Dealing With Loneliness As a Solo Traveler

Dealing With Loneliness As a Solo Traveler

by Hilary Hershberger

Traveling alone is an amazing rollercoaster of emotion. In college, I don’t think I was your typical sorority girl thirsty for perpetual social interaction. Sure, I loved my friends, but I could also enjoy my Friday nights propped up in bed reading up on my next travel adventure. Despite my independent nature, I found myself desperate for a friendly face as I made my way around Western Europe.

What was interesting was that these moments of loneliness were also associated with moments of change. Change is also something I sometimes have difficulty accepting. As a teenager, I was such a “planner” that my parents purchased for me Dr. Spencer Johnson’s Who Moved My Cheese? so that I might do a little maturing in that area. Yet when I set foot in Paris one day that June to embark on my two-week journey, it’s like I became a different person. Suddenly, my days became all about change, all about flexibility, and all about making it alone.

If there is one particularly lonely moment in life that I will always remember, it was on a tarmac at the airport in Barcelona, sitting on a rickety plane awaiting takeoff. I was twenty-one, on my first European endeavor, one that I chose to go at independently. The flight was delayed an hour and I was left to write in my journal, listening to the group of tweens around me laughing and conversing in Catalan, almost envying their camaraderie. I was not alone in the most practical sense of the word, but I felt heartache for something or someone familiar.

I had been so happy to be in Europe at all, and proud to have survived a heat wave and first Metro experiences in Paris, that I surprised myself that afternoon as I prepared to depart Barcelona by feeling the pangs of anxiety and yearning for something so simple as companionship. I had just formed what would be long lasting friendships with a few other travelers I met at Kabul Backpackers Hostel that week, and the inevitable departure of each one of us was the change that might have set off those feelings. I was alone once again, heading to Rome for the last leg of the trip, feeling uneasy and unexcited for the final few days. For several minutes, I considered changing plans and staying in Barcelona, a place that had grown familiar. But learning to uproot when it wasn’t always comfortable might have been a pure purpose of my travels.

Luckily, I chose the hostel in Rome well that included a common area with a bar and flat screen TV, perfect for World Cup watch parties. After settling in that evening and deciding to save any sightseeing for the morning, I meandered back to the bar to catch up on the match and attempt conversation with the other guests. Although the room was full and the wine was flowing, I found myself standing alone without a clue as to how to approach anyone. It was like the junior high cafeteria, everyone content in his or her clique and not necessarily open to embracing newcomers.

Cue the complimentary Internet access. I felt socially inept and defeated as I slowly made my way through the crowded room to the computers to send a few emails and chat with friends on Facebook. I noticed two American boys around me, talking about their plans for the next day. I don’t know what it is about national pride or relief in meeting your “own kind” abroad, but I instantly felt comfortable to turn to them and say hello. Later, I met several girls that were part of their group and soon enough, we had made plans to visit the Vatican together.

Why was a moment of weakness/loneliness/change also one that I was able to seize? You might anticipate social situations during solo travel to be intimidating, but I would compare it to flight-or-fight response in human nature. Many people have told me that in scenarios of solitude, reaching out for the interaction you know you need feels impossible. However, I felt that navigating any sort of foreign public transportation was also impossible, but I was able to easily adjust when I needed to do so.

An easy answer to the question of dealing with loneliness abroad has always been “Stay at a hostel!” or “Strike up a conversation in line for that gelato!” yet not all personalities find it as easily done. How did I form friendships in Barcelona? Besides the fact that my hostel was known for parties, I was thrown into a room of other independent travelers. I suppose we just understood each other. However, if the situation does arise in a city in which you’re stuck doing everything alone, change your perspective. On that tarmac, I had to remind myself that this loneliness was temporary; that my trip was almost over and in a few days I would be back with my family and back in my comfort zone.

A sense of isolation does not have to retain a negative connotation either when you’re lucky enough to be traveling at all. I visited the Roman Coliseum and ruins by myself, and yes, it was lonely and sweaty and quiet, but I was in Rome. Step back and appreciate the experience as something that helps you grow as an individual. Those experiences made up a life bridge from an “old me” (anxiety-prone and self-doubting) to a “new me” (flexible and confident).

Three months from now, I will be returning to Spain for a summer stint working in a hostel in San Sebastian, a beach town along the northern coast in the País Vasco (Basque Country). Again, this trip has been planned with only myself in mind. I fully expect frequent homesickness, seclusion, and apprehension but now, I know it’s normal and good to feel those things. I created these moments for myself because, just like a painful workout results in higher fitness, challenging myself mentally and emotionally results in a higher mental and emotional fitness, and a greater satisfaction in my maturity as a woman.

Learn more about solo travel and get tips for going it alone:
Seven Solo Female Travel Myths Debunked
12 Ways to Combat the Solo Traveler Blues
8 Ways to Avoid the Single Supplement as a Solo Traveler

How to Avoid Travel Disasters (Part 1)

How to Avoid Travel Disasters
and What to Do if One Happens to You

When it comes to travel, we all like to focus on the positive, memorable aspects of it.  People who are passionate about travel love telling stories about the places they’ve been and the experiences they’ve had. But what about those times when things do go wrong on the road?

Earthquakes, oil spills, volcanic eruptions, lost luggage, canceled or missed flights, losing your passport, getting mugged, having your belongings stolen, food poisoning, getting injured, dealing with political unrest…are just a few of the things that could possibly go wrong on a given trip. And while the chance of one or more happening to you is slim, it’s always better to be prepared (for those you can prepare for, anyways). Here are seven of the most common travel woes, how you avoid them, and what to do if one happens to you.

Natural Disasters

There is no way that you can avoid a natural disaster.  Mother Nature rears her ugly head when and where she so chooses, but there are ways to minimize the chances of something happening and more -importantly – ways to be prepared in case the place you are visiting is affected.

If you’re planning on visiting a region that is known for natural disasters at a certain time of the year, try to avoid them going at that time if at all possible.

Purchasing travel insurance before your trip can help cover any financial losses you may incur because of a natural disaster, but make sure you read all the fine print of your policy.
Register with the State Department to let your country know where and when you’ll be traveling.  If from the US, you can do that here, and you can also call 202-501-4444, which is the emergency assistance number for Americans in foreign countries.

What to do in case of a natural disaster

If you are away from home when a natural disaster strikes, assuming you and your loved ones are safe and healthy, what do you do next?

The first tip is to remain as calm and patient as possible.  Be aware that nothing will be working correctly and you are not the only one affected, so panicking and getting impatient in the chaos is only going to make things worse.

Make sure you get word out to your family and friends at home as soon as you can find working communication lines.  They will be worried sick.

Knowing what your airline’s policy is in regards to natural disasters is helpful.  I know this is probably the last thing you are thinking of when purchasing airfare, but it can offer a peace of mind.

Political unrest

Like natural disasters, there isn’t too much one can do to avoid political unrest in a certain country or city, but there are a few precautions you can take if you are visiting a prone area or if a problem arises while you are there.

Do your research.  Many publications will tell you to read the State Department site for warnings.  While it’s always good to at least peruse their warnings, keep in mind that they are usually overly cautious.  If you believe everything you read there, you won’t be able to travel anywhere.

Alternatively, check blogs and social media for travelers who are actually there.  Who would you rather believe, someone who is at the scene of the crime or politicians in Washington?  ‘Nuff said.

Use common sense.  If you have a trip planned and political unrest erupts out of nowhere, use common sense on whether or not to cancel the trip.
Know your insurance policy.  If you purchased travel insurance, be aware if it covers things like political unrest.  Some policies do, some don’t.

What to do if you get caught up in political unrest

Sometimes you are in a situation that is unavoidable.  Many of the Middle East countries have long been places where unrest can crop up at any time.  Does this mean you should never travel there?  Of course not, but being prepared is always wise.

Don’t get involved.  You’re in a foreign country where you aren’t familiar with everyday customs and the depth of the political situation.  You don’t want to put yourself in a situation where you can get injured or worse.

Contact your embassy to see what they are doing to get their citizens out of the country.  Sometimes you are just going to have to wait it out.  If you feel as though you are in real danger, consider going straight to your embassy.
Contact your airline to find out their policy.  You may have to pay a change fee to leave earlier, but depending on the airline, a policy may be in place to change your flight at no additional fee.  Travel insurance may cover the costs of getting you out of harm’s way as well.

Lost luggage

The best way to avoid an airline losing your luggage is to simply not check a bag.  Packing light has tons of benefits, but that’s for a whole different article.  The best advice for those who simply must pack a bag is to plan ahead.  Assume that the airline will lose your bag.  If they do and you have to go days without your main suitcase, what would you want in your carry on?

Pack any important documents in your carry on.  Passport, insurance information, and itineraries should all be carried on your person or in your carry-on bag(s).

Make sure you have anything else of value, including your credit/debit cards and cash on you or in your carry on.  This should be common sense, but you’d be amazed at people’s thought processes while packing.  Expensive jewelry, glasses, medications, and contact lenses should be included here as well.

Pack one extra outfit in your carry on.  If you have the room, at least throw a pair of underwear and socks in your bag.  If going from a hot to cold climate or vice versa, make sure you have the appropriate clothing in your carry on.

Take an inventory, either written or mental (or take a picture), of your checked bag.  If the airline loses your bag, they’re going to want to know what’s in it, specifically.  Just another reason to pack light.

What to do in case of lost luggage
If you do arrive in your destination and sit at baggage claim for an hour without seeing your bag come through, what are your options?  What steps must one take when an airline loses your bag?

Remain as calm as humanly possible, despite wanting to clobber someone over the head.
Don’t leave the airport.  Go up to the airline’s counter and submit a report and file a claim immediately.  They may be able to find it quickly and easily, so just another reason to remain calm and be polite.

Be persistent.  You don’t have to be rude when doing this, but if you’re not receiving the service you desire, then speak up and use all avenues you can think of.

Try to recoup your fees.  As stupid as it may sound, not all airlines have to refund your baggage fees even if they lose it.  This is ridiculous and frustrating, so make sure you know what the rules are regarding your airline.

Missing your flight

The best way to avoid missing your flight is to not be an idiot.  I’m only half kidding here as sometimes it really is unavoidable, but there are several things to do to avoid missing a flight.
Have a backup alarm.  Whether it’s an alarm clock, an alarm on your phone, watch, computer, Ipod, or a wake-up call, make sure you have a back-up plan in place.

Be smart when booking airfare.  Giving yourself 20 minutes on a layover to catch your next plane is usually not enough, so make sure you give yourself enough time to catch that next flight.

