Perhaps you think that Hubby and I are "seasoned" travelers by now.
Think again.
I still remember our very first "Big" trip back in 2008. The chosen destination was Japan and it was to celebrate our honeymoon (3 years after our wedding btw, but whatever). Before this trip, we had traveled a bit around Europe but mostly as long weekend trips or a week holiday here and there and mostly going to highly touristic places or european capitals.
But this trip to Japan was the first time we actually were going somewhere truly far away and exotic. Nobody we knew had gone before and we didn't really know anything about the country or what to expect other than eating good sushi. I confess, we felt really brave and proud of ourselves. We excitedly booked our tickets, reserved our holidays at work and proudly made our way to the FNAC to buy a travel guidebook.
Imagine then the look on our faces when we opened the guide and the very first thing it says in big bold letters is: "before you book your trip to Japan, make sure your dates don't coincide with Golden Week as this is the longest vacation period of the year for many Japanese jobs so the country tends to shut down and availabilities are scarce".
Because, Of Course, we had booked our two week holidays smack in the middle of Golden Week.
You would think that after this and ever since we have gotten better at planning our trips, especially when going to foreign and exotic places.
As I said, think again.
For some reason, Hubby and I tend to arrange our travel in the following way:
> look at flight ticket prices
> check if dates coincide w/leaving on a Sat and coming back on a Sun
> book flights
> check if visas are required (this is new, see below)
> ask for the days off at work
> rearrange work schedule to fit dates
> book hotels
> buy guidebook
> open the "before you travel section" a week before trip
> open the "things to see" section after we've passed security at the airport
Highlights of traveling à la "Fned and Hubby" over the years include:
a) Hectically buying travel insurance on my iPhone while riding the taxi on the way to the airport to board our flight to Havana because we only found out then that it was a required document to be granted entry to the country.
b) Leaving my passport overnight in a shabby hut that passed as a "consulate" on the border between Argentina and Brazil after learning that morning that Mexicans require a visa to enter Brazil.
c) Having to visit the Alhambra by night after learning that to book tickets during the day, reservations need to be made online at least a week before.
d) Freezing our @sses off in Stockholm after failing to check the weather before leaving and thinking that clothes appropriate to "chilly autonomy Parisian weather" would work just as well in Sweden.
e) Booking three weeks to travel in south east Asia and learning later that our dates were smack in the middle of the monsoon.
All of these trips eventually turned out ok (and in some cases, even better!) and of course make for funny stories afterwards.
But when we booked our upcoming trip to Jordan months ago only to realize a few weeks before we are supposed to leave that our dates fall right in the middle of Ramadan, I have to admit I am starting to get tired of this.
It's one thing to have to buy an extra sweater on the road because you didn't check the weather before leaving home, but it's a whole other to travel to the dessert in the height of the summer and during the 4 weeks in which the country's religion forbids people from eating and drinking from sunrise to sundown.
After some panicked research and eventually considering canceling altogether we decided to go ahead anyway. We'll probably be ok as several websites say there is great tolerance towards tourists as long as they don't act like jerks walking in the middle of the crowded street chumping down on a shish kebab. The sites might close a bit earlier but I guess that wont matter since we'll probably be too tired by the heat and the hunger and ready to head back to the hotel by early afternoon. And since we're renting our car to move around we'll probably be able to "sneak in a sip or two of water" from time to time.
All in all, I'm sure it'll be a great trip as all the others before and even better, we now get to live the amazing experience of the festivities surrounding the Ramadam which wasn't part of the plan initially.
However, I think I have learned my lesson. From now on we are reading the freakin' guidebook from start to finish MONTHS ahead of our trip.
Seriously, we have to up our game.
Fned.
Think again.
I still remember our very first "Big" trip back in 2008. The chosen destination was Japan and it was to celebrate our honeymoon (3 years after our wedding btw, but whatever). Before this trip, we had traveled a bit around Europe but mostly as long weekend trips or a week holiday here and there and mostly going to highly touristic places or european capitals.
But this trip to Japan was the first time we actually were going somewhere truly far away and exotic. Nobody we knew had gone before and we didn't really know anything about the country or what to expect other than eating good sushi. I confess, we felt really brave and proud of ourselves. We excitedly booked our tickets, reserved our holidays at work and proudly made our way to the FNAC to buy a travel guidebook.
Imagine then the look on our faces when we opened the guide and the very first thing it says in big bold letters is: "before you book your trip to Japan, make sure your dates don't coincide with Golden Week as this is the longest vacation period of the year for many Japanese jobs so the country tends to shut down and availabilities are scarce".
Because, Of Course, we had booked our two week holidays smack in the middle of Golden Week.
You would think that after this and ever since we have gotten better at planning our trips, especially when going to foreign and exotic places.
As I said, think again.
For some reason, Hubby and I tend to arrange our travel in the following way:
> look at flight ticket prices
> check if dates coincide w/leaving on a Sat and coming back on a Sun
> book flights
> check if visas are required (this is new, see below)
> ask for the days off at work
> rearrange work schedule to fit dates
> book hotels
> buy guidebook
> open the "before you travel section" a week before trip
> open the "things to see" section after we've passed security at the airport
Highlights of traveling à la "Fned and Hubby" over the years include:
a) Hectically buying travel insurance on my iPhone while riding the taxi on the way to the airport to board our flight to Havana because we only found out then that it was a required document to be granted entry to the country.
b) Leaving my passport overnight in a shabby hut that passed as a "consulate" on the border between Argentina and Brazil after learning that morning that Mexicans require a visa to enter Brazil.
c) Having to visit the Alhambra by night after learning that to book tickets during the day, reservations need to be made online at least a week before.
d) Freezing our @sses off in Stockholm after failing to check the weather before leaving and thinking that clothes appropriate to "chilly autonomy Parisian weather" would work just as well in Sweden.
e) Booking three weeks to travel in south east Asia and learning later that our dates were smack in the middle of the monsoon.
