Tips 4 Visiting Florida

Welcome to Florida tourists!

Here you will learn some tips for visiting Florida that may help you save money, enjoy your stay more, and tips that will help the good residents of the Sunshine state enjoy having you here.

Before we begin, let me start by sharing with you some ways we, here in Florida, know you are a tourist….
• Your tag is from out of state.
• You are in a car without tint and a tag with a June sticker – meaning it is a rental car.
• You are driving slowly on the race track, I mean toll roads
• You are disappointed at not seeing alligators everywhere.
• You are taking photos of everything, palm trees, ponds, i4, etc.
• You are sporting a red neck and possibly arms, legs, etc. because you are not used to the Florida sun
• You are wearing mickey mouse ears. EVERYWHERE!
• You have the windows rolled down in your car, and it’s August
• You are talking about all the time you spent at the beach
• You ask if it is always this hot. No, this is probably a cool day!
• You park close to the store entrance rather than in the shade.

Enough of that here in Florida, roughly 20% of our population is 65 and older, and the state attracts more than 100 million visitors every year. So great care and attention needs to be taken on the road. Here are some rules and common courtesies you should follow to help us remember how glad we are that you are here, so we don’t have to pay State income tax. Also, so you avoid getting a ticket.

Road rules

Turn right on red – You may turn right at a red light after coming to a complete stop unless a sign indicating “no right on red” is posted at the intersection.

Stop for pedestrians in the Crosswalk –Also, stop for jaywalkers, please! You do not want a hood ornament. If you are the pedestrian, remember that the time you wait patiently at the crosswalk will be worth it long term! Please be careful, ya’ll!

No earbuds – It is illegal to wear headphones while driving a car in Florida, and can be punished with a fine of over $150.00. Florida Statute § 316.304 states: No person shall operate a vehicle while wearing a headset, headphone, or other listening device, other than a hearing aid or instrument for the improvement of defective human hearing.

Texting and driving –  Don’t do it in Florida. Here are the rules. “A person may not operate a motor vehicle while manually typing or entering multiple letters, numbers, symbols, or other characters into a wireless communications device or while sending or reading data on such a device for the purpose of nonvoice interpersonal communication, including, but not limited to, communication methods known as texting, e-mailing, and instant messaging. As used in this section, the term “wireless communications device” means any handheld device used or capable of being used in a handheld manner, that is designed or intended to receive or transmit text or character-based messages, access or store data, or connect to the Internet or any communications service as defined in s. 812.15 and that allows text communications. For the purposes of this paragraph, a motor vehicle that is stationary is not being operated and is not subject to the prohibition in this paragraph.”

Move over for stopped police and emergency vehicles – When law enforcement vehicles are in one of the “break-down” lanes, either assisting a motorist or pulling over a speeding vehicle, you must move to the far lane, away from the police or slow to 20 miles per hour below the speed limit.

Driving in Florida if you are from visiting from another country. – You only need your documentation of identification, such as your driver’s license from your native country, to drive in Florida. You do not need an international driving permit.

Weather

Heat – Florida is not called the Sunshine State for nothing. You would be wise to bring hats, sunscreen, sunglasses, etc.

Rain – Florida is known for Sunshine as well as unexpected and often severe thunderstorms.

Hurricanes – Between the months of June and November is what we call hurricane season. If you are planning to visit Florida during this time there is always a chance there will be a storm. If you are traveling during this time, it would be wise to have travel insurance in case a storm decides to visit Florida at the same time you do!

Lovebug season – While you may have never heard of love bugs, Floridians deal with them twice a year in May and September. The past few years they have not been too bad, but when there are swarms of the bugs, they like to hover around light colored objects. That could be you in your white shirt or car. Also, they will make a mess on your car when you hit them at 70 mph on the interstate. It is advised to scrub them off as soon as you can because they can eat away at your paint! no joke! They do not bite, but they do hover around and if you are eating outside better look before you bite!

