seth from somewhere

1.  when in rome . . .

the famous saying might be the oldest travel rule and well worth following – most of the time.  if the locals are doing it there is a good chance you should too.  however, this rule can and should be broken in the right circumstance.  porteños (residents of buenos aires) typically do not tip well or at all.  consider a waiter´s wage is probably low and break the rule.

2.  learn

knowledge about the places you go adds depth of pleasure to your trip.  it builds excitement before and pays dividends during and after.  the pockmarks from artillery shells on sarajaven streets were more tragic because of reading sarajevo: a war journal.  i explored the peruvian andes mountains and incan history while reading hugh thomson´s the white rock: an exploration of the incan heartland.  the passion of a boca juniors match would not have meant as much if I hadn´t read eduardo galeano´s soccer in sun and shadow.

3.  plans

you don´t need plans before you go but once you arrive they are necessary.  i didn´t have much of a plan coming to south america.  i knew i was flying into buenos aires, returning from ecuador, and only had a few must-dos in between – the rest was connecting the dots and making it up as i go.  however, once i arrived i learned that a small plan (2-5 days in advance) is a must.  the lack of such planning almost cost me the opportunity to cross one of my must-dos off my list.

4.  think of others

not many people have the fortune to get up and travel for months, let alone shorter periods.  keep in mind that traveling is a privelege that some cannot afford.  that extra dollar your bargain for might be valued more by someone else.  don´t gloat about how cheap something was – it usually means someone isn´t getting paid much.

5.  never say yes if you don´t mean it

if someone asks you something in a language you don´t understand, simply smile and say you don´t understand in their language.  if all else fails, just say no.

6.  smile

if someone hands you an advertisement (typical in large cities), smile and say ¨no thank you¨ if you don´t want one rather than ignoring them.  the person usually will be happy that you were polite when some simply walk by rudely.  when you have a misunderstanding as a result of communication problems, smile through the problem.

7.  put the camera down

you don´t want your mental image of machu picchu to be through a tiny viewfinder or lcd screen, do you?  put your camera down and take in your surroundings so when you are dreaming of the scene in the future you get the full picture.

8.  make a friend or two

you can save money on accomadation, food, transportation, and anything else you can think of if you make friends with fellow travelers and team up for a few days, weeks, or even months.  your safety also increases and you get to share the best travel moments with others.  whether they are macedonian architecture students you met in sarajevo or the daughter of a peruvian congressman you met on the fight to lima, you very well might remember those you meet more than the places you visit.

9.  patience

never lose you cool.  if things go wrong, take a time-out and think about what happened, how it happened, and what you can do to solve/remedy it.  you´re on vacation, so relax.

10.  find a nice restroom?  use if, even if you don´t have to

independent travel doesn´t mean solidarity.  buses, trains, planes, markets, parks, busy streets:  a solo traveler is constantly in public and amongst many.  one of the few places of peace and serenity for a traveler is the bathroom.  it can be an escape of quiet reflection or dreaded relief from that piece of misery you mistook for meat.  whichever way you parse it, finding a nice bathroom is hard.  hotel accomadation (usually) solves this problem but budgeting at hostels (usually) doesn´t offer the best facilities.  when you find a good one, take advantage of it even if nature isn´t calling.  take a picture, if you like, to give you some reprieve when you end up in a hellish place fitting that miserable thing you ate.