A Girls Guide To :: Navigating The Low Points of Travel (Pt I)
From airport queues and delayed flights to getting caught up by a scam, travel isn’t always picture perfect memories and good times. As with any other time in your life, travel […]
Sharing my love for travel, photography and food
From airport queues and delayed flights to getting caught up by a scam, travel isn’t always picture perfect memories and good times. As with any other time in your life, travel […]
From airport queues and delayed flights to getting caught up by a scam, travel isn’t always picture perfect memories and good times. As with any other time in your life, travel has it’s low points, and these can hit a little harder when you’re far away from home. From the small and petty to the more problematic issues, here’s Part I of my quick guide on how to navigate the lower points in your travels.
Flying isn’t the most comfortable travelling experience, and it’s even less so when it’s a full house. Lack of personal space, climbing over your neighbour to use the loo, slower service, food options running out and long waits at either end are all part of it. Sometimes you might even be asked to change flights or have your luggage sent separately due to weight restrictions being pushed over.
If you can’t afford the premium/business/first class ticket (lets be honest…that’s most of us!) then the best you can do is:
Despite the allowance of one piece per person, a lot of the time there still never seems to be enough room for everyone’s bags! A result of the above or simply due to people not packing smartly, sometimes you get to your designated seat to find that there’s no room in the overhead locker.
Best way to make sure you have space for yours:
Landing at your destination you’ll usually feel one of two things – ecstatic that you are finally there and itching to go explore or dreadfully tired and aching to climb into bed. No matter the feeling, disembarking the aircraft can be a slow and sometimes arduous exercise. Impatient people pushing past the rows in front of them, people forgetting the tight space and knocking your noggin when getting their luggage down or screaming/squealing children acting out after being cramped in a small space for hours on end (who can blame ’em!).
If you’re like me, and you like to get on and get off as quick as possible, try the following:
This one especially applies to the solo travellers out there – whether you’re travelling about to your own itinerary or are part of a travel tour group, the loneliness that strikes us abroad can sting a little hard. When you find yourself in a foreign country you can be faced with culture shock, language barriers, petty theft, new customs and no familiar faces to turn to when it all gets too much. Even amidst the greatest of experiences, that sting of homesickness can strike and when you’re in a place far away and unfamiliar it can hit a little harder than usual.
During my solo trip around Europe, this first hit me in Cinque Terre. I was a few weeks into my trip and had seen London, made my way through Venice and then Pisa. Arriving at my destination, I found I was surrounded by loved up couples and families playing on the beach. I didn’t once see somebody wandering about on their own, and in a small town my loneliness felt even more apparent. It was only then that not being able to really communicate with anyone else (my Italian wasn’t anywhere up to the standard it had to be and few people spoke fluent English) that I felt incredibly alone. Needless to say, in between enjoying the delicious food, gorgeous beaches, hiking and stunning scenery, I found myself curled up on my bed, crying my eyes out. Emotions…right!??
I’m sorry to say, but I don’t think anything can totally cure loneliness/homesickness like this except for time, distraction and letting out a little cry now and then. Some things I would recommend however:
Technology means we not only avoid looking like an easy to target tourist with a large paper map, but that we can get around in new places far more efficiently with distances, different routes, nearby points of interest and more. However, if you find yourself out of wifi or out of a phone you can find yourselves out of sorts and out of place!
These days many of us have easy access to smart phones and tablets, putting pretty powerful technology right in the palm of our hands! Google Maps is a go-to when it comes to navigating new places, whether it’s by car, on foot or public transport. But there are also other great apps out there, such as MAPS.ME, that provide detailed offline maps of countries all over the world helping you explore new cities with ease.
A tip from one traveller to another – grab that folded tourist map from the hotel counter or backpackers lounge and keep it on you for those ‘just in case’ moments.
Whether it’s expecting the worst or the very, very best, expectations set us up with a particular point of view or feeling about a person or place. It’s difficult to go into situations with no expectations at all – it’s only natural that our minds will wander and begin to play out scenarios or form a view before we’ve managed to experience it for ourselves. Sometimes, we can be pleasantly surprised, with something going beyond what we expected or breaking our expectations altogether! Other times, reality can bite. We can set ourselves up for a very particular experience and when that doesn’t happen, or plans go awry it’s easy to get a little down about it (picture me, visiting the Eiffel Tower for the first time having had a fight with my partner on the way there, watching it light up as tears ran down my face while we stood apart not talking – not the worst of experiences but definitely not like I had imagined! We made up before we left that night so it ended on a much happier note!).
The best thing to do is to take a moment and remind yourself how wonderful it is that you’re able to be there experiencing that place/person/feeling in the first place, then weigh up just how much it really matters that it played out differently to how you thought it would.
You’re such a delight Brooke. ❤ X
And you are such a sweet ❤ X