The five types of travel companions: Old Faithful

One of these things is not like the others.  Old Faithful is the ideal travel companion.  This person is tough to come by, and it’s not unlikely that you’ll meet Old Faithful during your travels, rather than amongst your friends from home.  This person is nothing if not dependable.  They may have a bit of The Tourist, The Adventurer, The Homebody, or The Life of the Party mixed in, but at the end of the day he or she is someone you can count on to have your back.  My friend Alyssa, with whom I traveled to Costa Rica last week, definitely falls into this category.

Pros: Barring a complete disaster, you have little to worry about when traveling with Old Faithful.  Whether you decide to spend all your time together, or divide it between exploring separately and together, you’ll have a great experience.  When you go out on the town, you know that they won’t ditch you before the night is over, and if anything goes wrong, they’ll stick by you and defend you.  Your friendship will almost certainly grow from your trip together.

Cons: Traveling with a friend can be a great way to strengthen your friendship and share an experience.  It’s also great to have someone to take photos of you!  But traveling alone is also a great experience that pushes you out of your comfort zone and forces your to make new friends.  In my experience, you’re less likely to challenge yourself when you’re with a friend, especially a dependable friend.  If you’re looking for a deep, introspective, personal experience, consider going it alone.

The bottom line: Traveling with a friend can be a great way to strengthen a relationship and have a great time on a trip.  Much of this depends on your friend’s personality and approach to travel.  If you have a friend who you’d consider Old Faithful, he or she is probably a great travel buddy.  If not, consider traveling solo.  You’ll definitely make new friends, and potential future travel companions.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this series!

The five types of travel companions: The Party Animal

This person probably came up with the idea of your trip together between tequila shots on a Saturday night.  They’re always looking for a party, no matter where, when, and with whom.  Always a blast to hang out with, The Party Animal is the first person you text when you’re looking for a good time.  They’re great to be around when you hang out one-on-one, but they’d prefer to be at the center of attention in the middle of the dance floor.   This person has a pretty laid back attitude, and probably expects your trip to involve a lot of boozing with the locals and staying out until the wee hours of the morning.

Pros:  The Party Animal is really fun to be around.  Like Party Animal, there’s never a dull moment when you’re hanging out with them.  If hookups with hot locals are what you’re looking for, traveling with this friend is your best bet of finding them.  And if you’re traveling in a place known for its wine, beer, or spirits, this person’s sky-high alcohol tolerance makes them a great drinking buddy.

Cons: If you’re into sightseeing, prepare to cut your daylight hours in half.  Spending mornings hungover is pretty typical in college, but when you’re traveling, hangovers can significantly infringe on the amount of time you have to explore.  Also, if all your friend is looking for is a good party, you won’t necessarily be doing all that much exploring or mingling with the locals.  The Party Animal is just as keen on hanging out at backpacker bars as local spots, so you could end up spending the entire time with other drunk backpackers.  Lastly, unless this person is disguising some deep underlying sense of responsibility, traveling with them can be risky.  Finances and safety are always a concern, but more so when boozing is the primary objective.

The bottom line: Like with the Homebody, The Party Animal may be a better companion for a beachy resort trip.  When you do travel with them, you’re likely to have tons of fun and go to lots of parties, but your surroundings may end up looking a lot like the bars in your hometown.  As when traveling with The Adventurer, make some provisions for your own security, and prepare to spend many of your daylight hours in bed.

The five types of travel companions: The Homebody

You probably had to twist this friend’s arm to get them to agree to travel with you in the first place.  You think to yourself, you know they’ll have an amazing time, but you’ve just got to get them out of their shell.  Once you arrive at your destination, they’re much more keen on chilling at the hotel or hostel than getting out and exploring.  They’ve packed their entire DVD collection, and plan on making their way through it before the trip is over.  They’d prefer an American hotel chain to a quaint guesthouse, and McDonald’s to the local cuisine.  When you do go out, they’re pretty keen on sticking to the beaten path and doing the bare minimum of sightseeing.

Pros: Okay, I’ve painted this person in a pretty negative light.  But there are some pros to traveling with The Homebody.  For one thing, you probably won’t get into trouble.  While sticking around a hotel isn’t very interesting, you’re not likely to get lost, pickpocketed, or have any other mishaps there.  This person is also great for taking a beachy, laid back, all-inclusive resort type of trip. The Homebody is great at relaxing, and if that’s what you want to do, he or she is your go-to companion.

