Afghanistan
“He who does not travel does not know the value of men.” – Moorish proverb
As many of you know, over the past two months I have been traveling the world as a co-pilot in the Air Force’s C-17 Globemaster. All told, I have logged over 200 hours of flight time and traveled to 13 countries. I have now been to 6 of the 7 continents, with hopes to travel to Antarctica in the next few years. Some of my trips have been short, others long, but all of them have combined to give me a much better idea of what it takes to be a skilled world traveler.
Honolulu, Hawaii
There is something very addictive about travel. I remember as a boy going through the pages of National Geographic and imagining myself in each exotic location. Stuffed away in a cardboard box somewhere, there is even a picture of me dressed up in a safari hat and some khaki shorts ready for my big expedition…I think we were going to Denver. Through the years my desire to explore has only grown stronger. In short, the more I travel, the more I want to travel more.
Billabong Wildlife Preserve, Townsville, Australia
Most of us have a natural wanderlust, but for many, the realities of airport security, lost luggage and awkward language barriers can suck the wind out of our sails — the very sails that were supposed to take us to our exotic locations. It’s understandable, but the unpleasant details of world travel can often be mitigated with a little planning and ingenuity.
Below are 5 different traveling lessons I have picked up in the past few months that will hopefully help you get the most out of your journeys. They’re not sexy, but they work.
1) Wash Your Clothes Whenever You Get a Chance – One thing is certain when you start venturing out beyond the safety of your home…you will get dirty. You will stain your favorite shirt, you will be delayed for several days while a freak snowstorm shuts down the airport and you will run out of clean underwear. So wash your clothes whenever there is an opportunity.
Many hotels have a place to do it yourself and the nicer ones always have bags in the closet that you can throw your dirty laundry into for the hotel to wash. Sure it costs a few dollars, but can you really put a price on a pit-stain free outfit? Traveling presents enough challenges without having to worry about your clothes so wash early, wash often.
Deep Sea Fishing in Diego Garcia
2) Develop a Hotel Room Exercise Routine – Nothing feels worse than coming home from a long trip and feeling fat and out-of-shape. A lot of this comes from the stagnant lifestyle which often accompanies globe-trotting. It seems counter intuitive, but traveling long distances often results in hours of sitting around — in the airplane, in the taxi, etc.
One of the best ways to stay energized and refreshed during long trips is to exercise. Most hotels have some type of fitness center, but there’s an even simpler solution — work out in your hotel room. Push-ups and sit-ups are an obvious solution, but I discovered a tool the other month that has made a huge difference in the variety of exercise I can accomplish in a confined space: exercise bands.
With a single exercise band the various exercises one can do are almost limitless. Shoulders, back, legs, core…all of these can be worked out with a resistance band. Buy one of these using the link provided above and you’ll have an instant hotel-room-gym. If you travel frequently it’s the best $10 you’ll ever spend on fitness.
“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” – St. Augustine
Dubai, U.A.E.
3) Carry Lots of Cash - It’s true that much of the world accepts credit cards these days, but as soon as you leave the airport and travel off the beaten path it is much more efficient to use the local currency, especially for taxis and cafes. Before you tell me the stories of getting pick-pocketed in Rome, I’m not saying to be stupid about it. Use a money belt or carry your wallet in your front pocket if you feel the need to do so.
Whenever you see an ATM make sure you are well-stocked for the day. Depending on the location opportunities to get cash may be limited and it is much better to have more than you need then it is to find yourself begging for money on a street corner in Bangkok to cover a cab ride. On top of the fact that it is often more efficient, using the local currency helps you gain an understanding of the culture, as well as enabling you to blend in more to the local environment.
Bucharest, Romania
4) “Thank You” is Universal, Tipping is Not – I don’t know how many times I’ve heard people talk about how rude the Parisians are. In some cases it’s true, but I’ve met just as many rude people in the US, Germany, Netherlands and Australia. That’s life, but when you are a guest in someone’s country, you do not have the luxury to be rude in return. Basic manners like saying, “Please” and “Thank You” are universally appreciated.
