 Nod your head if you think there’s nothing more to Nassau than its proximity to the Atlantis Resort and Casino and a plethora of straw markets and high-end shops. I’d be willing to bet just about everyone reading this is nodding their head right now. I know that until recently, that’s what I thought. And because of that, Nassau was fairly low on my list of must-visit destinations.
But on a recent cruise visit to this port city, I learned there’s so much more than meets the eye.
I learned, for instance, that within just a few years of Christopher Columbus “discovering” the Bahamas, all the indigenous people had been wiped out and that technically everyone who today hails from there comes from immigrant ancestors.
I also learned that the Bahamas are a unique blend of British and American culture and influences. Though “founded” by the British in the early 1700′s and still a part of the Commonwealth, the Bahamian islands also played a role in the American Revolution and the Civil War, and were a hotbed of rum-running activity during Prohibition. In fact, some of Nassau’s architecture is classic American colonial, a vestige of its days as a home-in-exile for American loyalists after their side lost the Revolutionary War.
 Nassau Hotels
And for seafood lovers, I learned that conch (pronounced conk) isn’t just used for fritters and chowder. Because the conch shell is incredibly hard and durable, it’s often ground into dust and added to construction materials. A good many of the buildings in downtown Nassau are partly made of conch shell.
All of these facts and more were imparted to me by Alanna Rodgers, a young Bahamian entrepreneur whose Tru Bahamian Food Tours launched just two months ago. At least once a day Rodgers leads tourists on the three-hour Bites of Nassau Food Tasting and Cultural Walking Tour, giving participants the chance to try a variety of local foods and learn a great deal about the Bahamas from culture to history, architecture to government, and religion to pirates.
12 International Foods to Try Before You Die
The tour was the high point of my seven-day Bahamas cruise and offered a truly fascinating look at a country and port that is too often dismissed for its three S’s (sun, sand and shopping).
Among the culinary highlights of the tour were:
 Baked macaroni and cheese at Bahamian Cookin’, the first stop on our tasting tour. While everyone else got conch fritters (I don’t eat shellfish), I had a yummy macaroni and cheese dish at this small restaurant, which is owned and operated by three generations of Nassau women.
Jamaican jerk chicken that didn’t burn going down. Turns out there are some 10,000 Jamaicans in the Bahamas, making up a significant subset of the population. At the hole-in-the-wall Pepper Pot Grill, the menu is pretty much whatever the chef decides to cook, but there are usually a couple of choices, and the jerk chicken was delicious without being overly spicy.
An invitation to the Governor General’s house for tea. Okay, so the Governor General didn’t actually invite me personally, but as part of the country’s People to People project all tourists are invited to a special one-hour tea party (4 – 5 p.m.) on the last Friday of every month (except December). During the event visitors can chat with the Governor General’s wife, sample local bush teas, watch a Bahamian fashion show and enjoy live music.
Chocolate. There’s nothing particularly Bahamian about the Graycliff Chocolatier, though the Italian family that owns it has lived in the Bahamas for many years. But for this chocoholic, stopping by for a freshly made caramel salted dark chocolate was divine. Many local ingredients are used in the chocolates, like coconut and pineapple, and the company is hoping to develop a local cocoa plantation.
Greek salad. The Greek salad itself was less of a highlight than learning that Greeks make up a significant part of the Bahamian merchant class, that they own most of the jewelry stores on Bay Street (downtown’s main street), and that the son’s owner is married to a former Miss Bahamas. Oh, and many Bahamian politicians stop by there for lunch – the Secretary of Foreign Affairs was there when we were.
How to Save Money on Food When You Travel
– written by Dori Saltzman
Suffering at work on the day before Christmas? Rather be someplace else in the world? For everyone out there facing the beginning of another work week, here’s a little jolt of wanderlust to brighten up your morning. Each Monday, we offer a photo of a spectacular place to spark ideas for your future travels.
Today’s shot is of folks exploring a glacier in Patagonian Chile. But glacier hiking can be done in New Zealand, Alaska, Norway, Greenland and many other places, giving you endless travel options.
Walking Tours and Trips
Send us your best travel shot! E-mail your most beautiful or captivating travel photo to feedback@independenttraveler.com. (Please put Monday Inspiration in the subject line.)
– written by Dori Saltzman
 Although there’s still a few hours of December 21, 2012 left, we’re fairly certain the world isn’t coming to an end and thank goodness as there’s still so much more traveling to be done! In this week’s Friday Free-For-All, we want to get your travel-related fill-in answer to this sentence:
I’m grateful the world didn’t come to an end because now I’ll have the chance to _______.
To get you started here’s what a few people in the IndependentTraveler.com and CruiseCritic.com office had to say.
