Travel Musings

Well, for once in my life, I can say that I am, in fact, one of those people.  I won two free round-trip tickets to Tel Aviv on El Al airlines a few years ago, leading me and a friend to take a trip of a lifetime to Israel.  Woohoo!  Thanks, El Al!

The trip was fraught with improbability from the beginning.  When I won the tickets, I was given a year to use them, but work at the time was super-busy so I postponed my trip till the last month possible.  Then, a few days before I was scheduled to leave for my adventure, things took a sobering turn as rockets started firing back and forth between Israel and Gaza.  I generally consider myself a fairly fearless traveler, but I was not keen on finding myself smack dab in the middle of a war in the Middle East.  Plus my mom, who normally handles my desire to tramp around the world with as much grace and understanding as any mother could be expected to (thanks Mom), used her maternal veto for the first time ever, and simply told me I was not allowed to go.  Of course, being an adult and paying my own way and all, I could have ignored her; but since she never, ever had made a request like this of me before, and since I thought she was probably right, I couldn’t refuse.  So I pulled the plug, regretfully, on my Israeli adventure.

Luckily, the folks at El Al were very gracious and offered me another 3 months to use my free tickets given the extraordinary circumstances.  Once the situation in Gaza calmed down, I re-booked my flight, and that March we were ready to roll.  It would be a short trip, since I had just begun a new job and had minimal vacation time, but I was grateful for the opportunity to make one of my long-held travel dreams come true.

It was a whirlwind visit: one day in Tel Aviv, one day in Jerusalem, and one day at the Dead Sea, sandwiched between two twelve-hour flights.  I wish I’d had time to stay longer and explore more (don’t I always wish that?), but I had a pretty fantastic time regardless.  Some highlights, and insights, from my time in Israel….

Tel Aviv

This is where we based ourselves for our brief visit.  Luckily, since Israel is so small, everything we wanted to see was within an hour or so’s drive, so Tel Aviv made a perfect jumping off point for other adventures.

Tel Aviv felt very Mediterranean, like being in Barcelona or Italy.  It’s a beautiful city sprawled along a stunning coastline, filled with good food and sea views and shops and restaurants, where the main goal of everyone seems to be to have a good time.  In fact, the city had a very relaxing effect on me.  Any residual nervousness I might have had about my holiday in Israel was put to rest here, as I watched the city’s people eat, drink, and be merry as if they had not a care in the world.  And I didn’t think that was just an act, or bravado.  Tel Aviv’s residents truly seemed to be the type of people who enjoy life on a daily basis, and who excel at living it up and living in the moment without letting worry or fear cloud their lives unduly.  More on that later; but suffice it to say that while Tel Aviv was less of a touristy experience for us than other parts of Israel, it was wonderfully relaxing, calming, and fun.

We spent our one full Tel Aviv day wandering up and down the beach, taking time to swim but also just to explore the shops, look at the food and other items on display by the waterfront, drink delicious fruit juices and indulge in some wonderful food.  My favorite memory from that day is of sitting at a beachfront café, staring out at the water while eating a plate of falafel and hummus that in and of itself felt as though it had made all my Israeli dreams come true.  What a place to savor both life, and lunch!

Jerusalem

Jerusalem was a quick day trip.  Since we had minimal time to explore, we decided to join organized tours for Jerusalem and the Dead Sea; not my favorite way to travel, but sometimes it’s necessary and even helpful.  So we set off early that morning for Jerusalem, just an hour away, and spent the day exploring the big sights, all of them pretty much focusing on history and religion in one way or another.  Unfortunately it was a gloomy, rainy, overcast day, so I didn’t get to see the Dome of the Rock and other majestic sites at their full level of impressiveness.  We did a lot of wandering through damp cobblestoned streets, whose stores were laden mostly with spices and touristy goods.

Weather aside, it was clear to me that Jerusalem is quite extraordinary; I wish I had had more time to enjoy it and be able to take it in.  If I go back to Israel, I think I’ll base myself there this time and get to explore more beyond the marquee attractions, delve deeper into the life and spirit of the city.

My most memorable experience of the day was visiting the Western Wall.  It’s one of the holiest sites in the world, and is divided into male and female sections, so my friend and I separated briefly to see it from our respective sides.  Maybe that’s why this is my most vivid Jerusalem memory; it was the one sight I saw without company, save for the many pilgrims (most of whom, I must say, appeared to be Israeli themselves and not foreigners) gathered around the Wall.  There’s a tradition that people write out prayers on tiny pieces of paper, then stick them into the Wall’s cracks in hopes that God will answer them.  Symbolism and hope; I love it!  The Western Wall will always equate to Jerusalem for me.

