Travel Tips for the Tentative Traveler, Part Two
âWherever you go becomes a part of you somehow.â
â Anita Desai
In February, I shared part one of this story on travel. You can read it here. In it I shared the tale of the Behemoth, encouraged you to enjoy the prep of the journey, be flexible, embrace the unexpected and wander.
Today, I want to share some more tips that I think can make a world of difference even if you are just going down the road a few miles. I like what the author Terry Pratchett has to say about travel, âWhy do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.â
Have you ever waited at the airport and watched others greeting a loved one who had traveled away? There is such anticipation everywhere â people pacing, checking their watches, studying the arrival board, children jumping up for every person that passes by thinking itâs their beloved coming home. I was recently waiting for my daughter and grandbaby at the International terminal. In my excitement, I arrived a bit too early, but it made for great people watching. One family consisting of a mom and three children, were eagerly awaiting the dad. They each held a homemade sign with various sayings, but the one that Iâll always laugh about said âDad, Iâve been wearing your slippers while youâve been gone.â
Travel can be exhilarating and exhausting at the same time, but you can help fight the tiredness by preparing ahead of time through exercise. No matter where you go, there will be walking involved, and often stair climbing. Travel can be a good incentive for exercise and vice versa. I remember a trip with my sister when we both were wishing we had prepared a little more for the stair climbing.
We were in Paris, waiting in line to climb to the top of Notre Dame. We knew 387 steps to the top would be a challenge, but decided we were up to it! Partway up the one-way spiral, stone staircase, Sis found a tiny windowed alcove, plopped down, removed her sweaty outer garments and announced she could not go any further!
How many steps did you say???
I reminded her that we were on a one-way staircase and the others breathing down our necks behind us were anxious to get to the top. AndâŠthat we had no choice but to do it!
She bravely gathered her things and her composure and started the climb again. We trudged on, focused on the reward at the top -which clearly did not disappoint. The view from the top of the cathedral is incredible, not to mention the feeling you get standing so near to the famous gargoyles.
As we were taking pictures and enjoying the view in the narrow passageway along the top, I heard a docent tell some people in front of us that we had to go up more steps for another viewpoint before we started down. What?! More?! I discretely asked the guide if there was a way to go down without going farther up. She said there was, but only for a few and she would show us the way.
A couple from England overheard me tell Sis about the additional stairs and the optional way down. They grabbed her arm and said, âWe are going down with you!â So, the four of us followed the guideâs lead and headed quietly to the hidden doorway and the stairway to the ground. Down, down, down we went. I donât know about you, but I can go up stairs all day, donât make me go down. One mishap and youâre a goner! Behind me I could hear the English lady declaring that she couldnât take another step! With encouragement, she cautiously moved, while uttering expletives that normally would be offensive, but in her beautiful English accent they were amusing. When she declared, âIâm about to lose my bloomersâ, I began to laugh, which started a ripple affect upstream to the brave souls behind me. There, in the bowels of the Notre Dame towers, we laughed until we cried. We laughed about how stupid we were to be taking all these stairs. We laughed even more when the English couple confessed that they thought they were in the queue for entering the inside of the church â never realizing until too late they were on the never-ending stairway to heaven! (I wish I could type with an English accent!) We laughed some more until suddenly, we were on the street, saying goodbye to our new friends from across the pond.
So, get to know the place you intend to visit. Learning about the number of stairs for a monument you want to see might be a good idea. I certainly think that advice extends to customs and celebrations as well. Just as it is not a good idea to wear a Cubs shirt to a Yankees vs Red Sox game, itâs not a good idea to arrive in another country and expect them to be just like you, speak English or have all your favorite foods from home. Please donât be that annoying American who is complaining about a lack of ice! A good idea is to make a list of common phrases and emergency words in the language of the country you plan to visit and keep it close, practice it often. Itâs just a courtesy to greet people in their own language, then if the conversation continues you can say âJeu suis desolate, no compren pa. Parley vous engles?â Or at least say âEngles?â with a smile and win their hearts. Good manners will get you everywhere.
Visit the tourist bureau of your intended country. They are usually situated in the heaviest tourist area of any town and often available online. You will find out important information like an early closing of an historic site you intend to see in that town. They also have maps and good suggestions for getting the most of their city or village. Your hotel or AirBnB, VRBO will too. Speaking of maps, itâs great to use an app on your phone, but you cannot always count on getting service where you are, and the cost of cellular is often prohibitive. You need real paper and old-fashioned technology â trust me on this.
To continue the joy of seeing other places and learning about cultures different from yours, find something to incorporate into your own life. I love to visit the local grocery stores and pharmacies in other countries, as well as department stores. You will see products that make great souvenirs and learn new display techniques as well. Maybe itâs a new way to make a sandwich, spice a soup, decorate a Christmas tree or plant your flowers.
When you get home and back to your busy life, donât forget about those wonderful photos you snapped. Look for creative ways to incorporate those into your dĂ©cor. Books like Shutterfly make great keepsakes, but also consider turning your favorite photo into a canvas, printed on wood, coasters, or a pillow, to name a few. We have a travel wall where we hang photos, watercolors, and etchings of the places we have had the pleasure to visit. When it is an ocean town, I love to find a sea shell engraved with the name of the place.
I hope you get the courage to take a trip to somewhere new. Even if itâs to the other side of town, do some research and find out what gems await there that you might otherwise miss. Respect the customs of other countries, try new cuisine, ride in a rickshaw, do something daring, in other words, step out of your comfort zone and think outside the box. You will be surprised and glad you did.
So, the take-away:
1. Exercise
2. Research and visit the tourist centers
3. Be polite and respect customs
4. Embrace something new to take home
5. Make a remembrance
Believe it or not, while discussing this article with Sis, and reliving the journey to the top of Notre Dame, she said âI would do that again, 387 steps and all!â Thatâs what travel does for you â inspiring wouldnât you say?
Travel Tips for the Tentative Traveler, Part Two Travel Tips for the Tentative Traveler, Part Two âWherever you go becomes a part of you somehow.â