In preparing to not only travel, but live in Europe this summer I keep hearing warnings like, "Keep a close eye on your personal belongings" and "Oh, I'm not so sure it's a good idea to bring that with if you want to come home with it." Everyone I talk to seems have some story or another about having their wallet, passport, or personal belongings stolen while overseas.
Safety and security are obviously concerns of mine, but I'm a firm believer that a little commonsense goes a long way. With the help of articles like
5 Simple Ways To Protect Your Essential Travel Documents by Christopher Cross, I'm certain I'll be fine. If not, hopefully I'll have taken the necessary precautions to handle the situation and make it alright.
What have you found works in ensuring your safety and security?
(Photo via Flickr)
I'm a horrible packer, there I said it. As much as I want to believe otherwise, packing well and packing light are not my strong suits when it comes to traveling. After 4 years of college and equally as many years of traveling back home to visit my family, it still amazes my Mom just how much I can pack for a few-days trip. There are an abundance of packing how-to websites out there that can help even the worst packers find a little success in slimming down their luggage load. Here are just a few of the packing lists I've seen and referred to:
Packing light and efficiently is a great way to ensure a more successful and pleasant trip. I plan on studying and re-studying these lists in the next few weeks before heading to Europe.
(Photo by Özgür Donmaz via NPR)
My freshman year of college, bright-eyed and feeling invincible, my roommate and I decided to take a spontaneous end of summer road trip to Colorado. Only about 10 hours away and with several semi-connections it made the perfect destination. Early the next morning we loaded the car and hit the road. By the time the sun had set and we had arrived in Denver, one of was in tears.
Moral of the story, it's hard to travel with friends. Whether new or old, it's a trying experience. In
How To Find and Keep Your Perfect Travel Companion, Andy Schell provides some great advice to overcoming some of the difficulties of traveling with others. Luckily, my roommate and I quickly figured out that patience and clear communication go a long way when traveling. In the end we had a great trip, met a lot of wonderful people, and climbed out first mountain (pictured above). We've continued to travel (successfully) since that first trip and I personally look forward to many more in the future.
With a Ticket to Anywhere is a new segment here on Wander Lust, in which a random travel location or opportunity is highlighted in our own take on the dream destination list. Without further ado:
With a ticket to anywhere,
I'd take a swim on the edge of Victoria Falls in South Africa. During the months of September and December, Devil's Pool has a water flow level safe enough for swimming. A natural rock wall just at the edge of the falls provides swimmers with a unique, albeit frightening opportunity to lean out over the edge.
Victoria falls straddles the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe and earns the title of world's largest sheet of falling water. It also ranks as one the world's largest waterfalls.
I first heard about
World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms or WWOOF a few years back from a college roommate who was considering the program. I was immediately impressed with their mission.
WWOOF is a world wide network turned international movement that encourages sustainable living. It began in the United Kingdom in 1971 and was originally called Working Weekends on Organic Farms. It's an exchange program the places volunteers with host organic farms. As a volunteer, you work on the farms and learn about organic lifestyles in return for housing and food. The program offers host farms in an impressive number of countries world-wide. Volunteers choose where they want to work and the extent of their stay. Participants are asked to pay a small membership fee and provide 4-6 hours of work a day. Otherwise their room, board, and the amazing travel opportunity are free Whether searching for a longer opportunity to live/work abroad or just looking for something to do while on an overseas trip, WWOOF is worthy consideration.
Getting the local perspective is something I learned the value of early on in my traveling. On my first college road trip, my roommate and I ventured to Colorado with no itinerary and little clue what we were doing. Through meeting and talking with locals, we ended up eating at some amazing resturants and participating in what we learned was called a Sunrike (or climbing one of Colorado's 14ers before dusk and watching sunrise from summit). Ever since, getting the local perspective is something I've considered pertinent to a successful trip.
Like-A-Local is an online network rooted in that very concept. It provides travelers "with an opportunity to connect with the local life in major cities." You can use the network to live like a local, go like a local, and eat like a local. The local perspective is currently available in various countries throughout Europe.
A great fusion of travel and Web 2.0 technology,
SimpatiGO creates personalized tours with points of attraction for suggested visiting.
“Simpatigo is a map-based travel guide with points of interest added by users like you. Click on a marker and you can read about that particular location. You can also input a starting and ending destination. Simpatigo will give you directions along with a description of all the points of interest you'll pass along your way. Please add your own points of interest (with or without a photo) so future visitors to Simpatigo can benefit.”
The service is currently free and allows you to customize a tour based on your interests and various criteria like historical, budget, and nightlife. Currently, tours are only provided for various cities within the United States. Like any Web 2.0 project, it will get better with user input and time. I love the concept of this service; where ever I travel I’m always interest in getting the local perspective on places to visit. SampatiGo now makes that a little easier.
I’m scared to death of flying. I’m just going to put that out there. Oh the irony, right? An aspiring travel journalist scared to death of flying! My fear has yet to debilitate my urge to travel, it just makes the week prior to departure a little less enjoyable. A time that should be consumed with excitement and daily countdowns, the week before I leave is filled with anxiety, insomnia, and a pretty unrealistic sense of doom.
If fear of flying has kept your feet firmly on the ground or if you’re like me and it’s just tainted your much deserved pre-trip excitement, you might find Christopher Cook’s
5 Simple Ways To Conquer Your Fear Of Flying useful.
Conquering a fear is an empowering experience, that’s probably not news to anyone. However, it’s something far easier said that done. If flying has been your fear, getting past it will make your traveling all the more rewarding of an experience.
(Photo and article found via Brave New Traveler)
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