The Dead Sea

Now in all honesty, this is what I’d really been looking forward to.  Of course I love cities, history, and culture as much as the next traveler, but I also really, really love being in the water, luxuriating in anyplace spa-like, and having once in a lifetime experiences in iconic places.  Swimming in the Dead Sea?  Bring it on!

Well, I learned my first lesson very quickly that day, which is—you don’t swim in the Dead Sea.  It’s impossible because of all the salt. Instead, you float.  More accurately, you leave all your belongings in a locker, head down to the water empty-handed, and slather yourself in mud.  Then, you go into the water, find an available spot among the other floaters, and proceed to do your utmost to keep your balance as the water attempts to have its way with you.  Not only can you not swim in the Dead Sea, it’s hard work just to stay in one place.  When you’re on your stomach, or your back, the water keeps wanting to flip you over. It’s a challenge simply to stay in the same position you got yourself into.  I tried to just sit as best as I could at the top of the water, and it pretty much worked.  In any case, the water is supposed to be good for your health, and between the mud and the salt I felt very relaxed and happy by the end of the afternoon.

As I floated in the water I looked out across the vista of sea and sand to Jordan—that’s right, the Dead Sea itself forms part of the dividing line between the two countries.  The shore opposite me was actually a foreign land, one I’d never been to (as much as I would have loved to check out Petra, there was regrettably no time on this trip).  Can I tell you how tempting it was to think that if I just swum out to the end of my line of vision, I could (hypothetically) obtain another passport stamp?  Sigh.  Oh, well. Petra (and Sinai and Red Sea snorkeling, for that matter) will have to wait for my next Middle Eastern expedition.

Life Lessons and Takeways

Despite my trip being all too brief, I had a very memorable time in Israel and am incredibly grateful I had the opportunity to go.  A few takeaways from the experience:

• The world is not as dangerous as it sometime seems. In America, we are often bombarded with news images of the world, and particularly the Middle East, as a frightening place best avoided, and even though Israel is cast in a slightly different light than other parts of the region as a “friendly” country, it’s still often portrayed as unstable and a bit of a gamble to visit. In fact, leading up to my trip I remember reading a comment online (not that I put any credence in it) stating that “Anyone who plans a vacation to Israel, at any time, is insane.”  Yet my time in Israel passed in perfect serenity, with no scary moments at all.  In fact, I felt very safe in Israel; this is a place where security (at airports, for example) is real and not for show, and those in charge know what they’re doing and don’t mess around.  I had always wanted to see Israel but, while I refused to let fear keep me away, I was a bit nervous about going at a bad time and getting caught in a crossfire of some sort.  While not totally unreasonable, such fears proved unfounded and drove home the lesson that, while prudence and caution are valuable tools for travelers, it’s also a mistake to let excessive, out-of-proportion fears dictate your life and your experiences on this planet.  Do your research, come prepared with knowledge and common sense, and you should be fine almost anywhere you choose to go.

• The more you see, the more you want to see. This has been a general travel truism in my years on the road; one minute I’m dreaming of Cape Town, the next I’m contemplating a cross-Africa road trip (well, maybe!) While in Israel, despite being grateful to be able to see all I did in a short timeframe, I still found myself wishing for more: Bethlehem, the Sea of Galilee, and of course, Petra (so close!)  Even in such a small country, there was so much more depth to plumb that I could easily justify a return trip.

• Being around people who live life to the fullest can alter your own perspective. One of the things that struck me most about Tel Aviv, aside from the beauty of its waterfront and the excellence of its food, was how relaxed and chilled out its residents seemed to be.  Often, in America, we panic unnecessarily at even the slightest possible danger encroaching on what we consider to be our safe spaces—which is understandable, in a way.  But in Israel, people who only a few months before had been living under rocket fire and whose country’s very existence has been challenged from its creation had a remarkably relaxed, fun-loving, and fearless vibe about them.  I think it comes from knowing that, while danger exists around them as it does in many parts of the world, when you live in an omnipresent state of nervousness, your life ultimately falls far short of what it can and should be.  There are two ways to handle constant worry and fear: fall victim to them and hide yourself away, or put them in their place and do your best to carry on regardless.  And in the meantime, enjoy every peaceful, fun-filled, happy moment that life has to offer, because you have no guarantees about what tomorrow will bring.

