TravelinGirl

Lessons learned - Oh, and lessons learned from the trip - bring a digital camera and take insane amounts of photos. They're for you, so snap away to your heart's content. You'll be happy later that you did so that you can remember a nuance you may have otherwise forgotten.
-And if you think of it - keep up with photos on a theme. I wish I'd taken photos of all the stuff I ate, and labels of bottles of wine I drank. That'd be a cool addition to my collection, and I didn't think to do it.
-Take chances and get off the beaten track - you sometimes find the most interesting things that way, and if it goes awry for any reason, you learn a lot about yourself.
-Be flexible and open to enjoying even the trying things - things that appeared to be bad on first look often turn out to be great opportunities (i.e. finding the fabulous lunch place on Capri, and taking the chance on doing the taxi around the island).
-Challenge yourself - you find yourself capable of much more than you thought you'd be able to do.
-On the flip side - know your limits, and know when to ask for help (i.e. low blood sugar and asking for help getting food when you can't make a decision).
-Remember that sometimes you're the star of what's going on, and that sometimes you're a bit player in someone else's drama - learn which one is which and act accordingly.
-Talk to people - don't be in your own little bubble so much that you forget to interact with the real people around you. That's where some of the best stuff is, getting to know someone, even briefly.
-Learn the history of the places you're visiting - it'll make things come alive more to know the context in which a piece of art or architecture was created.
-Ladies - learn how to pee standing up. It will not always be necessary, but it's a useful skill to have. While I did not encounter any specifically stand-up toilets this time, I have seen them in the past. Also, many of the places either had seats that you wouldn't want to sit on anyway (although most were much better than in American rest stops), but some of them had no seats at all. Carrying extra tissues with you is always a good idea as well - sometimes the stall you're in is out...
-When in doubt about what to bring to wear - bring stuff that is you. You'll be tired of the clothes by the end of the trip if you're gone for more than 1 week, so you might as well at least like the stuff BEFORE the trip. In general I wished I'd brought some things that were a bit dressier. Casual is nice, but it would also have been nice to have a dress or something for some of the happy hours and such. Bring stuff that works with other stuff (all of my tops went with any of the bottoms) so that you have more flexibility than not. Travel clothes are great if you have to do laundry while on the road - they dry faster (and trust me on this one, you want things to dry in the one or two days you're staying in any particular place).
-Carve out time to slow down and relax a little. You tend to want to be on the go all the time because otherwise you feel like you're missing out on something. You might be missing something, but you'll never know what it was. But you'll feel like you missed out when you get home if you feel like you were so busy SEEING that you didn't EXPERIENCE. So slow down, take some time to sip the capuccino, have a gelato, watch the tourists, feel the sunshine or otherwise just enjoy what's around you.
-Learn what kind of traveler you are - preferably before you go on your trip - and try to travel that way. There are some people who are perfectly happy carrying everything they need, sleeping outdoors, showering where they can, etc. I am not one of those people. I am also not one of those people who won't leave the hotel without full hair and makeup being done, wearing high heels and thinking that there will be cabs everywhere I go and people at my beck and call. If you know that you want to be a pampered traveler, travel that way. If you want to be the adventurous traveler who's not on anyone's schedule or agenda, travel that way. If you're someone in the middle, who's happier with SOME agenda (even just the bare bones), who likes to learn new things and who likes to be helped and help other people, then take a Rick Steves tour.

posted by Unknown @ 11:02 PM 0 comments