a sailor, sail like the best of them, got her own boat and toured around the islands of the Caribbean. She actually met her husband in Jamaica, as a chance meeting. He was so enamored with her that he came to the place where she was staying, knocked on the door and pronounced, “I would like to marry you, and I’m not leaving until you say yes”. Well he stayed out there for about a week or so, and Carolyn decided that if he was that determined, why not. So they got hitched an started up, ‘Barrett Adventures’, which is now one of the top rated tours on Trip advisor.

We came to Mayfield Falls entrance, walked down the slippery entrance, while the locals were just walking down barefoot and fancy free— literally — yes this did include exuberant singing and conversations with all the strangers who were walking along the same path. One such fellow decided to befriend me, can’t think of his name at the moment because I was kind of crushing on him a little bit. So sue me, I have a thing for foreign guys, something about the accent makes me want to swoon……lest I digress.

He ended up being our guide, and was so fun! He would help us over the harder spots when we were hiking up the river, then sneak ahead and jump out right in front. Having worked at the Trauma 2 Hospital at night, I pictured one of the more terrible cases I had helped with & I was going to watch it happen right before me into this shallow riverbed. Well like all magic tricks, and to my shock…wonder….awe….there was no mangled body, he just disappeared below the water & came up smiling like a little kid at our shocked faces. At one point I even joined him, as afraid of heights as I am, I climbed up a very precariously built ladder onto a tree that had been cut in half as my landing pad. Patricia was yelling, “BE CAREFUL!” and then, “JUST DO IT!” while laughing the whole time. I was hyperventilating because I’m so scared of heights, well of what happens after you fall, as I have seen the worst of the worse in my day— but I did it. The feeling of being weightless for about 10 seconds, everyone holds their breath…hoping you jumped out far enough not to who everyone what the inside of your skull looks, then the rush of the water as it swallows your toes then legs then shoulders like a very hungry boa constrictor; only to emerge victorious & giddy with Adrenaline. Ahhhhh… I love the Adrenaline rush, and it is kind of like you won the talent show, as everyone claps & laughs. Bonding……isn’t it great. Well, on with our show, our guide showed us all the hidden caves where you could swim under the water and come up breath for a few & swim up river again.

Where are the pictures you ask of this amazing adventure? In a cruel twist of fate, my camera battery died about 20 minutes into the trip! Yes, you can all groan and cry a little for me…. I was devastated! How would everyone know how much fun I had?!?! Well, as they say, the show must go on— and I dare say, I enjoyed my time so much more than I possibly would have if I would have had that camera in proper working order. I actually looked around me, smelled the things around me, laughed a little more, stressed a little less about how I looked & who would notice my rolls and cottage cheese on my legs. Who cares! I think this is when I really started to appreciate that I had a body that was working, I could do the hiking, I could keep up (relatively well, lol) — and my memories and being able to connect with the people I was traveling with actually is what made it all so worth it. We got to Mayfield Falls & we were the only ones there, it was so BEAUTIFUL with 4 cascading waterfalls one after the other, gurgling, swirling and spinning like a dance under the bamboo canopy of the Jamaican Jungle with 4 unlikely people enjoying God’s green earth & this hidden gem, off the beaten path.

In order to keep schedule and not be stranded in Jamaica without our passports we quickly moved on to the hike through villages and the Jungle. This is where we met Harry, the mysterious man with the unspoken rough past, standing there in his tank top, phanny pack, shorts that were far to big for him & emblazoned with (what should be the countries official plant) Marijuana leaf. I was a little nervous at first seeing him, but as soon as he started speaking, I relaxed and his jovial infectious nature & positive vibes just had us all laughing and really enjoying our time.

He took us through the Jungle and pointed out all the plants. There was one plant that when Slavery was a still present was planted around fields — it has a special characteristic to it. That if you touch it, it will close its leaves rapidly for about 20 minutes & all that is required is a light touch. This way if the slaves tried to run, the ‘owners’ could catch them and know exactly where they had run to.  When I saw this, suddenly I became quiet and wanted to cry, its like the earth of this place testified of what he was saying, and its almost like I could feel a glimmer of how trapped these people had felt…..and for so long. The cruelty that humans are capable of, against their own species……it makes the strongest of us cry. People may think this sort of thing doesn’t happen today, or are just blind to it, just like they were in that time period, excusing it as a, “oh it’s just how the world works right now” — but thank God above for those who had the courage to stop the atrocities that happened on this beautiful island.

Next we literally bushwhacked our way through the thick vines, overhang, wet a slipping and a sliding over the humidity coated palm and banana leaves. Through a village, where Harry secretly showed us some Marijuana plants; how they grow etc….. Being a Physician Assistant, I have never actually tried the stuff, and care too much about my license to try it for recreational purposes; but again, was amazed at how humans fight over this small unique leafed plant that is only about 12 inches tall. I was beginning to feel the weight of how humanity is so backwards.

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There is abundance in Jamaica, someone from the States may come to Jamaica and think, “look how poor they are with their tin roofs collecting the unsanitary water from the rain. Look at the terrible life they have”; but in reality….the people here have more opportunity and communal community than anything I have experienced within the USA. We may be the greatest nation in military and monetary value, but sometimes I feel we traded that for things that have far greater importance….I will let you think of your own opinion on what those things missing in the States could be.

In the end, this trip humbled me in ways that were very surprising…. I realized how selfish I was, how much beauty and quality of life is really in the eye of the beholder, how much the media contributes to skewed images of what the ‘perfect’ life is because of how lucrative commercialism is. I know some may disagree with me, but living a life of luxury and showing off my amazing trips became less important to me. The stories of the people I meet, their lives, their hopes, their fears and what drives them to get up everyday are the things that I vowed I would cherish the most from this trip.

My Jumanji adventure in Jamaica Before going on my cruise, I specifically asked my friend Patricia if we could choose islands that I have never been to before.

[avecorviidae]

Fic: Aubade - Chapter Five

Fandom: Mob Psycho 100 Rating: M Relationship(s): Kageyama Ritsu/Suzuki Shou Word Count: 4703

Ao3 Link

There were six trains leaving Seasoning Station on the day they set off: two in the morning, and four in the afternoon.

Ritsu had immediately and vehemently vetoed the 6 AM train, whereas Shou had objected to taking another night train, on the grounds that he couldn’t sleep on trains at all, and he needed Ritsu awake to keep him company, so that had ruled out the two trains leaving after 6 PM. They’d both been kind of iffy about the early-afternoonish trains, knowing they were the most likely to have families and tourists and the like.

So, their little group had ended up huddled together on the platform, waiting sleepily for the 9 AM train to pull in.

Ritsu’s parents had said their goodbyes the night before at the house, so it’s just Mob, Teru, and Reigen who’ve shown up to send them off at the station. As usual, their group is receiving some odd looks from the sparse groups of people scattered around the station, although every employee they’ve met has recognized Reigen and Mob on sight.

Shou is, Ritsu thinks, not actually awake. Oh, sure, he’s standing, and he’d showered and gotten dressed and dragged luggage behind him on the walk, but he hasn’t actually formed a coherent sentence yet, and he’s been leaning on Ritsu more and more heavily for about the past five minutes. He has no less than three times flipped off Teru, who actually had the nerve to jog ahead of them to the station, is wearing neon pink running shorts, and is drinking something that looks like shit and smells like the ghost of bananas past.

Reigen, for what feels like the thousandth time, starts to drill Ritsu. “You have your phone? Your wallet?” “Yes, of course.” “Your chargers?” “Yeah, we-- wait.” It’s always worth double-checking the chargers. He leans down and partially unzips one of the pockets of the suitcase at his feet, and finding a horrifically tangled ball of two phone chargers and two laptop chargers exactly where they’d been when he’d last checked three minutes ago, nods. “Got the chargers.” Reigen still looks dissatisfied. Between his supply checks and Mob’s constant drifting back and forth from where the train schedule is posted, Ritsu thinks that the two of them are going to worrywart each other into a full blown panic. “Do you have your passport?” Ritsu blinks in confusion. “My passpo– Dad, we’re not fleeing the country!”

“Not yet!” Reigen replies, waving his arms frantically as if this is a legitimate possibility that Ritsu should’ve prepared for. He snorts and doesn’t reply, instead opting to mull over what’s more likely to get someone from his family deported from the country: Reigen’s scam business, or Teru’s fashion choices. While, sure, aspects of Reigen’s business are technically illegal, Teru’s outfits are simply in bad taste.

They hear the train before they see it, a distant chugging that breaks through the annoying bird noises and the vague chatter of the other people at the station. Around them, Ritsu sees most of the other people waiting on the platform straighten up, readjust their backpacks and jackets, start shifting around in anticipation. Surprisingly, Shou’s the same, pulling himself away from Ritsu’s side and blinking around them, looking fully awake for the first time that morning. Ritsu pushes down the handle on his little wheely case and hefts it onto his back, reaching out to take the larger suitcase from Mob. He’s not sure how he ended up carrying the most stuff, considering that out of the three bags they’ve brought, most of the stuff inside of them belongs to Shou. While Ritsu had only grabbed the bare necessities and a few jackets and shirts from his room, packing up Shou’s belongings had been a goddamn ordeal, including doing three loads of laundry from his already packed suitcase, and a two-hour long argument about whether or not it was appropriate to bring an entire desk lamp on a new move.

(“It’s my oldest friend!” Shou had argued, trying to wrestle it from Ritsu’s hands. “Six years I have known you, Suzuki, and never once has there been a working bulb in this lamp.”) Ritsu is eternally grateful that he doesn’t have a family that sobs as they send him off somewhere. The sadness he’s feeling is familiar, a pre-emptive homesickness that sinks into his stomach, makes him want to look around and take everything in so that he’ll remember the exact details of Seasoning City forever, makes him want to call the whole thing off and just stay home. Mob is smiling though, just a little, when he pulls him in for a hug, and all he feels from the aura that envelops him is warmth. “Be safe,” he murmurs into Ritsu’s shoulder. “Text me when you get there.” He receives quick but back-breaking hugs from Teru and Reigen that leave him gasping for air, but he finds that Shou got the short end of the Farewell Stick, because he looks over to see Mob giving him a hug that has him flailing with his feet a good few inches off the ground.

Reigen ushers them onto the train before they can be idiots and miss it, and Shou half climbs over Ritsu in the seats to wave out of the windows as the train starts to move. A quick jolt sends Shou sprawling, and it’s only bracing himself between the table and Ritsu’s shoulder that stops him from whacking his head on the window. Ritsu’s laughing even as he pushes Shou out of his lap, trying to get him to sit in his own goddamn seat for, oh, two minutes? Admittedly, there’s been an odd feeling of dread tinging his excitement, keeping him subdued over the past few days as they planned. It was the lingering worry that even though their plans, their situation, was becoming more and more concrete, that it wouldn’t actually happen. That some intangible, nonexistent problem would suddenly pop up and stop everything. He feels it settle, dissipate. He watches Shou move into the seats on the other side of the table, settling with his back against the window and his legs stretched out in front of him, and thinks, We’re actually doing this. It sounds almost stupidly awed to his own mind, and it’s threatening to put a giddy sort of smile on his face, and he manages to tamp down on it only because he knows that if Shou notices, he’ll ask about it, which will eventually lead to Ritsu being forced to admit that he’s feeling things, which, well, no.