All of these trips eventually turned out ok (and in some cases, even better!) and of course make for funny stories afterwards.
But when we booked our upcoming trip to Jordan months ago only to realize a few weeks before we are supposed to leave that our dates fall right in the middle of Ramadan, I have to admit I am starting to get tired of this.
It's one thing to have to buy an extra sweater on the road because you didn't check the weather before leaving home, but it's a whole other to travel to the dessert in the height of the summer and during the 4 weeks in which the country's religion forbids people from eating and drinking from sunrise to sundown.
After some panicked research and eventually considering canceling altogether we decided to go ahead anyway. We'll probably be ok as several websites say there is great tolerance towards tourists as long as they don't act like jerks walking in the middle of the crowded street chumping down on a shish kebab. The sites might close a bit earlier but I guess that wont matter since we'll probably be too tired by the heat and the hunger and ready to head back to the hotel by early afternoon. And since we're renting our car to move around we'll probably be able to "sneak in a sip or two of water" from time to time.
All in all, I'm sure it'll be a great trip as all the others before and even better, we now get to live the amazing experience of the festivities surrounding the Ramadam which wasn't part of the plan initially.
However, I think I have learned my lesson. From now on we are reading the freakin' guidebook from start to finish MONTHS ahead of our trip.
Seriously, we have to up our game.
 |
| Fned & Hubby freezing in Stockholm |
Fned.
7 comments:
aYo me enteré de que necesitaba visado para Cuba 4 días antes de volar... eso si, a mi no me pidieron ni seguro ni nada.
oh comadre! well a little bit of adrenaline is always a good thing, but not too much! have you figured it out what is the dress code in Jordan for female tourist? I am sure it's nothing weird but it would be worth checking. Oh btw, I thought of you the other day when I came across this thingy called chilly pad (you can google Frogg Toggs Chilly Pad Cooling Towel, there are other brands but they suck) omg they are fantastic when you have to walk and walk in very hot weather! they are quite popular here in the south during summer time!
Jorgiux: hahaha! Lo de la visa lo sabiamos unicamente porque TU nos habias dicho antes!! Si no, igual y ni eso nos enterabamos!!!
Alex: Oooorale! Se ve bien chida esa onda! Pero dice que todo el stock esta vendidoooo!! (and yes, good tip, we're actually walking out the door now to go and get some clothing supplies for the trip... :-))
Fned.
So you are telling me I need travel insurance for Cuba? Good to know! I have also bought tickets but not done any other research yet, so you two are not alone in your planning style.
Those are some rough breaks you've survived over the years, but I'm glad you've found it in your heart to appreciate the experiences regardless. Maybe one day you'll find it in your hearts to revamp the way you plan, but then you run the risk of becoming boring Club Med travelers.
I went to see a friend in Martinique and arranged the trip between hurricane season and when it grows intolerably hot. I landed in the aftermath of a Dengue Fever outbreak and right before Carnaval. My ATM card refused to work, although it charged me the money I never received. My attempts to learn a few simple French phrases during twenty-four hours of flights, valium and booze proved ineffective. We were stranded in a small town and had to convince a couple kids smoking spliffs in front of a liquor store to drive us halfway up the coast.
Yeah, the entire island shut down for Carnaval. There was no hope of catching a ride to see the rum distilleries or sugar cane plantations or the murderous volcano in the north. Yeah, there was no hope of seeing the capital as a normal place, to see how everything works and how people live. But I never would have seen Carnaval or thought that it would be something to enjoy rather than avoid and although things didn't work out as I would have planned I'm probably richer for the experience.
Ramadan seems a little more hardcore than a week of well-mannered debauchery and long tropical days of drinking, but I'm willing to bet you'll be a little richer for the experience as well. Have a blast!
Hey chica! Just getting around to reading this, but I'm in Jordan and you'll be fine. As a tourist and non-Muslim you're not expected to adhere to Ramadan, though you're admirable to want to try. With regards to sightseeing, your days will be long and weather is hot and EXTREMELY dry. So you will need to make sure you drink water so as to not suffer from heat stroke! Ramadan means that many restaurants/shops will be closed during the day, but they tend to open back up around 6pm. As for clothing, it's a good idea to have something to cover your shoulders at all times, though when visiting tourist sites like Petra (we went yesterday), no one cares what you're dressed like- it's ALL about staying cool and hydrated because it is HOT and the sun is STRONG and you'll be climbing up and down the ruins. Really, just make sure that you are hydrated, I felt really awful yesterday and thought I got a bit of sunstroke. Anyway, will talk to you in person about it when I see you in a couple of days! Ciao!
Emily: Apparently you do need travel insurance for Cuba, although Jorge just above said no one asked for it when he traveled there and the same happened to us. Zilch request. So who knows? My advise, might as well get it.
Catharticaggression: Wow! Your adventure in Martinique really sounds like one!!! I agree with you that I would much rather travel "a la sauvage" than become "boring Club Med tourists". I'm sure you met some really cool people in that trip (smoking spliff kids??) that you would otherwise perhaps never have even crossed paths with! That's the beauty of traveling: the unexpected.
Oneika: Girl thanks for all your tips! If it wasn't for you we might not even be going right now at all!! I'm getting really excited now. Can't wait to go and live this new adventure and come back with some amazing stories, memories and pictures! Also, can't wait to see ya next week! x
Fned.
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