Developing an Itinerary - Part 1

After I choose a country or countries of interest, it's time to develop an itinerary. Over the years, I have refined my process. Head to the library or book store and get several travel books on the country. Begin highlighting sites that interest you and their locations on a map. I also take a look at professional tours itineraries. This is a good way to get ideas on the top tourist areas and transportation options between locations. Tour companies typically go from one tourist site to another, not really my style, as I like to have some contact with the local culture and I definitely like to venture into remote locations.

Next create a list of tentative locations and list all of the sites you would like to see at that location. Now it's time to lay it out on a calendar. This helps plan the correct amount of time at each location. Begin to research transportation options between locations. I've used flights, ferries, buses, trains, metros and at times taxis.

Continue to refine your itinerary, but don't rush to lock into a plan yet.

To Drive or Not To Drive

In my 13 years of travels, I have always taken public transportation. There is an upside and downside to that decision. I never have to deal with driving in impossible traffic in places like chaotic Cairo, but it also does not allow me the opportunity to stop at perfect photo opportunities when taking buses or trains. I have missed many photo ops, but have now figured out there is a way to deal with both by hiring a driver for portions of a trip.

In Morocco, we hired a driver/guide to take us through the Atlas

mountains and desert. I would have never wanted to navigate the mountain roads, and we were able to stop to take pictures wherever we wanted. In China, we visited villages and met people that would never have been accessible. In Egypt, we were able to visit a Camel market, which required us to drive, a ferry ride and then a tuk-tuk to get to the market. Doing this without a guide/driver would have been impossible.

I set these up through the hotels or guest houses where we may be staying as they use trusted drivers/guides or over the Internet based on recommendations from other travelers. The costs have been very reasonable considering the cost and hassle of renting a car.

Why not let someone else doing the driving?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Travel Photos

Managing Language Differences

So how do you select the location for your first independent trip? If you have never travelled on your own, I'd suggest somewhere where you can manage the language differences. I've been to a lot of countries, and have been able to get by without speaking the native languages but its certainly a lot more difficult.

For me, China, Morocco and Egypt were the most challenging as Arabic and Chinese letters are not decernable by me. Getting a cab to go to a specific hotel or location can be the big

gest challenge. This can be overcome by working with your initial hotel to arrange for a taxi pick up from the airport or having the hotel send you the name and address of your hotel in their native language. Make sure they are in large enough letters for the cabbie to read as most do not have reading glasses. If there is a tourist site near the hotel, that also might be helpful to get you to the right general location. As last resort, the cabbie many need to find someone who speaks English or whatever language required. Most cabbies are willing to try. I prefer to make sure the cabbie understands where we need to go and agree on a price BEFORE we start off. This can save a lot of frustration at the end destination, but sometimes that just doesn't happen.

When taking public transportation like trains and buses, its important to confirm you are on the right subway/bus/train and going in the correct direction. You will need to know what station or stop you need to get off. Once you can confirm that, knowing the stop right before the final stop is helpful to get yourself to the door and ready to disembark. If you are not sure, someone on the subway, bus or train will usually be willing to help. I've met some really nice people who are more than willing to help. Don't panic if you figure out you aren't going the right direction...just get off at the next station and get on the next train going the right direction. You may need to deal with ticketing issues.

Safe Travels!

Travel Photos

Why Independent Travel?

In mid-November, I returned from Egypt on my 13th independent trip abroad. I also retired in August so I now have free time to share some tips from my travels.

So why have I always travelled independently? First, I love the planning, for me, that's 1/2 of fun. That careful planning is realized when the trip occurs. I'd like to say that there was never any surprises, but that wouldn't be true. Independent travel can be challenging and at time you need to adapt to the situation.

You have a greater opportunity to meet and interact with the culture. Tours tend to shield you from the people, while you see the touristy locations, you don't tend

to see how people really live.

So if you don't like surprises, don't want any challenges and you can't go with the flow, independent travel probably isn't for you.

I hope to cover how I deal with the challenges and some of my "ah-ha" moments. Check back daily for new posts.

Happy Travels!

Trip Photos