Traveling Internationally
Those Travel Bugs Can Bite Hard!!
By Pamelagrace Beatty
To Sleep, Per Chance to Dream?
Dreams don’t always make a lot of sense, but therapists tell us that if we are able to interpret our dreams, we might get a better understanding of thoughts and feelings that are in our subconscious.
As a child I dreamed of seeing foreign countries and meeting different people. I wanted to meet those who ate different foods, wore different clothes and spoke a different language. Once I graduated from college, traveling turned out to be the essence of my first job.
I loved it. So, riddle me this, why do I have a recurring nightmare about getting to the airport and discovering I don’t have my passport? I am sure there are deep psychological reasons for that scenario to be so frightening, but I swear I don’t know what triggers them. If you have experienced something similar, or have some ideas, please let me know!
Meanwhile, back to the dream; I did have one memorable experience of literally getting to the airport for an international flight and discovering — yep you guessed it — that I didn’t have my passport. I thought my career was over! I was traveling with a group from work. We were all going to Rome to handle an emergency for the company we worked for. We were all flight attendant trainers and there was a shortage of supervisors to observe the newly-trained international flight crews based in Rome.
It was quite a plum assignment, and we were all very excited. I was so excited that as I packed for the trip from Kansas City to New York, and then on to Rome, I forgot to pack my passport. My colleague suggested that rather than simply go back to the Kansas City office and tell my supervisor my stupid mistake, I should throw myself down the escalator and twist my ankle or break my wrist, and use that as the reason I couldn’t go on the trip. She was serious. Instead, I went back and confessed. To my surprise, I was not fired and did get to go on future international trips to check ride flight attendants.
That’s the fact of the dream, but why am I still having that nightmare from time to time? Or is it an anxiety dream or maybe the subconscious remembering? Perhaps because traveling internationally can be a nightmare!
Lugging Luggage
On another international trip, I packed for being away for three weeks. I used my biggest piece of luggage. I figured there would be someone around to schlep it to the check-in counter and such. There was not. And there was NO ONE to schlep it for me once we left the airport. These days, with the incredibly long lines, and the horribly long waits, dragging a big, heavy suitcase up to customs can ruin your day. I have learned to pack only what I can carry myself.
Lost Luggage
Then there was the time I was traveling do lead some training in another country. Because of prior experience with gatekeepers (TSA) confiscating my scissors, felt tip pens and other materials for the workshops, I chose to pack them all in my check-in luggage… Of course, the airlines lost the luggage. However, the seminar went OK, and the attendees were very understanding about the lack of materials.
Another incident of lost luggage occurred on a trip to a remote town in Spain. Well, they didn’t actually lose the luggage; they knew where it was. It had been placed on a plane going in the opposite direction of Spain. Fortunately, I had learned from past experience to take a carryon with essentials and a change of clothes. But I was going to a special art opening the next day and the clothes were too casual. Rats. There were no clothing stores in the town, but our hostess loaned me a nice blouse and with a bit of jewelry I was presentable. Since I was singing jazz background music for the her art show, I looked quite appropriately bohemian.
The airline delivered my bag three days later. I was amazed because I truly didn’t believe they would be able to find the little town we were staying in. By the way, we also discovered there was some tension between the people in the area where we were staying and the government of Spain, due to political differences. We found out speaking Spanish rather than the local language, Catalan, was not cool. Fortunately, my Spanish was limited, and my fiancé’s even more so. We used Google Translate but that had its limits! Yes, there is a story behind that comment but I want to keep this blog short…
Local Civil Unrest!
Recently, my fiancé, Mike, went to a very distant country that took six flights there and six back. He went to a little-known village to take photos of a little-known group of people. It was hot, and the trip to the actual village involved several boat rides on water you didn’t want to fall into, because the local animals that lived in the waters would welcome a bite of tourist.
He got lots of interesting, colorful photos. Finally, he was on his way back, and as he and a number of other tourists were waiting in the airport for the first leg of the flight back home, they heard an announcement over the intercom that there would be an indefinite delay. Mike, being the curious guy he is, found out why. Apparently, there was a dispute going on between two local tribes. A member of one tribe had returned a car to the other tribe slightly damaged. The car belonged to the other tribe’s chief.
A fight over the damage done to the car ensued, and led to the chief’s people being chopped up with a machete. This then led to men fighting, buildings burning, no airplane landings or take-offs, and one very long day in the airport, with some concern that the fight might extend into the airport itself. The local police prevented that, but Mike could see smoke from the buildings burning in the city. After an 8-hour delay, they took off and, of course, everyone’s travel plans were messed up!
Gleanings for Future Travel:
- Buy travel insurance and make sure it includes local wars as a reason to reimburse you for your flight changes. Notice that accidental death insurance, sometimes referred to as AD&D, usually does not provide for death or dismemberment in a war zone
- Make a list of what you need to pack, and check off each item every time you pack.
- Research the country you are traveling to and check out potential for civil unrest and learn about customs, dress, foods and recognize that all of this information may be passe.
- Avoid over packing!!! Take only essentials. Add a small expandable bag for stuff you might buy. Leave room in your suitcase or carryon for these items.
- Make copies of all important documents in case you lose them, or they get stolen, or you leave them at home. Give a detailed copy of your itinerary to a trusted friend or family member just in case they need to trace your trip to find (or rescue) you.
- Learn a few words in the language of the country you are traveling to: “Please,” “Thank you,” “Where is the bathroom?” “How much does this cost?” and “Ewwww, I don’t eat that” (just kidding about the last one!).
- Eat local foods when possible. And don’t trust Google Translate for describing what the food is. If you can, learn a few words in the language of the country you are traveling to: “Please,” “Thank you,” “Where is the bathroom?” “How much does this cost?” and “Ewwww, I don’t eat that” (just kidding about the last one!). Yep, there is another story here!
- If a person doesn’t understand what you say, don’t shout. It doesn’t improve understanding and only makes you look stupid! Be polite and kind to EVERYONE! You need people when you are in another country.
Of course, with today’s travel crowds making up for time lost during the recent pandemic, get to the airport WAY early. I recommend three hours for domestic flights, and four for international flights, unless you live in a village with a little tiny airport and virtually no people.
There is so much more to be said about traveling internationally, and domestically for that matter. My biggest takeaway from traveling abroad is the feeling of being a world citizen, not just a citizen of the United States. I feel more connected – and part of a bigger picture — and it is a good feeling.
Bon Voyage!