On the other hand there are certain cultural norms that vary from place to place. Tipping for example is not universal. Many places in Europe include the tip in the bill, certain countries in Asia expect no tip at all and others expect a tip around 10% rather than the 15-20% expected in the U.S. I could spend an entire blog post on all of the various tipping customs I have experienced. But, instead of trying to name them all, I’ll simply say that you should find out what the custom is before you go. Read a guidebook or ask the hotel concierge what the policy is. At the end of the day don’t sweat it too much, no one is going to slap you for leaving a small tip if one isn’t required.
“If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay at home.” – James Michener
5) Try to Speak the Language – No matter where you travel the quickest way you can get on the good side of a local is to attempt to speak their language. Even if you completely butcher it and ask for a pet monkey instead of the soup de jour they will be grateful that you are trying to adapt to their culture rather than demanding they adapt to yours. Simply knowing “Hello” “Goodbye” “Please” and “Thank You” will go a long way to showing your host nation that you are eager to get to know them.
In the end, travel etiquette is quite simple, you’re a guest so act like one. Do whatever you can to make the lives of your hosts easier. Speaking the language and engaging in the culture is a simple way to do this and it will dramatically increase the depth of your travel experience. Study a little bit before you go, ask lots of questions when talking with the locals and wherever you are, be all there.
“Not all those who wander are lost.” – J. R. R. Tolkien
Agadir, Morocco
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Cam,
Masterful post my friend. To your point about tipping, many economists believe that tipping is the single most irrational expenditure that Americans make. Call them cheap if you will, but a good tip does nothing more than satisfy the social norm here in the U.S. Wrap your head around the number 20%. Here in Washington we have a wonderful 9% sales tax, that’s outrageously high but atleast we expect to see a return in our schools, roads, and bridges. Yet we give 20% of the total bill (after tax) to a waiter(ess) who we will likely never see again for doing their job. What are the origins of this social norm? Did someone keep uping the ante from 5% until we reached our 15-20% threshold today. Further, are we to believe the idea that it is our fault that a food server’s wage is set with the expectation to make these tips, where does it stop?
Marc
Excellent post Cameron!
I still remember my first trip to USA when I was about 15 or 16 years old. Took a cab in New York. Didn’t tip the cabbie. (Because we never tip the cabbies in India.) Oh – the abuse I received!
Learnt a few new words. And it gave me a good story to tell
Cameron, outstanding primer on some pointers to make us all more skillful travelers.
When I am overseas I do my best to be as polite, courteous, and respectful as possible. Not only do I want to civilly integrate with the culture and people I am visiting, I also think of myself as an ambassador of the United States – even if it is on the most insignificant of levels.
We should all strive to represent ourselves as best as possible while we immerse ourselves in learning and experiencing new things.
I am now convinced that you, sir, lead a much more interesting life than I do. Fantastic stuff. Understanding that you are a guest is a fundamentally important element–something I fear not all travelers realize. Some folks see travel as an opportunity to lose all courtesy and go wild; it kills me to see my fellow Americans acting like idiots abroad.
On a lighter note: did you try vegemite when you were in Australia?
Excellent writing for all of us, even if we aren’t world travelers. We could start by being more courteous to our neighbors!
I would like to hear more about tipping…the do’s and do not’s.
Awesome stuff.
Appreciate the amount of effort that you put into every post. Really does spread your daily takes of wisdom around.
In this post, I can’t help but agree more on the need to display acts of simple courtesy regardless of location, customs or people whom you meet(even the really rude ones!). The other thing is on getting to know the local language & customs, it really opens you up to a whole new world of the place that you’re visiting.
It’s funny how I bumped onto your page accidentally the other day. Really provided me with more than I had asked for in a day’s surfing the web.
Hey Cam!