Shou, for his part, manages to stay quiet and relatively still for all of three minutes before he starts fidgeting. He pulls out his phone, but seems to think better of it, because he puts it down in favour of looking over at Ritsu. “Can I borrow your phone?” On autopilot, he reaches into his pocket to hand it over, but stops himself. “Why…?” He asks, squinting, knowing he probably doesn’t want to know the answer. Shou leans over the table, making grabby hands at the phone, pouting when Ritsu moves his hand so that it’s just out of his reach. “Please? It’ll be funnier if I do it on yours!” On one hand, Shou’s desperation is kind of hilarious, and Ritsu isn’t sure he wants to know exactly what he’s planning. On the other hand, he’s got another ten hours on this train, and if he doesn’t give in now, Shou will literally carry on at him the entire time until he does. With a resigned sigh, he hands his phone over, and then groans when Shou immediately points it at him, obviously taking pictures. Instinctively, he flips Shou off, sending him a death glare, before looking at the camera and throwing up a peace sign with dead eyes. He relaxes when Shou finally puts the phone down and starts tapping away at the screen, and contents himself with staring out the window until Shou breaks the silence. “What the fuck is a Shigeo?” He asks, incredulous. Ritsu reaches out to try and snatch the phone back from Shou. “It’s my brother, you fuck, what are you sending to him?” Shou holds the phone out of his reach, contorting himself so that he can keep typing with it held above his head. Finally, he finishes and hands it back to Ritsu with a self-satisfied grin. Like the cat that got the cream, he thinks, and then two moments later, Oh god, what did he do. He taps in his passcode and finds his messaging app already open. TO: SHIGEO, TERUKI, DAD, YOUR FAVOURITE ;) [Picture Attached] [Picture Attached] we r. on the fuckin train.

FROM: DAD Language.

FROM: SHIGEO Be safe!!! <33

FROM: TERUKI Don’t look up anything inappropriate on his phone or he might kill you ;p

TO: SHIGEO, TERUKI, DAD, YOUR FAVOURITE ;) wow r00d TO: SHIGEO, TERUKI, DAD, YOUR FAVOURITE ;) I have my phone back. ignore him entirely.

FROM: YOUR FAVOURITE ;) WOW R00D

-

Shou, when he’s jetlagged at least, is a little like a windup toy.

He’ll run around at the speed of sound for a while, and talk your ear off given half the chance, but after a while he starts to grow noticeably… slower. Of course, he’ll protest the fact, still make a decent imitation of a hyperactive kitten, but all in all, it grows more sluggish until finally, inevitably, he keels over.

On the train? He doesn’t even last an hour. It’s easy to get drawn into a conversation with Shou, even easier to let him jump from topic to topic as something new strikes his fancy, and so Ritsu learns about Shou’s year overseas in a patchwork of unrelated information, one minute hearing about the godawful coffee served by this one particular Korean hotel, and the next about some strange western kids’ cartoon he’d seen at some ungodly hour of the morning. It’s always a fun little game with this, trying to piece together the snippets of information like puzzle pieces, except he’s working with about three different puzzles, and he can’t find any edge pieces. In this state, waving his arms around wildly to emphasize his points and cutting himself off every other sentence, Ritsu thinks it’s basically impossible to get a coherent story out of Shou. The probability goes even further down when Shou pauses mid-sentence to yawn. Ritsu finds himself yawning in response, but he manages to ask around it, “You tired?” Shou snorts. “Pff, nah. I’m great. I slept for like, seven hours yesterday.” Now, Ritsu, because he actually wanted to be awake in time to, oh, catch the train, had gone to bed at a half-decent time the previous night. He had, however, woken up for the bathroom at some point, and he knows for a fact that Shou is rather generously rounding up from not much more than three. While Shou looks awake, it’s a bad sort of awake, an ‘I really should be sleeping now oh god’ sort of awake, an ‘I am awake out of sheer determination not to be asleep’ sort of awake, the type of slow-blinking, faux-happy sort of awake that Ritsu forces after he’s just pulled an all-nighter for an essay. God, at least he’s usually had coffee or cereal or something. Shou, with a bad tendency to get nauseous in the mornings, hadn’t so much as been able to touch the water Ritsu had offered, let alone the leftover smoothie Teru had tried to shove in his face.

He tugs a jacket out of his bag and hands it over wordlessly. Shou eyes it for a moment, like a deer liable to be spooked, before reaching out and snatching it from him. There are a few moments of adjustments before he settles, arms folded on the table and the hoodie bundled on top of it as a pillow. Ritsu sees him blink heavily for a little before his eyes fall closed, and then he’s out like a light. He’s vaguely disturbed by how quickly Shou manages to fall asleep, especially in a weird position like that. Sure, he’d managed it back in high school, when his only options for quick naps had been to rest his head on the desk or risk it falling out of his cupped hands when he nodded off. Still, it had always left him stiff and vaguely sick, his stomach protesting being bent over in the single laziest yoga position in existence for any length of time. So, he doesn’t really understand why it’s Shou’s first choice, when there’s a perfectly good window right there. For his part, Ritsu isn’t quite drowsy enough to sleep, so he messes around on his phone for a while, switching from app to app until it buzzes with an email. FROM: [email protected] TO: [email protected]

Mr. Kageyama,

This email is to inform you that we have received your notification of residence change.

You will be required to vacate your dormitory at least one (1) week prior to the beginning of the new academic year, on June 30th. You must notify the University’s department of Student Housing within three (3) days of your vacating your dormitory. The department of Student Housing can be reached at [phone] .

Ritsu leans back and pulls one knee to his chest, sighing.

This was what it came down to, really, actually finding a place to live. Somewhere within walking distance of the university, with four walls, a roof, and a floor, two bedrooms, working plumbing, and included appliances. It seemed impossible. This, he had thought, this is where it will all come crashing down. And yet. They’d spent most of yesterday looking at online listings, emailing and calling landlords, setting up viewings. The less time spent in Ritsu’s dorm, the better, after all. They’d actually had to narrow down their choices, from ten to seven to about four or five places that they both agreed looked promising. He decides he might as well get something productive done while he’s here, and starts to tap out an email. FROM: [email protected] TO: [email protected]

Mr. Nishigori, My name is Kageyama Ritsu; we spoke a few days ago on the phone, about a possible tour of your apartment on Amaranth Street. My friend and I will be in town later tonight, and were hoping to set up a time as soon as possible. We would greatly appreciate if you could give us a set of times that work for your schedule over the next couple of days. Thank you for your time,

Kageyama Ritsu [phone]

He sends a couple more emails along those lines, even gets a couple of replies, before it suddenly hits him again, this light, giddy feeling, like his heart is filled with helium and it’s trying to float into his throat. We’re actually doing this, he thinks, and stifles a vaguely hysterical giggle.

On instinct, he gives a cursory sweep of the train to make sure that nobody actually noticed the weirdo laughing to himself. Thankfully, the only other people in the compartment with them are a small family that seem to be occupying themselves with some travel game, the kind of “what can you see out of the window” tactic that his parents employed on him and Mob when they were kids in the car, and then a few more people scattered around in individual seats, either occupied by their own phones or fast asleep.

He’d shrugged on a thin hoodie this morning, to face the early morning chill as they walked to the station, but now that the sun has properly risen he finds himself uncomfortably warm and vaguely sweaty. He pulls it off, leaving it bunched at his back, and notes with absent interest that they’re driving through a forest of some sort. For the most part, the sun only manages to break through the foliage in bits and pieces, painting the compartment in shadowed, dappled greens. Occasionally though, there’ll be a gap in the trees allowing the sun to hit him. Right in the eyes. Inevitably, they chug past the forest, and Ritsu is left completely defenseless against the ball of burning hellfire in the sky. He tries holding his hand in the exact position needed to block it out, but, well, his arm gets tired pretty quickly. He tries draping his hoodie over his head, but the cavern of black fabric gets too hot to breathe in pretty quickly, and Ritsu has little-to-no interest in becoming a baked potato. He’s pretty sure this is a decent argument as to why they should’ve taken the night train, but whatever, he can’t really be bothered to wake Shou up to make a point.

Heaving a greatly put-upon sigh, he stands, steadying himself on the table. He grabs Shou’s backpack from the spare seat and chucks it unceremoniously across to where he was just sitting, and plops down beside Shou. Now that the sun isn’t making a concerted effort at blinding him, he can see the light glinting off of Shou’s hair, lighting it up like some sort of precious metal. There are a lot of dust motes floating around his head.

-

Shou only wakes up once in the next six or so hours, and then only briefly. By the three and a half hour mark, Ritsu has done everything he can think of to keep himself occupied, including looking for shapes in the clouds, doing terrible little stick figure doodles in his notebook, doing what little he can without wifi on his laptop (about fifty seven games of solitare, not that he’s keeping track,) and a short-lived and incredibly uncomfortable nap. He feels like he should be able to sleep, given the easy, lazy warmth of the train, given how easily Shou has been able to slip into it, the soft lines of his shoulders in his white shirt rising and falling as he breathes, blending seamlessly with the almost ethereal summer light.

He’d managed to entertain himself with his phone, for a little while, but once it had hit less than half battery he’d decided to turn it off and definitely not think about it at all, in case he needed to use it for something actually important.

So, he half jumps out of his skin when it starts vibrating like mad in his back pocket. He fumbles with it until he can see that Matsuo is calling him.

“Hey! Kageyama! My bro! Rumor around here is that you’re ditching us, bro!” Ritsu forces himself to bite back ‘I’m not your bro, bro,’ instead deciding on a polite, “Hello, Matsuo. Yes, I’m moving out.” “Ha, dude, nice! Did you score with some chick? Are you actually moving in with your girl? You always seemed like a player, bro!” Ritsu squints. How in the fuck would I strike anyone as a player? A movement to his left draws his attention, and he looks over to see Shou stirring, propping himself up on one elbow to blink blearily at Ritsu. There are red lines in the pattern of the hoodie fabric all over his cheek, and Ritsu has to hold back a laugh at the knockoff Two-Face vibes. He waves dismissively at Shou’s questioning look, a sort of ‘tell you in a minute’ kind of gesture that he hopes Shou understands. “Yeah, about that,” he starts, unsure how to breach the topic. “I’m actually moving in with a friend of mine, but he just got back from overseas, so neither of us actually have a place yet. Is it cool if he sleeps on the couch for the next couple of days, until we’re good?”

“Ha, I can do you one better, bro! Daichi’s still chillin’ with his girlfriend until the end of break, so your dude can just crash in his bed instead!” A pause, and then, “...Yo, Kageyama, is this buddy of yours the one that drank five Red Bulls when you were skyping him, like, to prove that he could?” Ritsu sighs. Naturally, Matsuo has his priorities straight. “Yes. Yes it is.” “Tell him I said hi, yo. He’s hardcore.” A hardcore dumbass, Ritsu thinks, but what manages to come out of his mouth is, “Will do. Thanks, Matsuo.” “Anytime, bro!” As soon as he hangs up he turns to Shou, who’s back at it with the questioning eyes in full force. He’s not quite upright anymore, having slipped downwards so that his head is half-pillowed between the crook of his elbow and the hoodie. Ritsu shakes his head, summarizing. “Just my roommate. He wanted to know if I was actually leaving. Also, Daichi’s gone, so you can take his bed until we get a place.” Shou nods, which is an action really more to the effect of rubbing his face against the jacket, but Ritsu gets the general idea.

“Daichi’s the one you sleep with, right?” He murmurs. “Again, phrasing, but yeah, he’s in my room. I emailed a few of the landlords for the places we were looking at, so hopefully we can decide within a couple days what we’re–” He interrupts himself, in favour of asking the real questions. “Are you… alright? Shou has buried his face entirely in the hoodie. Ritsu isn’t sure exactly how he can be breathing. After a few moments of complete silence, Shou turns his head back to face him. “Not to be creepy, but this jacket smells like your house. It’s. It’s good.”