Other various tips/facts

• There are these amazing creatures called alligators and snakes living in Florida.Don’t wade or swim in ponds or lakes. If you really want to jump in, ask a local first if there have been any recent alligator sightings.
• Be prepared to pay for parking – In many of the big cities, parking is at a premium so you may need to pay for parking in downtown areas. Also, at most large attractions like Disney, Univeral, you will pay for parking. Most parking starts @ $20 and goes up from there.
  • You won’t need any climbing gear. – The highest point in Florida is merely 345 feet.
•  I-4 is one of the most widely used interstates in the state of Florida, even though it does not intersect any other states. How did it become an interstate? I have no idea. The internet says that…..”Interstate 4 is one of the US highways designed, financed and constructed as part of the national system of “Interstate System of National and Defense Highways”, under legislation passed by Congress in 1956. ..”
• Toll Roads – To get quickly from one part of the state to the other you will probably traverse a toll road or two. You can purchase a SunPass at the Florida welcome center or at Walgreens, etc. Some places you can stop and pay the toll, but in Miami, you will be sent a bill. A photo will be taken of your tag, and you will get a bill in the mail. How that works with a rental car? I am not sure.

Jokes about Florida
• You won’t find a Jacuzzi in Florida, because if a Floridian wanted to suffocate themselves in hot steam, they would just walk outside.
• How can you tell it is fall in Florida? The colors of license plates begin to change

Remember when you visit Florida, that all of us are not on vacation, so please try to drive the speed limit, use your signals, listen to your GPS, get off the road completely to take a photo, and overall enjoy your stay in the Sunshine State!

If you would like to listen to an audio version of this article, you will find it at Travel Adventures Podcast

Thanks for reading!

Aimée

Incline

wikipedia

When we hear the word incline, our mind usually pictures a train going up a steep hill or a photo of a cyclist trying to power their way up a steep road in the mountains during the Tour De France.

Yet the word incline also means to

1. Be willing or favorably disposed to an idea or action
2. To have a tendency to do a specific thing
3. To lean or turn away from a given direction.
4. To bend one’s head forward and downward.

If you think about it, in our life, as a Christian, all four of these definitions of incline should be part of our life. However, inclining our ear, our heart, our will, our mind, is not easy. The news, advertising, friends, posters, music, tv shows, and movies are all urging us to do what feels right for us. To do what makes us feel comfortable and happy. All the while God’s word says in Proverbs 2:2, “So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom.”
Our ear is bent by so many people and ideas in the course of the day, that we naturally incline to what feels the easiest. But we are missing out on something important. Wisdom, fellowship, communion with God!
When we start to be inclined to make money or make a name for ourselves any inclination toward God is generally pushed to the side. Throughout the book of Jeremiah, the prophet is warning the people of this very thing. Jeremiah warns them of the trouble and punishment to come, yet the verses say things like, “But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear.” (Jeremiah 7:24) They would not listen to what God said, and before long Israel went into captivity.

How can we be inclined toward God?

1. Ask for help – Psalm 119:36, 141:4
   If your life/heart is not inclined toward God, ask Him for help!

The Psalmist asks for help in two ways.
a. Psalm 119:36 – He asks for his heart to be inclined to God’s testimonies.
b. Psalm 141:4 – He asks for his heart to NOT be inclined to any evil thing.

He knew what he needed to be inclined to and what to avoid. Like the Psalmist we need to have a desire to both be inclined to God’s word and inclined away from evil.

2. Choosing to incline – Psalm 49:4, 119:112
Inclining. This like everything else in life is a choice. It is a choice we must make every day and often multiple times throughout our day. We cannot just flip a switch and naturally be inclined to God every moment of the day; we must choose to be inclined!

Two verses popped up where someone is speaking of their choice to incline.
In Psalm 119:112, the Psalmist says, “I have inclined mine heart to perform thy statutes always, even unto the end.” The Psalmist made a decision, he took a stand, he chose to incline his heart to obey God’s word. What choice will we make?

Another point to make is that inclining is not one-sided. We don’t incline to God, and that’s it. Psalm 40:1 and 116:2, show us, God, inclining toward us.
Psalm 40:1 – He will incline His ear and hear our cry.
Psalm 116:2 – Here the Psalmist realized that God did, in fact, incline His ear to him and in the Psalmist joy and excitement of learning this fact he says, “Therefore will I call upon him as long as I live.”
In Georgia, there is a mountain named Lookout Mountain. To get to the top of this mountain, they built a railroad that goes straight up the side of the mountain. It took thought, work, time, money, sweat, and determination to make this railroad. When the railroad was completed access was available to anyone who wanted to reach the top of the mountain and people were able to live there and enjoy the amazing view from the top of lookout mountain.

Inclining our heart to God and the things of God seems like a monumental task. But each step we take, each choice we make brings us closer to Him and to great access/fellowship with Him which is far greater than anything this world has to offer.

Enjoy the Adventure!