Leave early enough.  There are two types of people-those who leave entirely too early to make sure they never miss a flight, and those who wait until the very last minute.  You never know when an accident, traffic, weather, or any other unforeseen event can delay you. 

Leave with plenty of time to catch your flight.  If you arrive way too early, drink a few extra beers or eat a Cinnabon.

What to do if you miss your flight

What happens here largely depends on the situation.  If you missed a connection because of delays on the airlines side, you should be all right, but it’s going to take a little finagling if you are to blame.

If you miss a connection because of a delay and it’s with the same airline, getting on a new flight shouldn’t be terribly difficult.  It’s their responsibility, and they should try to get you on a new flight as quickly as possible, sometimes with a few freebies (being nice and acting civil greatly enhances the ease with which this all happens).

If you miss a flight for whatever other reason, traffic, oversleeping, getting wasted the night before, etc., whether you get charged a change fee is up to the airline employee in most cases.  Most airlines do give their employees the power to waive the change fee, so how you act towards the counter person will have an effect on if you pay.

If you are traveling during holidays and your flight is overbooked, this is your best chance to get some freebies.  Airlines overbook, and sometimes someone gets screwed.  If you are that person, take advantage and see what you can get.  Like all these situations, remaining calm will only help your cause.

(Continued on June 21)

How to Avoid Travel Disasters (Part 2)

How to Avoid Travel Disasters
and What to Do if One Happens to You (Part 2)

Being robbed/mugged

You can be robbed or mugged at any time or any place.  Chicago, New York, Paris, Rio, Mumbai, Lima.  It can happen anywhere, but you can take several steps to deter potential thieves.

Yes, money belts are uncomfortable and annoying at times, but they can also save your ass.  Wear one.

More on this below but be aware that if you carry your passport on you at all times, you are risking it getting stolen in an attack.

Make copies of everything-passport and credit/debit cards in particular.  They will be invaluable in case something happens.  Scanning and emailing all these copies to yourself will also save you in case the copies get lost/stolen.

Write down all the numbers of your credit/debit cards (some have different international numbers) and keep them in a safe, secure place.

Don’t carry too many valuables with you.  When heading out, bring a small amount of cash with you and don’t carry credit/debit cards unless you have to.  If you need cash from an ATM, head to the nearest one then go back to your room to drop off your card and extra cash.

Carry a decoy card.  I’ve done this in the past where I carry an already used gift card that looks like a credit card.  I will happily give this and some cash up in an attack.
Don’t be flashy.  Wearing a big camera around your neck or a nice ring, watch, or other jewelry is just asking for trouble.

Alternatively, try not to stand out as a tourist (i.e., no I heart NY shirts, giant backpacks, and fanny packs-you are just asking for it)

Ladies, I know you love your purses and handbags, but by carrying them you are risking them being snatched.  If you must carry a bag or purse, make sure you have it secure at all times. Opt for something that goes across your body, put money in multiple interior pockets, keep the purse zipped at all times, and carry it on the arm away from the street (to deter anyone on a scooter from doing a dry-by snatching).

While on buses and trains, keep your valuables on you and never put them underneath or on top of the bus.  We always have our laptop, cameras, passports, money, and credit cards on us at all times when traveling overland.  Some people even lock them to something near their seats.

Always keep an eye on your belongings.  Whether at a bus or train station, the airport, or checking into your hostel, know where your bags are at all times.

Know where you’re going.  There are dangerous areas in nearly every city.  Know them and avoid them.  If you turn a corner and don’t have a good feeling, turn around.  Trust your instincts!

What to do if you are mugged/robbed
There are several steps to take in the unfortunate case that you do get mugged.  Assuming you are safe, use the following tips to try to minimize the damage.

Report it to the local police.  They may not do anything, they may not seem to care, but suck it up, remain calm, and file a report.  If you have travel insurance and plan on recovering costs from stolen goods, the first thing they’ll ask for is a police report.

Call your insurance company if you have it and file a claim with them.  You want to get the ball rolling as soon as possible.

If your passport was stolen, you’ll want to go the nearest embassy as quickly as possible.  It’s a frustrating process and it will suck, but you will get a new passport.

Even if your passport is not stolen, a trip to the embassy may be necessary.  They can assist you with emergency cash or help with canceling any credit cards that may have been taken.

Lost or stolen passport

One of the worst things that can happen while traveling in a foreign country is losing your passport or having someone steal it.  Without a passport, changing money or checking into a hotel can be tricky; crossing borders – and getting home – is impossible. Here’s how to keep your most important travel document safe.

Passport or no?  Everyone has different opinions on this, so there’s no right or wrong answer.  Some people carry their passport on them at all times, some leave it secure in their room.  If you get mugged and are carrying it, it can get taken, so be aware.  It can also be taken from your room, particularly if you are staying in a dorm, so there’s no failsafe.

Consider carrying a copy of your passport instead of your actual passport.  Again, personal preference, but some think the real passport is safer in the room than on your person.
Regardless of what your preference is, make several color copies of your passport (and scan and email a copy to yourself) before leaving home.  Put them in several different places in case a bag gets snatched or you happen to get mugged.

Know where it is at all times.  This is the most important thing you are carrying with you, so don’t be careless with it.  Whatever you decide to do with your passport, know where it is at all times!

What to do if you lose your passport or if it is stolen
Take a deep breath and realize you are not the first one to lose your passport or have it stolen.  It will suck, it will be time consuming, and it will be frustrating, but you will get a new one, and you won’t have to live the rest of your life where you are.

Regardless of whether someone stole it or you lost it, find the nearest embassy and go to it.
There are several steps you will have to complete to get a replacement passport.  You will have to fill out a lot of paperwork and submit a police report if it was stolen.

If you are flying out soon and need it in a timely manner, money talks.  They can put a rush on it in most circumstances, for a price of course.

Illness or injury

From a mild cold or “Bali belly” to a broken limb, nearly every traveler gets sick or injured at some point. Sometimes it’s impossible to avoid, but you can take several steps to minimize the chances of getting sick or hurt on a trip.

Before flying, take some Airborne, load up on vitamins, get plenty of rest, and drink tons of water. Wash your hands often when flying and taking pubic transport, and avoid touching your face with dirty hands.

Purchase some type of travel insurance to give you peace of mind before heading out on the road.

Be smart in your activities.  Tourists get injured every year doing stupid things, typically involving alcohol.  I can’t count how many battered and bruised backpackers we saw in Laos who had been in Vang Vieng tubing and acting the fool.

On the same note, if you’ve never driven a motorbike before, learning in a place like Saigon then driving like you’re playing Wii probably isn’t wise.

Get Cipro from your doctor before leaving home.  It is an antibiotic that can help with stomach ailments that crop up, particularly when eating street/market food.  Most doctors have no problem prescribing Cipro before you travel.

Get another generic antibiotic if your doctor will give it to you.  I got two prescriptions of the Z-Pack before going on our RTW, an antibiotic that fights things like strep throat and other similar viruses.  It’s only 7 pills, too, so it doesn’t take up too much room.

Take care with street food. Of course you’ll want to sample the local food, but opt for street stalls where you can see the food cooked in front of you, and drink bottled water when recommended.

What to do if you do get sick/injured
Unfortunately for us American travelers, we have a very negative view of healthcare and costs associated with them.  If you are traveling in most other countries that aren’t the United States, dealing with sickness or injury isn’t that much of a headache.

If it’s minor, head to a nearby pharmacy first.  Many pharmacies around the world sell over the counter antibiotics and medicine that could cure you without having to mess with a doctor/hospital.

If necessary, go to the doctor/hospital.  Don’t put it off just because you think it will cost too much, even if you didn’t purchase supplementary travel insurance.

All travel insurance policies are different, so know what yours does and doesn’t cover.  Often it’s cheaper to just go the doctor or hospital in a foreign country and pay for it than have to mess with filing claims.  If you get injured taking part in an extreme activity, know if your policy covers it.

Going to the ER will not always break the bank.  My wife and I both got sick in Prague and had to go the Foreigner ER at the hospital.  We both got treated and received medicine, and it was cheaper to pay out of pocket than it would have been to pay our insurance co-pays to go the doctor at home.  Yay US healthcare!

Chances are that none of these travel disasters will happen to you when on the road.  If something does happen, it’s usually minor and simply using common sense can get you out of the situation unscathed.  But if you do encounter one of these disasters when traveling, it’s always good to be prepared and to have done your homework.

How to Travel Very Lightly (Part One)

How to Travel Very Lightly (Part One)

by Simone Cannon de Bastardo

To our friends and family, my husband and I are freaks of nature. We can travel for three months at a time sharing one medium sized backpack and two small daypacks between us. This is unfathomable to most people, who cannot conceive of leaving their house without half their closet, the entire contents of their bathroom cabinets and their complete collections of books, CDs and mobile electronics.

I have had my own luggage dilemmas. While traveling for four months through Southeast Asia alone, I decided to err on the side of caution and plan for every eventuality. I took much more luggage than the average human would ever need. After a month of schlepping my heavy bags from planes to trains to the tops of buses to boats to hostels, I’d finally had enough when, after spending 30 minutes hauling my bags to the top of the steep stairs of a hostel in Thailand, they slipped from my grasp and slid all the way back to the bottom in less than 10 seconds. As I sat defeated and on the verge of tears at the top of the stairs, I vowed to lighten my load. The next day, I gave away or shipped home three quarters of what I’d brought and was a much happier, lighter traveler.

Luckily, my husband is the original light packer and multi-tasker, so we are the perfect travel team. After traveling together for five years, Luis and I finally have packing down to a science.  We started with a full backpack each and several daypacks and smaller bags, but after many misadventures running, fully-loaded and off-balance, through the driving rain and wind to make last-minute bus connections in the remote pampas of Argentina or having to ferry our belongings back and forth multiple times between customs and immigration offices on the back of a rickety scooter at a rooster-infested Bolivian border crossing, we got smart.

Why It's Important to Travel Lightly

Traveling should be about freedom, enjoying new adventures, experiencing other cultures and a change of scenery, but for many people it is about anxiety, insecurity and fear of the unknown. They compensate by taking as many things as they can carry (and often much more than they can carry), but as the traditional aboriginal saying goes, “The more you know, the less you need.” Clever packing allows travelers to truly enjoy trips, free of the worry of having to carry and keep track of many pieces of luggage and from having to plan an elaborate wardrobe. The less to carry, the better: the weight of luggage seems to increase exponentially as travel wears on.

