ravel is hard, uncomfortable, inconvenient. In a world where we’re increasingly used to the instant gratification of watching youtube, browsing through Netflix, or texting our friends – and receiving instant entertainment. Having to physically plan trips, buy tickets, pack and MOVE your body to the airport can see old-school.
It’s not fun to stand in an airport for two hours, not fun to spend money on taxis to get you to that line, not fun to pay exit taxes, deal with security that treat you like a criminal, not fun to sit in airport waiting halls only to line up like school children and get funneled into a cramped plane and even more cramped seats. Often for long flights, 4hr, 14, 18hr.
Wifi on flights helps, but very few offer it in Asia still, and even fewer offer it as a free service. So, you’re just stuck there – 35,000 feet in the air in an aluminum can, flying on a slow-motion roller coaster at 350mph – someone a primate was NEVER intended to.
When you get to a new place, it’s a new place – that’s exciting but also stressful, sometimes having to deal with rip-off artists posing as taxi drivers, trying to get to your hotel to unload your baggage and just decompress.
Then come non-stop days packed with seeing as much as you can, you feel guilty if you just lay in bed all day while in Venice, you’re in Venice, go stare at the canals, eat some gelato! You have to go out and check it out, after all – you paid a lot for the experience, maybe you walk 10k or 20k steps each day. Day after day, week after week, even months on longer trips. It wears you down.
When you’re home you often dream non-stop of your next trip. However, once deep into the trip you might find yourself dreaming of home, your bed, your comfortable life. Normality. Being in a crowd of strange faces, speaking strange languages can make you feel isolated after awhile. Like a ghost roaming through some strange city.
Travel Is hard!
My List
1. A few favorite films
Bring my favorite movies on my tablet. I have a few fave old-school movies (typically: comedies) that I like to watch again and again when I’m feeling down. Watching one of these on my tablet while flying always seems to help and ground me mentally.
2. Audiobooks
I always leave on long trips with 10+ audio-books lined up to listen to. This can distract your mind as you’re waiting in long airport lines, sitting in the taxi for hours, or other times your mind is under stimulated
3. My pillow!
For shorter trips, I bring my pillow! If it’s just a week or less, or I’m just going to a few destinations I bring my fave bed pillow… It feels (and smells) like home – and is ultra-comfortable when sitting waiting for a flight, or in a long bus, train, car ride.
4. A project
Work on a project – Working on a blog like this one also helps. If you’re on a 5hr train ride in Europe, being able to have a project to work on both feel like you’re accomplishing something and keeps you busy. I also like to write in my journal.
5. Photos
Taking photos. If you like to take photos there’s almost no place you can’t do it – that 40 min boring ride to the airport can be a great opportunity to catch life on the street as it rolls by (if you can capture it without the blur, but sometimes blur is good too!)
6. Bathtub required
I try to only book hotels with bathtubs – for me, there’s nothing like sinking into a steaming hot bath when I get to a destination to unwind all my stress. A shower just doesn’t do it. I don’t always get lucky with a bathtub, and sometimes they’re incredibly small – but when I get a good one -it’s magic.
7. Knowing your limits
Knowing when to go back to the hotel. (and when to go home). Even If you have a full day of sightseeing – you have to listen to your body. If you start feeling tired or irritated it’s probably time to go back to the hotel and just decompress. Sometimes isolating yourself in a comfortable room for the afternoon will help reset your brain and by night you’ll be ready to hit the town again. Pushing yourself too hard, for too long will ruin the trip and potentially end it early.
8. Get lost
Wander. If a destination is overwhelming or getting stale, sometimes I just get on a tram, train or whatever is available and ride it to the end of the line. Get off and walk around the neighboorhood for a few hours. You’ve just ended up someplace you NEVER expected to be and there’s always something to see, photograph or reinvigorate your mind. I’ve often found the most common and peaceful parks or just a bench in the middle island of a street. Being someone completely new is a good thing.
9. Graveyards
Yes, this sounds creepy – but a walk through a graveyard (especially in Europe) is a peaceful place to relax if you bring some finger food from a deli and some drinks you can sit in the grass and just watch the day pass. It also lets you reflect on how short life is, lets you wonder about all the people that are buried around you, and lends some perspective to your trip. Not to mention that the gravestones and statues, trees and geography often make for great photos.
10. A picture of home
I always bring a big photo of my room at home and use it on my laptop or tablet wallpaper. This makes me feel connected to home and not so far away. It’s a little thing – but just seeing my room waiting and knowing I can get on a flight and return home at any time is reassuring. I also have several Wyze cams in the house – so I can see live what’s going on.