Awesome post! It was really interesting had you had a lot of good ideas! you’re so lucky to be able to get to go to all of these places
@ Marc,
Tipping is an interesting thing for sure. I guess I tend to look at it more like charity than I do a payment for work. Not saying this is right or wrong, but it helps me feel a little better about giving it at least.
@ Ankesh,
If there’s one place I wouldn’t want to tick off a cabbie it would be New York, I bet that was hilarious!
@ Greg M,
Like your point about being an ambassador for the US every time you go overseas. If more people operated under this belief I think the American image may be a bit better.
@ John at Hella Sound,
I didn’t try Vegemite unfortunately…or fortunately depending on your view. My wife grew up in South Africa and they had it down there every once and a while. She told me unless you grew up with it you probably wouldn’t like it. Have you tried it?
@ Jennifer in Vermont,
Here’s a great guide to tipping overseas – http://www.magellans.com/store/article/367
@ Phui Yi,
So glad that you’re enjoying the blog. I try to produce content that others will find useful. Sometimes I succeed, other times I fail, but it’s great having readers like you to encourage me.
@ Kenzie,
Thanks for your kind words! I definitely feel lucky to get to travel as much as I do. The only downside of course is being away from Mar and Malone. But, I figure they are all just scouting trips for future family vacations. Glad you’re reading my blog. How’s Steamboat?
As a co-pilot, do you get to fly the plane too or is it mostly backup?
>Most of us have a natural wanderlust, but for many, the realities of airport security, lost luggage and awkward language barriers can suck the wind out of our sails — the very sails that were supposed to take us to our exotic locations.
Very well put!
@ J.D.,
Many trips the co-pilot ends up doing a lot of the flying, actually. Most of the aircraft commanders are more intent on teaching young pilots then getting hours themselves which is what makes our Air Force great!
I love this post. Thank you for sharing your experiences. I missed the “young and free” stage of life (full-time jobs for health insurance, medical debt, ex-husband that robbed my blind and left me in more debt), but now at 30, childless, and in a great, healthy relationship , I want to get out and travel a bit! I guess I have to take it one step at a time.
I agree with you about the hotel exercise tip. Feeling sluggish from flying, etc is taken care of by going to the fitness center of the hotel of doing some workouts in the room. For me, that makes all the difference in the world.
My favorite ‘hotel’ exercise product is “Fitdeck”; it is something like a pack of cards with body weight only exercises on it; shuffle and deal yourself out an exercise. Least expensive, smallest to pack and filled with navy seal exercises that done randomly will get you into shape. Check it out: http://fitdeck.com/
I swear that is not an add, I am just a happy customer.
We are a family 3 years into an open ended world tour, so I enjoyed these! We do tons of walking and biking as we travel slow ( mostly over land) and don’t do too many hotel rooms, so we can skip that one, but I enjoyed the others.
Yes, indeed, be a good guest…. and spend time with the local people! Meeting beautiful people is one of the great joys of traveling and one finds them everywhere!
We are going to be heading on our round-the-world trip in September and these are great reminders (especially the one about saying thank you). Great tips!
Great advice. I will remember it the next time I travel.
Those are some great tips. Yes, travel does get in one’s blood. My parents took me on a trip west when I was a teenager and the desire for travel has stayed with me ever since. Alan
Hi. I am an AFROTC cadet and in my junior year. Now is the time to put in for pilot slots and other rated jobs and I have been having a very difficult time making my decision to compete. For the longest time I was extremely gung ho about being a pilot but more recently, no that I am making a major decision about my future, I have taking a lot of other things into consideration. Basically I want to know if being away from you family and all the hard work put into becoming a pilot is worth the fun and enjoyment? I am in a very serious relationship and see myself having a family very quickly after entering active duty. I see that traveling the world is another great thing about flying, but do you really get a chance to enjoy it while working? I plan to vacation all around the world in my life so the travel part is not as big of a positive for me. I am racking my brain over this and any advice would be greatly appreciated.
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