Ritsu blinks, raises one eyebrow. He feels like he maybe should find that creepy, but it’s not the weirdest thing Shou has ever said to him, and in this state, delirious and actually nuzzling his jacket, it’s almost… is cute the right word for it? Flattering, maybe. Endearing. Something like that, some word he can’t name for the fond exasperation colouring his smile and his voice as he says, “Oh? And what does my house smell like?” “Hmmmmmmmmmn.” Shou makes a long noise of consideration, burrowing his nose into the fabric again. “Smells like you.”

He’s asleep again before Ritsu can even try to think of a response to that one.

-

He’d had to physically drag Shou away from Matsuo, who had a six pack of some godawful energy drink and some very, very bad ideas which were right up Shou’s avenue.

It feels oddly intimate, having Shou sitting across from him in a pair of faded Sonic boxer shorts on his tiny, creaky bed in his tiny, creaky dorm room. He’s cross-legged, coveting a pile of snacks he’d pillaged from the communal pantry in his lap, but he doesn’t complain when Ritsu snatches a chip from his hand every now and again. Ritsu’s been trying to keep them on-topic, but it’s difficult, when Shou’s been wound up again, and he’s bouncing off the walls. He chews thoughtfully for a moment, then asks, “Do you guys have any soda?” Ritsu sighs. “The last thing you need is more sugar.”

At that, Shou perks up, and then he’s gone, bouncing off of the bed and running to the other side of the room with a force that Ritsu thinks must’ve woken up everyone in the next three floors below them. Somehow, his pile of snacks is still on the bed, looking relatively undisturbed. He rummages around in the pockets of his backpack, dumped on top of his suitcase at the foot of Daichi’s bed, until he eventually comes up with– “Shou, no.”

Shou jumps back onto the bed, and this time, a granola bar goes flying. Shou doesn’t seem to notice, because all of his attention is on the bag of melted chocolate and broken dreams that used to be his mother’s cookies. “No, nonononono no,” Ritsu says as Shou starts to open the bag, and leans back so that he can dig his heels into Shou’s back and forcefully push him to the floor. Shou goes willingly, rolling onto his back with the cookies curled close to his chest, and giggling like a maniac. It makes him laugh in return, despite himself. “No. You eat that on Daichi’s bed, you little shit, or you get nothing.”

Shou already somehow covered in melted chocolate, scurries over to Daichi’s bed and hops on with an evil sort of grin that almost makes Ritsu feel sorry for Daichi, the poor ass. Ritsu dumps the rest of the snacks onto the floor and stretches out on his newly free bed.

“As I was saying,” he begins, as if it hadn’t been twenty minutes since he’d last been derailed, “We’re looking at three apartments tomorrow, so we’ll need to leave here kind of early. I know a place we can get lunch. Most of the ones we’re looking at are pretty much fully furnished, so if we do decide on a place tomorrow, we might be able to talk the landlord into letting us sleep there tomorrow night. Especially if we can wave some money around, or whatever. If we can’t…” he sighs. “I can’t say I want to spend much more time here, but it won’t be the end of the world.” He turns his head to look at Shou. “Sound alright?” The look on Shou’s face is something Ritsu doesn’t get to see much out of him: awe. He’s staring, wide eyed and blank for a few beats before he seems to shake himself. “Yeah,” he says, firmly, and then, “Yeah, that’s…” this time, much less so. The silence hangs in the air, pensive and waiting to be filled, so Ritsu waits. Eventually, Shou rolls onto his back, staring resolutely at the ceiling. He starts. “You’re so… on top of this.” Ritsu bites back his immediate retort of ‘well, one of us has to be.’ It’s a joke, but from the vulnerable, almost reticent tone of Shou’s voice, he has the feeling it might hit a little too close to home. At a lack of response, Shou keeps going. “I guess I thought… I, I don’t know what I thought! I didn’t think I’d get this far, I didn’t think you’d agree to this in the first place! It was just some… some dumb idea I had that seemed fun in my head and you’re…” he waves his hands around in some gesture that could mean anything, that sends panic deep into Ritsu’s mind, because he’s sure that Shou is about to finish that sentence with “You’re actually taking this seriously.” What he says instead, is “...You’re actually making this work!” And then he puts voice to what Ritsu’s been thinking for almost a week now, spoken softly, like if one of them finally says it aloud, then, then is when it becomes real. “We’re really doing this.”

Ritsu breathes, “Yeah, we are.” It’s a stupid worry, really, but he can’t help but pray that this isn’t the moment Shou decides he regrets it.

“Thank you,” he says, and it’s almost painfully earnest. “I seriously don’t know how any of this stuff works, and I was just sort of going to, I don’t know, wing it? When I thought I was doing this on my own. But you’re just sort of… doing it. We’re actually looking at apartments tomorrow. And I’m…” And this time, Ritsu can’t resist the jab. “Lying on my roommate’s bed covered in chocolate?” Luckily, neither can Shou. “At least I’ll always bring the sex appeal to our duo,” he says, glancing quickly over at him with a barely veiled grin. “Hm. Debatable.” “Hey!” Ritsu makes himself turn towards Shou, after a while, propping himself up on his elbow. “It’s fine, you know. That you’re not really doing the organizing stuff.” Before he can tell himself not to, he more or less blurts, “I wouldn’t want to do it half as much if it were anyone other than you.” Shou hasn’t moved, hasn’t looked away from the ceiling above him, and Ritsu doesn’t think Shou knows he’s watching him, because the smile that spreads across his face, slowly, and then like a flashbang, like a grenade, God, it could’ve outshone the sun. Shou laughs, a small, shaky thing. “Well, someone has to provide the comic relief.”

#/ #// #/// #//// #///// #robin fic #mp100 fic #fic: aubade

[fadingfartconnoisseur]

A Journey Through Madagascar: Notes on the Privilege of Travel

Two years ago, I wrote about how privileged and lucky we are to be able to travel the world. No matter our circumstances, we are doing something most of the world will never get a chance to do. Most people never leave their own country, let alone their continent.

Even if we’re barely scraping two pennies together as we couchsurf the world, we’re pretty fortunate. I wrote back then (and sorry for quoting myself):

In the “quit your job to travel the world” cheerleading that happens so often on travel websites (including this one), we often forget that it’s not easy for everyone.

There are those for whom no mindset change, spending cuts, or budget tips will help them travel — those who are too sick, have parents or children to care for, face great debt, or work three jobs just to make rent.

After all, 2.8 billion people — nearly 40% of the world’s population — survive on less than $2 USD a day! In my home country of the United States, 14% of the population is below the poverty line, 46 million people are on food stamps, many have to work two jobs to get by, and we have a trillion dollars in student debt dragging people down.

Nothing any website can say will magically make travel a reality for those people.

Those of us who do travel are a privileged few.

That’s not to say that hard work doesn’t count, but hard work doesn’t exist in a bubble — the circumstances that create the opportunities for hard work to bear fruit are often just as important as the work itself: support from family and friends, jobs that allow for overtime, a strong currency, cheap flights, or golden passports allow you to find work overseas. All these things matter. Most of us who travel aren’t barely getting by or on social assistance nor do we wonder if we can afford the next meal.

Whether you are traveling the world on $10, $50, or $200 a day, the simple fact you are traveling for pleasure puts you in a global minority.

We’re a privileged bunch.

Traveling constantly teaches me to appreciate just how lucky I am to do what I do. It reminds me never to forget the fact that I have access education, support systems, and resources most of the world doesn’t. My visit to Madagascar in September was my most recent reminder of this. Madagascar is a country of 20 million people that sees only 300,000 tourists a year. In Madagascar, 90% of the population lives in poverty, and 25% live in areas prone to natural disaster. Almost half of all children under five are malnourished, and the GNP is just $420 per capita (with 92% of the population living on $2 a day). Madagascar is also one of the ten countries most at risk from the effects of climate change. The country is 152 of 188 on the UN Human Development Index. Things are so bad there was actually a recent outbreak of plague. Yes, THE PLAGUE.

While I’ve seen poverty before on my travels, it’s never been as open, vivid, and widespread as what I saw in Madagascar.

My guide Patrick told me about Madagascar’s plight: corruption, environmental degradation, poverty, poor infrastructure, and a lack of education (including sex education) that has led to overpopulation, too many kids, not enough jobs, and a vicious cycle.

In Madagascar the roads have more holes than a slice of Swiss cheese, and there are too many cars and frequent accidents. Going 250km can take up to eight hours. While I was there, a bridge on the only north-south road collapsed because a truck was too heavy for it (weight station bribes are frequent). We had to wade through a river for another bus to pick us up on the other side.

And trains? The three train lines, built by the French in the 1960s, run only a few times a month, are mostly used for freight, and frequently break down. They are worse than the roads.

Madagascar is a place where houses reminded me of early colonial US settlers: dirt and mud homes with straw roofs and one tiny window for air. I visited a few villages, and inside these homes, I immediately noticed the musty air and lack of ventilation. I thought to myself, This is how people get respiratory diseases.

It is a country where kids wear an amalgamation of whatever they can find — and more often than not, it is filled with holes.

It is a place where people live in shantytowns and on riverbanks where they also dry their clothes (and where it floods constantly during the rainy season). They fish and farm in urban areas next to factories dumping pollution.

It is a country where I saw people mining for sapphires in conditions so harsh it could only be described as a scene out of Blood Diamond. This is place where the mining industry keeps people in company towns under terrible conditions simply because they know the people have no other option.

It is a place where the kind of poverty you read about became very, very real.

This is not to say I never knew this stuff existed. I’m not naïve or stupid. I read the news. I’ve been around the world. I’ve seen corruption, political turmoil, and poverty before. But it’s one thing to read about stark poverty in the news and it’s another to see it in front of you. It’s another to be confronted with it and have it confront your views.

This isn’t a situation where it’s like “Ohh, wow, it’s poverty! Let’s go take a look!”

This is one of those situations where you feel like you’re seeing for the first time.

This is one of those situations where your bubble bursts and what you see on TV and the news goes from abstract to real.

It’s become so easy nowadays to travel in your comfort zone and never come face to face with aspects of the world that may utterly change who you are and what you think. It’s easy to visit developing or developed countries, stay on the backpacker trail, and never see anything that makes us confront our privilege. It’s easy to only see what you want to see, to stare at Facebook in hostels, visit backpacker bars, take big-bus tours, fly from resort to resort, and attend cultural events designed for tourists.

If travel is meant to push you out of your comfort zone and expand your mind, you need to visit places that do so. To me this is part of the beauty of travel. It forces you outside your bubble, which adds great perspective to life.

You realize how lucky you are to be able to travel — while getting to know how most of the world really lives. To see it, to experience it. While we argue on Facebook and debate Twitter memes, kids go to bed hungry across the world (and sadly too often in developed countries too).

This is not to say I am arguing for “poverty tourism,” but going to places so different from your own can open your mind to different cultures, lifestyles, behaviors, and income levels.

The locals in Madagascar were friendly, welcoming, and hospitable. They were genuinely curious in our conversations and appreciative of the fact we were there. They never made me feel like I didn’t belong. I loved all my interactions with people in the country and the happy smiles they had on their faces. I’m sure they would all love a little bit more fresh water, health care, food, and basic infrastructure. But it was nice to see kids playing in the streets not glued to their iphone. It was nice to remember that there’s so much beyond consumerism.

My trip to Madagascar was a deeply profound one because it pulled me out of my bubble and made me remember that’s there is stark inequality in the world and made want to do more about it.