Often, especially when traveling in developing countries or when trekking, it is necessary to carry your own luggage or hoist it yourself on to the top of trucks, 4x4s or buses. On the Alternate Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, for example, horses carry your luggage for the first three days while you trek up and down the sides of the Andes, but on the fourth and final day, when most travelers can barely walk themselves, they have no choice but to carry their own backpacks, as the final stretch of the terrain is too steep for the horses. If you can’t lift and carry your own bags, you’re bringing too much.

Aside from the benefit of saving money (as most carriers now charge for extra luggage and weight), carrying less frees you from having to keep track of many pieces of luggage, which is especially useful when rushing to make travel connections or traveling in less than secure areas. It is much easier to keep an eye on one bag than four or five. It is also much less likely that you will be confused or easily distracted by thieves and scam artists or that your luggage will be lost or misrouted.

Why You Don’t Need All That Stuff

It is a truism that you should take half the clothes and twice the money that you think you will need. Just like at home, you will find yourself wearing the same comfortable clothes again and again. It can be tedious and repetitive at times, and you will probably want to burn every item of travel clothing in a flaming sacrificial bonfire when you return home, but the trade-off is worth it. When you are traveling and recycling clothing, nobody in the different places that you visit will notice that you’re wearing the same blue t-shirt for the fourth time. Once you figure out which clothes work for you when traveling, it can be amazingly freeing: packing takes almost no time at all, dressing is simple and you will feel great when you realize how very little you really need to survive.

In general, the length of the trip and the climate are unimportant. By taking the right clothing and shoes, you can layer, mix and match and be prepared for almost anything, from one week to one year. Taking multi-purpose items and hand-washing can extend your options forever. Obviously there are exceptions but much of this gear can be rented when you arrive at your destination and for general travel, the less-is-more plan is preferred.

How to do it:

Clothing and footwear technology has changed everything. Today’s materials run the gamut from lightweight, durable, warming, cooling, breathable, windproof, waterproof, water-resistant, wrinkle-resistant, stain-resistant, fast-drying, reversible, multi-pocketed and convertible to any combination thereof. Lightweight hiking pants can be converted to shorts in seconds; sleeves and linings can be added and removed quickly as the climate changes. The wide variety of super-functional lightweight fabrics make it easy to avoid taking heavy cotton, wool or polyester clothing, which take forever to wash and even longer to dry.

Bring the Basics

• Take a couple of sturdy, plastic bags to use for hand washing in hotel or hostel sinks or showers, some plastic clothes pins and a lightweight, flexible laundry line with a loop at each end. Keep clothes clean and save on the high cost of local laundry services. A small can of Febreze for removing odors can also be useful when there is no time to wash and dry your clothes, and can also be used to freshen sleeping bags, towels or bedclothes.

• Don’t take new clothes or clothes that you seldom wear at home. Make sure that every item is something that you are comfortable wearing repeatedly. Once you are on the road, it is too late. If you find that the new pair of pants that you brought is uncomfortably tight in the crotch, you will never wear them and they will become dead weight.

• Keep clothes in neutral, solid, non-running colors. This serves two purposes: it will be easier to mix and match outfits and you will be able to wash everything together or at least in only two loads.

• Shoes should be lightweight, comfortable and waterproof. Almost every hiking shoe, walking shoe or sneaker is available with Gore-Tex or a similar waterproofing agent. Flip-flops can be worn in the shower to avoid picking up nasty things like athlete’s foot, at the beach, when walking across stony creeks or rivers, on boats, for sightseeing in warmer climate cities, or as bedroom slippers. It’s not necessary to take both hiking boots and sturdy sneakers unless you are doing some serious mountain trekking. Wear your bulkiest shoes in transit to save the room and the weight in your backpack. You may also want to bring a lightweight pair of flat shoes, such as ballet flats for women or loafers or topsiders for men, just in case you need something a little more formal.

Make items do double-duty

Think creatively about the possible multiple uses of every item that you add to your backpack.

• Toiletries: shampoo can also be used to hand-wash your clothes or as bodywash. Perfume doubles as air or fabric freshener. Cotton pads soaked in alcohol and sealed in a Ziploc bag can be used to clean oily skin, disinfect cuts and scrapes, remove ink stains from skin and clothing, clean glasses, and sanitize things in hotel rooms or hostels (toilets, TV remotes, phones, etc).

• A sarong: A sarong or pareo has multiple uses and can serve as a towel, a swimsuit cover-up, a beach blanket, a scarf, a wrap for keeping warm on buses or planes, a skirt, a shawl for covering shoulders, legs or head when visiting places of worship,  a makeshift tote, or a tablecloth for picnicking. A large microfiber travel towel can serve many of the same purposes in a pinch.

• A nylon cord: A thin nylon cord can be used as a laundry line, for securing backpacks or camping gear, hanging food from trees when sleeping outdoors, last-minute repairs or emergency shoelaces.

• Duct tape: Duct tape can be used to prevent blisters by wrapping feet before hiking, supporting sprains and minor fractures in an emergency, to secure backpacks, make minor repairs, seal holes in tents or screens, and seal gaps in hotel windows and doors.

• Cotton bandanas: Bandanas can serve as scarves, head covers, napkins, facecloths, mini towels, wraps (sandwiches, delicate items), and can be tied into small bags for carrying souvenirs, etc.

Part 2 Coming in August

How to Travel Very Lightly (Part Two)

How to Travel Very Lightly (Part Two)

Technology

Technology has changed travel for the better forever. Aside from the incredible improvements in clothing and shoes, portable electronic devices such as iPods and E-books allow a traveler to carry massive amounts of music, information and reading material without adding to the weight of luggage.

• MP3 players: MP3 players such as the iPod allow you to take your entire CD collection, audio books and travel guides and every podcast that you ever wanted to hear. They also have room for photo storage.

• E-readers: The Sony Reader and the Amazon Kindle are a godsend.With an e-reader, you can download hundreds of books before you leave home. They also save room and the weight of carrying around bulky guidebooks, which can also be downloaded, either in complete book form or by chapter. Lonely Planet, for example, allows buyers to purchase and download individual chapters or regions of their guidebooks, instead of the whole book. E-readers can also store Word and PDF documents, maps, music and photos.

• Netbook or iPad: Extra storage and wireless internet access can be a lifesaver. A small Netbook, iPad or cell phone with internet access will allow you to stay in touch with your friends and family, book airline and hotel reservations, download travel information and update your blog without having to search high and low for an internet café. It also keeps your data secure and uninfected by avoiding PCs used by thousands of travelers and locals which often harbor unseen spyware or viruses.

• Flashdrive: A pendrive or flashdrive takes up almost no room and can be useful in storing emergency information/contacts, photos and documents such as copies of passports and credit cards, travel reservations and maps.
Sharing saves space
One of best tricks for packing lightly is to share things with your travel partner. Clothing, shoes, toiletries, iPods, laptops, travel towels and books can all be shared and will save an enormous amount of room and weight.
If you are the same clothing size as your travel partner, you can double your wardrobe. Even if you are not the same size, looser items like sweaters, rain ponchos, scarves, gloves and hats can still be put to double use. To be honest, gender isn’t even that important anymore, most of the clothes, especially for adventure travel, camping and hiking, are androgynous.
You don’t need two bottles of shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste,  sunscreen or insect repellent. If you can agree on a brand or type, one bottle of each will be plenty. If you run out, you can buy almost everything locally and international brands can be really, well, interesting, to say the least.

Packing

One of my pet peeves about backpacks is that the items inside can be so inaccessible, so I had our local tailor install a heavy-duty zipper around the periphery of the bag so that I could just open it up like a sardine can, easily and quickly adding or removing items. It is also helpful and time-saving when coming through international customs, as the officers can do a much quicker search. Many of the new backpacks already have zippers on the bottom, top and sides, making life much easier for travelers.

• Use structured net bags or packing cubes. These light, washable bags come in various sizes and colors and can be packed with individual categories of items, making things much easier to organize and find. I use one bag for underwear, one for socks, one for toiletries, one for t-shirts, etc. Carry a light, quick-drying laundry bag to keep dirty clothing separate from clean (this can also double as a pillow case if needed).

• Don’t take unnecessary items that you will regret having to carry later. Hair dryers, curling irons,  electric shavers, heavy books or guides, expensive (or expensive-looking; thieves don’t know the difference) jewelry or watches, a full-size laptop,  or large pillows or blankets will make your life miserable in short order. Clothing items to leave behind are items that can be worn with only one other thing, heavy boots, high-heeled or dress shoes,  heavy cotton or wool items such as jeans or bulky sweaters.

• Roll clothing to avoid wrinkles and to save space. Rolled items can also be tucked into small spaces, such as shoes, outer pockets or daypacks. When using packing cubes, more items can be squeezed in when rolled and rolling also helps to keep more of the surface of a garment clean. Wrap shoes in individual plastic bags to protect other clothing. Always tuck in a few extra plastic grocery bags; they take up almost no room, weigh nothing and can be used  to storing wet towels and bathing suits, as a laundry bag, for wrapping shampoo bottles to prevent leakage or for food storage.

• Choose a piece of luggage that you can live with for a long time. The ever-popular backpack is still widely available and popular, but newer versions are much lighter, more durable and with much more functionality than backpacks in the past. Wheels will add weight to your luggage, but can make life easier in the long run. If you don’t want to spring for new luggage, you can inexpensively update your existing gear with heavy-duty zippers, waterproofing or added pockets. It’s also a good idea to have the zippers, straps, cords and clips replaced regularly to avoid wear and tear. A backpack is only as good as its fasteners.

Sample packing list

Over the years, I have developed a bare bones packing list which works for almost every location and length of trip, but you can modify it to your own needs, adding a parka and insulated wellies for your trip to Antarctica or a snorkel and flippers for a week in Fiji, for example.
Although this list seems pretty basic, it will work for most trips and climates and will fit nicely into one half of a standard backpack or a medium sized carry-on. You should tailor the packing list and techniques to your own needs, but once mastered, you can use this list and your newfound skills for all your trips.
• 8 t-shirts: 4 short-sleeved,  2 long-sleeved, 2 sleeveless or tank tops
• 2 sweaters
• 2 long-sleeved, convertible, lightweight, quick drying, wrinkle-resistant shirts
• 3 pairs convertible lightweight pants (can be converted to shorts with a zipper) in different colors
• 1 pair comfortable drawstring pants, such as yoga pants (for relaxing, the beach, sleeping, or for long bus, plane or train rides)
• 2 bathing suits (for men: any style; for women: 1 one-piece and 1 bikini)
• 5 pairs of socks; 5 pairs of underwear; 2 bras, sports bras or undershirts
• 1 skirt or dressier shorts in a neutral color
• 1 windproof, water-resistant jacket, with a removable lining and hood
• 1 lightweight plastic rain poncho with hood (should be large enough to cover you and your backpack)
• Sunhat or cap; sunglasses
• 1 sarong (pareo); 1 scarf (wool, cotton or silk, depending on the weather); dark colored insulated gloves in a washable material
• 1 pair of flip-flops; 1 pair of either sneakers or hiking boots; 1 pair of flat, light dressier shoes such as loafers
• Toiletries: shampoo, conditioner, sunscreen, insect repellent, moisturizer, toothpaste, deodorant, etc.
• First aid kit with emergency travel meds (Cipro, Ant-diarrheal, anti-histamine, elastic bandage, Band-Aids, etc)
• E-reader, Ipod, Netbook, camera with storage cards, batteries and/or chargers and adapters.