I’m grateful the world didn’t come to an end because now I’ll have the chance…
…to see the aurora borealis while dogsledding in the Arctic Circle. — Dori Saltzman, News Editor
…to chant “Eviiita” in front of the Casa Rosada in Buenos Aires. — Ashley Kosciolek, Copy Editor
…to reserve a table in Munich for Oktoberfest and catch an All Blacks game in New Zealand. — Colleen McDaniel, Managing Editor, CruiseCritic.com
…to visit all the National Parks I’ve never been to with my son and hit my seventh continent on a cruise to Antarctica. — Erica Silverstein, Features Editor, CruiseCritic.com
So, why are you grateful the world didn’t come to an end?
12 Ways to Feel at Home in a Foreign Place
–written by Dori Saltzman
 In last week’s Friday Free-for-All, we challenged our readers to pen a funny travel limerick. We got several responses — including a naughty few we couldn’t publish — and all made us smile and laugh. But two tickled our funny bone the most, and a hot debate over which should be our winner quickly spread through the IndependentTraveler.com office.
After the dust had settled, a winner did emerge … drumroll please.
The winner of IndependentTraveler.com’s Travel Limerick Contest is Bob Schantz, who has won an IndependentTraveler.com travel mug. His winning entry is:
The baby behind me is crying
These seats make me feel like I’m dying
My butt is so sore
I can’t take anymore
Next time I am driving not flying.
The runner-up is Kenneth A. O’Shaughnessy, who has won our eternal gratitude for making us laugh. His entry was:
Once a guy who had never gone
Any farther away than his lawn
Won a trip from online
He liked travelling fine
So he only returned home to spawn.
10 Ways to Survive a Long-Haul Flight
– written by Dori Saltzman
 In this week’s Friday Free-For-All we want you to get your creative juices flowing. Between now and Thursday, December 13, IndependentTraveler.com challenges you to write your most clever travel limerick.
The writer of the funniest, cutest or just simply our favorite limerick will win a handy-dandy IndependentTraveler.com traveler mug. Please keep our posting rules in mind, and keep those limericks clean!
To help you get started, here are a few travel limerick examples, written by staff in the IndependentTravler.com offices.
A traveler once went to Belize
In search of a balmy sea breeze
She found jungles galore
Mayan ruins and more
Plus reefs underneath turquoise seas
- Written by Sarah Schlichter, Editor
There once was a gal from New Jersey
Who fled upon turning 30
So she traveled and sailed
Flew ’round the world and prevailed
And ended up with a pretty great journey
- Written by Dori Saltzman, News Editor
I once spent a night on a peak,
Where thin air had rendered me weak.
In my mind I was Incan,
Sun-child unblinking.
Descend now, I’m starting to freak!
- Written by Dan Askin, Senior Editor
Top 10 Books for Travelers
– written by Dori Saltzman
 I don’t usually buy into gender generalizations, but several assertions in the most recent Wall Street Journal Middle Seat blog rang true with me as a female flier. I do like to check a bag, I do try to make myself as small as possible in my airplane seat, and I don’t care if I’m flying on a 737, 747 or 1234 as long as I get where I want to go.
According to the blog post, entitled “He Carries On, She Likes to Check,” the plane travel habits of men and women can vary drastically.
In simple terms, she likes the window seat with the shade pulled down, while he likes the aisle seat and wants the shade up.
Women’s Travel Tips
Other differences: She checks bags, while he carries on. She curls up in the corner of her seat to avoid contact with strangers, while he dominantly claims his space and the armrests. She wants a blanket; he doesn’t get cold.
While I actually prefer the aisle seat and don’t much care if the shade is up or down, I do prefer to check a bag – I just don’t want to be bothered with having to lug a suitcase around with me – and I will grab a blanket if one is available.
And I can’t even begin to tell you how many times I’ve sat next to a man who takes up every bit of space he can get away with, including both armrests (if he’s in the middle) and even some of my legroom. And what do I do about it? I curl up in the corner and hope we never make contact!
Surviving the Middle Seat
Another generalization into which I fit – he (my husband included) can tell you what type of plane you’re flying on at first sight, while she couldn’t care less.
Do you recognize yourself in these generalizations?
– written by Dori Saltzman
 In this week’s Friday Free-for-All, we want to hear about the movies or TV shows that have inspired you to travel. For me, two movies, more than any others, aroused a travel desire almost too strong to ignore.
If sweeping vistas of stunning landscapes are your thing, the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy movies can’t fail to get your travel desire boiling. Seeing New Zealand displayed in all its natural magnificence on the big screen was too much for me to resist and within a few years of the first movie coming out I was in New Zealand visiting many of the places used as backdrops for the film.
On a smaller scale, the lesser-known “Enchanted April,” which I saw as a teenager, left me with a lingering need to rent a villa in Tuscan Italy. Anytime I feel the need to take a step back from the hectic pace of life as I know it, I imagine standing on a hill overlooking a Tuscan countryside with nothing to do but be still. I haven’t yet done it, but I know that someday I will.
Which movies or TV shows have featured scenery that has stuck with you to this day and moved you to visit the places depicted?