Cons: If you yourself don’t fall into this category, then traveling with this person can be very similar to traveling alone. If you want to get out and explore, chances are you’ll be flying solo.  If you like being alone, this isn’t necessarily a con, but definitely something to take into consideration.  Like with The Tourist, you’re less likely to experience the local culture if you’re traveling with The Homebody.

The bottom line: If you have to move heaven and earth to get someone to come on a trip with you, you’d probably be better off alone.  Some friends are better for just hanging out with when you’re at home.  If you try to force someone out of his or her comfort zone for the sake of having a travel companion, it’s likely your experience will be less than stellar, and theirs probably will be to.  Invite them to accompany you to an all-inclusive resort or the spa, and let someone else fill the role of backpacking buddy.

 

The five types of travel companions: The Adventurer

This person is a bona-fide backpacker and travels with only what they can carry with both hands free.  They’re truly “down for whatever,” and unlike The Tourist, think that guidebook is a dirty word.  They’re the kind of person who will land at an airport with no idea where they’re staying at night or what they’re doing in five minutes.  They’re quick to mingle with the locals and fellow backpackers, and have a knack for finding holes-in-the-wall in new cities.

Pros: Adventure!  There’s rarely a dull moment when traveling with The Adventurer.  You’re sure to test the limits of your comfort zone, experience new things, try new foods and meet new people.  If you have an adventurous streak, chances are you’ll have a blast with this person. You’re more likely to venture off the beaten path and find the hidden gems of your destination.

Cons: If you’re hyper-organized, or nervous about traveling, a trip with The Adventurer will probably feel like a nightmare.  Even for the seasoned traveler, the uncertainty of this kind of trip becomes exhausting after awhile. If your finances are limited, a no-rules attitude can be tough to adhere to, and running out of money in another country is really unpleasant.  Lastly, an aversion to any sort of guidebook or information makes it more likely you’ll miss out on some cool historical sites, or other important travel info, such as traveling tips for women or visa information.

The bottom line: If you’re an adventurer, you’ll probably enjoy traveling with an adventurer.  If you’re not, but have a laid back attitude, traveling with The Adventurer will probably give you a rich, exciting experience.  It’s best to do some of your own planning and information beforehand to avoid ending up in a real pickle, but unless you’re a real stickler for structure, I’d say give this friend a shot.

Have you ever traveled with a friend who is really adventurous?  What was your experience?

When travel hands you lemons (or limes), make a margarita

These days, most everyone has a travel horror story.  Whether it’s a random security check gone awry, lost baggage, missed flight, illness…the list goes on– these experiences are not uncommon.  I’m publishing this post having just arrived in Costa Rica, after some airline-related drama of my own.  After arriving in Panama City on a delayed flight from New York, my friend and I sprinted tot eh gate from which our connection was scheduled to depart any minute.  We made it to the gate with about ten minutes to spare, sweaty and out of breath, only to be told that we had been bumped from the flight and put on the next one, departing three hours later.

After the requisite amount of pouting, my friend and I were handed our $10 compensatory airport food vouchers and sent on our way.  Luckily (for us, at least), a few other parssengers from our flight found themselves in the same position, relegated to trolling the Panama City Int’l food court.  The four of us settle dinto the nearest bar, ordered a few beers and margaritas, and ended up having a great time chatting and getting to know each other.  One of the guys turned out to be from Portugal, a country that will always hold a special place in my heart.  He had also traveled extensively in Tokyo, where my travel buddy’s family was from.

The hokey, corny moral of this story is– travel connects people.  Sure, it sucked to have our trip delayed and the airline not seem to care, but we ended up getting some new friends (and some great margaritas) out of the experience.  I’ve often seen people in this situation spend their entire extended layover yelling on the phone to higher ups at the airline.  Sure, this could get you a free upgrade on your next flight, but for me, going with the flow and enjoying the experience usually works out fine.  And now, I’m on the later flight, writing this post, and have a couple more friends on the flight than I would have otherwise.

My thoughts on international Craigslist-ing

Finding an apartment is hard.  Finding an apartment from across the Atlantic is harder.   Today, my inclination is to get a bed in a hostel for a few days, check out available rooms, meet potential roommates, and take my time.  However, when I was looking for a room to rent in Lisbon a couple years ago, I was pretty apprehensive and wanted to have a place secured before leaving the US.  In typical Northeasterner fashion, I turned to craigslist.org, which has a surprisingly active community in Lisbon.  As with any online dealing, I approached the task of finding an apartment in a city I’d never been to with caution.

