Five Lessons Learned

I’ve been fortunate to travel domestically and internationally. During each trip, I have learned a lesson that I like to keep in my toolbox for the next opportunity or share with someone else.

I’ve decided to write about five lessons I’ve learned on a couple of my trips. Hopefully, it’s helpful to you on your next adventure. Share with me if you’ve found any of these useful and which do you plan to utilize on your experience.

Second Times The Charm

A guided tour is an awesome way to visit a new country. The schedule is already made and you have a trusted and knowledgeable guide to help with the inevitable translations and navigation. However, some tour days can be jam-packed with visiting all of the main attractions within one day. This also means there are built-in leisure days. Oftentimes travelers use this free time to lay around the hotel, relax, or go souvenir shopping. I’ve learned to take advantage of this time to revisit attractions. When I visited Dubai the guided tour days had a strict schedule and didn’t allow for as much time as I’d like at each location. If you’ve never been to Dubai, there are many attractions that bring people far and wide, and two such attractions are the Dubai Mall and the Gold Souks. I was determined to see all that I could and soak up the Emirate culture, so I was thankful for the leisure days and determined to use them wisely. On one of the leisure days, I revisited the Dubai Mall so I could tour the indoor aquarium and returned to the gold souk to shop for souvenirs.

When In Rome

At some point, while touring you will definitely need to get from point A to point B and you’ll have to make the big decision of just how this will happen. Well, I say, “When in Rome, or wherever you happen to be, do as the locals do.” Although it can take you longer than a taxi, local transportation is the way to go. Being an Engineer who works in the transportation field, I like to feel as if I’m a local at different points of my travel, and using local transportation does just that. From city buses, subways, metro, or railcar, I’ve tried them. They are cheaper than a taxi, and you don’t have to worry about the price varying on your return trip. The only thing you need to worry about is making sure you are going in the right direction, which leads me to #3.

Get Lost! Or Not

If you’re the type of person who doesn’t mind taking a wrong turn and perhaps ending up miles or hours away from your intended destination in a foreign city with a different language and you know no one, well this lesson isn’t for you, LOL! But if you prefer to actually make it to your intended attraction without anxiety or worry, then GET A MAP!!!! Google maps are fine but what if you can’t connect to wifi or your data isn’t working? A good old fashioned paper map stays in my bag. Again going back to my engineering life, reading a map and directions are second nature. The concierge or front desk will usually have a city map, transit map, or local hot spot map for guests; get one and keep it on hand, especially if you like to venture out on your own.

Befriend a Local

Another great reason to use local transportation is that it gives you the perfect opportunity to befriend a local. They will tell you all the hot spots for eating, dancing, and more. That one encounter could lead to a lasting friendship for the next time you are in the city. You’ll also have someone who will be hospitable and show you around. On my trip to Haiti, we met a great group of gentlemen that I still keep in contact with to this day. Though there is a language barrier we are both able to practice each other’s language for the next time we meet. So the next time you’re sitting on the train don’t be afraid to say, ‘Hey girl, Hey!’ It just might turn into a lasting friendship and lifelong memories.

Do You Understand the Words Coming Out of My Mouth

We are fortunate to live in a time when technology is becoming the standard and is generally readily available. The process of thumbing through a paperback book to learn how to ask, ‘where is the bathroom’ is long gone. You may not be a tech-savvy person but downloading Google Translate is painless and necessary. Having this app or variation helps on so many levels; from communicating with local friends, translating signs, or asking where something is. On that same trip to Dubai, visiting the mall became STRESSFUL!!! Knowing English and understanding English are two different things that we learned the hard way. But with the use of the app, we were able to communicate what we were looking to purchase. You don’t need to be fluent, especially since using Google Translate, but learning some basic phrases such as greetings, thank you, where is…, or I would like… also help alleviate stress, save time, and the locals appreciate your effort.

They say if you really want to know someone, travel with them. Traveling undoubtedly becomes hectic, stressful, or even exasperating at times, how else do you think I learned these lessons! But, don’t let that stop you from turning your travel dreams into experiences. I learned these lessons on my domestic and international travels and have been implementing them ever since. The next time you’re touring try them out, and see how much easier and enjoyable your vacation becomes.