Although traveling lightly may at first seem drastic or impossible, the truth is that it just takes a little practice to master. Of the many benefits, you will gain a new sense of confidence and independence once you realize that your enjoyment of life is not tied to owning (and carrying) the largest number of material things possible. You will find that, in fact, you need very little to live happily. That can be an incredibly liberating and transforming feeling.

Having less luggage allows you to focus on the trip, taking in the incredible sights and experiences instead of biting your nails about how much you have to carry, what to wear or whether your belongings are safe. Learning to pack well and lightly, leaving unnecessary items behind, is learning to travel well. It is a skill that you can learn and perfect, one that will also serve you in everyday life, increasing your confidence, reducing your load and helping you to enjoy the ride.

Travel is Not a Contest
(& Other Reasons to Embrace Slow Travel)

Travel is Not a Contest
(& Other Reasons to Embrace Slow Travel)

So much of modern culture pushes us at a frenetic pace. Americans seem to be the worst of the bunch, with 30% of people not taking their allotted vacation time and 37% not taking more than a week a year. For the rest, a sad 33%, we tend to vacation the same way we live: at warp speed with emphasis on performance and “box checking.” Hence, the proliferation of tours that cram three countries and five cities into two weeks and keep travelers moving on an itinerary that feels like anything but vacation.

Sure, they get home with a lot of nice pictures, but have they accumulated much else in terms of experience, depth or personal growth?

Whether or not you have the “luxury” of adequate time off, may I suggest that you find a way to take it anyway? If you only get a week, take it, but don’t take it at warp speed. Here are five reasons that slow-travel is a great idea; if you can, take at least a month!

1. Speed is stressful and stress is killing us

Most people live their lives at warp speed, shuttling between work, home and extracurricular activities. Juggling kids, volunteer work and community involvement; life just never seems to slow down. Success is measured by number of spaces occupied in our day planners and the level of stress we can manage and still not collapse beneath the weight.

Stress is a major contributor to disease, as well as mental and physical health disorders. Everyone agrees that we need to reduce it in order to improve quality of life and that tipping the balance away from “work” in favor of “life” in the “work-life balance” is an important goal. Yet, many folks take their frenetic pace on vacation and travel as intensely as they live life at home. This is not healthy!

In order to be restful, and rejuvenating to our souls, time off should be time spent differently. That doesn’t mean you need to spend seven straight days on a beach, but it does mean that, by slowing down, spending your time differently, and intentionally breaking out of your “home patterns” you may find you return rested, even if you’ve still done a lot.

One week is a great start, if that’s all you can manage, but don’t try to cram a train trip across Europe into that one week. Instead, rent an apartment in Marseille or Rome or Barcelona and visit the city markets one day at a time. Two weeks is better, and you’ll be able to begin to feel the rhythms of your new place.

2. It’s not a contest

You’ve heard it in the common room of every youth hostel, or bellied up to the bar your first night on that island beach in Belize, “Where have you been? How many countries have you visited?… here’s my list,” and then we set out to one-up each other. This is wrong. Travelers, especially avid travelers, tend to act like it’s a contest. Number of countries, cities, amusement parks, national monuments, museums, or wonders of the world visited is not what matters.

Travel should not be about filling in that world map tattoo on your shoulder fastest. It’s not about bigger, better, or faster. Nor is it about pushing more pins into the map on your wall than your parents did. What is it about? Authenticity. Who defines that? You do.

We know people who’ve gone “round the world” in three months. We know others who have goals to set foot in every country by a certain date. Still others who pride themselves on visiting the biggest, the best, or the fastest something. None of these goals is wrong, quite the contrary, what a cool idea: to spend a lifetime pursuing a big dream. The problem comes when we begin to measure ourselves, or others, by those lists.

We spent a whole year cycling through ten European countries. Some people think that’s an amazing amount to see in a year. Other can’t believe we wasted all that time when we could have seen so much more. Neither opinion matters. What matters is that we did it our way, in our time, and grew according to our own passions and bents during that time and since.
Resist the urge to enter the contest.

3. Go deep instead of wide

An expat friend of ours who’s been in one place for 12 years discusses the need for going “deep instead of wide” for a while, at least once in your life. Of course there’s nothing wrong with a broad sampling from all of the continents. Diversity is to be encouraged. However, he’s got an excellent point.

It’s easy to become jaded the more one travels. It’s easy to see every backpacker ghetto, in every one horse town listed in Lonely Planet, as a carbon copy of the last one. It’s easy to start feeling pretty smug about what you’ve seen or done and where you’ve been, because you’ve been so many places.

The antidote? Rent a little casita and dig into a place where you don’t speak the language. You’ll be forced to become part of the community, and you won’t be able to go running to the hostel desk for help the next time you get stuck in some way. This is where the real learning often begins.

But, to do that takes time. It won’t happen on a one or two week vacation. In our experience, it takes about a month to really settle into a place and begin to find your groove. It’s not something most people can do very often, but it’s life changing when you can. Every traveler should try to do it once, at least.

Going deep instead of wide can change your life.

4. Be present

I’ll never forget sitting in the laundry room of a campground in Vienna listening to a bus full of young people tick their sites off “the list.” They were three weeks into a three month tour from London to Beijing; not an unimpressive trip. We’d spent the entire three weeks of their trip in Vienna. They couldn’t believe how slow we were going. I couldn’t believe how fast they were going.
I remember thinking, “You guys have taken a lot of picture postcards, but have you actually been anywhere?”

Another reason to travel slowly? It’s easier to be present in the moment. We live in a society that is forever focused on what’s “next” or what we’ve already accomplished and most of us miss the moment we’re in; the only moment we’ll ever have.

Perhaps the most important life skill to develop is presence, whether we ever leave our hometowns or not. To learn to be in a moment, to experience it, for better or for worse, fully, without distraction is a worthwhile goal.

The three countries and five cities in fourteen days tour is going to make it almost impossible to truly be present in any one moment for very long. Slowing down, trying to “see less” and “be more,” is an excellent way to develop presence in your journey.

5. Understanding takes time

Most people would say that one of the reasons they travel is to learn. Learning happens in layers. We learn from the outer onion skin of guidebooks and websites, we go deeper by visiting museums and cultural events. Very few take the time to go even deeper by developing connections with locals, relationships with individuals or roles in communities.

Developing understanding takes time. My sixth grade goddaughter wrote an excellent paper about Guatemala and feels that she “knows” a lot about the place. She knows less than the kids we met in Antigua, who have not written a paper, but whose parents took them south to volunteer in an orphanage over Christmas holiday. Those kids know less still than the foreign children who live half of their lives in the puebla we wintered in. The difference? Time spent.

It’s completely possible to check a place off your list and really have never “been there” at all. If it’s all about the contest then I can almost guarantee that a person has barely breached the outer layer of the onion. There’s just no substitute for setting aside travel agendas and itineraries in exchange for interactions with real people who make up a culture. Take the necessary time, at least once in this lifetime, to slow down, to learn, to digest, and allow a new place to change who you are, from the inside out. Isn’t this why we begin traveling in the first place?

Round the World Travel Myths Debunked

Round the World Travel Myths Debunked
(Part 1)

Excuses, excuses, excuses. When it comes to travel, particularly long term travel, everyone has an excuse for why they can’t do it. Myths abound about long term, RTW travel, and if you’re on the fence about taking the plunge for yourself, it’s time to realize that absurdity of some of these myths.

Why is it that the people who have never traveled long term have such a skewed view of this type of travel? Why are there so many myths out there that are just flat out untrue? While it’s difficult to answer these questions, it’s not very hard to dispel the many myths about RTW travel that are out there.

1. It’s too expensive

This is by far the number one misconception of long term travel. While it’s obviously not free, it really comes down to your priorities and motivation. RTW travel is not only for the rich, retired, or those with trust funds. Period. It is completely different than going on a one week vacation. The mindset is totally different, and the style of travel is totally different, so multiplying what you spend on a one or two week holiday by months or a year is not going to give you an accurate estimate of what a RTW trip costs.

Sacrifices certainly have to made in order to take off for an extended trip, and being willing to rough it a bit, by staying in hostels, taking long bus rides, and eating unique food is part of the deal. If a nice house and car and toys is your priority, there’s nothing wrong with that, but most people who travel long term and make that their priority have to sacrifice something, and that sacrifice usually comes with not having much stuff. For most RTW travelers, they spend much less during a year on the road than they would at home, and while it may take years of saving and sacrificing, once you’re on the road, not working, and doing what you want when you want every day, all the hard work makes it worthwhile.

2. I don’t have time

Time and money are the two biggest excuses people give for not taking an extended trip. Unfortunately for those of us who live in the US, most of simply don’t have the vacation days to take more than a week or two at a time. So while it’s not as simple as taking your vacation, you’d be shocked at what you might be able to work out with your employers.

Since the economy is still not in tip top shape, many employers now are willing to grant a leave of absence. It certainly beats having to fire or lay people off. Yes, it is a risk because there are no guarantees of your employment upon your return, but who knows, you may decide you don’t want to go back to your previous job anyway.

If you hate your job or are questioning your career choice, then this is a great time to take advantage and try something new. A long term trip affords you the time and freedom that you simply don’t have in your daily life at home, so you may discover a new hobby or love that you can turn into a career, or you may decide that being a permanent nomad is for you. If you have skills that can be utilized from the road – web consulting, contract review for lawyers, teaching, writing, photography – it’s possible to earn a few extra bucks while traveling or turn it into a new career upon your return (or just stay on the road and work from there). Anything is possible, and if you aren’t happy where you’re at now, then take this time to make some changes in your life.

3. The resume gap will ruin my career

While it is true that a big gap in your resume used to be looked upon as a major negative, the times are changing. With the world financial crisis still in full swing, there are tons of quality employees out there with gaps in their resumes. With unemployment still hovering around 10% in the US, many people are out of work. What you do with that time off is key to prospective employers.

