Do you think this post is about exploring a foreign city when you travel? Think again. I want to get you lost.  If you get lost you grow. Here is how.

One of my favorite things is to go to a city in a foreign country where I do not speak the language and walk around with no map. Not just go there, but try to get lost. I have traveled to countless countries and cities and I have never gotten in real trouble. I have had many adventures and misadventures though. Therefore, I think the best way to explore a city is to go there and walk around and absorb it from a sensory level.

Even though I moved to Krakow, I have not stopped exploring it. I have not seen everything after living here seven years.

Why I do not use a city guide-book

The reason I developed the habit on exploring a city without any guidebook is because before the trip I am usually so involved with the logistics of planning and packing of that I have no time to read the important sites to see.  Further, when I’m traveling to the location I am usually a bit stressed out and more focused on just getting from point A to point B.

Therefore, even if I have bought a guidebook I rarely read it.  I think the best value of using a guidebook is reading it on the return trip or when you are home.  This way you’re more relaxed and can relay of your trip and say, yes I was here.  However in my opinion the best part of traveling is the adventure and discovering something on your own rather than relieving somebody else’s experience.

I have found many guidebooks giving opinions and advice about are totally incorrect.  They might review a place to go and it turns out opposite of my opinion.  Further it is a well-known fact that many of the writers of the guidebooks just recycle information and have never been to the actual city themselves.  This is shocking but true.

A better strategy is simply to go to the city and if you want something written of a small journal and write your own impressions about what you see.  The reality is you’ll get more there any drive facts and figures and dates that might be found in a city information book.

Another thing that is all cities have some sort of tourist information and free literature.  I guess I am cheap.

If you really want to learn more after you are done getting lost in a foreign city, most metropolitan areas have free walking tours in English. Why pay for a guide-book or even a guide when you can do this for free.

What about a foreign language phrase book while traveling? I teach and learn languages and find phrase books useless. Why? The phrases in the books are fine at a for ordering something  a cafe (most waiters speak English of course), but if asked a question, which you always are, you will be lost. Better is to learn about 200 verbs in a foreign language and you will have some level of communication as nouns are often similar.

Exploring a town with a map

Don’t you think it is more interesting to engage your senses and use latent parts of your brain by trying to navigate without a map? I rarely use one, I do not have a cell phone and certainly not a GPS. Why do you need all those things to take away the pleasure of exploration on your intuition?

If you want to take a map, sure, take one.  I have a passion for maps, but that is to look at when I am at home, not on the road. You can print them out form the Internet and put it in my pack just in case.

What if you get lost? Who do you ask?

I ask college age girls. If I speak the language old ladies. The first group is the most likely to speak English and the second (and first group) is the most trustworthy and friendly. If you ask some middle age guy, he might not like you because you are a foreigner and give you wrong directions. This has been my personal experience. I guess I am partial towards the fairer gender.

Good shoes are the most important part of travel

Unless you can not walk, I would not take a cab. I think trams and buses are also only if you really need to. I can think of very few cities you can not walk from top to bottom. If you are only hitting the tourist areas, that is one thing, but the best parts of a city are those you discover on foot or by accident.

The one thing I spend money on is good walking shoes. I buy running shoes as they are the only things that really work for the amount of distance I cover. I do not mind spending over 150 dollars on a pair. If you want to know more about what to pack for a trip read my post on what to pack for a trip.

Oh by the way, if you walk a foreign city you can enjoy more of the food as you will burn more calories. Since I moved to Europe I do not work out and in great shape. My legs are toned and I feel great. If I was not an explorer I think I would be over weight like my friends back home. I was heading in that direction.

What is the point of exploring a city?

If you have made it this far I think you understand my point. I am trying to get you to get lost. I am trying to encourage you to step outside your boundaries when you travel.  I did and it eventually changed my life. I moved to Europe . Taking small risks in life lead to you taking bigger risks. You will learn you can do anything you put your mind to.

I found that travel is one way to start stepping out of your comfort zones and build your self-confidence. If you have any questions about living off the beaten path or at least travelling there, please ask.  I have a lot of experience with travel and live as an expat with dual citizenship and a few languages. I used to be an accountant. No matter what your life situation, you can change it and live your dream.  I have traveled to Asia, South America, Africa, Europe and North America and been lost many times. However, those were always the best days.

]]> http://www.learnfast.biz/how-to-explore-a-city/feed/ 0 http://www.learnfast.biz/packing-for-a-long-trip/ http://www.learnfast.biz/packing-for-a-long-trip/#comments Sun, 09 May 2010 18:23:52 +0000 Mark Biernat http://www.learnfast.biz/?p=90 Packing for a long trip is something that I have perfected. Learn from my experience, less is more.  The purpose of this post is to tell you how I pack for a trip when I am going overseas.

Why I know how to pack my suitcase?