This is, in the end, probably what most impressed me about Israel and its people; their ability to enjoy their lives and not give in to fear of what may come next, despite having pretty good reason to do so.  It’s an attitude I hope to emulate throughout my travels, and throughout my life.

Over the years, I’ve gotten pretty proficient at trip planning.  A few quick internet searches and clicks of the mouse, and I’ve got myself an adventure to look forward to on the other side of the world.  Easy peasy.

Yet when I talk to friends who don’t travel often, I notice that for them, the idea of planning a trip–especially overseas–can often be intimidating and seem almost overwhelming.  I hear so many people say “I want to go to X country but I need time to plan,” or, “Things are just too crazy right now to make this happen.”  And that always makes me sad.  It’s not really that complicated to plan a basic trip—hell, I’ll do it for you!  I love all this stuff!

So I thought I would post a quick breakdown of all the usual things I do before an international trip, to show how relatively simple the process actually is.  Here goes:

10 Quick and Easy Steps to Planning Your Dream Trip

• I have a passport, but if you don’t, obviously, you need to get one. Americans can visit state.gov for more information on how to do this.  Make sure the passport you do hold is valid for at least six months after the planned end of your trip, as a lot of countries you may want to visit will insist on this.

The vast majority of countries most travelers want to visit won’t require a visa for a short stay, but there are exceptions (Russia, for example).  Any guidebook should be able to fill you in on whether you need a visa and what to do to get one for your country of choice.

• Pick a place to go! This may be the easiest part of the process for you, or the most difficult. If there’s someplace you’ve been dying to go for ages, and it’s feasible for you to make a trip there now, go for it!  If you’re not sure, maybe start by figuring out what parts of the world intrigue you most (Europe? Southeast Asia?  South America?) and narrow down from there based on factors like cost, length of travel time, ease of infrastructure for travelers, and of course, if there’s anything special about a potential destination that really intrigues you.  Personally I love this part of the planning process: so many possibilities!  Get a map or a globe and take a look at what’s out there.  We live in a big, fascinating world, and the prospect of discovering more of it is always exciting to me.

• Flights. Presumably if you go international, you’ll be flying. My go-to for flight comparisons is always cheaptickets.com.  There are other general search engines (Travelocity, Orbitz, Expedia) but Cheaptickets has proven over the years to be the most reliable source for the lowest fares.  Use this as your starting point.  Do a search between your local airport and the destination you’ve selected, keeping in mind that mid-week travel dates may be cheaper but also may result in fewer travel days if you don’t have two weekends sandwiching your trip.  Ideally, you should start looking a few months before you’d like to travel in order to get a sense of the typical range of fares—you don’t need to book right away, but can wait to see if the price may drop in a bit. However, there are often good last-minute fares to popular destinations, and even two weeks or so out from potential trips I’ve found good deals; sometimes the prices start dropping as airlines attempt to fill up flights on less popular routes. It’s all more of an art than a science, but a basic Cheaptickets search will help you begin.  (Although once you see fares for different airlines listed, you’ll probably want to buy direct from their own websites, which can often save you $20 or so).

It’s also a good idea to sign up for emails offering weekly travel deals. This can not only give you information on bargains, but over time it will give you a good idea of what types of fares or costs are typically considered good for the places you want to visit in the future.  Sherman’s Travel and Travelzoo are two of my personal favorite travel deal emails; there are plenty of others as well.

• Hotel/hostel booking. Once you’ve booked your flight, it’s time to think of a place to stay. My first stop, when I’m traveling solo on a budget, is Hostel World (hostelworld.com).  You can search for beds or private rooms in hostels, B&Bs, and smaller hotels in nearly any city in the world here.  You select the days you want to stay, see a selection of hostel/hotel choices, and when you select one, pay a small online deposit of about 15 percent.  The rest is generally payable when you arrive.

Of course, I don’t always go the hostel route.  When I travel with a bit more cash or to a less-expensive country, I look for mid-price hotels which are a) in a good location; b) good value for money, and hopefully c) have something extra and fun, ie a pool, a good restaurant, maybe even a spa.  You generally can’t have everything on a budget, but I’ve managed to stay in very nice hotels in places like Cape Town and Phuket for a relative steal.  You can do a google search for hotels, but my personal recommendation is to look in a guidebook first, get a sense of well-regarded hotels in your price range, then go to their websites to check out current prices, deals, and availability, then book your room.