It was a reminder to resubscribe to the Ralph Waldo Emerson school of thought:

To laugh often and much; To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; To appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.

Words without action are nothing. I must not become too selfish and I must endeavor more to give back to the places that give me so much.

So, as I end this article, I want to highlight some good local development organizations that are working to improve the living conditions in Madagascar. I donated $250 to each already and will match every dollar you all contribute up to another $500 per organization.

Feedback Madagascar is an organization that helps to alleviate poverty by working directly with communities to recognize the relationship between poverty, environmental degradation, and poor health. It gives priority to project sites in remote areas.

SEED Madagascar specializes in sustainable development and conservation projects in the southeastern part of Madagascar. Its projects include school building, natural resource management, environmental conservation, and more.

Madalief is a nonprofit organization run by a small group in the Netherlands, and it aims to give poor children in Madagascar a better future. Madalief also helps offer employment to locals on the project site, like at its eco-social hotel in Ambositra (which I stayed in).

Hope For Madagascar – With a focus on disadvantaged children and women, Hope For Madagascar builds and repairs schools and offers scholarships to children in need. It also works to improve village self-sufficiency through clean water and permaculture projects.

Reef Doctor – This non-profit has been implementing conservation projects in southwest Madagascar for 15 years. Reef Doctor works to restore and preserve vulnerable habitats and overexploited resources, while also creating projects to alleviate poverty in Madagascar.

In a country where a meal is less than a dollar, corruption is rife, and higher education is uncommon, a little can go a very, very long way.

I encourage you to seek out destinations that make you rethink your life; to find organizations that help others and the environment when you travel; to get off the tourist trail, expand your mind, open your heart, and, as Gandhi said, be the change we wish to see the in the world.

P.S. – I’m hosting a community travel meetup in NYC on November 30th! If you want to meet other travelers, enjoy some cheap drinks, and hang out with the Nomadic Matt team then be sure to come by! You can find all the details on Facebook!

P.P.S. – Want to win a free trip around the world? I’m giving away over $18,000 to one lucky person so that they can travel the world! Check out the contest details to find out how you can make your travel dreams a reality!

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[touristguidebuzz]

A Journey Through Madagascar: Notes on the Privilege of Travel

Two years ago, I wrote about how privileged and lucky we are to be able to travel the world. No matter our circumstances, we are doing something most of the world will never get a chance to do. Most people never leave their own country, let alone their continent.

Even if we’re barely scraping two pennies together as we couchsurf the world, we’re pretty fortunate. I wrote back then (and sorry for quoting myself):

In the “quit your job to travel the world” cheerleading that happens so often on travel websites (including this one), we often forget that it’s not easy for everyone.

There are those for whom no mindset change, spending cuts, or budget tips will help them travel — those who are too sick, have parents or children to care for, face great debt, or work three jobs just to make rent.

After all, 2.8 billion people — nearly 40% of the world’s population — survive on less than $2 USD a day! In my home country of the United States, 14% of the population is below the poverty line, 46 million people are on food stamps, many have to work two jobs to get by, and we have a trillion dollars in student debt dragging people down.

Nothing any website can say will magically make travel a reality for those people.

Those of us who do travel are a privileged few.

That’s not to say that hard work doesn’t count, but hard work doesn’t exist in a bubble — the circumstances that create the opportunities for hard work to bear fruit are often just as important as the work itself: support from family and friends, jobs that allow for overtime, a strong currency, cheap flights, or golden passports allow you to find work overseas. All these things matter. Most of us who travel aren’t barely getting by or on social assistance nor do we wonder if we can afford the next meal.

Whether you are traveling the world on $10, $50, or $200 a day, the simple fact you are traveling for pleasure puts you in a global minority.

We’re a privileged bunch.

Traveling constantly teaches me to appreciate just how lucky I am to do what I do. It reminds me never to forget the fact that I have access education, support systems, and resources most of the world doesn’t. My visit to Madagascar in September was my most recent reminder of this. Madagascar is a country of 20 million people that sees only 300,000 tourists a year. In Madagascar, 90% of the population lives in poverty, and 25% live in areas prone to natural disaster. Almost half of all children under five are malnourished, and the GNP is just $420 per capita (with 92% of the population living on $2 a day). Madagascar is also one of the ten countries most at risk from the effects of climate change. The country is 152 of 188 on the UN Human Development Index. Things are so bad there was actually a recent outbreak of plague. Yes, THE PLAGUE.

While I’ve seen poverty before on my travels, it’s never been as open, vivid, and widespread as what I saw in Madagascar.

My guide Patrick told me about Madagascar’s plight: corruption, environmental degradation, poverty, poor infrastructure, and a lack of education (including sex education) that has led to overpopulation, too many kids, not enough jobs, and a vicious cycle.

In Madagascar the roads have more holes than a slice of Swiss cheese, and there are too many cars and frequent accidents. Going 250km can take up to eight hours. While I was there, a bridge on the only north-south road collapsed because a truck was too heavy for it (weight station bribes are frequent). We had to wade through a river for another bus to pick us up on the other side.

And trains? The three train lines, built by the French in the 1960s, run only a few times a month, are mostly used for freight, and frequently break down. They are worse than the roads.

Madagascar is a place where houses reminded me of early colonial US settlers: dirt and mud homes with straw roofs and one tiny window for air. I visited a few villages, and inside these homes, I immediately noticed the musty air and lack of ventilation. I thought to myself, This is how people get respiratory diseases.

It is a country where kids wear an amalgamation of whatever they can find — and more often than not, it is filled with holes.

It is a place where people live in shantytowns and on riverbanks where they also dry their clothes (and where it floods constantly during the rainy season). They fish and farm in urban areas next to factories dumping pollution.

It is a country where I saw people mining for sapphires in conditions so harsh it could only be described as a scene out of Blood Diamond. This is place where the mining industry keeps people in company towns under terrible conditions simply because they know the people have no other option.

It is a place where the kind of poverty you read about became very, very real.

This is not to say I never knew this stuff existed. I’m not naïve or stupid. I read the news. I’ve been around the world. I’ve seen corruption, political turmoil, and poverty before. But it’s one thing to read about stark poverty in the news and it’s another to see it in front of you. It’s another to be confronted with it and have it confront your views.

This isn’t a situation where it’s like “Ohh, wow, it’s poverty! Let’s go take a look!”

This is one of those situations where you feel like you’re seeing for the first time.

This is one of those situations where your bubble bursts and what you see on TV and the news goes from abstract to real.

It’s become so easy nowadays to travel in your comfort zone and never come face to face with aspects of the world that may utterly change who you are and what you think. It’s easy to visit developing or developed countries, stay on the backpacker trail, and never see anything that makes us confront our privilege. It’s easy to only see what you want to see, to stare at Facebook in hostels, visit backpacker bars, take big-bus tours, fly from resort to resort, and attend cultural events designed for tourists.

If travel is meant to push you out of your comfort zone and expand your mind, you need to visit places that do so. To me this is part of the beauty of travel. It forces you outside your bubble, which adds great perspective to life.

You realize how lucky you are to be able to travel — while getting to know how most of the world really lives. To see it, to experience it. While we argue on Facebook and debate Twitter memes, kids go to bed hungry across the world (and sadly too often in developed countries too).

This is not to say I am arguing for “poverty tourism,” but going to places so different from your own can open your mind to different cultures, lifestyles, behaviors, and income levels.

The locals in Madagascar were friendly, welcoming, and hospitable. They were genuinely curious in our conversations and appreciative of the fact we were there. They never made me feel like I didn’t belong. I loved all my interactions with people in the country and the happy smiles they had on their faces. I’m sure they would all love a little bit more fresh water, health care, food, and basic infrastructure. But it was nice to see kids playing in the streets not glued to their iphone. It was nice to remember that there’s so much beyond consumerism.

My trip to Madagascar was a deeply profound one because it pulled me out of my bubble and made me remember that’s there is stark inequality in the world and made want to do more about it.

It was a reminder to resubscribe to the Ralph Waldo Emerson school of thought:

To laugh often and much; To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; To appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.

Words without action are nothing. I must not become too selfish and I must endeavor more to give back to the places that give me so much.

So, as I end this article, I want to highlight some good local development organizations that are working to improve the living conditions in Madagascar. I donated $250 to each already and will match every dollar you all contribute up to another $500 per organization.

Feedback Madagascar is an organization that helps to alleviate poverty by working directly with communities to recognize the relationship between poverty, environmental degradation, and poor health. It gives priority to project sites in remote areas.

SEED Madagascar specializes in sustainable development and conservation projects in the southeastern part of Madagascar. Its projects include school building, natural resource management, environmental conservation, and more.

Madalief is a nonprofit organization run by a small group in the Netherlands, and it aims to give poor children in Madagascar a better future. Madalief also helps offer employment to locals on the project site, like at its eco-social hotel in Ambositra (which I stayed in).

Hope For Madagascar – With a focus on disadvantaged children and women, Hope For Madagascar builds and repairs schools and offers scholarships to children in need. It also works to improve village self-sufficiency through clean water and permaculture projects.

Reef Doctor – This non-profit has been implementing conservation projects in southwest Madagascar for 15 years. Reef Doctor works to restore and preserve vulnerable habitats and overexploited resources, while also creating projects to alleviate poverty in Madagascar.

In a country where a meal is less than a dollar, corruption is rife, and higher education is uncommon, a little can go a very, very long way.

I encourage you to seek out destinations that make you rethink your life; to find organizations that help others and the environment when you travel; to get off the tourist trail, expand your mind, open your heart, and, as Gandhi said, be the change we wish to see the in the world.

P.S. – I’m hosting a community travel meetup in NYC on November 30th! If you want to meet other travelers, enjoy some cheap drinks, and hang out with the Nomadic Matt team then be sure to come by! You can find all the details on Facebook!

P.P.S. – Want to win a free trip around the world? I’m giving away over $18,000 to one lucky person so that they can travel the world! Check out the contest details to find out how you can make your travel dreams a reality!

The post A Journey Through Madagascar: Notes on the Privilege of Travel appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.

[theladyjstyle]

Two years ago, I wrote about how privileged and lucky we are to be able to travel the world. No matter our circumstances, we are doing something most of the world will never get a chance to do. Most people never leave their own country, let alone their continent.

Even if we’re barely scraping two pennies together as we couchsurf the world, we’re pretty fortunate. I wrote back then (and sorry for quoting myself):

In the “quit your job to travel the world” cheerleading that happens so often on travel websites (including this one), we often forget that it’s not easy for everyone.

There are those for whom no mindset change, spending cuts, or budget tips will help them travel — those who are too sick, have parents or children to care for, face great debt, or work three jobs just to make rent.

After all, 2.8 billion people — nearly 40% of the world’s population — survive on less than $2 USD a day! In my home country of the United States, 14% of the population is below the poverty line, 46 million people are on food stamps, many have to work two jobs to get by, and we have a trillion dollars in student debt dragging people down.

Nothing any website can say will magically make travel a reality for those people.

Those of us who do travel are a privileged few.

That’s not to say that hard work doesn’t count, but hard work doesn’t exist in a bubble — the circumstances that create the opportunities for hard work to bear fruit are often just as important as the work itself: support from family and friends, jobs that allow for overtime, a strong currency, cheap flights, or golden passports allow you to find work overseas. All these things matter. Most of us who travel aren’t barely getting by or on social assistance nor do we wonder if we can afford the next meal.

Whether you are traveling the world on $10, $50, or $200 a day, the simple fact you are traveling for pleasure puts you in a global minority.

We’re a privileged bunch.