I would say I am an experienced traveler. I am an American that has lived or traveled to about 3 dozen countries, have a couple of passports and speak a handful of languages.  I now live in Poland.  It is not that I am anyone special. I am not. I just love to travel and have a sense of adventure. And yes I am married and have a family and a job. How do I do it? I make it work some how and my family does not seem to mind. They go along as we are a team.  Am I rich? No, or at least not yet. You can travel the world on a shoe string if you really want to.

Pack light and you will enjoy your trip more.

What I pack when I pack for a long trip

When I started to travel my packing was based on how much I could put into two suitcases. I remember when I traveled to Russia I even jammed a protein bar with 34 grams of protein for every day I would be there, if I could not get enough to eat. Boy I was a rookie.

Life is an adventure pack light and your will enjoy your trip

This is what I pack for anything over two weeks. Lets say I could even move to the country I am traveling to if I had to.

• Laptop
• Electrical adapter as  modern laptops only need the prong head not a full converter.
• Copy of all travel documents and credit cards etc. or you can just write the information down on one sheet.
• About 500 dollars cash and about 50 dollars in the local currency. I also use a bank machine and have not had a problem on the five continents I have traveled to.
• seven pairs of underwear, that t-short, boxers and socks.
• one bathing suit – I do not bring gym clothes anymore as when you are travelling you do enough walking and can do push ups and sit ups in your under wear if you really want to in your room.
• two pairs of jeans, one of which I wear. You can replace this with one pair of shorts if you are going somewhere warm.
• Digital Camera
• Vitamins. I think something like the Vitamin shoppe daily 3 is good. Before the trip I take about two weeks worth of probiotic.  I have only taken antibiotics in my once in my whole life and I really did not need it, I wanted to try it. I use probiotic and in emergencies I eat a couple of bulbs of garlic. I would take it, just never needed it, thank God.
• Sunblock SPF 50+ for my face
• One bar of natural soap from Whole Foods, something that will last and I can use for my hair and body and it strong but natural.  Since I cleaned up my diet I have not needed deordorant. Really.
• Dental Floss and tooth-brush and natural tooth paste, nail clippers. If your a woman you need a couple of girly things.
• One pair of high quality running or hiking shoes, I wear this and do not take a second pair. I would rather spend a few hundred dollars on the best pair and use it all the time then two pairs of discount shoes.
• A couple of climbing shirts. These are shirts that breath in summer and keep you warm in winter.
• A real map, not twenty print outs from Google maps or a GPS. Keep it simple a map.
• Good hat for protection from the sun. And sun glasses if your glasses do not have UV protection.
• I can not think of anything else

• 

  Pack light and you will have more fun

What I do not bring when traveling

• Anything you have back home you can buy in your traveling country and at a fraction of the price in many cases so do not worry.
• Cell phone. Do not need it, I have Skype on my laptop and can call the world. What about in emergencies? No such thing. It is easier to deal with people face to face than try to talk on a cell phone. If you are travelling to meet people, such as if you are single, then OK. But I do not like to be plugged in on vacation.
• Dress clothes. Jeans and a nice shirt, if you are a man or woman does fine. You can substitute one pair of jeans for a pair of khakis
• Creams and lotions and beauty stuff that fills my bathroom back home. I think it is good to take a break from your normal routine, even if its three months.
• Razor, I just do not shave on vacation, its more fun.
• Books – well maybe one good one, but I prefer to see and experience more than read.
• Travel guides. A lot are pure junk written by people who sometimes have not been there or at least in years. I live in Krakow and I read reviews on restaurants that do not make sense. When you get there it is a lot more fun to use your wits and brains and figure out and explore by yourself. You can read up on it when you get back home to fill in the gaps.

How do you pack for a trip? What does your checklist consist of? Do you think this is packing light? With the above mentioned I can live away from the USA indefinitely. In fact when I came to Poland for my vacation, that is all I had and I have been here for years.

• The form of entertainment for kids during travel.
• Basics of packing which are really common sense, however, one travel tip you might already do.
• How to relax before and after the trip so your trip is easy.

The first rule is, your children come first. That means you pack based and travel based only on their needs and your needs are secondary. I have traveled for weeks with only changing my underwear and a tooth brush. You do not need a lot as an adult. However, children are another story.

There are two parts to packing for a trip for children.

• Functional component
• entertainment component

Traveling with kids – the entertainment part

They are both equally important depending on the age of your child. After about the age of seven kids are at the age of reason and entertainment can be simply a book or a small computer game device.

Before the age of seven it is very hard to find something that is entertaining all the time. This is why I recommend a palmtop or ipod or netbook. Even with children under the age of one you can load it up with videos from baby TV and YouTube. If you need information how to do this just let me know. My net-book has a 11 hour battery life.

I tried to bring Legos and other traditional toys, it was a waste. Too complicated for a trip. Books are often too heavy. This is why I recommend a simple portable electronic device.

