Last minutes adjustments before traveling: revisited the “on vacation” focus mode on my iPhone to make sure to receive notifications from certains apps¹, updated the home screen and lock screen wallpapers to be more in line with traveling mode. I also bought and installed my eSIM from Airalo². Decided not to renew Halide subscription but will I’ll try to use it anyway over Apple’s camera app³.

Fun fact about me: I rarely visit websites and search for photos of my travel destinations before leaving my country. I prefer the full surprise. Zagreb, wait for me!

Anyone using a VPN client when they travel abroad? Why? Which one? I considering using this when I’ll be in Croatia and it must be compatible with iOS and iPadOS. Thanks.

In a week, I’ll be preparing to fly to Croatia for a three-week vacation with my wife. I’m still considering several aspects of the trip. How much blogging should I do during this time? Should I stay quiet and focus entirely on my vacation and photography? What camera equipment should I bring? Should I bring my MacBook Air in addition to my iPad Pro?

I need to decide the right balance between being present in the moment and documenting the journey through my blog. While I enjoy sharing my experiences, I also want to fully immerse myself in the trip without the constant pressure of content creation. As for the camera gear, I’ll need to carefully assess what I’ll actually use versus what I might pack just in case. The MacBook Air could be helpful for editing photos on the go, but the iPad Pro is a more compact and convenient option. Ultimately, I want to travel light and focus on making the most of this vacation with my wife.

I still have a week to figure this out.

I rarely do and share selfies! But here’s one. Walking on the “Promenade des anglais” in Nice, France.

Believe it or not, I’m still undecided about what to use for my summer travel journal. My options are 1) A new dedicated blog with Micro.blog, 2) Scribbles, 3) Pixelfed, 4) None of the above. I’m also undecided about how much effort I want to put into this. Micro.blog’s image handling concerns me¹. Scribbles is in a similar position². This leaves me with Pixelfed. Yet, this question is fundamental to my decision: it is more about images or words. It’s the former. I might end up with Pixelfed. Or with a bit of everything³. Decision. Decision. Decision.

Gearing up for our next trip to the United States of America[^1] on October, 2024: going to New York for a long weekend. Right before the elections. And you know what? It will take a long time before I back in the US if this dangerous clown ever gets elected[^2].

[^1] I prefer the long version. [^2] That will happen my friends. Mark my words.

What would be the best or the most suitable Micro.blog visual theme for a travel journal type of blog? Outpost? I find it drab. Maybe Typewriter? Currently testing the latter on numericcitizen-test.micro.blog.

I’m happy to announce my next trip: Croatia in June-July. First time over there! I plan to bring my big camera (Nikon D750); I’m not just ready to leave it behind yet. I would be frustrated if I missed photo opportunities because I had “only” the iPhone.

Feeling sad this morning 😥 about the consequences of the earthquake in Morroco. I’m trying to get news from our guide to see if he is ok. 🙏🏻

I played with Apple’s Maps Places feature, as shown in the following video. It’s nice, but it’s not exactly intuitive. There are many missing features, like setting a path between places and adding photos to a place within the guide, from the Photos.app for example to name a few. Also, it’s not clear if a shared guide gets updated if new places are added, or places are removed.

Two used, two more to go. I accidentally dropped my Apple Pencil on the floor while getting my iPad in a security tray at the airport. Just like for toasts, they always fall on the wrong side. 😩

Back home. 😀 I have so many things to work on. It’s a typical return from vacation mood.

There is a lot to say about this new terminal A. Chairs with integrated cup holders, accessible charging ports (USB-A, USB-C, std power outlet), big information display panels with clear directions, easy to ear speakers, etc. I love this place! Remaining problem: too low temperature everywhere we go in the US. They are crazy to set temperature at 70-72F. It is fucking too cold!!! And not environmentally friendly.

Just went through the security at Newark Airport’s new terminal A. Boy the scanners are so cool. The personal see our bags in 3D and can swipe the thing on a big screen! Impressive. Very efficient but technology has limits and that might explain why the guy wanted to open my bag for further inspection. 🤨😱🕵🏻

I want to stay in my holiday bubble and live a life of sun, sea sand and little to no worries. Source: Greg Morris - Back To Work

I return to work, tomorrow at noon. I can relate to what Greg was feeling.

Spending the rest of the day at a hotel near the Newark airport. Hotels like this one are dull x 1000.😞 Our next flight is very early tomorrow morning, leaving no time to go to Manhattan for dinner, sadly.😒 UberEat for lunch tonight, Indian food, which we love a lot! 😊 Should be arriving home in the middle of Monday morning. A quick shower and hop go to work!

Each passage in an airport is a reminder how bad signs design and positioning can be. Is there any airport designer on earth?

Each passage in an airport is a reminder of how useful Flighty can be.

It is with sadness that I’m spending the last few hours of my full day in Tenerife. It was a great nine days trip to a country that I knew nothing about. Over the course of my stay, I managed to complete the full circle of the island. The south shore is much warmer and more humid than the north shore. Tenerife is a Spain territory and it’s a good thing! I love Spain food so much!