Aimée

Travel Tragedies – Photography

Travel Tragedy’s – Photography – Show Notes (Listen to the Podcast)
The idea for this podcast came from an article I read about the 3rd falling death at the Grand Canyon already this year. For reference, there were 17 deaths in the Grand Canyon National park last year, but the majority of those were heat-related.

While we do not know the cause of the most recent death, we do know that one of the deaths came about as a result of photo taking.
Thus, this podcast of warning.

Let me begin by saying, that I enjoy taking photos and I am always looking for ways to get the perfect shot. So I am not trying to demean people who are trying to get pictures from different vantage points or trying to capture something amazing! I have been there! This is just a reminder to both myself and other photographers/videographers out there to be careful!

Back in October 2018, there were several articles by news outlets, such as the Washington Post, etc, talking about the number of Selfie deaths in the past 6 years. It is reported that from October 2011 – November 2017 there were 259 self- related deaths. This does not include the injuries or deaths that have come about by trying to take that amazing photo or to capture the perfect moment of video.

Here are some tips for you to consider while taking photos and video!

Be aware of your surroundings – Know what is going on around you, where people are standing, what animals are nearby, basically watch your back.
Do not stand on Fences/walls/statues/ledges, etc. – Not only do you cause damage by climbing on and over these things, but you also but your self at greater risk for injury. Here are a few examples

• In Portugal, a couple was found dead on the beach following what appears to have been a failed selfie attempt. Where they fell 100 feet from a wall to the beach below. A camera was found at the top of the wall. Read the article
• A 19-year-old had to be rescued after falling from the Top of Sword park while taking photos. The young man suffered only minor injuries. This could have been much worse. Read the article 
• Last year, 3 YouTubers were at the top of Shannon Falls posing for a selfie when the slipped and fell into a pool 30 meters below. Read the article 

Do not enter enclosures/ off-limit areas – This seems like an obvious thing to say, but enclosures and areas marked off-limit are there for a reason. They are intended to keep things in or to keep things out. They are meant to protect you, but you must obey them. Animal enclosures are not intended for you, a stranger to enter, nor is it permissible for you to ascend to the top of a sky scrapper and take photos on the roof. Not only are some of these actions illegal, but there are also highly dangerous.

• 1987 – A boy entered the Polar Bear enclosure at the Prospect Park Zoo in Brooklyn. The boy was killed. The zoo later created childproof barriers.
• 1999 – Man enters a tank at SeaWorld Orlando, after hours, and is found dead of drowning. He had possible contact with Tilikum
• In Arizona, at the Wildlife World Zoo, a woman hopped the enclosure to get a photo with a jaguar. The jaguar grabbed her arm with its paw, leaving lacerations. The woman recovered.
• In 2009, a man entered a panda cage to retrieve a child’s toy and was bitten by the bear.

• Teen dies trying to take a photo off the side of a highrise. Read the article 

 
Do not approach wild animals – National parks, State parks, and the waters that are in our great land are home to many varieties of critters. This is their natural habitat. When you are traversing these spaces you are, potentially in their mind, invading their territory. It is important to realize this and to respect them and to give them space. Here are a few examples of people who did not.

• A woman was gored by a bison when she approached the animal for a selfie. Article 
• In July 2015, a man was hospitalized after trying to take a selfie with a rattlesnake. Article 

Stay off of train tracks – That is all I have to say on that one!
• A man was killed by a passenger train while trying to take a selfie. Read the article 
• In Tennessee, a young man wanted a photo with a train in the backdrop, sadly he did not move out of the way fast enough. Read the article 

Everyone has a camera nowadays, whether it is on their phone or they have a Canon, Nikon, etc. and everyone is taking photos! Everyone wants to get that one shot for Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat that will impress their friends or followers. However, no amount of compliments in the comment section is worth risking your neck for a photo.

Something we do not consider is what is happening behind the photo. All we get to see is what has been captured in the frame. We do not see in the wildlife shot that the photographer may be in a stand, camouflaged from the animal with a huge telephoto lens. We do not stop to think that the person taking the video of this amazing view, maybe using a drone, or is wearing a harness attached to a support to take the video you are viewing. So before we try to get that shot, we need to consider how the shot was taken. There are some shots you cannot take without safety gear. Ok, so maybe you could, but let me clarify, you should not take them without safety gear, because they may be your last shots.
The basic gist of this podcast is to stop and think before you shoot. Don’t try so hard for the perfect shot that it becomes your last shot!

Enjoy the Adventure,

Aimée