Long haul. Part three.

I love to travel, but I hate the "modern" airport security-related hysteria. Nowadays, traveling by air is stressful and airports are indeed unpleasant places. Plus, long haul flights are a pain in the butt. 

Not that I'm a superfrequent flier or any sort of authority on the matter, but I have done my share of airports and airplanes. 

To better manage the stress levels, I try to follow a few rules that I have picked up from cool people and some not-always-pleasant self experience.

They could be summarized as "3P" - packing, preparation and peace of mind. 

I originally planned on doing one single post, but it quickly turned into a loooooooooong ramble. Instead of shortening it, I just decided to split it into three distinct posts. So you have more of my awesome with a couple of breaks in between for beer and popcorn. 

… PEACE OF MIND…

That one is tricky to put into words. And it's the most personal one. So I'll just keep it short-ish and sweet.

To some people, traveling is a pain. While to others, it's the most exciting activity they can possibly think of. Either way, it's stressful. And everybody knows that stress should be managed.

What I learned it the stress-management department while on the road is to NEVER go against myself. I'm a Type A control freak. I need to know where I'll sleep and what there is to see and do at my destination. If I don't have that covered, I start hating myself and the place I am visiting pretty quickly because I didn't take care of the basics and then I get annoyed because I feel like I'm missing out... You catch the drift... Solution: preparation :)

To achieve peace of mind when I travel, I always make sure I have:

1. A positive attitude.

As a person who suffers from chronic wanderlust, I'm always super excited to go someplace new, whether it is a one day road trip or a month long backpacking affair. But sometimes, I am a bit greedy and book a plane ticket without really considering all the circumstances. I might thus end up coming and going 2-3 times in the same month and squeezing all my everyday responsibilities in the few days between trips. When that happens, I make sure to always keep in mind WHY I booked that plane ticket in the first place. And that keeps my spirits up, even though my credit card stops talking to me and the laundry basket is overflowing with well-traveled clothes.

2. A roof above my head.

Regardless of the kind of trip I'm taking, I always triple-check that I will have a place to stay at my destination. Be it a clod-hearted plastic-y business hotel, youth hostel, romantic B&B or CouchSurfing.

I love CouchSurfing, but I only ever put 90 % faith in the system. Meaning I always write down addresses, phone numbers and "how to get there" info of 2-3 hostels in case something goes wrong with the host. I've had nothing but good experience with CS, but hosts have their own lives and sometimes opening their homes to strangers simply does not work out.

I've actually done the no accomodation booked thing once before, for my first trip to New York. But I still had addresses for 3 hostels and I was traveling off-season, so that worked out well. Regardless, that experiment ended up teaching me that I'm way better at having things booked in advance.

3. Travel insurance.

Believe me, that one is a must. I only actually needed to use travel insurance once in my life, but it was well worth it. I make sure to sign up for a plan that gives comprehensive coverage (medical + lost/stolen property etc.) and gives access to a customer care center in a language I am fluent in. That is especially precious if you travel to a country where English is not widely spoken. I happened to need medical assistance at a provincial hospital in France. Luckily, I had friends taking care of the urgent matters while I was admitted. But sorting paperwork after I got home was a hilarious experience, as my French is very rudimental and their English & Italian were non existent. Good times, yeah...

4. Backup copies of the most important documents.

Passport, tickets, credit cards etc. all get photocopied and stashed separately from the originals. Also, I always make sure I don't keep all of my money/cards in one place. Luckily, I never got robbed or lost any important stuff while on the road, but I imagine I would freak out if that happened to me. Oh, and I always look up the address and phone number of my home country embassy. Just in case.

5. Stuff to make me feel comfortable on the road.

Small thingies like a sleeping mask, book/kindle and iPOD (with battery fully charged!) can make a lot of difference on long train, bus or plane rides. Hand sanitizer, sunglasses, anti-blister stick, sunscreen and aftersun lotion, on the other hand, are things that make long walking and sightseeing days that more enjoyable. A scented candle and rubber flipflops to wear in the shower can save my day when I'm staying at dubious hotels/hostels. I sure know you can get all of these things pretty much anywhere, but having them with me when I leave just makes me feel more at ease. And I feel way happier if I end up not needing some of them.

6. Ways to connect.

Wi-fi and cell phone service are pretty much ubiquitous. And that's such good news. Because regardless of how much I love globetrotting, there will come a moment on each trip when I'll experience that pang of homesickness. It usually lasts only an hour or two, but when it does, it usually helps to be able to Viber text/call a friend. But I am still uncle Scrooge and hate overpaying for phone service abroad. So I look for more cost effective options, such as temporary "foreign" packages from my service provider or prepaid foreign sim cards or, most likely, WiFi and one of those free call/text apps, such as the above-mentioned Viber. Obviously, I end up taking advantage of texts, Skype, Viber and e-mails a lot more when I travel alone compared to when I'm with friends, but still...

SOTD: Michael Bublé - Come Fly with Me (Ol' Blue Eyes cover. Not really sure how much I like the young guy's version. I think Frankie did it better. But let's just keep the young guy's version for the time being)

Safe travels!

Jules