Traveling with kids – the packing part

Packing you already know:

• Undergarments are the most important including diapers.
• Some to clean them with is very important also. I take a  basic natural soap. I do not like soap and things with  too much perfume. Kids are sensitive to these even if you are not. You do not need to take all the hair conditioners and soaps you have at home. Just buy some very good quality natural things, like Burt’s Bee products for example, sold at any CVS.
• Extra clothes in case you have a child under 2 and their clothes get messed up
• Baby formula, baby food, extra bottle in case they drop it. Pacifier
• Little pillow or teddy bear for them to sleep on.

My one tip about packing is cleaning your house and doing all the wash before you leave. If you do this you will come home to a spotless home and feel good about it your whole trip. I also pay all bills in advance and add extra money on my Visa. Photocopy all important documents like insurance etc.

The truth is never seen in the beginning or the end but always the whole – Hegel.  Therefore , all parts of your trip are important from before you leave to when you come back.

How to relax on a trip and before

If you try these things your travel will feel different. Especially the salt bath.

My two secrets  for traveling are:

• Chamomile
• Magnesium salt bath

Use these for you or your kids before your trip. Believe me I have flow 100s of times.  I know what I am talking about.

If you are on a train or a plain I take chamomile tea. I am a big believer in vitamins etc, but there are few things that I trust for safety like chamomile.  You could take capsules too.  Of course I am not a doctor, only my personal experience. Other things I seriously question the safety.

Some people like to stay up late before the trip and sleep during the trip. I highly recommend against this. I recommend everyone sleep as much as possible before traveling. Traveling is very stressful on your body. Sleep before the trip as much as you can.

I take an Epsom salt bath. I use lots of magnesium salt not just one handful.  This will help you and your kids relax that night and all the next day. Do not use anything with colors or perfumes, just pure magnesium salt.

When you are back use the same two things to relax and detoxify as traveling is very stressful on your body.

Please let me know your experiences with traveling with children and how you pack and prepare.

I am a seasoned traveler. I was a business consultant and traveled five days a week. I know travel a lot as I am a dual citizen of the US and EU and love to travel. I have learned a lot about how to pack for a trip.  I would like to share this with you. I have four stories here about life and packing your bags.

Pack for a trip with the idea of less is more

The wisdom of less is more is applies to packing. Let me give you tell you four stories and you will get the idea. The you can decide if you really travel light.

Luggage as a consultant -Story one

When I was a consultant I packed my suitcase with everything I needed once a week. All my shampoos and workout clothes and a change of clothes for the week. When I got back home I unpacked and did wash all Saturday. I would bring a couple books to read for the plan and the hotel room. Further the traveling was harder because my bags were heavy. After a few years all I brought was a change on t-shirts and underwear. I wore a wrinkle free white shirt and khakis. I would pack a tooth brush and toothpaste. Nothing else. I would put this in my laptop bag. Therefore, there were no bags to check or collect. I would just carry this and for five days I was set. In the Hotel I read the Bible or went to sleep. It was a much simpler way to pack.

Do not pack at all – Story two

Story number two about packing My friend George Wheat and I were going out of the country for a long weekend, before I met my wife. He is a childhood friend and I have learned a lot from him. This is the way he packed. He slept in is jeans and a t-shirt and stood up and said I will be out in the car. Nothing else. I said what about the bathroom?  He said he would use the bathroom at the airport and at the hotel they have a toothbrush. He took nothing and packed nothing. He said it is more fun that way. You can enjoy life more.

We had a great time exploring this foreign country with nothing to fetter us down and did not miss anything. When we got back home, there was nothing to wash or clean or unpack. So after this story can you say you travel light?

On the plane the best thing to do is cross your arms and close your eyes and just kind of space out or sleep. Do not busy yourself with work or watching the movie. Save your energy and rest your eyes for when you get to your destination. I do not care if you are a girl or a guy or going to another country. You do not need to pack much. Mainly just a couple of pairs of under garments and a toothbrush. Nothing else and your trip will be a lot more fun.

Feng Shui your vacation – Story three

Why can I write this? I have traveled more than almost anyone reading this. The less you have the more you enjoy your trip because you shed all the things that are nothing more than your grown up version of security blankets. When I got rid of all the things I owned when I lived in Boston it opened up the possibility of a new life. I read some Feng Shui books and did just this.  Then I moved to Europe where I have lived for many years. I felt weight down by my stuff in the USA which was really just baggage holding me back.  Now I have new stuff, but the point is, if you need a lot of stuff there is something psychologically holding you back in your life.

Traveling with children – Story four

If you have children you need a couple more items for them, but do not much. We just got back from a 30 hour trip with my 17 month old. We packed toys she did not play with. All I needed was to show he videos from my computer we downloaded from YouTube and home videos. Or play with her with the cups and forks and talk with her and play simple games with our hands and voice. Remember when you are packing anything you think you might need you can get when you are at your destination, and probably a lot cheaper, unless you are going to Switzerland or something.

Therefore, the rule for packing is pack nothing or little. This is how you pack for a trip. After reading my for travel packing stories tell me what you think. Also, let me know how you pack for your trip.