Travel Happy
It’s strange really. I never liked traveling anywhere when I was younger. In the past few years, I have traveled from coast to coast and enjoyed it. Sure, business travelers probably have a lot more experience than me, but, I wanted to share some advice that has made my traveling experiences much better.
Don’t travel with annoying people
For me, this means, don’t travel with family. I figured out after I got older that the reason I didn’t like traveling is because I traveled with family. Sure, I love my family, but, wow, being forced to spend X hours with them can get a little frustrating. This applies for all people that might rub you the wrong way. If you have a friend, but you don’t get along that great, it might not be the best idea to be stuck traveling with them.
Travel with a Friend
If you can, it is always fun to have someone to travel with. A good friend is a good choice. I have taken several trips with girlfriends, and I have taken several trips with friends from college. Usually things go great, and it’s always nice to have someone to hang out with. Only thing to keep in mind is to make sure you have plenty of opportunity to chill and do your own thing, it’s never fun feeling like you have to entertain someone when you don’t want to.
Talk with people
Meeting people is one of the most exciting things to do when traveling. I personally like chatting with business people on planes. Don’t be too talkative, but say hi, and ask where they are headed. Business or pleasure? Travel much? Ask a few small questions, if they seem like they enjoy chatting, keep talking, otherwise, put on your iPod. I met 3 distinctly interesting people in my trip to Cincinnati last week, and it wasn’t hard to do. I had a good time, and I think they enjoyed the conversation as well. Good stuff.
Make sure you won’t panic
The only other thing that has made traveling easy for me is knowing that if everything goes wrong, I’ll be ok. I usually make sure I have plenty of money in my checking account and my credit card paid off before traveling. If my car breaks down, I can pay to have it be repaired, or I can rent a new one. If my flight gets screwed up, I can buy a new ticket. Forgot my socks? Buy new ones. Knowing that you can cover any unexpected expenses and events helps in making sure you have a good time because you are less worried about them. Make sure your schedule is loose enough that if you are running late to something, you won’t be in trouble. The biggest problem I had with traveling with family is that my mother always schedules 500 things to do, and usually runs late to all of them… stressing herself and everyone else out. Remember to relax and enjoy traveling, not many people get to do it.
June 8th, 2008 at 1:06 pm
Good advice, Dave! I would also add: wear comfortable clothes/shoes. You know very well it’s going to be a problem if you have to take off your cowboy boots and you’re holding down the line indefinitely (Mr. TSA is not going to be happy!).