A Taste of the World's Best Food Museums
Whether you prefer to go by air, sea or land, most travelers appreciate eating their way around the world. For those who have a literal hunger for travel, here is a smorgasbord of food museums not to be missed.
Shin-Yokohama Raumen Museum, Yokohama, Japan
The museum's first floor is dedicated to the history of the popular noodle dish. The basement floors feature a beautiful, detailed replica of Tokyo's old town, Shitamachi (above) and a recreation of the first ramen dish ever eaten back in the 17th century. The lower floor also houses nine different restaurants that serve ramen bowls from different regions of Japan. Meanwhile, you can also create your own brand of ramen at the 'My Ramen' booth in the museum's shop.
Deutsches Currywurst Museum, Berlin, Germany
The quirky museum offers a tour through the fascinating history of the fried sausage dish. You can listen to the story of its origin on a sausage-shaped telephone while sitting on a sausage-shaped couch. What's more, you can play currywurst-themed video games, prepare a virtual sausage using interactive exhibits, take some selfies behind a mock-currywurst bar, and of course, scarf down a few spicy samples.
Frietmuseum, Bruges, Belgium
Located in northwest Belgium, this is the world's only museum dedicated to French fries, above. The first floor is dedicated to the history of French fries and how they came to Belgium. (According to historians, the Belgians have been eating fried potatoes since the late 17th century.) Once the tour is over, you can head over to the medieval cellars located on the basement floor to savor some free samples.
Pizza Brain, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Curated by pizza aficionado Brian Dwyer, this quirky museum houses the world's largest collection of pizza paraphernalia. And if browsing through all those pizza-themed books, vinyl records and action figures makes you a little peckish, you can head over to the attached pizzeria to down a few slices.
National Mustard Museum, Middleton, Wisconsin
Complete with assorted mustard memorabilia, interactive food quizzes and a tasting bar, this museum, above, is a mustard lover’s paradise. The star attraction is the Great Wall of Mustard—an extensive collection of over 5,600 types of prepared mustard from all 50 U.S. states and more than 70 countries.
Le Musée du Chocolat, Paris, France
If you're a chocolate addict, then this Parisian museum definitely needs to be on your bucket list. Also known as Choco Story, the museum has more than 1,000 exhibits that cover everything from the origin of cocoa beans to commercialization of chocolate-making. Moreover, you can also taste delicious treats made by expert chocolatiers or create one yourself at one of the workshops.
Meet a 33-Year-Old Who Left a Six-Figure Job to Start a Travel Company
Last year, Jessica Nabongo traveled to 53 countries—38 of which were new to her—and flew nearly 190,000 miles on 131 flights. And she has no plans of slowing down in 2018. But for an entrepreneur with wanderlust, this is all part of the digital nomad life she’s been building for herself since her early twenties.
At 23, Nabongo had been working as a pharmaceutical representative for Pfizer in Detroit, and realized she wanted to do more with her life. So she left her corporate job and moved to Japan to teach English. Along the way she fell in love with expat life and vowed to live abroad for at least three more years after her time in Japan. She ended up living outside of the United States for seven years, bouncing from Asia to Europe and back again.
After missing too many birthdays, weddings and funerals, Nabongo moved back to America when she turned 30, but she still had the travel bug.
While helping a friend organize his honeymoon, she came up with the idea of Jet Black, a boutique travel agency that encourages tourism to countries in Africa, Central and South America and the Caribbean. “My focus is to make sure that people are really interacting with the locals," says Nabongo. Today, around 60 percent of the business is group trips, such as a recently organized getaway to Colombia or a future trip to Senegal. The rest is planning private trips for clients, whether it be a honeymoon or milestone birthday.
In its second year of business, the agency now boasts over 100 clients. The business accounts for 85 percent of her income, which she supplements with UN consultancy contracts, sponsorships as an Instagram influencer and freelance travel writing gigs.
Not that her life is all a vacation. Managing a business while on the road is difficult, especially since she is usually not in the same time zone as her clients. She prioritizes waking up early in order to stay-up-to-date with requests. “I always tell people Instagram is a sliver of my life, about 20%,” Nabongo says.
“People want to be the quote-unquote digital nomad,” she continues. “You put your laptop down on the beach and say, "hashtag, 'today's office'….that is not the reality. Traveling and working is extremely difficult.”
Your guide to luxury travel—and life's other indulgences.
You must remember this: A kiss is not just a kiss in some countries. Quite often it’s a greeting and there is etiquette in the number of kisses (two for most of France, but some regions prefer three) or style of puckering (in the Philippines, a beso-beso is really just an air kiss, cheek to cheek). So here’s a handy guide to the number expected in a few countries. But, remember, kissing is an art, not a science, and you will definitely have awkward moments going left when you should have leaned right. In that case, just turn the other cheek.
One kiss: Argentina, Chile, Colombia
Two kisses: Croatia, France, Italy, Spain
Three kisses: Belgium, Netherlands, Russia, Switzerland
The Best WiFi Hotspots for Travelers
For those who can’t bear the thought of being unplugged on vacation—and simply can’t afford to be on a business trip—portable WiFi hotspots have become a travel necessity.
The original Skyroam is a great alternative to purchasing local SIM cards or local data plans when traveling abroad. The latest version, Skyroam Solis (above left) functions the same way with some smart upgrades. Its 4G LTE is faster than the original and can be used by up to five devices at the same time in more than 120 countries. The device also works as a power bank, charging gadgets with a USB-C connection, and lasts longer, roughly sixteen hours on one charge.
Unlike the original, which can be rented for $9.95 a day, the Solis is only available for sale. It costs $149.99 for the unit, plus $9 per day passes for 24-hour unlimited WiFi. By popular demand, Skyroam also has a subscription service offering unlimited, 30-day internet access for $99 per month.
Roaming Man, above right, functions much like Skyroam. The hotspot, which took off in Asia before hitting the American market, provides unlimited 4G service in more than 100 countries for $9.99 a day and also functions as a power bank.
The main difference, aside from fewer countries covered and design (a bit more pocket-friendly than the Solis), is that it's only available to rent. Enter your travel dates on the website, and the device will be delivered to you with WiFi access preloaded for the days of your trip. When you're finished using it, ship it back in the prepaid envelope provided. The upside: You're not buying a pricey hotspot. The downside: If you use the hotspot frequently, you won’t be happy with the shipping fees.
Which is right for you? If you're always traveling, purchasing Skyroam Solis and signing up for the monthly subscription makes sense. If you need a hotspot for one or two big trips a year, renting is a better option. While you can still rent the original Skyroam, go with Roaming Man for the stronger battery life and faster internet speeds, especially if you're traveling to areas in Africa, where the device currently has wider coverage.
