When I was teaching I would tell my students that the best way to enrich your life is through two entities: Reading and Travel. I have always been a voracious reader. Even as a child I read about places that I hoped to see one day. For instance, I was about 11 or 12 when I read about Pompeii. Over the years I read every article I could get my hands on about the excavations going on at Pompeii. It took me a while but I got there this year. I would ask my students if they had read about a place that they would like to see and it was the readers who had their hands up quickly. The students who only read what they had to in order to get through their classes had to think about it. If it were possible I wish every senior in high school had to spend at least two weeks in a different country so they could see how everyone in the world does not live like we do.
People have asked me what I get out of spending money on travel when I could buy an object with it that I could have for years. I just blink because you can’t explain the awe of seeing things that were built hundreds or even thousands of years ago and learning how some of what you are seeing is reflected in what our country is today. For instance, when we were in Greece and learned about the dynamics of the first democracy and then read about how James Madison had studied this democracy in detail we are able to see the foundation of our Constitution. Or the emotions I felt when I stood on Utah Beach in Normandy, France and knew it was where my Father had landed during W.W.II. Trying to acknowledge the term “Man’s finest hour”, when discussing W.W.II, and then walking through Dachau, one of the Concentration Camps, I found myself wondering how such a dichotomy could exist. Walking the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem, which is the path that Jesus would have taken as he carried his cross, was a very emotional experience. So many moments that can’t be compared to any item that the same money might have bought.
1993 I was involved with a Sister City program. I lived in the Buffalo, New York area and the program was between Buffalo and Tver, Russia which is about 40 miles north of Moscow. My daughter, Sara, graduated that year so for her graduation gift she got a trip, one month long, to Russia. Surprise, surprise! She wanted a car. She mumbled and grumbled when we arrived but in days she was fine and seeing first hand the differences between young people in America and young people in Russia. She talked to people her age who were working jobs anywhere they could and giving the money to their parents to help guarantee there would be heat in their apartment in the winter. When she got home she told me it was hard to talk to some of her friends who now seemed a bit shallow in their thinking.
I love meeting new people. One of the things that jumps out at me when I talk about meeting people all over the world is that most people want the same things. They want a place to put their head at night, three meals a day and a better life for their children. I have found this to be universal among people, however, every place I have gone has had the roots of Christianity or Judaism. I have talked to people who spent time in Muslim countries and that isn’t always the case. I have no desire to go to a Muslim country. Those countries are not on my bucket list. There is a lot more I want to see and I am hoping in the next three or four years to be able to say that I have walked on all seven continents. I have walked on four so far.
I have been to countries where they use real gold to refurnish a palace and yet people are begging for food on the streets outside of the palace. To all you people who complain that the government here doesn’t give enough free stuff; trust me no other country in the world does what this one does for its citizens. Travel will open your eyes to what is really going on in the world.
A friend told me recently that she and her husband are thinking of taking a Mediterranean Cruise for their 40th wedding anniversary and did I have any tips for them. I sure did and if you are thinking of taking a trip out of the country I hope these tips help you too.
The most important tip – BUY Travel Insurance!!
For the most part it is not cheaper to travel to a country and then look for accommodations on your own. If you are 20 years old and want to back pack and sleep in rooms with ten other people then go for it; other wise it is better to be with a reliable travel group. They get the best prices and they will arrange the tickets for the main sites and usually that means you don’t have to wait in line. Plus, they have qualified and knowledgeable guides. If you are like me you will want to squeeze every bit you can out of the trip.
I always learn how to say please, thank you, good morning, good day, where is the bathroom, excuse me and a few other words for any country I am going to be visiting. Yes, a lot of people speak English but they appreciate the fact that you are trying to communicate in their language and are not one of the arrogant Americans who assume they should speak English.
You will not need as much clothes as you think. As a woman I bring two long skirts of basic colors and two or three dressy tops to go with them. A dressy pair of shoes completes it. Trust me you don’t need three pairs of shoes. You will need more tops than bottoms but make sure you have a couple that you can wash in the shower and hang up to dry. Save underwear that gets frayed and use it for your trip and then throw it out each day.
I never pack my suitcase more than 2/3 full so I have plenty of room for souvenirs.
I always keep any medicine that I need to take with me at all times. I consider my make up to be just as important so it stays with me at all times too.
Pack disposable wash cloths as a lot of bathrooms in Europe do not provide them.
Be prepared that hotel rooms in Europe, even in five star hotels, are not as big as they are in the states. I usually stay at three star and they are equivalent to a Quality Inn or similar room here but just smaller.
Always check what the tipping policy is in each country. For instance in Italy it is illegal to put a tip on a credit card so they have to be given separately. For most countries it is 10% but check. Again, you don’t want to be looked at as an arrogant American.
Always know the number of the American Embassy or Consulate just in case you have a problem.
Make sure someone at home has your itinerary as well a a copy of your passport. I always carry a copy of my passport. Today you can take a picture of it on your phone. I also have the person I am traveling with have a copy of mine and I have one of theirs. It never hurts to be prepared.
Pack a basic first aid kit. I always have a small tube of triple antibiotic cream, anti itch cream (you never know with different plants etc. what might give you a rash.), a few band aids, anti-diarrhea pills (again you never know with different foods) a bottle of Aleve or what ever you use for muscle aches or headaches and anything else you might think of that you use on a regular basis.
Do not bring expensive jewelry. I have several sets of earrings that are cheap but cute as well as any rings etc. Fight the urge to show off your diamonds.
I always wear a pair of jeans, a tee shirt and a jacket or sweat shirt on the plane as well as my comfortable pair of walking shoes. One, it can be cold on the plane and two you have those items with you and don’t need to take up space packing them.
Make sure your back pack is a secure one that can’t be cut or swiped easily. They cost a few bucks more but they are worth it. The same advice goes for a fanny pack too.
Keep your passport with you at all times!
Check and make sure your credit card does not charge you for using it out of the country.
Check your mobile provider regarding using your phone in other countries. I am with AT&T and they charge $10 a day for full usage and only charge up to $100 a month. So, if you use it for 15 days you are still only paying $100.
Take a ton of pictures!! You can always go through and ditch the ones that didn’t come out right but the more the better.
Always keep some change on you as many toilets in Europe and other continents charge to use a public rest room. It is usual equivalent of 50 cents in U.S. dollars. You won’t mind because for the most part they are spotlessly clean.
Trust me when I say that your outlook on life will change if you keep an open mind. You will see how people perceive things differently than we American’s do and if you keep an open mind you will see where they are coming from even if you don’t agree.
Bon Voyage!!