Rites of Passage
 

Well it's time again for one of those general questions that some enjoy and others abhor :) <BR> <BR>Did you have a defining experience at some point in your first trip [or subsequent trips perhaps] where you realized that you had made the "passage" from "first-timer" to "old-hand"? I'm looking for those moments where you coped with something in your travels that, before you faced it, you couldn't have imagined handling or doing. <BR> <BR>It's hard for me to remember my first trip. I was young [and naive] and the world was a safer place. Two moments I remember from subsequent trips are: discovering I didn't need a London underground map because I knew it by heart and in Paris, popping up out of a Metro stop, being asked a directional question in French, knowing the answer and replying in French without a pause. Also my recent experiences in the Balkans, particularly my last exit from Skopje, have certainly been confidence builders. [About time considering my age] <BR> <BR>When did you realize that you KNEW what you were doing in your travels?

Reading your question makes me realize that I never felt like a "beginner". Having said that, I don't know that I ever completely know what I'm doing. What travel teaches best, I think, is going with the flow. <BR>

Sally, <BR>My first trip to Europe encompassed three weeks in Paris. This was in the days of tortuously long flights on prop driven Lockheed Constellations. The KLM flight involved layovers in Amsterdam when coming and going. On the way to Paris I rattled around Schiphol Airport for hours on end awaiting the Paris flight. On my return to Schiphol, I immediately took a bus to Amsterdam. (Had I become a seasoned traveler?) As the bus rode on an arrow-straight highway towards the city I was amazed to see a boat sailing along on an overpass above the highway I was riding on. Curiosity piqued, I decided then and there to explore the Netherlands the following year and discover how, in Descartes words, "God created the world, the Dutch created Holland". I've been blessed, or cursed, with curiosity about the peoples, histories, artistic achievements, geographies and cultures of Europe ever since and have had over thirty years of delightful, awesome, inspiring, amusing, troubling and beguiling experiences as a result of my travels. All because I rode beneath a boat!

I wouldn't consider myself a pro, I've only been to Europe twice. My first time was to Germany and at first I was quite intimidated by using the rail system. But, I mastered it quite quickly and used the tube and the metro easily on my last trip. That helped me to feel that I can probably get around almost anywhere and has made me more confident in my travels.

One such moment of transition came this last trip to Spain when I was able to just leave the last week open without any plans (lodgings reservations, etc...) and knowing it was going to be fine. It was. <BR> <BR>Good question.

Man, I wish I could answer this with a glorious response (I love the story about going UNDER the boat), but mine is so mundane...and s***ty. <BR>I was in the 20th arrondissement, drinking a beer at a local cafe . I realized I had to go to the bathroom... <BR>and I didn't panic. That's right, I knew where to put my feet if it was a hole in the floor, where to look if it was a unisex bathroom, and what to do when I pulled the overhead tank flush. THAT is my defining moment in going from raw recruit to seasoned grunt.

I'd have to say it was when we arrived Malpensa from DFW, got our bikes and gear at the baggage claim, loaded our gear on the bikes and rode out of the airport, headed for Stresa, our only reservation for the next 2 1/2 weeks.

Elvira, <BR>You made me laugh out loud! And brought back some memories I will try to share in a "tasteful" manner! <BR> <BR>My first trip to Europe was with a travel course in European art in 1962 I think. [6 wks - you name it, we saw it] <BR>On our second or third day we were on our way back to Madrid to Toledo. By that time, umm... the local flora had overcome our systems. A bunch of us needed to "go", so they stopped the bus at a little roadside cafe. [the door was a "curtain" of pop bottle tops crimped in long strings.]We asked for the rest rooms. I'll skip what we went through to get them to understand our need. We were led to an open dirt yard with chickens wandering around. It's amazing how fast "needing to go" can change into "not needing to go." <BR> <BR>Our hotel in Paris on that trip also had the porcelain treads in the floor down the hall. [to be fair it was a replacement hotel and the worst on the trip]. There is one problem though, which I was reminded of in the WC at the university in Skopje last March, and which Elvira alluded to. You pull the chain AND exit as fast as you can or a shower is included. This was difficult in Skopje as there was a door on the stall that opened in! I finally figured out to open the door first and pull from as far away as I could!

I became a seasoned traveler when I... <BR> <BR>Was able to navigate the public transportation system in 5 cities with four different languages (5 if you count Brit-speak) <BR> <BR>Realized that packing necessities are Swiss Army Knife, No-Jet-Lag pills, handy wipes, and bottle of water for the plane. Not my makeup bag and the extra shoes that look great with that one outfit... My first trip to Europe, I packed a 30" Pullman and a carry-on for a 1 city, 1 week stay. And I still had to buy a bag to cart home all my purchases! My last trip to Europe, I packed a 20" carry-on for a 2 city, 1 week stay with an extra bag for the souvenirs. <BR>

Elvira's statement about needing to go changing into not needing to go reminded me of my very first experience in Africa. It was in an airport in Ethiopia. I needed to use the bathroom facilities something fierce, but upon opening the door and seeing the entire floor flooded, decided to wait to get on the plane. It nearly killed me but I wasn't about to go slogging through who-knows-what to get to the toilet. In Tanzania I quickly learned that often the best toilet (if not the only toilet) was that of the great outdoors. At one place though, the only shrubbery to hide behind - or amongst - were sisal plants. Yow! <BR>So I guess I'd have to say that my rite of passage really happened when I went to East Africa. I didn't get lost or die after all, and it left me feeling that I could handle just about anything. <BR>