• Buy a guidebook. Another of my favorite parts of the planning process.  Get yourself to a bookstore, find a good guide for your trip, and start reading up on the culture, history, and language of the place you’ll be visiting, as well as planning out the practical details of what to do, see, and eat.

Guidebooks may be old-school in our age of everything-online, but to me they’re invaluable.  Sure, you can look up locations, hotels, and tours online, but I love having a whole book chock-full of advice, background, and history to pour over before and during my trip.  I’m personally a fan of Lonely Planet, which is pretty much the only guidebook I ever buy, but there are loads of options on the bookstore shelves or amazon.com, so take some time to browse and figure out what style and brand of book works best for you.

It’s also important to figure out what type of guidebook you’ll need. For a quick weekend trip, a city guide will probably work best, and gives lots of in-depth information about the city you’ll be visiting that you won’t find in larger country guides.  But if you’re going to be exploring throughout France or Italy or Greece, a country guide may be your best bet. If you’re sticking to a specific region of a country—Normandy, Andalusia, the Lake District in England—then you might opt for a region-focused guide.  And finally, for a wide-ranging trip through Europe or Southeast Asia, a multi-country guide covering these regions, while bulky, can be a good investment.

• Buy travel insurance. You never know what the future will hold, which is why travel insurance when you’re going abroad is a necessity.  I’ve always had it; I’ve never used it (so far, fingers crossed).  But for a one-week trip I pay an average of $10-15 for overseas health and accident insurance, which gives me peace of mind and security to enjoy my trip with fewer worries.  Total Travel Insurance (totaltravelinsurance.com) is the source I use.  Fill out a brief questionnaire, compare plan options, and then buy when you’re ready.  Simple.

• Start booking specific activities a few weeks in advance. Once you know your travel dates, start thinking of the kind of activities you may want to participate in during your trip.  Of course, it’s fine just to wing it, but if there are specific things you’d really like to do—a wine-tasting tour in South Africa, visiting elephants in Thailand—you should definitely try to book at least a few weeks out to secure your spot.  My usual approach is to look in my guidebook to see if any good recommendations pop up for activities that interest me; or sometimes I just head straight to google, type in what I want to do and where (“wine tours, Santiago, Chile”) and look at details, prices, and customer reviews.  Booking ahead of time, as well as conducting a little research into the type and quality of experience you’re signing up for, is always time well spent.

• Learn a few words of the language. I’ve said it before, but learning even a few words of the language of the place you’ll be visiting, assuming you don’t already speak it, will be invaluable, and shows your willingness to absorb and integrate into a new culture.  If you have time and money to take a class beforehand, even better; but if you don’t, just five to ten words are quick and easy to learn and will pay off once you arrive at your destination.  You can often purchase small Lonely Planet or other guides which provide a basic tutorial in a new language, or you can just look at the key words and phrases included in your guidebook.  If you happen to have a long plane ride ahead of you, this is a great chance to brush up before you arrive!

• Call your credit card company and visit your doctor. Final logistics.  If you’re heading anyplace where you might need vaccines before arriving, check with your doctor to find out what steps you may need to take to protect yourself from contracting diseases, which can ruin a trip pretty fast.  The only time I ever had to get a shot before a trip was when I went to Thailand.  I’d recommend doing a bit of research (guidebooks for the win, again) and seeing if it appears likely you may need to immunize yourself against anything before traveling, then contact your doctor to confirm.

Also, call your credit card company a day or two before you leave to let them know you’ll be out of the country, lest they see a sudden Visa charge in Beijing and freeze your account to protect you from fraud.  Let them know where you’ll be, on what dates, and what card(s) you will be using.  It shouldn’t take more than five minutes, and can save you a lot of hassle later on.

• Read up, get excited, and dream away! OK, enough boring logistics. Now you’ve got your trip planned and organized (and it was relatively painless, right?)  So, dive into your guidebook, look up images of your new destination on Instagram or Pinterest, read books or watch movies set there—basically, start getting excited for your trip and how much fun you’re going to have.

Bon voyage!

Any travel planning tips I left out here? Know of any good trip planning hacks?  Share below!