Turn Your Favorite Hobby into a Trip
– written by Dori Saltzman
 From advanced technology that alerts guests making a racket in the hallways to keep it down, to human monitors knocking on doors when the snoring gets too loud, two hotel chains in the U.K. are cracking down on noise.
Premier Inn is installing “ssshhh-o-meters” in 620 hotel locations, the Daily Mail reports, that will be triggered when a certain noise decibel level is exceeded. When triggered, the meters, installed in hotel corridors, will flash as a reminder to guests to lower their voices.
When the Hotel Guest Next Door Won’t Shut Up
Last year, Crowne Plaza began trialing a more low-tech way of ensuring guests have a quiet stay. According to Reuters, the chain launched “snore patrols” in six hotel locations in England, whose sole purpose is to wake up noisy sleepers in designated quiet zones.
According to the Reuters article, the job of the snore patrols is to listen for “offensive noises,” then knock on the door of offending guests. If a guest repeatedly snores too loudly, the hotel may ask him or her to move to a room outside of the quiet zone.
33 Ways to Sleep Better at a Hotel
The patrols can be found in hotels in London, Leeds and Manchester.
What do you think of the two systems? Do you think flashing hall lights will keep late night revelers quiet? And should snore patrols be picking on people who probably can’t help how loud they snore?
– written by Dori Saltzman
 If you’ve traveled outside of your own country enough times, you’ve likely encountered all manner of immigration officers – some friendly, some indifferent and some decidedly inhospitable.
I’ve certainly seen my share of all three, including one nasty run-in with power-happy officers at the Manhattan cruise port who treated my husband like a terrorist and accused us of bribery (after we explained that we’d recently paid his Green Card renewal fee). So when my in-laws arrived in the United States from Romania last week for a month-long visit, I nervously awaited word from my husband that they’d gotten through okay. In the end they lucked out, getting a friendly jokester who welcomed them warmly into the United States. What a relief!
Listening to my mother-in-law talk about how the immigration officer gave them a smile and a big thumbs up brought up memories of some of my most memorable immigration experiences — like the time I waited in line for nearly three hours at the JFK airport because it was shift change time, and rather than stagger the closures, they simply shut immigration down for about an hour.
16 Ways to Get Through the Airport Faster
Another time, I was leaving Romania, where I had been living for a couple of years. I did not have a permanent visa, so I left the country every three months for a week or so. Nobody cared, except for one passport control worker who told me as I was leaving that I wouldn’t be allowed back in and that I should stay in my own country. I was shocked and spent several hours in Madrid, Spain, trying to find the Romanian consulate so I could get permission to go back. By the time I found the consulate it was closed. My Romanian fiance told me not to worry (ha! Fat chance of that). But he was right. Coming back, they didn’t even give me a second glance.
Not all my memorable immigration experiences have been bad. My favorite passport control story is the time my sister and I were training it from Prague to Switzerland. Passing through Germany, the train was stopped and several immigration officers got on to check passports. When the stern German officer got to our car he methodically took a passport, looked at the photo, looked at the person and handed it back. Except when he got to one young Italian man. With him, the officer looked at the photo, looked at the man, looked at the passport photo, looked at the man, then kept the passport. He then checked all the other passports. Returning to the young Italian, he repeated the photo, man, photo, man routine. Then with a wink, he simply returned the guy’s passport and left. I guess that was his way of having fun.
Passport Information
How about you? What have been some of your most memorable experiences with immigration and passport control?
– written by Dori Saltzman
 Deciding the direction of your country for the next four years is heavy business and not something we at IndependentTraveler.com have any interest in analyzing. But examining the differences in travel styles between Republicans and Democrats – that’s much more up our alley. Turns out we differ more than you’d think.
The findings, released by Hotels.com, revealed that Republicans are more likely to stay close to the 50 United States, while Democrats are more willing to venture further afield. In fact, a whopping 86 percent of Republican travelers prefer to stay within the U.S., Mexico, Canada and the Caribbean, while Democrats are 11 percent more likely to visit Europe, the Middle East and Latin America.
Democrats are also more free-wheeling with their money. According to Hotels.com, “Democrats admitted to spending slightly more on items such as clothing and accessories, as well as drinks with friends and family while traveling for business.”
Destination: Washington D.C.
While Democrats are more willing to spend on things, Republicans would rather spend more to extend their vacation. Of the 1,000 respondents to the survey, Hotels.com found that Republicans outweighed Democrats by 11 percent when asked if they would call out sick to get an extra vacation day.
But Republicans and Democrats also are alike in some of their business travel habits. Both are just as likely to expense amenities such as hotel Wi-Fi, flight upgrades, room service and upscale dining.
And both are almost equally unlikely to pilfer an item from a hotel. Ninety-three percent of Republicans and 88 percent of Democrats said they had never stolen from a hotel.
16 Ways You Know You’re Addicted to Travel
– written by Dori Saltzman
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