“Now and then it’s good to pause in our pursuit of happiness and just be happy.”
~ Guillaume Apollinaire
If you follow this blog, I hope you have seen a theme emerge: Life is an adventure, live it.
I have seen my share of friends and loved ones suffer health issues, personal demons, and even death at an early age. Many never make or made the time to have an adventure. Some even hung badges of honor on themselves for never using their vacation days. It saddens me how prevalent this theme is, especially with my U.S. friends. I want to share with you some insights I have learned in my 55+ years on this planet.
Insight One – Travel changes you.
I will never forget the a little old woman in Italy told me about enjoying sweet wine with bread. We spoke different languages and the only way she could tell me was with her hands and a wink and her smile. It was one of the best conversations I have ever had. It had a profound effect on educating me that communication is a full body process, not just words. That would have never happened if I had not been in a small town in Italy with a language barrier. Mark Twain said it best: “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.”
Insight Two – Travel can (and should) be inexpensive.
Maggie and I are laser focused on low cost travel. People may think we have a huge travel budget – We don’t. We likely paid far less for our two-week trip to Europe than you did for one week at an in-state resort. (Yes, even with airfare) Our strategy is very straight-forward.
- We have bucket list of destinations but not a “time requirement” of when we need to see them.
- We set a budget, then watch for deals, use credit card points, etc. to get us to where we want to go.
- We prefer to travel pre-season and off season. The weather is often better (for our preference anyway), there are almost no tourists and, prices are often much lower.
- The locals are usually more helpful because they don’t have to deal with tourists!
- We pre-travel via blogs and reading so we know what we don’t want to miss once we have booked our trip.
- We pay attention to the free options: We picnic, find the free hot springs, listen to the music in the park. If you have pre-planned every day to the minute detail at the local tourist traps, you’ll likely miss the real adventure hotspot. We still talk about the free “hippy dip” on the Colorado river where the hot spring is free for everyone. Recently, a Paris highlight was eating a picnic under a bridge during a rainstorm as teenagers around us played drums and flutes.
- Fun is where you make it and it doesn’t have to cost much or anything.
Insight Three – SLOW DOWN.
We took a very inexpensive trip to Ireland a few years ago that was very comprehensive – but it required us to see too many things in a short period. Our itinerary placed us in many different towns all across the country which meant we spent a lot of time driving, squeezing in “Must visit” areas quickly. On paper the trip looked awesome, but it was far too hectic. It was enjoyable but nowhere near as fun as spending a week in one place and taking day trips at our leisure. Vacations are meant to relax and re-energize. Hurry – is the same as work.
Insight Four – Adapt to your surroundings.
Why go to Paris and eat a Hamburger and Fries? Try the Fois Gris, (Goose liver) the steak Tartar (raw steak) the Escargot (snails). If you can’t adjust your thinking and adapt to your surroundings, you won’t be a good traveler. Here is an example: Finding a public bathroom in Europe can be like finding a needle in a haystack. Be prepared to dig into your pocket for some money to use one once you find one. Expect there to be a long line and go with the flow
One time we were in a tourist information center in Pisa and a young American woman traveling with her parents asked for a bathroom. She was told a public restroom was a few blocks away. Her face went to anger as she huffed to everyone loudly “This country is awful!” I was embarrassed to be in the same country with her. She would have been much happier staying at home, and so would have Italy.
Insight five – Go to the local pub.
Pubs are the great equalizer, where the town dog catcher and the doctor share time together.
I always order the local drink just to get a true flavor of the area. I was shocked the bitterness of the preferred cocktails in Rome. They weren’t for me, but conversely, if I had never tried Guinness in Ireland, I would have never known that it was a totally different product (and MUCH better) than what we drink in the US.
Pubs are the common denominator in any society. You don’t have to drink alcohol to experience the comradery of a pub, and the locals are just as curious about you as you are them. You might be surprised to learn there is a good chance most know more about American History and politics than you. Certainly, more than you know about theirs. Become one of them while you visit and make new friends and be educated.
Insight six – You have to overcome Television as American culture perception.
My son was asked once in Europe: “What kind of gun do you bring to school?”. They were serious! Their perception of us is based on TV news and shows like Married with Children, Cops and the Kardashians. Yes, they get these shows and many honestly believe this accurately portrays our lives in America. See the problem? As travelers, we need to explain our reality and what they see on TV is not our culture but “entertainment”.
Insight Seven – Try to learn at least a few words of their language.
I hate it when someone say’s “why can’t they just speak our language?” I will tell you why – It’s not that easy. Languages are hard to learn. I am terrible at French, I understand some Italian and am slightly better at German. When I say “better” it means I can say hello, Thank you, order a beer, ask for the bathroom and nod agreeably. When someone tries to speak to you in even broken English in the U.S, I hope you give the courtesy of respect for trying to converse with you and smile while working hard to help them with what they seek. It will come back in spades when you go to their country and need help.
Insight Eight – Leave your American ego at the door.
The trains in many countries in Europe run better than ours. The worst bakeries in Paris still make our best breads look pathetic. Their people live longer, score higher on happiness scales, and have less people confined to prison.
Travel has a way of opening your eyes that other countries have some things figured out much better than we do. I live in a great country, but it’s not the only great country. There are a lot of them, each with strengths and weaknesses, just like ours. Leave your bias at the door when you travel and be objective. Sure, you will immediately see things we do better, but with an open mind, you may come home and say to yourself, “boy, it would be nice if….”
Insight Nine – Real things are better than fake things.
New York, New York in Las Vegas is nothing like New York, New York. It is not a substitute to enjoying the real thing. I like adventure wherever it takes me, but I would never expect a “fake destination” that tried to recreate a real place to be as good. If done properly, it should inspire you to want to dream to see the real thing, but don’t assume you have experienced the same thing, you haven’t.
Insight Ten – Traveling requires some moxie.
Travel may require some bravery and a bit of moxie and always some calendar flexibility. Flights get cancelled, city workers go on strike, taxi drivers rip you off. It’s not always easy to travel across town, let alone across the globe. You will be forced at times to explore and initiate a plan “B”.
Travel requires the ability to adapt and learn skills you didn’t know you had. Reading a train schedule in Italy requires knowing they call Florence = Firenze. It means knowing 14:30 is 2:30 in the afternoon. It means knowing that the final destination of the train is what you need to know so you catch the train going the direction you want to travel. Along the way, you will need to ask someone’s help to understand the ticket dispensing machine and you may need to ask several people before you get the one who can help you. That’s the fun of travel, it can be a puzzle at times that you have to solve.
Final Thoughts
Travel requires life skills that are essential- Adaptability, problem solving, communication, awareness, listening and basic math. It requires compromise, asking for help and most of all, laughter. In the end, you will grow because of it, and if you took what this blog said to heart, once you return from your trip, you will start almost immediately dreaming of the next one.
Life is a roller coaster, not a merry-go-round! Live the adventure.
The Mirror has two faces 
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