Not only am I alive to tell the tale, but I ended up finding an amazing apartment in a central location, with roommates who I absolutely adored.  This last bit was just luck, but here are my tips for how you can maximize your chances of having a good experience with international craigslist-ing:

1. Trust your instincts.  This goes without saying.  If you’re a tech-savvy person, you’ve probably got a good eye for online scammers.  Don’t let your desperation to find a home overshadow any perceived creepiness.  When it comes to renting an apartment, there’s a lot at stake, not least of which are your money and personal safety.  If it looks sketchy, it probably is sketchy.
2. Do your research. Once you’ve found a place that seems legitimate, find out as much as you can about it.  I asked the landlady I’d be renting from for contact info from previous tenants.  After Googling them to make sure that they were legitimate, I emailed and Facebook-messaged them to find out if the apartment and landlady were legitimate.  This was also a good way to find out other information about the place.  For example, the girls I talked to mentioned the landlady was pretty anal retentive about cleanliness, which I wouldn’t have known otherwise.
3. Explore your surroundings.  This is where the magic of the Internet is really helpful.  When I was looking at apartments in Lisbon, Google Maps’ street view feature was still pretty new, and was a great way to virtually walk around my future neighborhood. While this is far from ideal, it did help me check out whether the area seemed clean, densely populated, near busy streets, etc.  If you’ve managed to befriend former tenants on Facebook, take a look at their past photos to see if you can learn anything about the area you’ll be living in.
4. Get a second opinion.  Whenever possible, try to get someone who actually lives in the country to check the place and landlord out for you.  I was lucky to have one of my future coworkers stop by to meet my prospective landlady on her way home from work one day.  Once I got a positive review from her, I felt a lot more at ease.  If you don’t know of anyone in the city you’ll be moving to, utilize your social networks.  Chances are, there’s some travel blogger out there in the city you’re visiting who wouldn’t mind checking helping you out.  Take them out dinner or something when you arrive to return the favor.
5. Take a leap of faith.  When it comes to travel, there’s no such thing as a sure thing.  At the end of the day, you’re going to have to send a substantial sum of money to someone you’ve never met (Speaking of this, I wired the first month’s rent to my landlady, but this is not recommended. Leave me a comment if you’d like to know more.). Following these tips should help set your mind at ease, and increase your chances for a positive outcome, but you still stand a chance of getting totally screwed over.  However, I’d venture to guess that if you’re planning on moving to another country alone, you’re no stranger to risk-taking, so trust your instincts and have faith that everything will work out.

Have you ever used craigslist to find an apartment (or anything else for that matter) overseas?  What was your experience?  What other international cities have active craigslist communities?

The Five Types of Travel Companions: The Tourist

First in the “Five types of travel companions” series is The Tourist.  This person’s luggage is packed to the brim with guidebooks: Frommer’s, Lonely Planet, Let’s Go—you name it, they’ve got it.  They’ve got a camera in one hand and a map in the other at all times.  With this friend, you’re guaranteed to see every possible historical site, museum, and natural wonder that a place has to offer.  Sure, you may be exhausted by the end of the day, but you definitely won’t miss out on anything.

Pros: You don’t have to plan anything; your friend has got it all figured out.  Having an itinerary can help alleviate a lot of stress for anyone who’s anxious about being in a new place.   If your friend has a good sense of direction, you don’t have to worry about getting lost.  And as I said before, you won’t miss out on any museums or historical sites.  If this person is really organized, they’ll have planned out a precise budget, and you’re less likely to have money troubles if you stick to it.

Cons: While having an itinerary can be a source of comfort, being forced to adhere to an itinerary by your friend can be a source of conflict and exhaustion.  It also can’t be overstated that so much of the fun of travel comes from engaging with the local culture and being spontaneous.  This is really tough to manage if you’ve got your nose in a guidebook the whole time.

The bottom line: If you have some anxiety about where you’re going, The Tourist might be a good person to have with you.  If you’re looking to set out without any plans and have a crazy backpacking adventure, you and this person will probably end up butting heads.  If you fell somewhere in the middle, give solo traveling a shot.  You have the freedom to be The Tourist when you want, and to be spontaneous when you want.

