I’ve always been encouraged to explore. In my family, if you have an opportunity to travel, you take it, regardless of the consequences.
Made it to Paris despite a nationwide strike
This year I have traveled to eleven countries. After making every mistake, including turmeric spice exploding in my luggage, I have now perfected the art of packing a bag.
Whether it is a solo journey, a really long drive with a gassy pup, or hopping from train to bus, helping my mom with her oversized luggage - some things I have learned that have helped me get better at traveling are:
Pack only the essentials.
I try to take only the things I know I will need. For me packing gum, water, a snack (usually something salty), and dizziness medication can make or break a trip.
My motion sickness survival kit, (most of the time I carry a reusable water bottle, but this plastic bottle was more interesting to draw)
My personal never-leave-home-without item is my moleskin sketchbook, accompanied by one or two pens, and an extra tote (just in case). And if I can, I will add a book and my polaroid camera.
What you will always find in my bag, but the books get switched out periodically
Research in advance as much as you can, but don’t be too hard on yourself when you get it wrong. The truth is you can always buy a new sweater when you are freezing or new shoes when you have to walk 10+ miles (16 km) because the metro is closed due to a strike.
Just don’t forget to laugh when your friend convinces you to go with her to a club in Düsseldorf and all you have to wear is a turtle neck and an overall jumper.
Decide what your priorities are.
My priorities range depending on the type of travel. If I am in London on a research trip, I plan out in advance which exhibitions I want to see the most and where the museums and galleries are located in proximity to one another.
I like to visit museums like the Victoria & Albert, not only for their mesmerizing exhibitions like, Tim Walker: Wonderful Things, but also for practicality.
Museums are my solution to when it is cold and wet outside or if you have a few extra hours before you can check in to wherever it is you are staying. The bonus is that if your bag is small enough, you can shed it and your extra layers at coat check for a small fee of 1£.
It is good to come to terms with the fact that you will not and can not see everything before you arrive. Places like London have endless galleries and museums. I had to decide what was most important for my research.
Seeing Mark Bradford’s solo exhibition, “Cerberus,” at Hauser & Wirth was a gift of inspiration that I am still revisiting in my head. It was the type of experience that can make an entire journey worth the effort.
Part of prioritizing is paying attention to your budget. For most places I have traveled in Europe, museums can average 10- 20 euros for an adult ticket. Many times I’ve had to skip the fancy dinners and opt for cooking the same cheap and boring meals to afford the museums.
Lucky for me, one of my favorite museums, the Tate Modern is free (minus special exhibitions).
If you aren’t traveling solo, be mindful of who you are traveling with and be courteous of their needs too. If I am traveling to visit friends and their baby, decisions are made around nap time.
If you are traveling with your mom, walk slowly and hold the umbrella when it rains. Laugh with her when you stand too close to the street and a car drives by, splashing a puddle over your heads.
Detour when needed.
Even though I just said it is good to plan & prioritize, I think it is just as important to ditch the plan and leave room for the unknown. If you see something that you find interesting, stop and investigate.
Golden Light, London
Mindfulness is eyes wide open.
“Go outside into the world and be mindful of what you see…practice listening to sounds, looking up to the sky and down to the ground, and zooming in on things you would not see otherwise.”
Whether I am in London or anywhere for that matter, I tend to navigate towards the bright colors - old things made new.
If you pay close enough attention, sometimes you encounter signs that signal more than just what is visible on the surface - little reminders of why you came to find yourself in that spot - like the sweet encouragement of a smiling blue bird, when you are feeling lost.
Make safe choices.
This one seems obvious, but more times than not I have gotten myself into tricky situations by making poor judgements. After getting lost in Tel Aviv with little cash and no phone, I always travel with a spare charger and spare change hidden inconspicuously.
In general, be aware of your surroundings and trust your instincts, especially if you are a woman traveling alone.
Beach Patterns, Tel Aviv
Luckily, I was able to retrace my steps, following the coast with a collection of landmarks and the help of a kind taxi driver that accepted to take me as far and as close to the beach as my limited funds would afford.
Sea Glass, Tel Aviv
In the end I learned my lesson and traded bread crumbs for sea glass, finding my way back again.
Recharge
Don’t forget self care.
Piazza San Marco, the most expensive place to drink a cappuccino
Sometimes I get caught up in the adrenalin of a new place and I have to remind myself to hydrate, stop and eat regularly, not just caffeine & sugar.
But if you are in Vienna aka the land of sweets, you must try the cake.
Document
Record your adventures.
My grandad and now my dad, travel everywhere with their video cameras. I appreciate the opportunity to go back in time through their eyes.
From the home video collection: Grandad’s musical montage of traveling in Europe with family commentary as an added bonus
I like to take pictures and write about what I couldn’t capture in film. I record the names of the restaurants, parks, shops - listing the places that stood out to me or the shape of the clouds in the sky.
If time allows, I like to draw, capturing my squiggly interpretation of the details within my view.
I also keep unexpected souvenirs: an emptied mini jar of jelly refilled with sand, vintage tin cans, a box of purple matches, a ball of thread, striped rocks, a piece of a broken roof tile, found wood shaped like a wishbone, beach plastic or stolen spoons.
A collection of souvenirs
(EDIT: Recommended read - additional insightful considerations for travel,“Should There be a Universal ‘Code of Conduct’ for Travelers?” written by Sally Kohn.)