Skip to main content

Sunnyvale, CA


Welcome, you belong here.

In this episode: FAQ is: How do I visit my family members in the military? 

Today’s Destination is: Sunnyvale, CA

Today’s Mistake- Losing my airline rewards

Travel Advice:  Join my clubhouse rooms for travel tips

 

FAQ: Nadia asked, How do I visit my family members in the military? My son is graduating from military training and I want to see him in Korea. Are there any discounts I can tap into for travel?

 

Answer: 

Depending on the training center location, and security screening you may be able to visit him. When you do visit, you may want to check out some of the military benefits and see if they apply to family members, such as shopping in the commisary or other attractions. 

It’s possible that you can ask the airlines for assistance in this, because they have likely had this question answered also. This question was from a recent clubhouse room. I’ll mention Clubhouse at the end of the podcast again.



Today’s destination: Sunnyvale, California

 

You’ll find Sunnyvale in the Santa Clara Valley in northwest Santa Clara County, California. It’s located along the famous Highway 101 and El Camino Real. San Jose borders to the north. Mountain View is Northwest and Los Altos is southwest. Cupertino is to the south. Santa Clara, home of the Mission and University was reviewed in episode 160 and is located to the east. The population is about 150,000, which is next to San Jose, the second most populous city in the county. 

It’s part of Silicon Valley. It’s the birthplace of the video game industry, where Atari was founded. 

https://www.sunnyvale.ca.gov/

https://www.sunnyvale.ca.gov/recreation-and-community/community-centers/senior-center

https://www.sunnyvale.ca.gov/recreation-and-community/parks-and-trails/baylands-park

https://heritageparkmuseum.org/

Here are a few suggestions for Sunnyvale.

Heritage Park Museum is open three days a week and does not charge admission. 

There is also pottery and other activities at the local community center. The senior center may be of interest to you, so look in the show notes for these and other links. 

Consider visiting Baylands Park for hiking or picnics. 

Sunnyvale was known for having orchards and some still remain here. But most notably lately it is known as the home of several tech giants. The big industry here is the technology and information headquarters of many computer tech companies. Some of these large firms started here in garages and in high schools. Google, Apple, Facebook, now Meta and others have a presence here. Venture-capital seems to be flowing through the water. Sunnyvale is known for the home of many future technology projects. 

In Mountain View, you’ll find the Computer History Museum, open Wed-Sun.

https://computerhistory.org/

 

I visited Sunnyvale several times over the past 40 years living in California and most recently in January 2022 and stayed with my cousin, Jane Halligan. I flew into San Jose airport, rented a car and explored the area with several local residents to get insights to guide you to the best travel activities. Jane and I walked around an area that is reserved for seniors and community minded individuals and around what remains of the orchard groves. 

 

Do - Visit the Community Center and Museum. Go hiking and visit the Senior Center.

Don't - Get stuck in traffic on the freeways if possible. 

Today’s Mistake - Losing my airline rewards

I’ve lost more airline points than I’d like to admit. It’s probably hundreds of thousands of miles that were not recovered over 50 years of traveling solo. I’ve had special status on several airlines that no longer exist and I never did follow up to find out where my points went. I assume they just disappeared. Now, my credit card gives me rewards that I can turn into cash, no matter what airline I travel on. I would like to keep my points on dozens of airlines that I fly, but it seems that to do so requires a lot of extra work that doesn’t add up. My advice is to keep track of your rewards better than I do. You can make them work for you.

Today’s Travel Advice-Join my clubhouse rooms for travel tips. No makeup needed.

Join “Clubhouse” and the club called “ Women Travel Best.” There are hundreds of women like you who travel in the group and I hold about one room per week. Please join us. You don’t need an invitation to join. It’s open to anyone with a phone. It’s still early days with this social audio media. You don’t need to dress up or put on makeup to come to a room. Just download the app, entter your phone number and some basic information and you are in.

https://www.clubhouse.com/

Connect with Dr Travelbest

Drmarytravelbest.com

Dr. Mary Travelbest Twitter

Dr. Mary Travelbest Facebook Page

Dr. Mary Travelbest Facebook Group

Dr. Mary Travelbest Instagram

email: info@drmarytravelbest.com

Dr. Mary Travelbest Podcast

Dr. Travelbest on TikTok


Check out this episode!

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Sun Moon Lake, Taiwan

Episode: Sun Moon Lake, Taiwan FAQ Should I use public transportation abroad?   Episode: Sun Moon Lake, Taiwan    Lesson Learned: Don’t schedule everything Day 1   Travel Tip: Trust your gut instincts, if unsure, pivot fast.   FAQ Response:  Should I use public transportation abroad?   Yes, you should try it at the least, but not in rush hour with all of your luggage. One way to test it out is to try it early in the morning, before rush-hour workers arrive, but while it’s still light outside.  Most of the time, you only need a card to swipe, and you can add money to the card when you need to. Your first care purchase is often at a self-service kiosk, and usually there is English translations here. Go for it and try.   Episode: Sun Moon Lake, Taiwan This scenic region reminded me of Lake Tahoe, California.  If you are coming you will Arrive in Taoyuan airport and take the train to the Taipei Main Station and take the HSR t...

Train Travel: SLO to San Diego and Gluten Free Travel

  Episode title: SLO to San Diego by Train, GF Diets, and a Confidence Challenge Hi there. I’m Dr. Mary Travelbest, a world traveler who has traveled solo for over 50 years. I'm coming to you after a recent trip to Asia. I visited Taiwan and South Korea for 10 days. I’m here to share my best travel ideas and work on solo travel. I’m about to launch on a 90-day trip around the world solo again. The aim is world peace through cultural exchange. I’m about to travel the world for 90 days.   Listener Story Spotlight I want to tell you about a listener who recently retired as a dental hygienist. Her name is Cathy A. She’s been a big supporter of this podcast. She is traveling to Wisconsin to see her family and attend reunions. She’s enjoying her retirement by playing Marjan and. She recently sold her house and moved back into a condo she had bought decades before marriage. Her contractor husband fixed it up to her specs before they moved in, and she’s so happy. She’ll be trav...

2025 Eurail Travel Planning Guide and sinus relief

Where in the world am I? Eurail Travel planning   Hi there, I’m Dr. Mary Travelbest. I’m in San Diego now, sharing my best travel ideas and working on another book for you to enjoy: 5 Steps to Solo Travel, Part C. I’m about to launch on a 90-day trip around the world.   Listener Story Spotlight I want to tell you about a listener named Kristen. Kristen loves to travel. She recently received a Fullbright Scholarship and took a trip with her husband and sons to a foreign country, Portugal, for several months. She’s full of great travel ideas and will be helpful as I continue to travel and make my adventures more mobile. She’s encouraging me to keep going in my travels and is a professor in Southern California. Quick fire FAQ: The FAQ for today is:  Do you find that air travel dries your sinuses? Do you get dry and scratchy throats afterward? Yes, it happens. Let’s talk about how to rid yourself of this in advance.    How to avoid the dryness of airlin...