The life-changing magic of never having sweaty armpits again.
Eleven random travel tips:
Drugs! Do you get pain from walking long distances? Do your pits generate sweatstains the size of pie plates? Let your doctor help you. I have really crummy ankles and get serious pain from too much walking, but I won’t let this keep me from traveling. My doctor prescribes pain meds for me to use regularly and she gives me more when I have a major walking trip planned. My doctor also gives me prescription deodorant called Drysol which I use all year round. It absolutely murders your sweat glads. This is cheap and easy to get, so if you just don’t want to pit out on a trip, make a dr appt before you go and talk about any kind of physical problem you think a doctor can help you mitigate. Better living through pharmacology, baby!
Think regions, not countries: Don’t make the mistake of declaring that you’re going to Italy and then try to see it top to bottom. This is impossible and exhausting during a normal two-week vacation. Instead, plan any multi-city destination by thinking about regions & easy points of connection. For example, if you will be in the French Riviera, it’s easy enough to take the train all the way to northeastern Italy. Plan with the region in mind. If you will be visiting Amsterdam, it’s nothing to add on cities in Belgium. Trains are easy. Break Italy up into 2 or 3 zones and tackle them one trip at a time. If you’re in Helsinki, know that you can take a ferry to Tallin Estonia and can combine those areas. Or know that Helsinki and Stockholm are like an hour away by plane. Plan with zones, not countries, in mind.
Put the bandaid on before you get a blister. Simples as that. If you get blisters when you travel, don’t think this time is any different. Even in my most forgiving shoes, this much walking will usually give me a minor blister in a typical spot on each show. Put the bandaid on before you start walking.
Split your cash and cards. Don’t put a full wallet in your purse or day bag. It adds weight you don’t need. Just put in a secure pocket the most cash you will need for *that* day. Take one debit and one credit card. Leave all other cards, cash, and your passport in your hotel room. If your purse or day bag is lost or stolen, you minimize the loss and the hassle.
Hold your packed suitcase above your head. Can you lift it? Can you put it in the luggage rack above your train seat? If not, pack less. You will be happier hauling less stuff around.
If you’re flying to only one city, pack as much as you want in a checked bag. One week in Paris, with no overnight excursions and no hotel changes? Pack whatever you want.
Plan time apart with your travel mate. Everyone is annoying at some point. You and them. Anticipate this by planning a day or two where you spend most of the day on your own then meet up for drinks and dinner to talk about your adventures. Distance makes the heart grow fonder.
Travel to “second cities.” Sure, go to Paris and Rome and Amsterdam. But if you really want to enjoy yourself and get away from loud Americans, visit less-visited cities. Arles, Avignon, Ghent, Palermo, Ortigia, Matera, Lecce, Mantova. They all take a little more effort, but you feel like you really got away from your everyday life.
Travel alone. Traveling with other people essentially keeps you in a constant feedback loop between the two of you, negotiating where you are going, which street to turn down, what you want to eat. It’s truly exhausting. I think it’s impossible to have a really amazing existential moment on a trip if you or they are in one another’s ear all the time yammering about something. Quiet your mind, and do whatever you damn please on a solo trip.
Do your travel chores once a day. All trips, even the best-planned trips have some amount of administration. Pick one time each day to spend 15 mins getting yourself sorted. Don’t delay decisions or ticket-buying or laundry or hand-washing clothes or buying the small bottle of wine or beer you will want to enjoy in your hotel room at the end of the day. Be business-like and swift about these things so you can set them aside and enjoy yourself.
My poor mother-in-law at 9am in Paris, staying warm by the heat of her cigarette while we begin a long day waiting to get into our hotel room. Don’t do this to your elders. Or yourself.
If you have a very early arrival in a distant country, book your room for the night you are flying. For example, I live in Seattle. Most direct flights arrive in Paris around 8:30am. Some hotels won’t let you check in until 3pm. I am getting to old for this. Treat yourself to an extra night so you can drop bags, shower, and take a disco nap as soon as you arrive. Be honest with how much time you can handle roaming around when you are jet-lagged and need to freshen up.
I’ll be doing more of these. Feel free to comment with your top tips.
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