Traveling constantly teaches me to appreciate just how lucky I am to do what I do. It reminds me never to forget the fact that I have access education, support systems, and resources most of the world doesn’t. My visit to Madagascar in September was my most recent reminder of this. Madagascar is a country of 20 million people that sees only 300,000 tourists a year. In Madagascar, 90% of the population lives in poverty, and 25% live in areas prone to natural disaster. Almost half of all children under five are malnourished, and the GNP is just $420 per capita (with 92% of the population living on $2 a day). Madagascar is also one of the ten countries most at risk from the effects of climate change. The country is 152 of 188 on the UN Human Development Index. Things are so bad there was actually a recent outbreak of plague. Yes, THE PLAGUE.

While I’ve seen poverty before on my travels, it’s never been as open, vivid, and widespread as what I saw in Madagascar.

My guide Patrick told me about Madagascar’s plight: corruption, environmental degradation, poverty, poor infrastructure, and a lack of education (including sex education) that has led to overpopulation, too many kids, not enough jobs, and a vicious cycle.

In Madagascar the roads have more holes than a slice of Swiss cheese, and there are too many cars and frequent accidents. Going 250km can take up to eight hours. While I was there, a bridge on the only north-south road collapsed because a truck was too heavy for it (weight station bribes are frequent). We had to wade through a river for another bus to pick us up on the other side.

And trains? The three train lines, built by the French in the 1960s, run only a few times a month, are mostly used for freight, and frequently break down. They are worse than the roads.

Madagascar is a place where houses reminded me of early colonial US settlers: dirt and mud homes with straw roofs and one tiny window for air. I visited a few villages, and inside these homes, I immediately noticed the musty air and lack of ventilation. I thought to myself, This is how people get respiratory diseases.

It is a country where kids wear an amalgamation of whatever they can find — and more often than not, it is filled with holes.

It is a place where people live in shantytowns and on riverbanks where they also dry their clothes (and where it floods constantly during the rainy season). They fish and farm in urban areas next to factories dumping pollution.

It is a country where I saw people mining for sapphires in conditions so harsh it could only be described as a scene out of Blood Diamond. This is place where the mining industry keeps people in company towns under terrible conditions simply because they know the people have no other option.

It is a place where the kind of poverty you read about became very, very real.

This is not to say I never knew this stuff existed. I’m not naïve or stupid. I read the news. I’ve been around the world. I’ve seen corruption, political turmoil, and poverty before. But it’s one thing to read about stark poverty in the news and it’s another to see it in front of you. It’s another to be confronted with it and have it confront your views.

This isn’t a situation where it’s like “Ohh, wow, it’s poverty! Let’s go take a look!”

This is one of those situations where you feel like you’re seeing for the first time.

This is one of those situations where your bubble bursts and what you see on TV and the news goes from abstract to real.

It’s become so easy nowadays to travel in your comfort zone and never come face to face with aspects of the world that may utterly change who you are and what you think. It’s easy to visit developing or developed countries, stay on the backpacker trail, and never see anything that makes us confront our privilege. It’s easy to only see what you want to see, to stare at Facebook in hostels, visit backpacker bars, take big-bus tours, fly from resort to resort, and attend cultural events designed for tourists.

If travel is meant to push you out of your comfort zone and expand your mind, you need to visit places that do so. To me this is part of the beauty of travel. It forces you outside your bubble, which adds great perspective to life.

You realize how lucky you are to be able to travel — while getting to know how most of the world really lives. To see it, to experience it. While we argue on Facebook and debate Twitter memes, kids go to bed hungry across the world (and sadly too often in developed countries too).

This is not to say I am arguing for “poverty tourism,” but going to places so different from your own can open your mind to different cultures, lifestyles, behaviors, and income levels.

The locals in Madagascar were friendly, welcoming, and hospitable. They were genuinely curious in our conversations and appreciative of the fact we were there. They never made me feel like I didn’t belong. I loved all my interactions with people in the country and the happy smiles they had on their faces. I’m sure they would all love a little bit more fresh water, health care, food, and basic infrastructure. But it was nice to see kids playing in the streets not glued to their iphone. It was nice to remember that there’s so much beyond consumerism.

My trip to Madagascar was a deeply profound one because it pulled me out of my bubble and made me remember that’s there is stark inequality in the world and made want to do more about it.

It was a reminder to resubscribe to the Ralph Waldo Emerson school of thought:

To laugh often and much; To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; To appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.

Words without action are nothing. I must not become too selfish and I must endeavor more to give back to the places that give me so much.

So, as I end this article, I want to highlight some good local development organizations that are working to improve the living conditions in Madagascar. I donated $250 to each already and will match every dollar you all contribute up to another $500 per organization.

Feedback Madagascar is an organization that helps to alleviate poverty by working directly with communities to recognize the relationship between poverty, environmental degradation, and poor health. It gives priority to project sites in remote areas.

SEED Madagascar specializes in sustainable development and conservation projects in the southeastern part of Madagascar. Its projects include school building, natural resource management, environmental conservation, and more.

Madalief is a nonprofit organization run by a small group in the Netherlands, and it aims to give poor children in Madagascar a better future. Madalief also helps offer employment to locals on the project site, like at its eco-social hotel in Ambositra (which I stayed in).

Hope For Madagascar – With a focus on disadvantaged children and women, Hope For Madagascar builds and repairs schools and offers scholarships to children in need. It also works to improve village self-sufficiency through clean water and permaculture projects.

Reef Doctor – This non-profit has been implementing conservation projects in southwest Madagascar for 15 years. Reef Doctor works to restore and preserve vulnerable habitats and overexploited resources, while also creating projects to alleviate poverty in Madagascar.

In a country where a meal is less than a dollar, corruption is rife, and higher education is uncommon, a little can go a very, very long way.

I encourage you to seek out destinations that make you rethink your life; to find organizations that help others and the environment when you travel; to get off the tourist trail, expand your mind, open your heart, and, as Gandhi said, be the change we wish to see the in the world.

P.S. – I’m hosting a community travel meetup in NYC on November 30th! If you want to meet other travelers, enjoy some cheap drinks, and hang out with the Nomadic Matt team then be sure to come by! You can find all the details on Facebook!

P.P.S. – Want to win a free trip around the world? I’m giving away over $18,000 to one lucky person so that they can travel the world! Check out the contest details to find out how you can make your travel dreams a reality!

The post A Journey Through Madagascar: Notes on the Privilege of Travel appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.

A Journey Through Madagascar: Notes on the Privilege of Travel http://ift.tt/2jc3Aqv

#Travel Blog – Nomadic Matt's Travel Site digital nomad

[tamboradventure]

A Journey Through Madagascar: Notes on the Privilege of Travel

Two years ago, I wrote about how privileged and lucky we are to be able to travel the world. No matter our circumstances, we are doing something most of the world will never get a chance to do. Most people never leave their own country, let alone their continent.

Even if we’re barely scraping two pennies together as we couchsurf the world, we’re pretty fortunate. I wrote back then (and sorry for quoting myself):

In the “quit your job to travel the world” cheerleading that happens so often on travel websites (including this one), we often forget that it’s not easy for everyone.

There are those for whom no mindset change, spending cuts, or budget tips will help them travel — those who are too sick, have parents or children to care for, face great debt, or work three jobs just to make rent.

After all, 2.8 billion people — nearly 40% of the world’s population — survive on less than $2 USD a day! In my home country of the United States, 14% of the population is below the poverty line, 46 million people are on food stamps, many have to work two jobs to get by, and we have a trillion dollars in student debt dragging people down.

Nothing any website can say will magically make travel a reality for those people.

Those of us who do travel are a privileged few.

That’s not to say that hard work doesn’t count, but hard work doesn’t exist in a bubble — the circumstances that create the opportunities for hard work to bear fruit are often just as important as the work itself: support from family and friends, jobs that allow for overtime, a strong currency, cheap flights, or golden passports allow you to find work overseas. All these things matter. Most of us who travel aren’t barely getting by or on social assistance nor do we wonder if we can afford the next meal.

Whether you are traveling the world on $10, $50, or $200 a day, the simple fact you are traveling for pleasure puts you in a global minority.

We’re a privileged bunch.

Traveling constantly teaches me to appreciate just how lucky I am to do what I do. It reminds me never to forget the fact that I have access education, support systems, and resources most of the world doesn’t. My visit to Madagascar in September was my most recent reminder of this. Madagascar is a country of 20 million people that sees only 300,000 tourists a year. In Madagascar, 90% of the population lives in poverty, and 25% live in areas prone to natural disaster. Almost half of all children under five are malnourished, and the GNP is just $420 per capita (with 92% of the population living on $2 a day). Madagascar is also one of the ten countries most at risk from the effects of climate change. The country is 152 of 188 on the UN Human Development Index. Things are so bad there was actually a recent outbreak of plague. Yes, THE PLAGUE.

While I’ve seen poverty before on my travels, it’s never been as open, vivid, and widespread as what I saw in Madagascar.

My guide Patrick told me about Madagascar’s plight: corruption, environmental degradation, poverty, poor infrastructure, and a lack of education (including sex education) that has led to overpopulation, too many kids, not enough jobs, and a vicious cycle.

In Madagascar the roads have more holes than a slice of Swiss cheese, and there are too many cars and frequent accidents. Going 250km can take up to eight hours. While I was there, a bridge on the only north-south road collapsed because a truck was too heavy for it (weight station bribes are frequent). We had to wade through a river for another bus to pick us up on the other side.

And trains? The three train lines, built by the French in the 1960s, run only a few times a month, are mostly used for freight, and frequently break down. They are worse than the roads.

Madagascar is a place where houses reminded me of early colonial US settlers: dirt and mud homes with straw roofs and one tiny window for air. I visited a few villages, and inside these homes, I immediately noticed the musty air and lack of ventilation. I thought to myself, This is how people get respiratory diseases.

It is a country where kids wear an amalgamation of whatever they can find — and more often than not, it is filled with holes.

It is a place where people live in shantytowns and on riverbanks where they also dry their clothes (and where it floods constantly during the rainy season). They fish and farm in urban areas next to factories dumping pollution.

It is a country where I saw people mining for sapphires in conditions so harsh it could only be described as a scene out of Blood Diamond. This is place where the mining industry keeps people in company towns under terrible conditions simply because they know the people have no other option.

It is a place where the kind of poverty you read about became very, very real.

This is not to say I never knew this stuff existed. I’m not naïve or stupid. I read the news. I’ve been around the world. I’ve seen corruption, political turmoil, and poverty before. But it’s one thing to read about stark poverty in the news and it’s another to see it in front of you. It’s another to be confronted with it and have it confront your views.

This isn’t a situation where it’s like “Ohh, wow, it’s poverty! Let’s go take a look!”

This is one of those situations where you feel like you’re seeing for the first time.

This is one of those situations where your bubble bursts and what you see on TV and the news goes from abstract to real.

It’s become so easy nowadays to travel in your comfort zone and never come face to face with aspects of the world that may utterly change who you are and what you think. It’s easy to visit developing or developed countries, stay on the backpacker trail, and never see anything that makes us confront our privilege. It’s easy to only see what you want to see, to stare at Facebook in hostels, visit backpacker bars, take big-bus tours, fly from resort to resort, and attend cultural events designed for tourists.

If travel is meant to push you out of your comfort zone and expand your mind, you need to visit places that do so. To me this is part of the beauty of travel. It forces you outside your bubble, which adds great perspective to life.

You realize how lucky you are to be able to travel — while getting to know how most of the world really lives. To see it, to experience it. While we argue on Facebook and debate Twitter memes, kids go to bed hungry across the world (and sadly too often in developed countries too).