Let’s look at a hypothetical situation: Say you are the one hiring and have two resumes before you, both with one year employment gaps in them. One has been looking for work this entire year (supposedly), collecting unemployment along the way. One traveled the world and put that experience on his or her resume and cover letter. This RTW traveler may have learned a new language, taught English to children in Asia, or volunteered at an orphanage in Bolivia, all things that would look fantastic on a resume. If you were doing the hiring, which would you be more inclined to bring in for an interview?

4. It’s too dangerous to travel internationally

Perhaps the dumbest myth of them all. Just stop watching, reading, and listening to the media. They thrive on sensationalism and over-exaggeration, so why so many people take what they say as fact is beyond me. By now we should all know that the media is a business, so that’s why we see so many horrific stories highlighted that are there for the sole reason of boosting ratings.

If you really want to know about visiting a foreign place, why don’t you go straight to the source? In the internet age that we live in, it’s too easy to find information written by people on the ground right now in a certain destination.

Get on message boards, read blogs, open a twitter account, get active in social media. You can find tons of people who are in these so called dangerous destinations right now. Wouldn’t their opinions be more valid than a media report or your crazy Uncle Barney’s, you know, the guy who has never left his hometown but has an opinion on how dangerous it is to travel in Central America? Just use some common sense here, and realize that the vast majority of places around the world are perfectly safe to travel in. There will always be exceptions, of course, but most so called dangerous places are greatly exaggerated.

5. I’m too old to go on a RTW trip

When my wife first suggested the idea of a RTW trip to me, I was 28 years old. After dismissing her and citing the first three myths, this was next in my arsenal of why we couldn’t do it. “Babe, we’re not in college anymore. We’re too old to do this,” I said.

While it’s true that many of the people we met on the road were in college or on a gap year, we met tons of people our age, and older. We even met retirees and families with kids along the way.

Which is brings us to Myth 5a – I’m too old to stay in a hostel. Most people who have limited international travel experience have a grave misconception about hostels. While it’s true that hostels have crowded dorm rooms with shared bathrooms, it’s also true that most hostels offer private rooms with private bathrooms, so if sharing a room with 7 strangers isn’t your thing, you don’t have to do it. You can get all the benefits of hosteling – free breakfasts, kitchens to cook in, camaraderie of other travelers, common spaces to meet others – while still having comfort and privacy, and all for a fraction of the cost of a hotel.

6. I have kids. It’s impossible to travel long-term with kids

No matter where you are in life, there’s a myth about why you can’t travel long term. Having a family certainly excludes you from RTW travel, right? Well, all the families who have done it, are doing it, or planning to do it beg to differ.

It’s certainly not an easy task, and you’ll probably meet the most resistance of any group wanting to travel RTW, but it is certainly possible. Many like to cite a bunch of different myths of why it’s a bad idea to take kids on the road long term with you – it’s too dangerous, what about school, what about all our stuff, my family could never do that. All are fairly valid concerns, but all have a rebuttal.

We’ve already dispelled the too dangerous myth. You can homeschool your children or send them to a school abroad, and besides, the education your children will receive on the road experiencing new cultures and a new way of living will be invaluable to their education. Getting rid of all your stuff is an empowring thing, and it could make your kids realize that all the material items they had weren’t completely necessary. Each family is different, but you may be surprised at what your family can and can’t do.

Family travel is not easy, but it’s a great way to really bond with your husband, wife, and children in a unique way that not many families get the chance to do. Educating your children on the differences and similarities of people around the world, all the while exposing them to different cultures and different ways of life will teach them skills that simply can’t be taught at home.

Continued in November

Round the World Travel Myths Debunked

Round the World Travel Myths Debunked
(Part 2)

7. I’m a single woman. It’s way too dangerous for me to go alone

Mom and Dad are not going to like the idea that their little girl wants to traipse around the world by herself. That’s just a fact. And while they may have some valid concerns, it’s important to point out why you can do this and why you’ll be safe along your journey.

It’s definitely true that solo women travelers have to exercise a bit more caution on the road than men or couples, but as long as you do your homework first and come armed with resources to put your parents and loved ones at ease, you should be able to prove that it’s not that big a deal for women to travel alone.

Since we live in the internet age, it would be a great idea to point your concerned loved ones to blogs or websites of other solo women travelers who have done or are doing it right now. Evelyn, founder of Journeywoman, is a 70-something-year-old woman who has been traveling solo for 30 years! Her site is chock full of awesome resources and inspirational stories of women all over the world who have done the same. Ayngelina is a young Canadian woman who traveled solo for over a year through Latin America. She has written a great post about the camaraderie of solo female travelers have when meeting each other on the road. Stephanie wrote an entire article dispelling the myths surrounding solo female travel, and she had a guest post on her site, Twenty-Something Travel, from Christine, about why she chooses to travel solo. These are just a tiny sampling of resources you can find about other single women who have safely made their dreams of traveling the world come true.

8. I’m American, and everyone hates Americans

It’s definitely true that we Americans have had a rough go of it over the last decade. W didn’t exactly help our image overseas, and while there may have been some anti-American sentiment abroad, by and large it was exaggerated. Even for those who have a misconception of Americans, it’s important to meet and talk with them to dispel the rumors. Once most people who have a negative view of Americans actually meet us abroad, they change their tune and wonder why they think like they do.

In the places you’d assume have the most anti-American sentiment, like the Middle East, usually the opposite is true. Those who have traveled extensively around the region spoke about nothing but kindness and friendliness towards Americans. Just another reason to talk to travelers who are actually on the ground in certain countries and cities to obtain information about what it’s really like to travel there. Even if you do meet some people who have negative perception of Americans, it’s highly unlikely that any harm will come to you because of it. Ignorance doesn’t typically equal violence, and while there are very rare cases of this happening, it’s not any more usual than most violence happening in your hometown city.

9. My health insurance won’t cover me

Health insurance has been a very hot topic in the US over the past several years. Certain groups like you to think that we are the only country in the world offering top notch health care, which is why we have to pay so much. That is simply untrue. In most countries around the world, even developed countries, health care is dirt cheap for their citizens, and the quality is just as good. Even for foreigners, it costs a minimal amount compared to the US.

Traveling without any type of insurance is certainly a risk, but it’s possible to get a catastrophic policy that will cover you in case of a major emergency. For anything minor, like a small cut, sore throat, or virus, it’s no big deal to simply show up to a doctor or hospital and get treatment for minimal costs. Many countries have pharmacies that will sell antibiotics over the counter if that’s all you need. Even if you buy a travel insurance policy, submitting the claims and dealing with the hassle to get repaid for seeing a doctor may not be worth it.

10. It’s too hard to plan/I’m not spontaneous enough

I’m a planner. I’m an organizer. On every other trip before our RTW, I liked to plan everything out. When planning our RTW, I realized that this was going to be impossible. You simply can’t plan for all the random things that will happen on the road, and if you try, you’ll go nuts. This was a big challenge for me, but I’m a better traveler and a better person because of it.

RTW travel can be as planned or open as you want. Some simply buy that first plane ticket and take it from there. Some plan all their flights and fill in as time goes on. No matter what you decide, chances are you’ll learn some new skills that will helpful to not only future trips but life in general. For those of who are planners, we can get pretty flustered when things go wrong. Learning to take everything in stride, which you must do on a RTW trip, is a great skill to learn and helps tremendously with learning patience. While planning a trip like this is difficult at times, it can teach everyone so many new skills that are transferable to real life situations.

 

For citizens of countries where long term travel is not popular, it’s sometimes difficult not only to dispel myths your loved ones might believe, but also talk yourself into not believing them. Before we decided to go on our RTW, I though so many of these same myths were true. But then I started reading, researching, and talking to others who have actually done it.

It’s important to go to the right places for your information. Listening to the doom and gloom media reports or conspiracy theory relatives might have you questioning yourself, but if you start talking to the people who have actually done it themselves, you’ll realize that most of what you thought was simply untrue.

Enjoy Your Flight

Enjoy Your Flight

“Focus on the journey, not the destination.” – Greg Anderson

As keen as we all usually are to get somewhere – whether it’ backpacking, a romantic holiday or simply a two day trip for business – the flight is rarely the part of the journey most of us look forward to. In fact, for every small child bouncing up and down in excitement and peering out of the window, there are plenty of adults who are actively terrified of flying: 40% of people apparently experience anxiety, at least 60 million admit that they are scared of it and it’s thought that travelers avoid up to six million flights a year simply because of fear.

Celebrities with aerophobia include David Bowie and Kate Winslet, and Jennifer Aniston has been quoted as saying she would “rather stay at home than get on a plane.” Even for the remaining travellers who can stomach being airborne without clutching onto the arm of a stranger, flying can be cramped, boring, and annoying (especially if you’re seated next to one of the people described above).

The truth is that we all know that flying to your destination isn’t the most environmentally friendly way to go, but – with roughly 74.6 million flights every year and all too few viable alternatives for many of us – it looks like planes and our need for them are here for the foreseeable future.

So, until teleporting is perfected, here are eight good reasons to sit back, relax and try to make the first and last part of your journey as enjoyable as the bit in the middle.

1. It`s one of the safest ways of traveling

Few of us panic getting into a car, but they are actually 19 times more dangerous than planes: your chances of being involved in a plane crash are one in seven million. To give that a little perspective, if you boarded a flight every single day it would take 26,000 years to get into trouble, and a fully loaded Boeing 727 would have to crash every single day of the year to equal the current level of car fatalities.

If those statistics don’t put your mind at ease, know that planes are built to withstand far more than the average passenger gives them credit for. They can fly safely to their destination with just one engine, can glide for 30 minutes and land with no engines, have enough fuel on board to choose a number of alternative places to land and have two or three autopilot systems and three or more back-up computers in case anything goes wrong.

Even on a run-of-the-mill flight there’s no reason to be scared. Turbulence – one of the main reasons people hate to fly – usually averages out at around 0.3g to 0.4g a flight. That sounds terrifying, until you find out that planes are built to cope with 6 or 7g: twenty times the level at which you start whimpering.

2. You’re in good hands

As appealing as it would be from a comic perspective, airlines don’t employ small red-bottomed monkeys to get you from A to B. Your pilot has had a minimum of 1,500 hours of flight time, 500 hours of cross country flight time, 100 hours of night flight time and 75 hours of instrument operations time, and is supported by up to three or four co-pilots or officers. Ground-based staff know exactly what they’re doing too, with air traffic controllers going through three or four years of training before they start directing the plane you’re sitting on.

