Golden Rules of Leisure Travel
Take half the clothes, twice the cash
Leisure travelers, even those who spend most of their lives as savvy
business travelers, seem to forget there are dry cleaners, washing machines and
clothing shops everywhere in the world. You can always launder your clothes – or
buy some new togs – almost anywhere you travel. But acquiring cash on the road,
even in these days of credit cards, bank cards and ATMs, isn't nearly as easy.
So ditch the extra sports jackets and just-in-case blouse, and bring a couple of
extra $20 bills instead.
Pay now
Quick action is the key to getting the airline seat, cruise-ship cabin,
rental car or hotel room you want and expect. He who hesitates is not only lost,
but uncomfortable and unhappy, too. Pay for the privilege of getting what will
make you happy, and get it on the spot. Rates and availability can change on a
moment's notice, and you will get shut out if you don't act when a good value is
there.
Get lost...within reason
Everyone who travels extensively will eventually see the Eiffel Tower,
or take tea in London. But don't be a prisoner of the guidebooks: Explore a
twisty side street. Poke your head into a little shop. Drive down a road that's
not on the map. Business travel is about getting the most work done in the most
efficient manner. Leisure travel is not; so explore, discover and most
importantly, start relaxing.
Forget the sightseeing checklist
Travelers attack popular tourist destinations as if they will never
return. They have a checklist of must see sights and obsessively try to see and
do everything. They march from place to place as if there's a prize for visiting
the most attractions. But when they get home, they remember nothing because all
the sights have run together in their minds. Do it the other way: Assume you'll
be back and have time to burn. Want to linger at a café in Pienza rather than
drive to Pisa to see the Leaning Tower? Do it. Want to sun yourself on the beach
in Maui one more day, rather than fly to another island and spend a hectic day
sightseeing? Go ahead. Leisure travel is supposed to be fun, not a marathon.
The mundane is magnificent
Any decent guidebook will direct you to a society's natural and
man-made attractions. But if you want to learn about the people of a region,
focus on the everyday routines of their lives. Visit their supermarkets, their
clothing stores and their music shops. All these mundane places house a treasure
trove of social and psychological insight.
Tour globally, eat locally
Even if you're not a daring person by nature, you need to make a
concerted effort to sample the local cuisine when you travel. You can't fully
understand the rhythms of Rome if you don't have a breakfast of cappuccino and
cornetto standing up at a coffee bar. You won't fully grasp the changing ethnic
pastiche of London if you don't wander into an Indian restaurant and order a
local favorite. Visit Jamaica without trying a meat pattie, jerk chicken, or red
beans and rice for lunch and you've missed the point of the place. Eating what
the locals eat – and eating how they eat it – is as important as visiting a
destination's most revered tourist attractions.
Speak in tongues
For better and for worse, English is quickly becoming the world's
universal language. That does not give you linguistic license to be an Ugly
American. Make a serious effort to speak and understand at least a few phrases
of the local tongue. Wonderful cheat sheets and pocket-sized phrase books are
available for every language. You'll be surprised how quickly you can absorb the
conversational basics of a language when you're not being graded. And it's
amazing how well the locals will take to you if you try to meet them halfway in
their native tongue.
It's all good
Just about everywhere in the world is worth visiting at least once. You
might prefer to see Paris before you visit Paraguay or you may desire a holiday
in Tahiti over a vacation in Tennessee, but any place where people live has
something worth investigating. Years ago, when a budget airline launched $29
flights to Omaha from New York, long lines of travelers immediately began
forming. A dumbfounded New York Times reporter asked one of the passengers why
he was going to Omaha. "Because I have $29 and I've never been to Omaha," was
his profound response. That may not be as poetic as Mallory attempting to
conquer Everest "because it is there," but you get the point.
Culture is what you want it to be
Don't be shamed into going to a Wagnerian opera in Germany or the
Kabuki in Japan if that's not your style. But don't deny yourself a look at
local culture, either. Just take it in whatever cultural bites you can stomach.
There's a pasta museum in Rome that's at least as enlightening as The Sistine
Chapel. If it's beyond your cultural norm to visit the Getty Museum in Los
Angeles, try Petersen's Car Museum instead. Stay within your personality, but a
little experimentation can be fun, exciting and educational!
Use common sense
With the world situation being what it is today, travelers should
remain alert and aware of their surroundings, just as they do at home. But don't
be a prisoner of your surroundings out of fear. Remember the adage: The world is
a huge book, and those who don't travel see only one page.