This is not to say I am arguing for “poverty tourism,” but going to places so different from your own can open your mind to different cultures, lifestyles, behaviors, and income levels.

The locals in Madagascar were friendly, welcoming, and hospitable. They were genuinely curious in our conversations and appreciative of the fact we were there. They never made me feel like I didn’t belong. I loved all my interactions with people in the country and the happy smiles they had on their faces. I’m sure they would all love a little bit more fresh water, health care, food, and basic infrastructure. But it was nice to see kids playing in the streets not glued to their iphone. It was nice to remember that there’s so much beyond consumerism.

My trip to Madagascar was a deeply profound one because it pulled me out of my bubble and made me remember that’s there is stark inequality in the world and made want to do more about it.

It was a reminder to resubscribe to the Ralph Waldo Emerson school of thought:

To laugh often and much; To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; To appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.

Words without action are nothing. I must not become too selfish and I must endeavor more to give back to the places that give me so much.

So, as I end this article, I want to highlight some good local development organizations that are working to improve the living conditions in Madagascar. I donated $250 to each already and will match every dollar you all contribute up to another $500 per organization.

Feedback Madagascar is an organization that helps to alleviate poverty by working directly with communities to recognize the relationship between poverty, environmental degradation, and poor health. It gives priority to project sites in remote areas.

SEED Madagascar specializes in sustainable development and conservation projects in the southeastern part of Madagascar. Its projects include school building, natural resource management, environmental conservation, and more.

Madalief is a nonprofit organization run by a small group in the Netherlands, and it aims to give poor children in Madagascar a better future. Madalief also helps offer employment to locals on the project site, like at its eco-social hotel in Ambositra (which I stayed in).

Hope For Madagascar – With a focus on disadvantaged children and women, Hope For Madagascar builds and repairs schools and offers scholarships to children in need. It also works to improve village self-sufficiency through clean water and permaculture projects.

Reef Doctor – This non-profit has been implementing conservation projects in southwest Madagascar for 15 years. Reef Doctor works to restore and preserve vulnerable habitats and overexploited resources, while also creating projects to alleviate poverty in Madagascar.

In a country where a meal is less than a dollar, corruption is rife, and higher education is uncommon, a little can go a very, very long way.

I encourage you to seek out destinations that make you rethink your life; to find organizations that help others and the environment when you travel; to get off the tourist trail, expand your mind, open your heart, and, as Gandhi said, be the change we wish to see the in the world.

P.S. – I’m hosting a community travel meetup in NYC on November 30th! If you want to meet other travelers, enjoy some cheap drinks, and hang out with the Nomadic Matt team then be sure to come by! You can find all the details on Facebook!

P.P.S. – Want to win a free trip around the world? I’m giving away over $18,000 to one lucky person so that they can travel the world! Check out the contest details to find out how you can make your travel dreams a reality!

The post A Journey Through Madagascar: Notes on the Privilege of Travel appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.

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[migrately]

What You Need to Know About WOW Air Business Class

WOW Air plane on the tarmac at Keflavik Airport in Iceland

You’ve probably heard by now about WOW Air, the low cost, budget airline from Iceland that offers flights to Europe from the United States. But before you start to think I’ve lost my mind, technically WOW Air doesn’t have Business Class seats on their flights, but they do offer a WOW Biz class of service.

Let’s compare WOW Basic to WOW Plus and WOW Biz:

WOW Basic: Flight ticket, Personal item

WOW Plus: Flight ticket, Personal item, 1x carry-on bag, Checked bag, Standard seat

WOW Biz: Flight ticket, Personal item, 1x carry-on bag, Checked bag, Cancellation protection, In-flight meal, XXL legroom, Priority boarding

To reiterate, WOW Biz is not a class of service on the plane that’s comparable to Business on any other airline. Instead, think of it as paying for your services in advance all at once instead of paying for á la carte service at the airport. Since I hadn’t flown with WOW Air before, I was excited to try this airline out for my trip to Amsterdam.

Check In at BOS for WOW Air

Checking in at Boston Logan International Airport was fairly quick although I immediately noticed issues. Several people in line were trying to argue the point that their luggage was appropriately sized. Ticket agents will make you place your bags in the carrier near the lines to see if it fits. A few people had to take their luggage on a walk of shame back to seats near the entrance of the airport to repack or pay to check their bag.

I highly recommend reading all of the possible charges that can and will be charged so there are no surprises.Click To Tweet

The website clearly shows luggage size and weight and I highly recommend reading all of the possible charges that can and will be charged so there are no surprises. You can pay for your bag charges in advance, too, and if you do you’ll save more instead of paying at the airport.

Since WOW Air is a budget airline, that meant I was going to go through the security line with everyone else without any special lines for Business Class. The line was long and slow to get through security and all I could do was grin and bear it. Once through security, I decided it wasn’t worth going to the Air France lounge for maybe an hour. Instead, I walked around, bought a bottle of Vitamin Water Zero and Dasani sparkling water, and a coffee from Starbucks.

BOS to KEF – Flight #1 WW126

Gate E5 at Boston Logan Airport

Eventually I decided to walk over to gate E5 and wait for boarding. The gate agents were regularly calling up passengers even up until the time of boarding.

WOW Air flight attendants in Boston – Doesn’t this look like a 60’s airline advertisement?

When boarding time did arrive, there was zero organization. Normally people queue up but this was a random group in no order near the gate. I asked someone if she was in line and she flippantly responded how yes, she was in line and no, the plane wouldn’t leave without us. Did she think this was my first ever flight?

After advising those with children, those needing extra time to board, and priority boarding could board, we waited something like 20 minutes in the cold gangway. Having people wait here is completely ridiculous considering those with children or disabilities are expected to just hang out patiently to board in this area.

Seat map for flight WW126

Once onboard, I located my seat, 11A, which was near the exit door and didn’t have a seat in front of it.

View from seat 11A on the Airbus A321 on flight WW126

This seems like a great idea, but not having that seat means no under seat storage. The seat back pocket is on the wall near the floor, which I didn’t initially notice.

I had one of two options from my window seat if I needed to get up. I could scoot past the two women in seats B and C or walk through the small space that would get me out by row 10 on the left hand side.

Before take off, I opened my blanket and placed it over me, but under the seatbelt. The flight attendant came by and brusquely informed me that I needed to fold up my blanket and place it behind my back. WTF? On the many flights around the world I’ve taken, not once has this ever happened. I had my seat belt closed and visible, which is what I thought she wanted, but apparently that wasn’t good enough. (TSG Note: Apparently, they don’t want anything out that could “fall” and we all know how loud and damaging a blanket is when it falls.)

The Flight Itself

Food options with WOW Air

During meal service they seemed surprised that I wouldn’t accept food. “But it’s included” the flight attendant repeated to me. There wasn’t anything I could eat off the menu, which is basically a lot of sandwiches with meat. I had packed a snack size bag of nuts and seeds and called it a day. I had a few shows on my iPad I decided to watch as I opened the Dasani sparkling water. Apparently, it must have been shaken and decided to erupt like a geyser all over everything. Like the wall, my blanket and pillow, the floor, and of course, my iPad. I dried off the iPad immediately and put it away and listened to music for the remainder of the flight.

The woman in seat B next to me was Roza, a friendly woman from Albania who’s now living in the Boston area. She usually flies with her husband but this time she was on her own and was a little nervous. She didn’t know where to go or what to do and I felt her pain as she recounted her story of having to pay for checked luggage to the tune of $150. I could see how it could all be confusing for someone who doesn’t understand that free doesn’t exist anymore, especially for budget airlines. She didn’t bring any food or drink onboard and since my WOW Biz seat had extras, I ordered an extra bottle of water and gave it to her.

The lights in the cabin stayed on the entire time. Why? Probably because the flight attendants come around constantly selling food and Duty Free items throughout the flight. That’s, of course, when they weren’t congregating near the front of the plane and chatting.

Northern Lights Watch

Northern Lights as seen from my seat onboard WW126 to Iceland

There's nothing else quite like the Northern Lights and watching them dance across the sky outside my window was amazing.Click To Tweet

Lights in the cabin were dimmed only during takeoff and landing and when the pilot spotted the Northern Lights. I purposely booked a seat on the left side of the plane for this reason and I was so glad that I was able to see them. There’s nothing else quite like the Northern Lights and watching them dance across the sky outside my window was amazing. Once the cabin lights came back on, it was impossible to see them clearly or to photograph them.

The flight landed at Keflavik International Airport 30 minutes early at 4:07 am. While this sounds great, my flight to Amsterdam was leaving at 6 am. I departed the plane with Roza in tow. Although I thought we would walk right over to the gate, I forgot that we would have to go through passport control. Less than 5 minutes later we were at gate C35 along with everyone else.

KEF to AMS – Flight #2 WW442

When they finally announced boarding, one of the few perks of flying WOW Biz was Priority Boarding. I was able to walk right up and then have my boarding pass scanned while everyone had to wait. But unfortunately once again, they queued us up for 30 minutes in the gangway before allowing us to board the plane.

Seat map for flight WW442

I took ZERO pics for this flight after all the standing around and waiting. I sat in seat 1A, which besides no underseat storage, was a really great seat. First on and first off is always good in my book.

AMS to KEF – Flight #3 WW443

Waiting at Schiphol AIrport for flight

My flight from Amsterdam to Keflavik meant I was departing from an M gate with few services. While there’s a duty free store, a bar, and a takeaway shop with sandwiches and beverages, there are no lounges. I arrived early to check in which meant I sat and waited for a while. Like others, there was lots of sitting until gate M07 showed up on the overhead board.

View from gate while waiting to board flight WW443 AMS to KEF

Gate M07 has stairs going down and I walked down on the right to use the “priority boarding” lane. The gate agent checked my boarding pass and advised me to enter the lane to the left, which wasn’t priority. I asked her about priority, she was apologetic and sent me to the right side. I stood in Priority Boarding alone for the duration of my wait. The last person deplaned and I was immediately sent to board the plane.

My seat was 11E on the WOW Air Airbus A320, which was like row 10 in the seat map below. The row was one of the few double instead of triple rows on the plane.

Seat map for flight WW443

Seat F behind me meant that the passenger could stretch out his legs next to me, which this guy did sans shoes. Why does that always seem to happen to me? For a 3-hour flight, do we really need to take off our shoes and snuggle up with blankets and neck pillows?

Overall, this flight was uneventful and the flight crew was courteous, professional, and the flight quick and on time.

KEF to BOS – Flight #4

Seat map for flight WW125

Once in Keflavik, we had to go through passport control, which I’ll detail in my next post. Boarding for this WOW Air flight was fast, especially with priority boarding. I found my seat quickly, which was 11F on the right side of the Airbus A321. Again this plane had rows of three except for row 10. No one was sitting in the middle seat so it meant a little more elbow room for me.

View from my seat onboard WW125

Our flight was delayed about an hour with no information conveyed to the flight crew or to us other than to say that there were passengers that had been delayed going through security. We didn’t know why they were delayed or why they held the plane for them, but they did.

View from my seat onboard WW125

You have to kind of love the bright pink color of this plane. Ok, some may call it magenta or even purple, but regardless the color is bright and cheerful.

The flight was easy with only small pockets of turbulence, but beautiful views out the window, especially of Greenland over the Greenland Sea. While I generally avoid conversations on flights with strangers, I enjoyed talking the entire flight with Vinny, a passenger from Massachusetts. You never know who you’ll meet so always stay open to the possibilities.

Although the Food Doctor appears as an option on WOW Air flights, don’t expect to get any as they don’t carry them

When the flight attendants came around, I thought I’d order something to eat for my meal since I had skipped meals previously. I decided to order the lentil and couscous cup, but as you can already guess, they no longer carry it.

