Zanders tips on having a good trip

under a dome in Greece

Going on a world tour is a lot of work. You need to have the right mind set and some planning. You don’t want to get off the air plane without a plan.  You will waste a lot of time on your trip and it will not be as much fun.  For instance, if you are going to place like India or Egypt, you need to know if you can drive your own car or do you have to have a driver. You also need to have patience or you will end up really fed up with everyone you deal with, if you don’t you will not be able to tell the difference in between people who want to help you and people who want your money. When on a big trip, to have a good time, you need to have a plan, sort out your transportation, and have a positive attitude and have some personal space.

The worst thing that can happen is to get off an airplane and not know where you need to go.  It gets even worse if it is at night and the grumpy kids just make it worse. When we were in Bali, we walked out of the air port and we were overrun by people trying to get us in their cab to take us to our apartment. It was so crazy that my dad didn't want to use any of the cabs, because they were so annoying. In Egypt, we got to the airport at about mid day.  My dad sat down and tried to shake off everyone. We finally settled for one of the drivers, after some research. I think that it would have been much less stressful if we had planned a pick up. In Europe, in cities like Rome and Paris, having a car is really difficult because parking is expensive and there are buses and a metro system to get places.  When we were in Amsterdam, we had a rental car for the 3 days we were in the city. The car sat at a parking lot that we were paying 25€ a day for and doing nothing. So you should figure out the traffic situations in big cities before deciding to get a car. In places like Egypt and India you can’t rent a car. I think the government thinks that you will get overrun by their traffic.  The drivers can be a little sketchy.  A useful tip is to agree on a price before hand.  The driver won't like it, but the drivers can be a little mean. When we were in Alexandria, Egypt, we hired a driver to take us to the train station.  We had agreed on 800 Egyptian pounds plus a tip. When we got to the train station the driver said that we had agreed on 2000 pounds and it was 800 per person. We ended up shoving the 800 pounds into his hand and running into the station. He followed us into the station yelling loudly and making a scene.  But once he saw the police, he backed down and left us in peace. Keep in mind that in all the different countries, transportation is very different so you have to be prepared for them all.

To make a trip bearable, you need to have the right mind set.  Going on a world tour, no matter how much you plan, there will be some unaccounted difficulties that you need to be prepared for. It is really rare to go through a trip without getting something stolen from you or having another problem. We got our laptop stolen from us in Pisa, Italy.   We had hidden it under our seats in the car, but it still got stolen.  In India and Egypt, we took a picture of your drivers, his car, and our bags before leaving them.  It is a good idea so you can hold someone accountable. Hold all your valuables, like your camera, cell phone, computer, passport, and money on you at all times. You don’t want your bags to get stolen and be left with nothing. I noticed that in the undeveloped countries, they had scary people but they never worked in gangs. But in places like Spain and Italy, the guys worked in gangs. Having a positive attitude is really important, without it you could be seeing the pyramids of Egypt and not be able to appreciate it.

After one year, I sure needed some space from my family!  So taking a walk or getting some space is a really good idea.  So when the trip is over, you don't want to kill each other.  Sarah is a perfect example. If she is around us for long periods of time, she gets really pissed off at everyone. But after a walk, she is much more pleasant to be around. To have a good time you need to have your space, too much time with anyone will get people on edge.

If you are going on a trip, some important things to consider are: personal space, keeping track of your bags, and planning ahead of time. The worst thing that can happen is to say that we are going to wing it. When you land in a foreign country without a plan, you will spend a lot of time and money getting a plan and you won’t have as much time seeing the sights that you want to see. So having a plan, sorting out transportation, having a good attitude, and some personal space is key to having a good vacation.