(Oh sorry, that reference should have been to S. Fowler.) <BR>

Well, I certainly wouldn't call myself a seasoned veteran but I've been around a bit. <BR> <BR>I still have many trips to stash in my belt before I can call myself an old-timer however, I can tell I'm no longer a "newbie" by the following; <BR> <BR>1) I don't bring extra shoes for every outfit (as mentioned above) <BR> <BR>2) I don't pack more than 1 bag and, at the most, a 2nd smaller shoulder bag. <BR> <BR>3) I always bring little snacks, water, and gum for the plane ride. <BR> <BR>4) I always bring a collapsing bag for treasures I pick up along the way and plastic baggies. <BR> <BR>5) I try to balance comfort and style but if forced to choose, pick comfort hands-down. <BR> <BR>6) When going to Europe, I wear even more black than I do at home. <BR> <BR>7) I don't assume anyone speaks my language. <BR> <BR>8) I haven't memorized the Paris metro like Sally, but, I'm getting to the point where I look at the map less and less. <BR> <BR>9) I hear people talking in English and I point them in the right direction. <BR> <BR>10) I can stand in Paris or Hong Kong and look to where the major sites are and roughly figure out where I am without a map. <BR> <BR>11) And lastly, as a few have indicated above, I wouldn't be worried about going somewhere without a reservation. I haven't done so yet, but we are planning our next trip to Europe specifically without reservations. <BR> <BR>To Life... :-)

In the summer of 1997 I took my first trip to Europe. I was travelling with a good friend and during the trip we would always spend an hour or so by ourselves in a city. When we were in Paris somehow, someway we got separated by pure accident. I ended up having an absolutely wonderful time walking around Paris by myself and taking in the sites. At that moment I knew that I would be just fine. My friend and I met up again at the hotel in the evening. Did it make me a seasoned traveller? Who knows, but it sure did give me the confidence to want to go anywhere.

My wife and I go to Europe as much as we can. Our initial rite of passage was the first time we booked our air reservations and car reservation only. We arrived at Frankfurt, picked up the car and then decided where to go. Had no reservations, went where we wanted to, stayed longer when we enjoyed the area and had a great trip. We discovered on that trip that overplanning and rushing around sometimes is not the best way to enjoy Europe.

Made my first trip to Europe in 1985. My husband, son, and I just returned from 2 wks in Italy, for each of us adults, our second trip, and I suppose the following incident made me feel like a veteran. Upon our arrival in Rome, our friend, frequent traveler to Rome and fluent in Italian, arranged a cab for us to our hotel (she headed in the opposite direction to her destination)--but despite our frequent conversation about our hotel, turns out she gave him incomplete/incorrect information. As the cabbie wound thru the streets of Rome, I could tell we weren't going in the right direction. He stopped in front of the Pantheon, pointed across the piazza and said, "Albergo del Sole del Pantheon." I replied in my limited phrasebook Italian, "No, Via del Biscione settante-sei (76), Albergo Sole." I really felt great that a) I knew we weren't heading in the right direction, b) that I knew what was happening, and c) that I could rectify the situation. A confidence-boosting start to our trip!

Many, many years ago, when I had more stamina than I can imagine ever having had, I cavalierly told my employer that I would be glad to make a four-day trip to Ireland just a week after returning from a vacation in Hawaii. Well, one thing led to another and the "recovery" time between my Hawaiian sojourn and my Irish business trip shrank to four days, then to two. In the end, weather and other delays determined that I would land in Boston at 9:00 a.m. after the overnight flight from Hawaii, go home, re-pack, go to the office for a few hours, and be back at Logan Airport at 5:00 p.m. for the flight to Shannon. <BR> <BR>My wife, as well organized as anyone on the face of the earth but also suffering from the 13-hour flight from Hawaii, took it upon herself to organize the packing, securing of passport, Irish currency, and other travel necessities. At the appointed hour, she dropped me off at the airport, handed me my suitcase, passport, and an envelope with currency, credit cards, plane tickets, etc. <BR> <BR>I knew I was in trouble when I opened the envelope to take out my Aer Lingus ticket and found a grocery list, dry cleaning receipt, and a wad of coupons. Checking my wallet, I had exactly three one-dollar bills. <BR> <BR>(My wife, meantime, discovered the mix-up when she got to a supermarket, threw some necessities into a cart, got to the front of the checkout line, reached into her envelope and pulled out 100 Irish pounds.) <BR> <BR>I could have scrubbed the trip, taken a cab home, and chalked it up to jet lag. But I didn't. Instead, armed with only my passport and drivers license, I talked my way onto the airplane and secured a duplicate return ticket. At the Hertz counter at Shannon and the hotel in Limerick, I cadged a car and room by looking like someone who always had their hotels and autos direct billed. In four days, I charged meals to my room or was slow to reach for the check when dining with others. I never let on that I was utterly destitute. I carried on my meetings as though everything were perfectly normal. <BR> <BR>And, deplaning back in Boston, I still had those three, one-dollar bills in my wallet. <BR> <BR>And that, Ms. Fowler, was the trip when I realized I had made the passage to "old hand." <BR> <BR>