Apparently, what WOW Air considers a meal would be a sandwich and soda, pizza and beer, or a baguette and red wine. Instead of using a dollar amount, it's two items that's that. Click To Tweet

So I asked for the porridge cup (non-vegan btw), a water, and a chocolate bar that I planned on bringing back for Mr. TSG.  Apparently, what WOW Air considers a meal would be a sandwich and soda, pizza and beer, or a baguette and red wine. Instead of using a dollar amount, it’s two items that’s that. I was only allowed to have porridge and a bottle of water. I had to assure them that I didn’t get the bottle I was drinking from with them in order to get another bottle of water. C’mon people — it’s just water!

Landing at Boston Logan International Airport

While the flight was supposed to have been about 5 1/2 hours long, I sat far longer than that. Since we had the extra hour wait at Keflavik, I couldn’t wait to get off the plane and get home.

My Overall Thoughts on WOW Air

Overall, WOW Air is exactly what it proclaims itself to be: Cheap flights to Iceland and Europe from USA and Canada. While there’s no actual Business Class on this budget airline, it doesn’t proclaim itself to be more than what it is. Expect to pay for what you need as you go and expect to be nickeled and dimed along the way. There are zero freebies and the flight is like any you might expect with a short haul US domestic carrier. That’s nothing bad if that’s what you’re expecting, but disappointing if you’re expecting more.

My biggest advice is to price out all of the costs associated with any budget carrier before you buy. Compare the overall price for the flight, food, seat selection, checked and carry on baggage, etc. to all inclusive tickets. If you can save money, then WOW Air can definitely get you from point A to point B.

Have you flown WOW Air? What are your thoughts on this international carrier? Read more TSG airline reviews here on the site.

The post What You Need to Know About WOW Air Business Class appeared first on Travel Shop Girl.

What You Need to Know About WOW Air Business Class published first on http://ift.tt/2uCE2ez

[cartzypage]

What You Need to Know About WOW Air Business Class

WOW Air plane on the tarmac at Keflavik Airport in Iceland

You’ve probably heard by now about WOW Air, the low cost, budget airline from Iceland that offers flights to Europe from the United States. But before you start to think I’ve lost my mind, technically WOW Air doesn’t have Business Class seats on their flights, but they do offer a WOW Biz class of service.

Let’s compare WOW Basic to WOW Plus and WOW Biz:

WOW Basic: Flight ticket, Personal item

WOW Plus: Flight ticket, Personal item, 1x carry-on bag, Checked bag, Standard seat

WOW Biz: Flight ticket, Personal item, 1x carry-on bag, Checked bag, Cancellation protection, In-flight meal, XXL legroom, Priority boarding

To reiterate, WOW Biz is not a class of service on the plane that’s comparable to Business on any other airline. Instead, think of it as paying for your services in advance all at once instead of paying for á la carte service at the airport. Since I hadn’t flown with WOW Air before, I was excited to try this airline out for my trip to Amsterdam.

Check In at BOS for WOW Air

Checking in at Boston Logan International Airport was fairly quick although I immediately noticed issues. Several people in line were trying to argue the point that their luggage was appropriately sized. Ticket agents will make you place your bags in the carrier near the lines to see if it fits. A few people had to take their luggage on a walk of shame back to seats near the entrance of the airport to repack or pay to check their bag.

I highly recommend reading all of the possible charges that can and will be charged so there are no surprises.Click To Tweet

The website clearly shows luggage size and weight and I highly recommend reading all of the possible charges that can and will be charged so there are no surprises. You can pay for your bag charges in advance, too, and if you do you’ll save more instead of paying at the airport.

Since WOW Air is a budget airline, that meant I was going to go through the security line with everyone else without any special lines for Business Class. The line was long and slow to get through security and all I could do was grin and bear it. Once through security, I decided it wasn’t worth going to the Air France lounge for maybe an hour. Instead, I walked around, bought a bottle of Vitamin Water Zero and Dasani sparkling water, and a coffee from Starbucks.

BOS to KEF – Flight #1 WW126

Gate E5 at Boston Logan Airport

Eventually I decided to walk over to gate E5 and wait for boarding. The gate agents were regularly calling up passengers even up until the time of boarding.

WOW Air flight attendants in Boston – Doesn’t this look like a 60’s airline advertisement?

When boarding time did arrive, there was zero organization. Normally people queue up but this was a random group in no order near the gate. I asked someone if she was in line and she flippantly responded how yes, she was in line and no, the plane wouldn’t leave without us. Did she think this was my first ever flight?

After advising those with children, those needing extra time to board, and priority boarding could board, we waited something like 20 minutes in the cold gangway. Having people wait here is completely ridiculous considering those with children or disabilities are expected to just hang out patiently to board in this area.

Seat map for flight WW126

Once onboard, I located my seat, 11A, which was near the exit door and didn’t have a seat in front of it.

View from seat 11A on the Airbus A321 on flight WW126

This seems like a great idea, but not having that seat means no under seat storage. The seat back pocket is on the wall near the floor, which I didn’t initially notice.

I had one of two options from my window seat if I needed to get up. I could scoot past the two women in seats B and C or walk through the small space that would get me out by row 10 on the left hand side.

Before take off, I opened my blanket and placed it over me, but under the seatbelt. The flight attendant came by and brusquely informed me that I needed to fold up my blanket and place it behind my back. WTF? On the many flights around the world I’ve taken, not once has this ever happened. I had my seat belt closed and visible, which is what I thought she wanted, but apparently that wasn’t good enough. (TSG Note: Apparently, they don’t want anything out that could “fall” and we all know how loud and damaging a blanket is when it falls.)

The Flight Itself

Food options with WOW Air

During meal service they seemed surprised that I wouldn’t accept food. “But it’s included” the flight attendant repeated to me. There wasn’t anything I could eat off the menu, which is basically a lot of sandwiches with meat. I had packed a snack size bag of nuts and seeds and called it a day. I had a few shows on my iPad I decided to watch as I opened the Dasani sparkling water. Apparently, it must have been shaken and decided to erupt like a geyser all over everything. Like the wall, my blanket and pillow, the floor, and of course, my iPad. I dried off the iPad immediately and put it away and listened to music for the remainder of the flight.

The woman in seat B next to me was Roza, a friendly woman from Albania who’s now living in the Boston area. She usually flies with her husband but this time she was on her own and was a little nervous. She didn’t know where to go or what to do and I felt her pain as she recounted her story of having to pay for checked luggage to the tune of $150. I could see how it could all be confusing for someone who doesn’t understand that free doesn’t exist anymore, especially for budget airlines. She didn’t bring any food or drink onboard and since my WOW Biz seat had extras, I ordered an extra bottle of water and gave it to her.

The lights in the cabin stayed on the entire time. Why? Probably because the flight attendants come around constantly selling food and Duty Free items throughout the flight. That’s, of course, when they weren’t congregating near the front of the plane and chatting.

Northern Lights Watch

Northern Lights as seen from my seat onboard WW126 to Iceland

There's nothing else quite like the Northern Lights and watching them dance across the sky outside my window was amazing.Click To Tweet

Lights in the cabin were dimmed only during takeoff and landing and when the pilot spotted the Northern Lights. I purposely booked a seat on the left side of the plane for this reason and I was so glad that I was able to see them. There’s nothing else quite like the Northern Lights and watching them dance across the sky outside my window was amazing. Once the cabin lights came back on, it was impossible to see them clearly or to photograph them.

The flight landed at Keflavik International Airport 30 minutes early at 4:07 am. While this sounds great, my flight to Amsterdam was leaving at 6 am. I departed the plane with Roza in tow. Although I thought we would walk right over to the gate, I forgot that we would have to go through passport control. Less than 5 minutes later we were at gate C35 along with everyone else.

KEF to AMS – Flight #2 WW442

When they finally announced boarding, one of the few perks of flying WOW Biz was Priority Boarding. I was able to walk right up and then have my boarding pass scanned while everyone had to wait. But unfortunately once again, they queued us up for 30 minutes in the gangway before allowing us to board the plane.

Seat map for flight WW442

I took ZERO pics for this flight after all the standing around and waiting. I sat in seat 1A, which besides no underseat storage, was a really great seat. First on and first off is always good in my book.

AMS to KEF – Flight #3 WW443

Waiting at Schiphol AIrport for flight

My flight from Amsterdam to Keflavik meant I was departing from an M gate with few services. While there’s a duty free store, a bar, and a takeaway shop with sandwiches and beverages, there are no lounges. I arrived early to check in which meant I sat and waited for a while. Like others, there was lots of sitting until gate M07 showed up on the overhead board.

View from gate while waiting to board flight WW443 AMS to KEF

Gate M07 has stairs going down and I walked down on the right to use the “priority boarding” lane. The gate agent checked my boarding pass and advised me to enter the lane to the left, which wasn’t priority. I asked her about priority, she was apologetic and sent me to the right side. I stood in Priority Boarding alone for the duration of my wait. The last person deplaned and I was immediately sent to board the plane.

My seat was 11E on the WOW Air Airbus A320, which was like row 10 in the seat map below. The row was one of the few double instead of triple rows on the plane.

Seat map for flight WW443

Seat F behind me meant that the passenger could stretch out his legs next to me, which this guy did sans shoes. Why does that always seem to happen to me? For a 3-hour flight, do we really need to take off our shoes and snuggle up with blankets and neck pillows?

Overall, this flight was uneventful and the flight crew was courteous, professional, and the flight quick and on time.

KEF to BOS – Flight #4

Seat map for flight WW125

Once in Keflavik, we had to go through passport control, which I’ll detail in my next post. Boarding for this WOW Air flight was fast, especially with priority boarding. I found my seat quickly, which was 11F on the right side of the Airbus A321. Again this plane had rows of three except for row 10. No one was sitting in the middle seat so it meant a little more elbow room for me.

View from my seat onboard WW125

Our flight was delayed about an hour with no information conveyed to the flight crew or to us other than to say that there were passengers that had been delayed going through security. We didn’t know why they were delayed or why they held the plane for them, but they did.

View from my seat onboard WW125

You have to kind of love the bright pink color of this plane. Ok, some may call it magenta or even purple, but regardless the color is bright and cheerful.

The flight was easy with only small pockets of turbulence, but beautiful views out the window, especially of Greenland over the Greenland Sea. While I generally avoid conversations on flights with strangers, I enjoyed talking the entire flight with Vinny, a passenger from Massachusetts. You never know who you’ll meet so always stay open to the possibilities.

Although the Food Doctor appears as an option on WOW Air flights, don’t expect to get any as they don’t carry them

When the flight attendants came around, I thought I’d order something to eat for my meal since I had skipped meals previously. I decided to order the lentil and couscous cup, but as you can already guess, they no longer carry it.

Apparently, what WOW Air considers a meal would be a sandwich and soda, pizza and beer, or a baguette and red wine. Instead of using a dollar amount, it's two items that's that. Click To Tweet

So I asked for the porridge cup (non-vegan btw), a water, and a chocolate bar that I planned on bringing back for Mr. TSG.  Apparently, what WOW Air considers a meal would be a sandwich and soda, pizza and beer, or a baguette and red wine. Instead of using a dollar amount, it’s two items that’s that. I was only allowed to have porridge and a bottle of water. I had to assure them that I didn’t get the bottle I was drinking from with them in order to get another bottle of water. C’mon people — it’s just water!

Landing at Boston Logan International Airport

While the flight was supposed to have been about 5 1/2 hours long, I sat far longer than that. Since we had the extra hour wait at Keflavik, I couldn’t wait to get off the plane and get home.

