My 10 Commandments of Travel

My friend asked me today " how on earth are you doing things last second but spending next to nothing? please, tell me your trick", so that inspired me to write my 10 commandments of travel (actually it was just by chance that it was 10...). These are off the top of my head so I'm sure there's plenty of room for editing, especially as I go on.

(A picture I took today in Annecy)

‎Rule #1:

Travel alone (even though I'm never alone because I'm always with locals or other travelers). You meet so many different people, learn so many cultures, share so many ideas. It will give you a new perspective on life. You get to do only what you want to do. There is no fighting, no drama, no indecisiveness. Also it offers the rare opportunity to really get to know yourself. It is true freedom.

Rule #2:

I have an unlimited eurail pass for all the countries for 3 months, so it's extremely easy to improvise. The fixed cost is a bit high at first, but I'll end up saving a lot with it in the end. Even if it was more expensive, it's worth it for me because I love to improvise without plans.

Rule #3:

MEET PEOPLE! Before leaving on my trip I did an online language exchange, so I knew people in 5 Spanish cities beforehand, 3 of which I stayed with where I was housed, fed, given tours, etc. for a total of a week and a half. the other two I just got city tours and spent some time with. I'm now good friends with them all and I still have 3 more in Germany who I'll stay with later. Interacting in person is 100x better than with a webcam on skype; it's impossible to really get to know somebody otherwise.

Note that this is not a site for meeting people in person. I respect everybody I meet on there and never pressure anybody into doing something they don't want to do. 

www.mylanguageexchange.org

Rule #4:

Couchsurfing. I'm now with my 5th host, and she's just incredible. Every one of them has been a unique experience, but each one has been equally amazing and enlightening. I've been very fortunate so I've gotten all the benefits from rule #3 everytime, but not without all the unique sights, personalities, backgrounds, and food from each host. Most of them have even driven me somewhere that I literally would not have been able to go to otherwise with the eurail pass, not to mention hearing each of their unique stories, experiences, and opinions along the way. I can't wait to have my own hosts so I can pass my experience to them.

www.couchsurfing.org

Rule #5:

Use common sense and intuition. I observe closely what people do (also thanks to being alone) so it's often easy to find the right people to talk to and see who can really help me out. I generally have a sense of who I should talk to, who is interesting, and basically who I just have to start a conversation with. If you don't feel comfortable with somebody, don't hesitate to go with your intuition. I only stay with people I'm comfortable with and I'm still cautious despite never having a bad feeling or experience with anybody.

This rule also means don't be cheap if improvising doesn't work out. For example one time the train was full so I didn't get to Sevilla unitl midnight, so instead of being stupid and wandering around I took a cab for 15 euro. I didn't care because it's worth the safety and I'll come out ahead in the end anyway.

Rule #6:

Don't be afraid to improvise. Most of the time I don't even know where to eat or sleep, but it's always extremely easy to find a cheap hostel and grocery store. Hostels were fine from time to time; it was sometimes nice to talk to other travelers. It is a necessary skill to learn, and I love surprises!

Rule #7:

IMPROVISE. For example, a few days ago I was on a train on my way to France when I met a woman sitting across from me. She was on her way to her sister and brother-in-law's house and invited me to stay with them in some tiny village outside of Figueres. She was quick to invite me because her bro-in-law is also an American who also studied French in Grenoble 25 years ago. The house I went to was beautiful, ate great food and dessert, learned so much about the Catalan culture and language, and did so many other incredible things (in just 1.5 days). They even took me to a nice restaurant for lunch the next day and Ron gave me a copy of his anthology where he translated a famous catalan poets works into english. 

I also met a guy in a hostel another time who I'll stay with in a few weeks in Budapest, he's a fellow couchsurfer and I'll be his first guest if I venture to his city.

Rule #8:

Don't worry, be happy. Who really cares what happens, it's an adventure!! Twice I really wasn't sure if I was going to have a place to sleep, but who really cares? If that ever did happen, I would just stay in the train station or something. There's also always people out there who can help. If you get robbed of everything, who cares? I'd still probably come out ahead with all my savings, and it would be a great adventure and story!!! That said, if you're in a sketchy situation, put your money belt on for credit cards, passport, etc. and you're trip could easily go on.

This rule also means be proactive. The VERY FIRST DAY of traveling after my program ended was in Barcelona. I was supposed to meet with my FIRST couchsurfing host and it was the FIRST time I had ever traveled alone. I arrived in Barcelona at 10 pm, but my host's phone wasn't working (it turns out I only needed a "+" before his #...). It was okay because I had his address and made it to his apartment. The problem was that when I called the room, the person said I was mistaken (it was the roommate and she didn't know that I was coming. Gerardo was at work). Immediately I started laughing and set my mind to finding a hostel. I got some help with a man from nearby hotel/apartment front desk and I walked about 40 minutes to the hostel. It was a lot of fun!!! I felt secure walking there at night, but otherwise I would have called a cab. This is contrary to the last rule, but intuition told me otherwise.

Rule #9:

"When in Rome, do as the Romans do." This is invaluable for learning cultures, languages, and the world. I change my habits with every person and try to shape my thinking and habits around theirs. I eat what they eat, I drink what they drink, I speak the language they speak (which even meant learning some catalan in Catalonia), I do everything they do (even if it means going to the grocery store or taking their daughter to the dentist, which turned out to be a lot of fun!). Sometimes it's very important to know, or at least make an effort to know, the language. 

Rule #10:

Who really cares about monuments? They are just things. What matters are the people behind them, who shaped the history around them. I see plenty of monuments, but it's nothing significant alone. Talking with my hosts/guides about their history, how the history affected them, how the monuments are special to them, and how they shaped the city/culture is what's really important.

Overall, France wasn't memorable for me because the places I saw were with other americans in API (my study abroad program) just seeing monuments. Sure it was fun, but it was the type of fun I could have at home in the U.S. I probably had more fun doing daily tasks with my various hosts and friends than I did seeing the Eiffel Tower. In those situations I saw new cultures with their sometimes minute differences, heard stories, learned history first hand, heard new languages, experienced a brand new perspective. It's like have a whole new family in a new world; the hospitality and overall experience is simply indescribable. All I had at the Eiffel tower was chinese/american tourists along with a pretty cool view of a city.

I do love seeing the monuments and they definitely are spectacular. I just don't worry about trying to see them all. It's usually going to be the goal while traveling and they are what draw my interest to certain cities, but I'd say that half the time I don't have the slightest clue of what to see when arriving in a city. Many times I only know the name and I go just because someone says it's a great place to go. I just have to say that the monuments are much less memorable than the journey I take to find them, the pleasant surprise of stumbling across one that I didn't know existed before, and the locals that take me there.

More than anything it's the city as a whole. I love to lose myself in a city and really learn the streets. This is almost impossible to do with a group of friends. For me a monument doesn't make a city; it's everything together, whether in the city center or in the lansdcape around it.

Well that pretty much sums it up! I hope you got some new travel tips from me! 

But maybe, just maybe, I don't have a clue what I'm doing...