And – in the unlikely chance that anything goes wrong – you`ll know it: as of 2008, all pilots and air traffic controllers are required by law to speak English so that there are no emergency communication errors. What’s more, your airplane has probably been given a lot more love than your car has. It has gone through 12 hours of maintenance for every one hour it spends in the air, and has had a major overhaul in the last four years requiring 22,000 man-hours of labor.

3. The food is getting better

It might be difficult to believe it when you peel the tin-foil from your unidentified lump of what was presumably once an animal, but plane food quality is actually increasing. Fierce competition between airlines means that they either have to offer no-frills, pay-as-you-go service, or something worth tempting their customers back with. And some companies are really throwing themselves into this arena with gusto.

Austrian Airlines has an on-board chef on every flight and one quarter of flight attendants are trained sommeliers; Cathay Pacific has on-board toasters and rice cookers. Gordon Ramsay, Michelle Bernstein and Juan Amador are just a few celebrity chefs who help to concoct in-air menus, and Quantas has a self-serve bar on one of its key flights. Meals 30,000 feet in the air now include Brazilian sirloin, caviar, hamburger and duck: all food you’d probably queue to eat on the ground. And with competition between airlines just getting tougher, you can expect these culinary standards to keep going – excuse the pun – up and up.

4. It allows you to switch off

This may come as no surprise, bearing in mind the fact that you’re reading this article online, but apparently the average adult is now spending three hours a day surfing the internet for no real reason – on Facebook, playing games and searching Google to find out how tall Johnny Depp is – and if you’re under 24 this goes up to 45 hours a week. We’re also pretty keen on our mobile phones: 6.1 trillion text messages were sent in 2010, along with 15 billion voice call minutes.

This all adds up to a pretty electronic lifestyle. With wi-fi and roaming networks across most of the developing world too, that means that one of the only times you really and truly have an excuse not to be in contact with “the real world” is when you’re on a plane.

Rather than panic, think of this enforced separation from technology as the perfect opportunity to sit back, read a book, watch a few films or simply get a good bit of sleep without your phone going off at four minute intervals. And if you’re on one of the planes that allows internet cards or phone calls, simply pretend that you’re not.

5. Love might be in the air

The last thing you’re probably thinking about when you’re in your comfiest clothes with an inflatable pillow wrapped around your neck is meeting your soulmate, but a surprising number of people find their future partners either in airports or on the plane journeys themselves.

And companies are starting to notice this. Flight Club provides a social networking platform to help people bond first, and Airtroductions helps people looking for love to match up across continents. Air New Zealand has even gone one step further and introduced a specific Matchmaking flight, with passengers uploading a dating profile six months before they get on the plane to make sure they sit next to someone they`ll have something in common with.

If you prefer something a little less organised, however, just keep your eyes open. With so many strangers trapped in a confined space for up to twelve hours with no way out that doesn’t involve probable death, planes are the perfect breeding ground for romance. Luck in, and you might just find somebody to share the journey with even when the flight is over.

6. You can enjoy the view

Yes, you’re flying from destination A to destination B – possibly via inexplicable destination Z – but that doesn’t mean they’re the only parts of the world you get to see on your trip. With the right conditions, there are a number of phenomenal views you can see out of the passengers windows that otherwise wouldn’t be on your itinerary: Mount Fuji or the Himalayas; Antarctica; the Great Barrier Reef; the Sahara desert. Even better, you may get to cross countries that you might not choose to land in – or actually be allowed to land in – but can enjoy from 30,000 feet up: countries like Afghanistan, Iran or North Korea, for instance.

As for getting worried looking out of the window: don’t. You might seem close to storms and other planes but actually it’s probably an optical illusion. Each plane has its own “highway” ten miles wide, all aircraft have to avoid storm clouds by 20 miles, and even if you were hit by lightening it wouldn’t matter because the plane is not attached to the ground.

7. You’re saving time, money and helping the economy

As you already know, by flying on a plane instead of flapping your arms really fast you’re not exactly acting as a best friend to the environment. In fact, new research indicates that plane emissions are possibly two to four times worse for global warming than initially thought, and it was thought they were pretty bad as it was: a plane journey can produce up to ten times as much CO2 as the equivalent made by train.

However, once you’re in the air you can take some comfort in knowing that you’re saving huge amounts of time, and huge amounts of money. A plane from London to Tangier, for instance, would take five hours, but using trains and ferries would take 48 hours. And long distance train journeys are so much more expensive than flying – with some flights now around a dollar, or 99p – that it would arguably make environmental sense to take the flight and spend the spare money on insulation for your home.

What’s more, increased flights are one of the biggest contributions to a growing global economy, and while the damage this is simultaneously causing can’t – and shouldn’t – be ignored, with sensitive and careful travel you can opt to look on the bright side: you’re a part of making the world a smaller place.

8. You’re doing what you can to help

The truth is: if you need to take a flight, you’re probably going to take a flight, but there are still ways you can try to reduce your carbon footprint while you’re up there. Limiting your luggage can help, because less fuel is needed to get it from one place to another, and picking day time flights is also thought to make a small difference to the global warming effect (something scientific about reflection from the sun). A lot of people think that budget airlines are less environmentally friendly than more expensive options, but it’s often the other way round: budget airlines pack more people on and usually have younger, more fuel efficient fleets. And choosing more direct routes and fewer stopovers can also help save on carbon emissions because you’re not zigzagging all over the globe when you could be making a straight line.

All of which will make it that little bit easier to sit back and enjoy your journey, eat food, sleep and fall in love with an easier conscience.

Make Sure Your “Budget” Airline Ticket Really is a Deal

Make Sure Your “Budget” Airline Ticket Really is a Deal

Airline tickets on low-cost carriers can be extremely cheap at first glance. But that’s before the addition of a cauldron of hidden expenses that can ensnare the unsuspecting traveler. Paying for your flight, for example, should not be an “optional extra”. The good news is that you can avoid these add-ons. With a little inside knowledge – and time – it is possible to travel for the advertised price of a cheap flight.

The key ingredient to cheap flying is flexibility. Can you move your travel dates a few days either way? Do you really have to go to Berlin on certain dates, or will Belfast/Bratislava make a satisfactory substitute? Or could you fly into another German airport and take a train up to the capital from there? If you can, there will be a rock bottom fare in there somewhere.

The following tips are specific to Ryanair, because this airline operates the really dirt-cheap flights in Europe. However, the format of adding extra charges is more or less the same for all the no-frills airlines. Adapt slightly, and these tips are applicable to any low cost carrier in the world.

The internet is your friend

Always book your tickets online. Do this even if you are paying an hourly rate in an internet café. Budget carriers charge – sometimes extortionately – for telephone bookings. It is not the case that the earlier you book, the cheaper the flight. In fact, booking three months in advance is generally more expensive than waiting for the upcoming deals. So it is a question of balancing price with peace of mind.

Subscribe to the carrier’s email newsletter. You will receive frequent emails keeping you up to date with offers and promotional fares. However, if you haven’t had an email it doesn’t mean there are no bargains to be snapped up. Flight prices can change daily.

Study the routes. Maybe you can fly cheaply into one airport, and out of another one nearby? Spend some time on the carrier’s website and play around with your options. And do not forget to check in online and print out your boarding card. You will get a reminder email to do this, so there is no excuse. It is far, far cheaper to pay to print this document than turn up at the airport without it. (See “Ryanair fees” for Airport Boarding Card Re-issue.)

Don’t get caught exceeding the luggage limits

On the homepage, click on Ryanair fees. This gives you a simple chart of add-on charges. See how a second checked-in bag rockets the price? If traveling with a lot of luggage, it can be cheaper to avoid budget airlines altogether. This particularly applies if you’re taking sports equipment, musical instruments, or lots of gear for your kids.

Do you really need a huge suitcase for a three-day city break? Hand luggage is free, and the permissible weight is 10kg. Do not risk exceeding it; this will very quickly amount to more than the cost of the flight. If you’re not sure how much luggage you will have, don’t book the flight just yet. It is far cheaper to add luggage to an online booking than to turn up with extra weight at the airport.

Weigh your luggage on a scale at home. If that isn’t possible, most airports now have a machine at the entrance that weighs luggage for a modest charge. If you’re feeling cheeky, use the built-in scale at an empty airline desk. According to http://flightchecker.moneysavingexpert.com, even if the desk is not staffed/open, it should still work. If your bag is too heavy, consider wearing some of your packed clothes.

Carefully note the hand luggage maximum dimensions. Go fractionally over these figures and the bag will have to be put in the hold. Negligence may have just cost you $23. Compare that to the cost of the flight, which may only have cost $10.

Eliminate the extras

When you’ve found a cheap flight and begin to book, many of the boxes for extras will already be ticked. Start unticking them quickly! For a start, can you take off the charge for a checked-in bag, which appears automatically on the booking page?

Unless there is a good reason for priority booking, take this off too. What are you paying extra for? Is it better to be cooped up on a plane, or milling about in the departure lounge for an extra ten minutes? European flights are rarely more than a couple of hours; it’s not as though you’re flying long haul to Sydney.

There is a field for travel insurance cover. If you’ve already flown to Europe, you’ll no doubt have a policy. Choose “no travel insurance required” from the drop-down menu. You also don’t need the option of flight information to be sent by text message for $1.50.

Online or Web Check In is often waived on promotional flights, so check these offers first. If you are flexible with dates, it is possible to avoid this charge. If you remove all of the extras, and it is a promotional offer with no taxes, the amount now due will be exactly the same as the original cost of the flight.

Watch out for “hidden” fees

You will always be notified of taxes at the beginning of the booking process. Some flights will initially look more expensive but have little or no taxes; some will look cheaper but be subject to higher taxes. Either way, you will know within a click or two. These are not hidden extras that crop up at the end of the transaction.

What does crop up, though, is being charged to pay for the flight. This is where all the budget carriers make some pretty easy money. Apply for a Mastercard Prepaid Debit Card, however, and you’ve found the loophole on Ryanair. You can pay for free using this card; any other method is subject to an $8 booking fee per person per flight. Yep, this can soon add up when booking return flights or traveling in a group. You can apply for a card online, and load it with funds online. (For Easyjet, the loophole card is Visa Electron. N.B. Non UK Cardholders transacting on the Easyjet website may be subject to a cross border fee applied by their Card Issuer.)

When booking online, you will see, “excluding administration fee (if applicable)” next to the total price. I have never seen this fee actually applied to a flight. Don’t worry about it.

