Traveling is love.
It is one of the things that I am passionate about.
Discovering a new city, immersing in a different culture or lifestyle and gastronomically indulging myself with the area's specialties are just a few of the reasons why I make it a point to engage in this quite pricey hobby.
Now I have always had the pleasure of traveling with other people which made my adventures always felt safe so it was with great trepidation that I embarked alone to Illinois.
I have never been and my experience with its transportation system was limited to a few trips to the Metra website. I thought I had it handled. What, with my smartphone and my really good memory, getting from Chicago to where my friend was at, a city an hour and a half train ride away would be a piece of cake.
Well, let's just say I had both feet with band aids on the achilles stuck in my mouth.
So to all my dear first time adventurers and inexperienced travelers, here are the things I learned from a blister:
1. Turn your cellphone off in the plane - that flight attendant sounding like a broken record about turning your phones off was not only meant for everyone's plane safety but also for your sanity when you get to your destination. We have been spoiled by the TomTom's and Garmin's of this world. More so that we can have a navigation system on our smart phones and Google is just a text away. So if your phone is dead when you land and you can't find a charging dock or you don't have time to recharge your phone battery, then you are pretty much screwed. Case in point, me. In an unknown city. Dependent on the kindness of strangers.
2. Know the place you are going - be very familiar with the transportation system, the routes you need to take and any cost associated with transporting yourself to your destination. Do not rely on anything and anyone unless they have lived in the city forever. Do this as a back up too for possible phone failure. Print, print, print maps, maps, maps. If only I didn't depend on my phone so much then I would've saved myself the 15 blocks of walking around in circles to find the train station. Well, shoulda coulda woulda, DIDN'T.
3. Carry cash - credit cards may be convenient but carrying cash can prove to be more convenient at times. Some establishments still don't accept cards as a method of payment and certain situations are made easier with a few bills handy. $1 bills are extremely useful when you rightfully so do no want to tip a cab driver.
4. Pack light or be smarter about the type of hand carry you bring - I thought I packed extremely light for my trip. What with being able to trim down my outfit to the equivalent length of my trip instead of packing an extra week's worth of clothes; plus 3 pairs of shoes, 2 of which were for my friend and then fitting all of it with my bathroom essentials in my gym bag? That calls for some serious pat on the back. Except I packed it all in the wrong bag. Lugging around a pretty heavy duffel bag for 15 blocks is not a pretty sight and neither is it pretty on your shoulders. Walking would have been a breeze if I was using a roller carry all. Being lost wouldn't have been that bad either. Plus, you would want to be able to run really fast if someone or something is running after you.
5. Wear blister-proof shoes - okay, i might as well have said wear comfy shoes, but just to make a point. Before any trip via airplane, I check out what celebrities wear en route to places because I believe that just because one is going to be encased in a closed space sitting down for 2-X hours it doesn't give them the excuse to look like it. Airports are pretty busy places and you want to look as presentable as you can be. It also saves you the hassle of having to change once you get to your destination. If you have never been to a certain place, do not know what to expect and have no one coming to pick you up, then prepare at least for everything to go wrong. Dress fashionably but mindfully as well. Yes, beauty is pain but no one ever looks good limping around.
As of the completion of this article, my blister has healed yet the lessons I have learned from it remains.
