THE ART OF TRAVELING: For Those Afraid to Actually Do it

Janice McDonald:  With 8 Emmy nominations, she was dubbed the Susan Lucci of CNN. Janice has taken her career global – writing books and producing TV, using all seven continents as her stepping stones.

Since this blog is about travel, then I think the best way to start is to simply look at the issue of travel itself.

First, I didn’t grow up in a globe hopping family (although they have become just that), but I was fascinated with the world and wanted to see it in person. I never thought I could. Working for CNN and traveling for work made me realize how easy it is to travel for pleasure as well. I know I was lucky, but I have taken that on-the-job training and haven’t stopped my exploration of the world.  Yes, for all of you armchair travelers, traveling really is an easy thing to do. (Once you clear TSA, lol)

Most people stay in their comfort zone when it comes to travel. They stick to places in the U.S. that are easy to access and where people speak English. I don’t knock that at all. I love traveling in the U.S. and you could easily go to a different state every vacation and have 50 years worth of traveling ahead of you.  But don’t be afraid to step out of that comfort zone and out of the country. There are so many cultures and so much history to see in other lands. We’re all a lot more alike than you’d think once you get out and start meeting other peoples.

Now, I wouldn’t advise taking off to Timbuktu on your first vacation, but no one should be afraid of stepping off a plane in Italy or Germany or Spain. In this day and age, there are so many ways to communicate when traveling in a foreign country. You’ll find that English is spoken in most places who deal with tourists. The key is doing research beforehand. Here are some pointers:

•   Study the city where you are going as well as the airport where you are arriving. This way, when you arrive, you are wasting your time getting lost or being frustrated because you can’t communicate.

•   Know how to get to your hotel and from there, how to get to the local attractions. I actually have downloaded maps of all of Europe onto my GPS and plug locations in before I leave home so I can readily access them.

•   Once at your hotel, be open to suggestions for restaurants that don’t necessarily appear in the guides and try to get into some neighborhoods where maybe they won’t know a lot of English.

That’s part of the travel adventure!!! You will find the locals are usually delighted to see someone new has discovered their place and try to help you where they can. Nothing is more fun than having a conversation where neither of your speak the same language but both of you want each other to know how much fun you are having.

•   Stay a few days in the big city and then try venturing out into the country.

My general rule is I go to the city and take in the tourist spots that I feel I need to see and then, I’m outta there and into the small villages or towns. That GPS comes in mighty handy.

•   If you get lost… enjoy it!!! A smile will get you a long way when asking for help.

And if you think YOU came home with stories, just think of the stories you will leave behind with the people you encounter.

You know the ones. The people who live in their tiny village and read about America and never thought some American tourist would travel to their store, their restaurant or their village to meet them.

The ones who have never dared to step outside of their comfort zones in their country.