O.K. so everyone knows when you go on a long trip you
need your I.D., funds for the trip, a cell phone and a change of Unterhosen.
In addition to that whether you are going to the
corner shop, a day trip on the bike, or halfway around the world, your trip, I
opine, will be much easier if you follow the following:
Here are Hausfrau Róisín´s Ten
Tips for the Trip
1) NEVER leave home without the means to get yourself
back there.
And I don´t just mean
here your return ticket. What if plans
changed and you had to go home now, today, this minute. On a
long trip that would be the means to buy a new airplane ticket. On a bike or a hike,
best to have info on the local train or bus schedule to hand.
2)
Write your home address and person-to-contact-in-an-emergency details in the back of your passport NOW.
Bet you did not know you could write in your passport.
You can, in fact, they ask you to. Check
it out. Even
if the journey does not require a passport, it is always good to carry this info. in
your wallet.
This is a no brainer and it is amazing the amount of
people don´t have this basic information on them.
3) In addition to your home address, if you are
travelling with others carry a business card of the location you stayed last
night, or where you will be staying tonight:
If you fall off the
curb and knock yourself out, it will be much easier for you, the first responders
and your fellow travelers, if they can be contacted immediately instead of the
local police having to call your Mammy and Daddy two hundred/thousand miles and
three time zones away.
True Story:
When I lived in New
York a fellow tenant did a three month cycle around the U.S. before his planned
return to Ireland. We expected Liam to
arrive back on the 2nd of September.
When we did not hear from him we contacted the Irish Embassy some weeks
later to discuss our concerns. Turns out
they knew about said Liam.
It seems the bold Liam
had had a bad accident the day he was due to arrive back to our flat in
N.Y.C. He was in hospital and suffered
all sorts of unfortunate drama. His
parents were flown over from Ireland.
Liam was brought back to Dublin….
And heck how much easier it all would have
been if Liam´s family had had an inkling their son´s roommates were not five
subway stops away from the hospital where Liam had been hospitalized.
4) Carry your medical info: Insurance card, BLOOD GROUP - are you allergic
to whatever? And other time/life saving
stuff.
Don´t know your blood
group? You should. If you ever donated
blood the info. on your blood group will be on the card they give you. Ask your doctor on your next visit.
True Story:
While chatting with cousin
Mary (almost) perfect son R. phoned in from Australia. Almost perfect son R., 24, is doing a Masters
in Accounting, so clearly grown up more-or-less. None the less, did not know
his own blood group. A medical situation, they wanted to know his
blood group NOW, it would save important minutes. What if Mum had not been there?
And more Mum
had to look up her files for the info… ´What
, you mean you don´t love me enough to know my blood group without having to go
check it out` Shock and horror for junior to be dealt with after the blood donation
was administered!
5) Confuse the bad guys.
Frankly it is easy for
me to do this, just look distracted all the time, carry lots of bags - they
won´t know which one to rob. Dress down, not up, esp. if travelling
alone. - But not too down, you don´t
want to be put out of the airport!
Similarly the bad guys
will more likely rob an expensive looking case than a bog normal one. I said
bog normal NOT bog awful… A bog awful case will make the bad guys think no body travels with such
a bog awful case unless they have something they don´t want you to find.
6) Wear a security purse BUT ONLY HAVE
NON-ESSENTIALS in it.
If I say so myself this is a really good trick. It should really be part of no. 5, but it deserves a
spot on its own. I always have 20 or 40 Euros/dollars and an out of date medical card.
Then in the daily comings and goings I use the dollars there, in
addition the card will be able to identify me, but will be useless if someone
else tries to use it.
7) Hide your important stuff everywhere!
Yes, still coming under
no. 5. But like no. 6, worthy enough of a special mention. If you have a form of I.D and a few shillings
or whatever stuck in a few unexpected places, you will always have something to
fall back on. Be it an inside pocket in
your toiletries purse, your smelly socks where ever, it will take too much time
and effort for the bad guys to find it all. - Only be sure you remember where you have the
money before you wash those smelly socks!
Consider this. If you are one of these people who insist on
carrying all your important papers, money, tickets in a security belt all the
time, saying ´I always have the belt on
me.` I don´t want to travel with you… because you will drive those around
you demented when you forget and take off the f---ing belt. And you WILL forget the f---ing belt
sometime(s).
True story.
Places I know people
left the security belt that they `never’ take off.
-
In a
changing room trying on a swim suit.
-
In a
massage salon.
-
In a
toilet… (Heard this one several times)
And in each case, the expected drama ensued.
8) On the bus/train/ferry/park bench where ever, when you
stand up LOOK AROUND YOU to make sure you have left nothing behind.
Just think of the
trouble Yo Yo Ma would have saved himself if he had done this the day he left his
cello in a taxicab in New York City. Yep
his 280 yr old Domenico Montagnana cello – the very same one valued at US$2.5 million.
I have no doubt
that you too gentle reader have your own ´left
behind´ memory that you can cringe about for a moment, and determine in the
future to ALWAYS LOOK AROUND YOU when you get up to leave where ever you were.
9) Always have the following with you:
a)
Charger
for the telephone
b)
Camera
– not only for fun, and happy memories.
c)
Something
to write with AND something to write on.
There will be a day you can ´t recharge.
d)
Enough
small change in the local currency to quickly buy a bus ticket, or to access a
toilet.
e)
Something
to read, or amuse you when train/ferry whatever is delayed.
f)
And if
possible a radio… one never knows.
10) Learn some words in the local lingo:
Never leave home without
at least: Hello, thank you, my name is, how much, toilet, embassy, airport,
hospital, police… and go from there.
A gifted linguist once
told me: `Someone knowing a bit about brain surgery is absolutely no use to
anyone. But to know a few words of the
local language in the country where one travels can make the world of a
difference; you immediately connect
with the local community, and they are more open to your needs when they see
you have taken the time make the effort to learn words in their language.`
And one more tip for
good measure. To be sure to be sure!
Be open to all the possibilities on your travels; the
unexpected only happens unexpectedly. Make the most out of it. Or, when needs must, make the best of it.
In fact the
same goes for life as well.
Ladies and gentlemen readers, the aforementioned gem
of advice is the best Hausfrau Róisín can give you today. Or indeed any day.
Happy travels!
P.S. Would welcome any tips from readers. Or comments on tips they disagree with....
Well there is nothing like a country walk the dav before to build up a good appetite for Thanksgiving. We headed off to a little village in the Schwarzwald.
