The 20th Century turned lots of people into nomads…
…From one place to the other, travelling all over the globe…everyone seems to be on the move these days!! I remember when I was younger, when I used to ask my friends what they were doing during the winter break, most would answer they’re going to their Nani’s(maternal grandmother’s) house! Now when I ask them the same question, someone’s going to Europe, another is visiting the USA, one is going to Singapore and some are going travelling in some exotic locale in India! There’s like a global travelling epidemic happening!…
As I’m trying to move (talk about the irony of the language!) with the times, there are some observations that I’ve gained through some of my experiences while travelling. Some have been good…and some have been…well…horrifying to say the least! So over all this time, I have been able to learn from my good and bad experiences and become a wiser traveller (not a wiser person…that, I’m afraid, is an impossible task!). So let me not blabber more and proceed to giving you General Tips on Travelling
Disclaimer- The review deals with a holiday trip and travelling for leisure and doesn’t include tips on Travel for business trips or any other such “serious reasons”...hehe...mainly cuz I cannot relate travelling to anything with a solemn motive…anyways, Read on..
Put on your Thinking Cap
Now, some of those adventurous travellers may not agree with me here, but I suggest most people to plan their trip before they start. Believe it or not, just a little bit for pre-travel planning can save you a Lot of headaches! By Planning what I mean is, at least have an idea where you’re going, do some research about the one destination or the various places that you intend to visit. It always helps to have a faint idea about the place you’re going to visit before you start off. If you’re a spontaneous traveller, who just lift their bags and go, make sure you Carry a Map, while if you’re a meticulous and careful planner (like yours truly…umm yes that’s me!), make reservations at hotels, make a travel itinerary (your travel dates, names of hotels and phone numbers) and book yourself tickets.
One Advantage of Planning: If you carefully do some research about your trip, you might find the cheapest travelling fares. For example, within Europe, travelling Ryan Air(a cheapster airlines) vs. British Airways is a huge difference when it comes to prices!
Packing-Shacking
This is where the Mars-Venus clash comes into play…and no, I’m not talking about some Alien attack (like in a lot of those sci-fi Hollywood flicks…sheesh!), but about the basic difference between the packing techniques of a Man and a Woman! A man needs to be reminded to pack underwear, while a woman will even pack an extra pair nail-cutter in case one gets lost! Well…some things can never be solved…but eccentricities can be moderated down a bit. My first advice would be to Pack a Comfortable Amount, that is, not too less and not too much! Guys, trust me, you’re going to need that extra pair of jeans (no, you cannot make do with stolen towels from the hotels!) and Girls, believe me on this one, Five pairs of evening gowns are not going to come in use (don’t question that…just take it from a voracious packer!)
Important Things to Carry: Map, Watch, Cell phone (if you have one), camera ( oh come on, you don’t want to miss out on capturing all those great holiday moments!), Good pair of shoes ( this is VERY important!), a list of important numbers ( for emergencies), your identity documents ( if going abroad: passport (with Visa and all); within your country: drivers’ licence or ID card), lock-n-key for your luggage ( no place is safe!), if travelling by air, carry a change in your hand luggage as Very often, your luggage tends to get delayed at some connecting airport ( its extreeemelyyy annoying when that happens…but at busy connecting airports, there’s an enormous possibility of this happening!). And THE most important...Carry Cash (preferably the currency of the country you’re visiting, cuz you see, as global as we are, Rupees don’t work in Azerbaijan!).
Better Safe Than Sorry
When you’re travelling, you are away from the protection of your home and your secure surroundings. Since there is a lot of moving around in various public transports, you are more open to unsafe situations. So be alert at all times. I’m not trying to scare you, but it’s always better to be cautious!
Important things to remember
§ NEVER leave your luggage or blindly trust a stranger! You really have no way of knowing what kind of person he/she is, so why take the chance?
§ Do Not leave your luggage unattended.
§ Do Not sit anywhere near unattended luggage. If you think a bag or something is suspicious, warn some official about it.
§ While travelling, it is always better to be careful about your personal documents. Give extra attention to where you keep them.
Take a Chill Pill!
It’s a trip away from the usual humdrum and monotonous routine of life, so naturally it’s a chance to get away from all that mess and Enjoy! The best way to enjoy a trip is to lock out all those daily troubles in a little tiny-miny corner of the brain for some days and forget all the tension!! The more mentally relaxed and soothed you are, the better travelling will be!
Another important thing to remember is to Compromise with the situation, meaning if you don’t get to travel exactly how you wanted to, don’t fret and fuss over it, instead make the best of what you have! For example, if the time of your connecting flight/train is made longer, instead of sulking maybe you could take this opportunity to explore the area around you…that could be fun right? Or go treat yourself to a good meal, or just think, an extra hour of free time…now how often do you get that in your everyday busy life? So, use my philosophy, When buried neck deep in dough, make cookies! ( er…that might not make perfect sense, and it’s like a distorted metaphor…but whatever, you know what I mean!).
Last Words
I love to Travel! My favourite holiday destination is India, which I do not leave any opportunity to visit! One thing I’ve learnt after all the travelling I’ve done is that, sometimes you do not even realise that Heaven is in your own backyard! So I guess what I’m getting at is that, travelling far and wide is not that important at the end of the day, but what matters is how much you enjoy every trip and how much you gain from every experience So whether you travel to Alaska or a little resort 2 hours away from your house, the key is to cherish every moment!!
BON VOYAGE!