Book return flights as two separate singles. This is because Ryanair will sometimes change the departure time of a flight, and ask you to accept or decline the alteration. The decision will affect both flights, so you may lose a great one-way price back from a destination, and have to rebook the same journey at a higher price (after a promotional offer has expired). If you accept, they will refund the cost in full.

Budget flight websites are a minefield and a rock bottom fare can easily end up costing double or triple what you thought it would. But if you have enough time, scrolling through all the deals will pay dividends. Just avoid all the extras and watch out for hidden fees and you can score a dirt cheap flight for the advertised low price.

Conquering Your Phobias Through Travel

Conquering Your Phobias Through Travel

(Part 1)

Most travelers can think of a situation that’s made them frightened—say, riding in a bus on a windy mountain road at 14,000 feet or encountering an uninvited animal guest in a dark hostel dorm. These adrenaline-packed moments often make for some of the most memorable parts of a journey because they force us to navigate through a scary situation, all in the name of survival and adventure.

However, a number of people suffer from mild to severe phobias that compel them to avoid certain uncomfortable or frightening situations that others might embrace as worthwhile experiences. Phobias are quite common (as many as ten percent of people have one), and the intensity of these fears can range from embarrassing anxiety to crippling panic attacks. To be clear, phobias are nothing to be ashamed of—they are irrational fears sewn deep into the mind that can take years to overcome. (I still can’t believe that after flying hundreds of times, I shake whenever I board an airplane.) But what’s essential as travelers and human beings is that we don’t allow our phobias to limit the ways we’re willing to experience the world. It’s all too easy to let our fears persuade us to stay within our comfort zones and be observers rather than explorers.

So instead of planning travel in avoidance of the things you dread, I propose planning a trip inspired by your fears—with the intent of facing them head on and discovering that you are a stronger, more independent person than you may have thought possible. While it’s probably unwise to put yourself in a challenging situation if you suffer from an intense phobia, use your next trip as an opportunity to pursue an experience that terrifies, thrills, and ultimately rewards you for having done it. Below are six destinations that are tailor-made for conquering several of the most common phobias that travelers face.

Fear of spiders and snakes (Arachnaphobia and Ophidiophobia) – Australian Reptile Park, Somersby, Australia

The Australian Reptile Park in Somersby, Australia, one hour north of Sydney, encourages visitors to get hands on with animals of all kinds, from cuddly koala bears to wombats. After you hand feed a kangaroo and build up your courage, you can *gulp* say goodbye to the warm-blooded creatures and visit the park’s Lost World of Reptiles exhibit. The Australian Reptile Park boasts more than 36 species of snakes, including 11 of the continent’s most venomous varieties, whose names may have you briefly rethinking your visit to Australia (Common Death Adder?). Visitors can cuddle a Burmese python, drop in on a Snake Safety Awareness Seminar, or watch snakes get milked for their venom as part of the facility’s world-renowned anti-venom project.

If your fears are more of the eight-legged variety, never, um, fear—there’s also Spider World, featuring more than 500 species of spiders from all over the world. Visit Tarantulaville and observe tarantulas and scorpions behind a layer of bullet-proof glass (no joke), the only opportunity to view live tarantulas in all of Australia. After that you can head to the spider laboratory and watch feedings and venom milkings of the world’s deadliest arachnid, the Funnel-web spider. Fortunately, if the idea of spending the afternoon around creatures of the night still makes your skin crawl, the park offers Bust-a-Phobia workshops that help visitors conquer their snake and spider-related fears. (Or, for the absolutely insane, try their Fear Factor challenge and let giant stick insects crawl over your face. However you prefer to spend your vacations.)

Fear of heights (Acrophobia) – Shanghai World Financial Center & Oriental Pearl Tower, Shanghai, China

The straight-out-of-the-future skyline of Shanghai is home to two of the world’s tallest buildings: the Shanghai World Financial Center and the Oriental Pearl Tower. The twisting, elegant Shanghai World Financial Center currently boasts the world’s tallest observation deck at 1,555 feet, or 100 floors, above the city and Huang Pu River. Visitors shoot up to the top of this “Vertical Complex City” in high-speed elevators that travel up to 10 meters per second, and a second observation lobby is available at a slightly less ear-popping height on the 52nd and 53rd floors. The view is particularly phenomenal at night when you can watch Shanghai morph into a brightly-lit kaleidoscope of architectural spectacles.

For travelers who want more options for just how high they float above Shanghai, the Oriental Pearl Tower offers 15 different viewing levels. Start off in Space City (worth it for the name alone), a mere 295 feet up, then test your mettle further by grabbing a meal in the building’s revolving restaurant and watching Shanghai gracefully twirl beneath you. The bravest souls can go straight up to the tower’s highest observation sphere, the Space Module, at 1,148 feet, where you can walk over see-through floors and marvel at the tiny world underneath your feet—or cower in the café with a soda until the next elevator down becomes available.

Conquering Your Phobias Through Travel

Conquering Your Phobias Through Travel

(Part 2)

Fear of flying (Aerophobia) – Hang gliding in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Tucked into mountains and lined by some of the most famous beaches in the world, Rio de Janeiro has plenty to enjoy at ground level. However, if you want to better appreciate the magnitude of the city’s sprawl and conquer one of your fears at the same time, hang gliding is a great way to experience Brazil’s second-largest city.

This adventure begins (naturally) by driving up a very high mountain, where you will meet a professional hang gliding instructor who will assure you how safe this activity is and emphasize the only rule that matters: Whatever you do, don’t stop. As you are strapped into a safety harness and shown the launch platform jutting out the side of the mountain, the importance of this rule will become frighteningly clear—you are about to run full speed and jump into the air with fabric wings strapped to your back. Fortunately, you have little to worry about as your instructor has hundreds of hours of solo and tandem hang gliding experience, and they’re just as invested in avoiding their own demise as you are.

After you take several panicked breaths and give a nod, you and your instructor will run as fast as you can together toward the open arms of Rio, for which you will be rewarded with anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes of free flying toward the beaches below. Try not to cling to your instructor too tightly as you take in some of Rio’s most famous sights, including Sugarloaf Mountain and the Christ the Redeemer statue. When you finally land (or, more accurately, tumble) onto the safety of the beach, you’ll be able to brag that you saw Rio in a way that many people would be too scared to do—and your instructor will happily sell you photographic and video evidence of you screaming all the way down to show to your friends back home.

Fear of close spaces and the dark (Claustrophobia and Nyctophobia) – Wieliczka Salt Mine, Krakow, Poland

This UNESCO World Heritage site, an active salt mine from the 13th century until 2007, is a sizeable world that stretches more than 300 meters beneath the surface. Your visit begins by descending nearly 400 wooden steps into the cool depths, where the mine entrance awaits 64 meters below. From here, visitors have two options for exploring. The most popular option, the Pilgrim Route, features more than two miles of wide, well-lit passages that minimize feelings of claustrophobia and give visitors easy access to the mine’s attractions. The second option, Mysteries of Wieliczka Mine, is much more intense: travelers navigate the twisting, cramped corridors of the interior like miners of the past—but far more safely—with helmets, lamps, and even carbon monoxide absorbers. (Claustrophobes: go with Option 1.)

Although parts of the mine are dimly lit, you’re never alone in the dark at Wieliczka: the pathways are lined with full-size statues (including gnomes!) carved out of salt by miners over the years to keep themselves company. Visitors can also take in a subterranean lake and visit a sanatorium for people suffering from respiratory ailments. And you may forget your phobias altogether when you enter the enormous St. Kinga’s Chapel, a stunning place of worship 100 meters down carved entirely out of salt—including the chandeliers. (If you find you’re still feeling nervous by this point, you can always say a quick prayer before taking the elevator back up to the safety of wide spaces and sunlight.)

Fear of public speaking (Glossophobia) – Karaoke bars, Tokyo, Japan

In Japan, a night of karaoke appeals to all kinds. From young cosplayers to suited salarymen, you’ll find karaoke bars filled with folks eager to set their daytime reservations aside by loosening their vocal cords in front of friends and strangers. But karaoke is more than just a drunken display of bravado; it fulfills an important social function by allowing people to bond through the act of making complete asses of themselves. Fortunately for you, the karaoke experience can be tailored to your level of timidity as well as any special themes your introverted heart desires.

Karaoke is abundant in Tokyo and can be found in nearly every kind of venue—from houseboats to high-rise restaurants to swanky clubs—making it an extremely convenient way to see different parts of the city and have a great nighttime experience to boot. If you’re not quite ready to bare your soul in front of strangers, the majority of karaoke bars offer private rooms for gathering with a group of friends or crooning solo. Basic rooms include a phone for ordering food and drinks, a TV monitor, and a microphone, while many parlors offer more memorable experiences like singing in a bathtub or performing a duet with a geisha. After you’ve had a few drinks to artificially boost your confidence, you can move on to a karaoke bar with a public stage—typically replete with fancy lights and effects—and belt that Whitney Houston song you’ve only ever shared with your shower.

Fear of clowns (Coulrophobia) – Festival International du Cirque, Monte Carlo, Monaco

This annual celebration of circus acts, considered the most prestigious circus event in the world, aims to please kids and kids at heart alike with astonishing performances from human and animal entertainers.  Visitors can watch official performances led by the ringmaster inside Le Chapiteau de Fontvieille, a classic red tent that fits up to 3,800 people, or look out for impromptu acts that frequently take place outside the tent. Although the official mascot of the festival is a clown with inexplicably bloodshot eyes, don’t let that scare you away— guests can typically expect to see a wide range of gasp-inducing acrobatic feats, impressive animal performances, and just a handful of comedic clown showings (you can always bury your face into your popcorn during those parts).

At the end of the festival, hang around for the prize ceremony, when a special jury awards the best act with the Clown d’Or, or Golden Clown (essentially the Oscar® of the circus world). In the festival’s 36-year history, only five clowns have ever won this esteemed award —but perhaps that should inspire you to watch all of the performances anyway, because if you’re going to be scared witless by a clown, at least it’ll be one of the best clowns in the world.

How Music Makes the Foreign Familiar

How Music Makes the Foreign Familiar

“We’re all cowboys here!” slurred the man in front of me, tipping a plastic cupful of beer in my direction. I smiled wanly and raised my own cup in acknowledgment, figuring he would rejoin the sea of dancers wriggling arrhythmically in front of me. Instead, the self-described ranch hand took a step closer.

Red in the face — either from drinking, dancing, or both — he looked me up and down with a critical eye. Silently I questioned my choice of attire. Before going out for the night, I remember deciding that corduroys and a green pullover would be innocuous enough in a foreign city, but somehow I had inadvertently managed to attract the attention of a plastered, yet still perceptive, local. Suddenly paranoid, I glanced around the crowded tent we shared.