The Five Types of Travel Companions

 

I’m writing this post from a plane to Costa Rica for spring break.  I’m traveling with one of my best friends from school, Alyssa, who is a seasoned traveler and an awesome travel buddy.  However, I’ve also taken trips with some not-so-awesome travel buddies.  It’s kind of like having a close friend as a roommate: depending on your lifestyle, traveling together can make or break a solid friendship.  Over the next five days, I’ll be writing about five types of travel buddies I’ve encountered, the pros and cons of traveling with each, and which ones I think are compatible with each other.  Here’s a preview of the five types I’ll be writing about:

1. The Tourist
2. The Adventurer
3. The Homebody
4. The Party Animal
5. Old Faithful

 

Have you ever traveled with a friend?  Was it a positive or negative experience?  Have you encountered any other categories of travel companions?

Why I always procrastinate packing, and why it’s no big deal

About a week before I go on any trip, of any length, my parents or friends are always quick to ask me, “Have you started packing yet?”  Now this isn’t an unreasonable question to ask; for most people the thought of Packing feels like a huge undertaking.  If you’re moving to another country, it is.  If you’re going away for a week, it’s not.

It seems like a lot of this anxiety about packing has to do with a fear of forgetting that one, very important thing that you cannot live without.  Sure, it would be nice to remember everything that you need, but odds are, you’ll forget something.  For me, I alleviate this anxiety by realizing that there are only three things that I really need to remember: cell phone, passport/driver’s license/ID, and credit card.  If I showed up in a foreign country with nothing but these three things, I’d be okay.  Sure, I wouldn’t look cute or smell good, but I wouldn’t be in the midst of a total crisis either. 

Traveling is always a little stressful, so why not try to alleviate some of that stress by remembering this list?  For me, it’s especially easy to remember these three things because I put them all in a wallet/wristlet the night before I leave, and then I know they’re all there.  If you have an epi-pen or a daily medication you need, or something like that, add it to the list.  Once you narrow down your “packing list” to the bare necessities, I find that it becomes a lot less stressful. 

Sure, it’s nice to have your very favorite dress, perfect lipstick, and novel you’ve been meaning to read with you when you’re away, but remind yourself that if you don’t have one of these things, you’ll still be in an awesome place, have an amazing time, and have great memories forevermore. 

An evening at the Boston Ballet

It’s probably evident from my posts at this point that I can be kind of a loner.  That’s not to say I don’t enjoy the company of other people– I absolutely do and I love to be social.  But, just because I can’t find someone to do something with me, doesn’t mean I won’t do it.

So when I decided to buy a subscription to the Boston Ballet for the 2011-2012 season, I didn’t let the fact that I couldn’t find a ballet buddy deter me from enjoying something I love.

There are so many things I love about going to the ballet, not least of which is being in Boston’s theater district on a Friday night.  I love all the lights and energy, and all the people dressed up, excited to be moved by some play, musical, ballet, or other performance.

Then there’s the opera house.  I could honestly write an entire post about how much I love opera houses, and the Boston Opera House does not disappoint.  Being in an opera house makes me feel like I’m in a palace.  Everything is gold and absolutely majestic.  The main staircase is so regal.  The people are dressed to beautifully.  Even the bathrooms are luxurious.

Then, of course, there’s the ballet itself.  It’s not for everyone, but I personally find ballet extremely moving.  One of the great things about having a subscription is getting to see lots of different styles of ballet.  The show currently on is called “Play with Fire,” and is a collection of three modern pieces.  The first piece, entitled “The Sharper Side of Dark,” featured an amazing selection of pieces by Bach.  The dancers were in futuristic, grey/silver bodysuits, and danced on an eerie, industrial set.  This segment also included a lot of dances without music, which was extremely powerful.  The second segment, “Bella Figura,” was stunning.  The dances were so full of intense, sensual passionate energy.  The third segment, “Rooster,” was extremely high energy and exciting.  Dancers in ’50s style suits performed to music by the Rolling Stones, a huge change of pace from the classical music I’m used to hearing at the ballet.  I was a little skeptical at first, but this segment turned out to include some of my favorite dances that I’ve seen at the ballet.

I considered not going to the ballet last night, because I actually had bought a second subscription, hoping I could convince my mom or a friend to join me.  Last night, a friend cancelled at the last minute, and I was so disappointed I wanted to stay home.  I’m so glad I didn’t.  The performance ended up being one of my favorites, and, as always, I left feeling inspired.