My Overall Thoughts on WOW Air

Overall, WOW Air is exactly what it proclaims itself to be: Cheap flights to Iceland and Europe from USA and Canada. While there’s no actual Business Class on this budget airline, it doesn’t proclaim itself to be more than what it is. Expect to pay for what you need as you go and expect to be nickeled and dimed along the way. There are zero freebies and the flight is like any you might expect with a short haul US domestic carrier. That’s nothing bad if that’s what you’re expecting, but disappointing if you’re expecting more.

My biggest advice is to price out all of the costs associated with any budget carrier before you buy. Compare the overall price for the flight, food, seat selection, checked and carry on baggage, etc. to all inclusive tickets. If you can save money, then WOW Air can definitely get you from point A to point B.

Have you flown WOW Air? What are your thoughts on this international carrier? Read more TSG airline reviews here on the site.

The post What You Need to Know About WOW Air Business Class appeared first on Travel Shop Girl.

What You Need to Know About WOW Air Business Class published first on http://ift.tt/2wmAGMc

[jifsy]

What You Need to Know About WOW Air Business Class

WOW Air plane on the tarmac at Keflavik Airport in Iceland

You’ve probably heard by now about WOW Air, the low cost, budget airline from Iceland that offers flights to Europe from the United States. But before you start to think I’ve lost my mind, technically WOW Air doesn’t have Business Class seats on their flights, but they do offer a WOW Biz class of service.

Let’s compare WOW Basic to WOW Plus and WOW Biz:

WOW Basic: Flight ticket, Personal item

WOW Plus: Flight ticket, Personal item, 1x carry-on bag, Checked bag, Standard seat

WOW Biz: Flight ticket, Personal item, 1x carry-on bag, Checked bag, Cancellation protection, In-flight meal, XXL legroom, Priority boarding

To reiterate, WOW Biz is not a class of service on the plane that’s comparable to Business on any other airline. Instead, think of it as paying for your services in advance all at once instead of paying for á la carte service at the airport. Since I hadn’t flown with WOW Air before, I was excited to try this airline out for my trip to Amsterdam.

Check In at BOS for WOW Air

Checking in at Boston Logan International Airport was fairly quick although I immediately noticed issues. Several people in line were trying to argue the point that their luggage was appropriately sized. Ticket agents will make you place your bags in the carrier near the lines to see if it fits. A few people had to take their luggage on a walk of shame back to seats near the entrance of the airport to repack or pay to check their bag.

I highly recommend reading all of the possible charges that can and will be charged so there are no surprises.Click To Tweet

The website clearly shows luggage size and weight and I highly recommend reading all of the possible charges that can and will be charged so there are no surprises. You can pay for your bag charges in advance, too, and if you do you’ll save more instead of paying at the airport.

Since WOW Air is a budget airline, that meant I was going to go through the security line with everyone else without any special lines for Business Class. The line was long and slow to get through security and all I could do was grin and bear it. Once through security, I decided it wasn’t worth going to the Air France lounge for maybe an hour. Instead, I walked around, bought a bottle of Vitamin Water Zero and Dasani sparkling water, and a coffee from Starbucks.

BOS to KEF – Flight #1 WW126

Gate E5 at Boston Logan Airport

Eventually I decided to walk over to gate E5 and wait for boarding. The gate agents were regularly calling up passengers even up until the time of boarding.

WOW Air flight attendants in Boston – Doesn’t this look like a 60’s airline advertisement?

When boarding time did arrive, there was zero organization. Normally people queue up but this was a random group in no order near the gate. I asked someone if she was in line and she flippantly responded how yes, she was in line and no, the plane wouldn’t leave without us. Did she think this was my first ever flight?

After advising those with children, those needing extra time to board, and priority boarding could board, we waited something like 20 minutes in the cold gangway. Having people wait here is completely ridiculous considering those with children or disabilities are expected to just hang out patiently to board in this area.

Seat map for flight WW126

Once onboard, I located my seat, 11A, which was near the exit door and didn’t have a seat in front of it.

View from seat 11A on the Airbus A321 on flight WW126

This seems like a great idea, but not having that seat means no under seat storage. The seat back pocket is on the wall near the floor, which I didn’t initially notice.

I had one of two options from my window seat if I needed to get up. I could scoot past the two women in seats B and C or walk through the small space that would get me out by row 10 on the left hand side.

Before take off, I opened my blanket and placed it over me, but under the seatbelt. The flight attendant came by and brusquely informed me that I needed to fold up my blanket and place it behind my back. WTF? On the many flights around the world I’ve taken, not once has this ever happened. I had my seat belt closed and visible, which is what I thought she wanted, but apparently that wasn’t good enough. (TSG Note: Apparently, they don’t want anything out that could “fall” and we all know how loud and damaging a blanket is when it falls.)

The Flight Itself

Food options with WOW Air

During meal service they seemed surprised that I wouldn’t accept food. “But it’s included” the flight attendant repeated to me. There wasn’t anything I could eat off the menu, which is basically a lot of sandwiches with meat. I had packed a snack size bag of nuts and seeds and called it a day. I had a few shows on my iPad I decided to watch as I opened the Dasani sparkling water. Apparently, it must have been shaken and decided to erupt like a geyser all over everything. Like the wall, my blanket and pillow, the floor, and of course, my iPad. I dried off the iPad immediately and put it away and listened to music for the remainder of the flight.

The woman in seat B next to me was Roza, a friendly woman from Albania who’s now living in the Boston area. She usually flies with her husband but this time she was on her own and was a little nervous. She didn’t know where to go or what to do and I felt her pain as she recounted her story of having to pay for checked luggage to the tune of $150. I could see how it could all be confusing for someone who doesn’t understand that free doesn’t exist anymore, especially for budget airlines. She didn’t bring any food or drink onboard and since my WOW Biz seat had extras, I ordered an extra bottle of water and gave it to her.

The lights in the cabin stayed on the entire time. Why? Probably because the flight attendants come around constantly selling food and Duty Free items throughout the flight. That’s, of course, when they weren’t congregating near the front of the plane and chatting.

Northern Lights Watch

Northern Lights as seen from my seat onboard WW126 to Iceland

There's nothing else quite like the Northern Lights and watching them dance across the sky outside my window was amazing.Click To Tweet

Lights in the cabin were dimmed only during takeoff and landing and when the pilot spotted the Northern Lights. I purposely booked a seat on the left side of the plane for this reason and I was so glad that I was able to see them. There’s nothing else quite like the Northern Lights and watching them dance across the sky outside my window was amazing. Once the cabin lights came back on, it was impossible to see them clearly or to photograph them.

The flight landed at Keflavik International Airport 30 minutes early at 4:07 am. While this sounds great, my flight to Amsterdam was leaving at 6 am. I departed the plane with Roza in tow. Although I thought we would walk right over to the gate, I forgot that we would have to go through passport control. Less than 5 minutes later we were at gate C35 along with everyone else.

KEF to AMS – Flight #2 WW442

When they finally announced boarding, one of the few perks of flying WOW Biz was Priority Boarding. I was able to walk right up and then have my boarding pass scanned while everyone had to wait. But unfortunately once again, they queued us up for 30 minutes in the gangway before allowing us to board the plane.

Seat map for flight WW442

I took ZERO pics for this flight after all the standing around and waiting. I sat in seat 1A, which besides no underseat storage, was a really great seat. First on and first off is always good in my book.

AMS to KEF – Flight #3 WW443

Waiting at Schiphol AIrport for flight

My flight from Amsterdam to Keflavik meant I was departing from an M gate with few services. While there’s a duty free store, a bar, and a takeaway shop with sandwiches and beverages, there are no lounges. I arrived early to check in which meant I sat and waited for a while. Like others, there was lots of sitting until gate M07 showed up on the overhead board.

View from gate while waiting to board flight WW443 AMS to KEF

Gate M07 has stairs going down and I walked down on the right to use the “priority boarding” lane. The gate agent checked my boarding pass and advised me to enter the lane to the left, which wasn’t priority. I asked her about priority, she was apologetic and sent me to the right side. I stood in Priority Boarding alone for the duration of my wait. The last person deplaned and I was immediately sent to board the plane.

My seat was 11E on the WOW Air Airbus A320, which was like row 10 in the seat map below. The row was one of the few double instead of triple rows on the plane.

Seat map for flight WW443

Seat F behind me meant that the passenger could stretch out his legs next to me, which this guy did sans shoes. Why does that always seem to happen to me? For a 3-hour flight, do we really need to take off our shoes and snuggle up with blankets and neck pillows?

Overall, this flight was uneventful and the flight crew was courteous, professional, and the flight quick and on time.

KEF to BOS – Flight #4

Seat map for flight WW125

Once in Keflavik, we had to go through passport control, which I’ll detail in my next post. Boarding for this WOW Air flight was fast, especially with priority boarding. I found my seat quickly, which was 11F on the right side of the Airbus A321. Again this plane had rows of three except for row 10. No one was sitting in the middle seat so it meant a little more elbow room for me.

View from my seat onboard WW125

Our flight was delayed about an hour with no information conveyed to the flight crew or to us other than to say that there were passengers that had been delayed going through security. We didn’t know why they were delayed or why they held the plane for them, but they did.

View from my seat onboard WW125

You have to kind of love the bright pink color of this plane. Ok, some may call it magenta or even purple, but regardless the color is bright and cheerful.

The flight was easy with only small pockets of turbulence, but beautiful views out the window, especially of Greenland over the Greenland Sea. While I generally avoid conversations on flights with strangers, I enjoyed talking the entire flight with Vinny, a passenger from Massachusetts. You never know who you’ll meet so always stay open to the possibilities.

Although the Food Doctor appears as an option on WOW Air flights, don’t expect to get any as they don’t carry them

When the flight attendants came around, I thought I’d order something to eat for my meal since I had skipped meals previously. I decided to order the lentil and couscous cup, but as you can already guess, they no longer carry it.

Apparently, what WOW Air considers a meal would be a sandwich and soda, pizza and beer, or a baguette and red wine. Instead of using a dollar amount, it's two items that's that. Click To Tweet

So I asked for the porridge cup (non-vegan btw), a water, and a chocolate bar that I planned on bringing back for Mr. TSG.  Apparently, what WOW Air considers a meal would be a sandwich and soda, pizza and beer, or a baguette and red wine. Instead of using a dollar amount, it’s two items that’s that. I was only allowed to have porridge and a bottle of water. I had to assure them that I didn’t get the bottle I was drinking from with them in order to get another bottle of water. C’mon people — it’s just water!

Landing at Boston Logan International Airport

While the flight was supposed to have been about 5 1/2 hours long, I sat far longer than that. Since we had the extra hour wait at Keflavik, I couldn’t wait to get off the plane and get home.

My Overall Thoughts on WOW Air

Overall, WOW Air is exactly what it proclaims itself to be: Cheap flights to Iceland and Europe from USA and Canada. While there’s no actual Business Class on this budget airline, it doesn’t proclaim itself to be more than what it is. Expect to pay for what you need as you go and expect to be nickeled and dimed along the way. There are zero freebies and the flight is like any you might expect with a short haul US domestic carrier. That’s nothing bad if that’s what you’re expecting, but disappointing if you’re expecting more.

My biggest advice is to price out all of the costs associated with any budget carrier before you buy. Compare the overall price for the flight, food, seat selection, checked and carry on baggage, etc. to all inclusive tickets. If you can save money, then WOW Air can definitely get you from point A to point B.

Have you flown WOW Air? What are your thoughts on this international carrier? Read more TSG airline reviews here on the site.

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