A middle-aged woman in bright crimson cowboy boots trotted past. At the picnic table immediately to my right, an older bearded man took the occasional nip of whisky from a plastic shot glass. Clad in a black leather Harley Davidson vest, he wore his long gray hair in a ponytail underneath a mesh trucker hat. I watched as he absentmindedly tapped his cigarette ash into one of the many abandoned beers littering the table. Over at the bar, a man in a dark overcoat and a black felt Stetson leaned in on an elbow to order a drink. His upper lip bore evidence of slow progress towards a hirsute handlebar. On stage a quartet of musicians stomped through a heavily accented rendition of “The Gambler.”

I was beginning to see why my outfit hadn’t quite served as the camouflage I’d intended it to be. Plainclothes disguises just don’t work at costume parties. Then I remembered my new friend. He hadn’t moved.

“You gonna stay here all night?”

“Uh, yeah… probably,” I answered. “I like country. Why?”

“Well, you know there’s other music here,” he slurred with apparent concern.

I did. In fact, a large part of my motivation for visiting Aarhus, Denmark‘s second-largest municipality, had been discovering that an annual, 10-day long arts celebration overlapped with my summer travel plans. The detail that had escaped me — or more accurately, the one I hadn’t even considered — was that the Aarhus Festival’s soundtrack might strum a chord familiar to a Virginian abroad.

And frankly, it was a little weird.

Walking around the stone streets and alleys earlier that evening, my ears caught the faint but recognizable sound of a shuffling rhythm from the other end of Åboulevarden, or River Boulevard, near the harbor. Following the tuneful tumult to its source, I found myself literally rubbing elbows with what might’ve been the Scandinavian branch of the Hank Williams Appreciation Society.

Behind my self-appointed chaperone the band shifted into the first few bars of “Folsom Prison Blues.”

“Johnny Cash!” I shouted over the noise, knocking my drink into his.

“Johnny Cash’s soooo good,” he replied, tilting his head back in pleasure. When he met my eyes again however, his expression was serious. “You should go.”

He hadn’t introduced himself, though, and I wasn’t any closer to figuring out what was worrying him about my presence. The Nordic interpretations of Nashville standards intrigued and, to a lesser degree, confused me – but I didn’t want to go. Not after I’d managed to dodge the venue’s cover charge.

“I might leave after they finish,” I lied. This seemed to satisfy him. Now, perhaps, I could return to being the inconspicuous American.

“Very nice to meetcha,” he replied with a smile before disappearing back into the mass of people pressed around us at the edge of the dance floor. In the next instant, my brain resumed its effort to overcome the effects of cultural vertigo.

Glancing above me, I didn’t see Dannebrog, the flag of Denmark, but rather semi-circular stars and stripes banners hanging from the ceiling at regular intervals. The beer on tap was Royal Classic, not Coors Lite. And yet the most disorienting thing was the lack of English I heard spoken around me. Then again, this was the Jutland Peninsula, not the Cumberland Plateau.

I had traveled to Aarhus with few expectations beyond enjoying a citywide party. Nevertheless, the musical dose of Americana was a complete surprise. It was as if somehow, here in northern Europe, I’d stumbled through a jackrabbit hole to the Grand Ole Opry.

Landing at a tiny airport the night before, my Danish points of reference had been few and embarrassingly far between: breakfast pastries, Legos, and an acclaimed author of children’s fairy tales being chief among them. Call me narrow-minded, but honky-tonk and herring never struck me as an obvious pair. Quickly reminding myself that music had been crossing borders even before the Beatles recorded “Sie liebt dich” in 1964, I wondered if I could possibly bridge what seemed like a Skagerrak-sized gap of cultural understanding with a mutual appreciation of redneck n’ roll?

Chick ‘N’ Roosters, as the performers had dubbed themselves, confidently kept the audience moving to their versions of “Love’s Gonna Live Here Again,” “Wide Open Spaces,” and a few Dolly Parton hits including “Applejack,” and “9 to 5.” After a short set break, they resumed with a relatively faithful rendition of Janis Joplin’s “Mercedes Benz.”

As the drummer kept time on the bell of his ride cymbal and the lanky lead guitarist added nimble but mournful licks, I looked down to find my toe tapping in sync with the beat. Most people around me were singing along to the simple major key melodies, at times rivaling the PA with their collective drunken enthusiasm. Many of the songs were vaguely familiar, and I could’ve pretended that I knew every lyric by heart too, but I stopped myself. Maybe I didn’t quite belong there, but in a way, country roads had delivered me to a place that felt a little bit like home.

By Ben Keene

Five Common Travel Companions

Five Common Travel Companions

When travelling it is important to choose your companions wisely to make the most of your experience. Certain travel companions can make even the worst experiences enjoyable and fun, whereas an unsuitable companion could make your entire trip a nightmare. It is not so much about “good” travel companions or “bad” ones, but instead finding peope who have a similar mindset to you. It is important to travel with people who have the same intentions from the trip as you do, whether it be travelling on a tight budget or catching the touristy sites.

Here are five examples of different travel companions you may have to choose from on your next trip.

Party Tourist

When travelling around the world, it is inevitable you will run across other travellers or backpackers who seem to want nothing more than spending every night in a bar. Their entire trip consists of consuming countless amounts of alcohol and leering at anything that walks. By day they venture outside, in dark sunglasses, to take photos of themselves in front of tourist sites, which are immediately uploaded to Facebook as their new “DP.” They will then talk incessantly about all the countries they have “done” (what does it even mean to have “done” a country?). If this is how you would like to travel then that’s fine, more power to you. But if it is not, then it is probably wise to make sure you are not travelling with someone who is. I was living in San Francisco for a while when one of my best friends came and visited me on his way to Europe. This was fine, only he brought with him a friend who wanted nothing more from his trip than to see the sites, take as many drugs as possible, and sleep with as many women as he could. After three weeks of misogynistic comments, whirlwind expeditions to tourist icons, and 21 days of straight drinking, it was too much, and I had to move on before we killed each other. The moral of the story is make sure you all agree on what sort of experience you would like to have beforehand to make to avoid later disagreements.

Money Disparity

Though it may not seem like a huge issue beforehand, money can end up becoming a huge issue as you travel, especially if one of you has a lot more than the other. The problems which arise can manifest themselves in many different ways. Firstly, if one of you has significantly more money and therefore more relaxed about spending it, the other party can, in trying to keep up, spend all their money way too fast and go broke early into the trip. However, intense budgeting by one party and not the other can also lead to conundrums. Whereas one person may think nothing of paying $50 to go to a museum or go to a fancy restaurant, for the other person that could be three days budget, thus causing tension and a divergence in what both parties want to do. If one does go broke, the other person can always support them, but in all honesty it is not an ideal situation and will probably lead to further problems in the future. It again comes down to knowing what you both expect from the trip before you set off. If one of you wants to backpack and travel to a tight budget and the other wants to have a more luxurious time abroad, then it probably isn’t going to be an ideal combination. I would definitely recommend travelling with people who have similar finances.

Best Friend/Good Friend

Travelling with your best friend can either be the best thing you ever do or the worst. The bonus of venturing off with your friend is that you are already intimately acquainted with each other and probably have similar ideas concerning what you want to get out of your trip (you’re best friends, right?). There is no greater feeling than sharing the fantastic experiences you are having with someone you know well and are close to. A friend can make bad times bearable with humour and sympathy that strangers aren’t eligible or able to give. Whether you’re stuck in an Indian hotel bed,vomiting after eating some bad yoghurt or crying after having your wallet and camera stolen in Peru, you will definitely appreciate having you friend with you. But travelling with a close friend can either make or break a friendship. Those “quirky” parts of your personality can, after weeks or months together, become sources of intense, irrational frustration. The important thing to do if you are consistently at each other’s throats is to take a few days off and spend some time with other people for a while. After some time apart you will probably be looking forward to seeing each other again and even have some new stories to share with each other. I have friends who went on a RTW trip together and came back even closer than when they left, and some friends who after hiking across Spain have barely spoken to each other again. Travelling with a close friend is a gamble, but if you can pull it off it is well worth it – especially for your first trip away when they can make the chaos around you seem a little less daunting as you tackle it together.

Partner

Travelling with a partner is similar to travelling with a closer friend, only more intense. As a couple you will share the most beautiful and awe inspiring aspects of travelling as well as the most challenging and difficult ones. It is how you react to the situations that dictate how your experience will be – and probably will be a good indicator as to your long term compatibility as a couple. I remember being wrongfully arrested in Nepal. Together my girlfriend and I worked frantically as a team to see the chief of police and do whatever we could to get out of prison. It was a bonding experience like none other and really makes you appreciate each other as you work toward your freedom. Likewise, when you are sick, it is exceptionally pleasant to have someone there to hold your hand and tell you it will all be okay. The downside of travelling as a couple is that you can at times become such an insular little group that you miss out on meeting many new people that you would otherwise meet when travelling alone. However, this doesn’t have to be the case as long as you are both willing to occasionally spend time apart and make an effort to interact with others. I personally have had some of my best adventures with a girlfriend, from driving a van around Northern Australia to hiking in the Himalayas. As long as you are both compatible before the trip and retain the ability to be flexible and communicate freely, travelling with a partner can be an amazing and rewarding experience – and one you will talk about for years to come.

Alone

personally think there is no greater way to travel than alone. There seems to be a common misconception that travelling alone is lonely. Nothing could be further from the truth. Being a solo traveller is the most empowering endeavour you can ever embark upon. It thrusts you out into the unknown and with no one else to rely on but yourself. You are forced to navigate your way around completely foreign landscapes, be it in the wilds of Africa or the huge concrete jungle of Los Angeles. You have to find a way to make friends, get to know a location, as well as live to a budget, all the while battling jet lag, bank woes (they are inescapable), and anything else that may be thrown at you. Though it may appear daunting at first, you are soon so immersed in the sheer beauty of life on the road that you wonder how you ever managed to lead such a closeted life back home. Being a solo traveller, you will inadvertently meet incredible people along the way to share experiences with. And even though you may head off in separate directions, you will often meet up again in a completely unexpected place or time. There is nothing I could recommend more than being a solo traveller. Be it on a RTW or even just a brief foray around your own country, you will come home with a confidence, surety, and mindset that can only be earned by embarking on a trip alone. It may sound cliche, but you will learn as much about yourself as you will about the places you visit.

There are so many different ways to travel, and in the end it is your adventure and is completely up to you to make the most of it.

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