Puerto Rico is so much more than beaches. Some of the best baseball players in the world call Puerto Rico home. If you find yourself on the island in the winter, find the closest Puerto Rican Winter League game and get yourself some tickets. They’re cheap and make for great evening activities. And the entertainment is way better than our lousy t-shirt cannons and mascots.
March, 2010:
Travel Tip #102: Tip Well
I know that tipping is not part of every culture. But if someone allows you to take their photo, poses with you in said photo, cleans your hotel room for a week, drives you across a continent or simply tugs after your rub, be sure to give him or her a fair tip. Making a living in the service industry is tough. Help Caesar buy some smokes.
Travel Tip #87: Drive Safely
Traffic laws vary by state, province, country and planet. Steering wheels aren’t always where you expect them to be. Cars sometimes drive on the left. Speed limits are often in units of measurement with which you are not familiar. So, when it’s time to drive on your trip, don’t just assume that you know what you’re doing.
Beyond adjusting your mirrors and buckling your seatbelt, take a moment to learn your car, the local driving procedures (which side of the street should you be on?) and just how fast 100 km/hr is. It could be the difference between an epic road trip and a destination funeral.
Experience any hiccups on the road in another country? Share your tales in the comments.
Travel Tip #52: Take a Romantic Trip
People often talk about traveling with friends, traveling alone and traveling on tours. What often gets overlooked is traveling with your significant other. Sure, every year around February 14, travel sites runs an irritating number of “Romantic Getaway” pieces about all-inclusive resorts, trips to the top of the Eiffel Tower and horseback rides on the beach. But why can’t we just take our better halves on the trips that we normally take on our own or with our friends?
Hiking Machi Pichu will be romantic if your best gal is there with you. Camping in the Alaskan wilderness can be sexy if your favorite mountain man shares your tent. Wandering the souks of Morocco is even better if you’re spicing up your relationship.
So, rather than always traveling with friends or by your lonesome, invite that person who wakes up next to you every morning. And don’t just take the typical romantic getaways, either. Get creative. Get adventurous. Get busy!
Travel Tip #39: Laugh It Off
Miss your train? No worries! Lost your luggage? Improvise! Get thrown from a horse? Laugh! Staying positive will keep you sane, put everyone around you at ease and help you ignore the fact that you’ll be wearing long pants for the next few weeks.
Thanks for being an inspiration, Anna Jura.
Travel Tip #49: Wear a Helmet
Whether you’re caving, dirt bike riding or haulin’ ass on your baby quad, protect your melon. I don’t care if it’s going to muss up your hair or give you lice; Pack a comb and a bandana and then strap on that helmet.
You may look like a massive tool, but you’ll live to fight another day. Check your machismo and vanity at the door and protect your noggin. That’s using your head.
Travel Tip #57: Unplug
We’re all guilty of it (myself included…too often). We hit the road and try to stay as connected to email, Facebook, Twitter, blogs, etc as we are at home. To what end? We should be immersing ourselves in new places. Interacting with friends and strangers alike.
Sure, it’s lovely to touch base with the folks back home and share glimpses of our travel experiences along the way. But why do we feel so compelled to be fully plugged in every step of the way? I’m going to follow my own advice from now on and enjoy my travels in the moment and worry about sharing things once I get home.
Travel Tip #72: Celebrate Clichés
People are so sensitive these days. Everyone wants to be so progressive and politically correct. That’s made jokes about other cultures and stereotypes completely off limits. However, many stereotypes and clichés are rooted in truth and it’s OK to laugh at them.
This French guy rode passed me with a baguette sticking out of his bag. Japan is riddled with Harajuku girls. Iceland really does treasure trolls and their homes. Clichés exist everywhere and stereotypes often hold true. Heck, we’re often known as “Fat Americans” and, well, we’re pretty plump. I’ve seen it firsthand.
I’m not saying that mean-spirited jokes are appropriate. To the contrary, racist and hurtful comments are just plain wrong. But playful joking and taking the piss out of each other on a global level is really no different than teasing our friends. So, celebrate clichés, embrace stereotypes and laugh with each other rather than at each other.
Travel Tip #36: Pack an Antibiotic
You have an iron constitution. You never get sick. You’ve eaten street food from Calcutta to La Paz. In other words, you think you’re invincible. But, eventually, we all get sick. Most of the time, seeing a doctor will be pretty simple and you can address the problem with an expert. Other times, however, you’ll be stuck on a plane, a remote island or have no idea how to say “hospital” in the native language. That’s when you’ll be glad that you packed an antibiotic.
Whenever I’m traveling to a place with dodgy drinking water and an abundance of alluring street markets (those traits always seem to overlap), I have my doctor write me a prescription for Ciprofloxacin (or, as the kids are calling it, Cipro) which I fill before hitting the road. In the rare moment when your stomach gurgles and your poop resembles frozen yogurt, you’ll be glad that you can start killing whatever bug has begun Couchsurfing in your GI tract.
Persistent illnesses should be treated by a doctor and you shouldn’t start popping antibiotics every time your head hurts or tummy aches. But it’s always best to have some meds at the ready for when the shit hits the fan underpants.
Travel Tip #53: Know When It’s OK to Smoke
Smoking habits (and laws) vary from country to country and city to city within those countries. While it’s fine to feel out social norms on your own, sometimes the best thing you can learn from a guidebook is when and where it’s permissible to smoke.
One thing’s for sure, no one likes being trapped in a car with a smoker. Best to find yourself an alternative.
Note: I don’t smoke. Smoking kills (and worse, makes your teeth yellow). But if you’re going to smoke, be cool about it. And not in the way that 16-year-olds think smoking is cool. I mean be polite.
