Þings

Þ sounds like “th” in Icelandic. Þingvellir/Thingvellir is an area in the famous Golden Circle where they held their parliament in… a long time ago. Alison and I were curious as to what the Icelandic word for “thing” is and have henceforth been trying to call all things, a “hlutur.”

Now that we’ve set up the awkward ambience of this post, as you can tell I will be talking about things. Having things, bringing things, losing things–how they may affect our state of minds while traveling. I’ll also be throwing in a few travel tips here and there. And be tempted to replace every single “th” with “Þ” but shall not for your sake.

If you’ve been keeping up with me this trip, you remember that I lost my phone within the first week of our several-month-long adventure. Afterward, I have lost several other items, Alison lost things, and we made friends that have lost things.

Travel Tip #1: Don’t be too prepared for a trip.

You’re going to lose shit. Shut up–yes you are! And if you don’t, that most likely means you’re worrying so much about not losing something that you’re not enjoying the present. I know that’s not always the case, but it definitely can hold one back from so much. Not just a landmark or people around you–I’m talking about the textures, the contrast, the sounds, the vibrancy of your surroundings.

Look UP. What kind of walker are you? Are you one to take small or long strides; do you observe where you’re stepping or push against humans’ evolution toward forward tilting necks? It doesn’t really matter how you physically move as long as you are aware. Be woke! I think that’s what the cool kids say, right? RIGHT? Important as it is to soak in your environment while traveling, it would greatly benefit you even when you’re back in your normal grind. Take some time to look at something around you that has always been there. A flower bush you walk past everyday. Your lamp, your collections, your pet’s eyes, your eyes, your family’s eyes. There is a vibrancy that emanates from it all if we look for it. Otherwise, everything just becomes desaturated and loses contrast. You don’t have to be blind to not see.

Whoah, okay. I think the coffee is really kicking in now. I didn’t think I’d jump straight into the pool of feels. No dipping your toes in the water here, ey?

The details–observe them on and within things. To fret over them? Nah, don’t do it. Alison keeps on saying to remind her, “You can always make more money.” I always think about my dad saying how you can buy something later and how sometimes it’s pointless for a lot of things to just take up space–if you really need something you can just buy it later.

If we checked in luggage (which is totally fine, just inconvenient for an ATW trip [ATW=around the world]), I totally would have brought all the things Uncle Kirby gave me to use (btw, those little containers for vitamins and toothpicks are super coming in handy), and I could have been living much more comfortably. Although, that kind of traveling is not what we’re aiming for right now. We still have all our limbs, our muscles can adapt and grow to the constant lifting of our backpacks, and we don’t want to focus on keeping track of how many socks and underwear we’re losing!

There are pharmacies, department stores, and supermarkets everywhere. “Supermarket” is one of the first words you probably learn when you’re taking a language in high school. So don’t worry about all the floss, toothpaste, tampons, and bandaids. Everyone uses these things.

Now, it’s not to say just grab some pants, shirts, underwear, your passport and GTFO. You definitely DO need to do some preparation. Everyone is different, so the amount of preparation you would want to do will differ from someone else.

Travel Tip #2: CALL YOUR CREDIT CARD COMPANY and let them know you’re leaving the country. Bring a backup card. Bring backup cash.

Charles Schwab has a card that has no fees when you buy in another currency. My Amazon Prime credit card doesn’t, either. One of Chase’s credit cards is basically meant for people who fly and travel often. It takes maybe a month to get a new credit card, so make sure you’re on top of that and have time to transfer money from your existing bank.

Visa is accepted nearly everywhere, but it would be a good idea to carry some cash around as well. I have already run into a supermarket in Amsterdam that didn’t accept Visa, but fortunately my debit card doesn’t charge me for using another bank’s ATM machine.

Travel Tip #3: zippers, wallet considerations

Make sure some of your clothes have them. So many items you don’t want dropping out of your pocket or easily picked by a theif or drunk fool (damn you, women’s clothing small pocket crap) will be kept with you. Wallets and phones are the biggies we’re focusing on here.

Six years ago when Kaitlyn and I landed in Porto, Portugal, we found out it was the night of the biggest party of the year throughout the city. It may have been because we had just arrived from a crazy few days in Marrakech or the staying up until way too early in the morning. Surprise, I lost my wallet that night! I don’t know if I was pick pocketed or if I just dropped it, but I think it was the latter because there were no strange transactions from my bank. It may or may not have helped that I made my wallet out of paper and packaging tape. It may or may not have looked like trash.

Whether or not you want to trust people returning your wallet or would rather have people mistake it as trash and for sure have it trashed–that’s your choice of what kind/color wallet you want. If you have faith in people, maybe put a piece of paper with your email in a visible spot. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to do the same with your phone. Android users have an option to add text to your lock screen. iPhone users can have Siri tell someone to whom the phone belongs. Disclaimer! It could show your home address and other personal information as well–just in case you’re paranoid about that. iPhone users could also simply add text to whatever image they choose for their background.

Speaking of background, do some research before heading somewhere! I know, horrible transition. I tried. A little. Very little.

Travel Tip #4: learn important phrases in the main language for the country you are visiting, keep an eye out for things that could be offensive or unacceptable to people, and look up tipping etiquette.

I have the most experience in France, so this may mostly apply to Paris. But people are very similar everywhere. You wouldn’t like it if someone came up to you demanding something in a foreign language, so please don’t do it to someone else! Excuse me, do you speak English/your preferred language, I need help, please, and thank you are some of the most important words in any language, in addition to where is the bathroom.

No, it’s not just because I’m female–people will be more willing to help if your face really shows it. I like to think that my ability to alter my facial muscles sometimes can exaggerate how… much confusion and stress I may be in. Did I just insult or compliment myself? Just don’t expect everyone you give the worried puppy eyes to will help you out. People could be occupied with something, late to a meeting, or worried about someone else. If someone ignores you, brush it off! Don’t hold onto that anger/disappointment when you approach the next person for help.

As for things that could be offensive, maybe a quick Google search may help. If you don’t find anything within a few minutes, there’s probably not much to worry about. I know before we visit Japan, though, I will have to look things up again (doint point with one finger, don’t walk and eat in public).

Most people travel to big cities when traveling. Keep in mind that there are a lot of people living their routine lives there also. I try to stay out of people’s way as much as possible. It sucks to be yelled at by a local :x. When driving or walking, we look at directions. I know you’ve seen this while in your own city and see someone driving ridiculously slow! People are constantly searching for entrances, exits, signs, etc. We’re always going to be on both sides of this situation, but we can control how much we’re in someone else’s way. Pay attention to where bicyclists are, the direction/flow of pedestrians, and don’t be the giant group of people that makes everyone else have to circumvent you on the sidewalk!

Lastly, the whole tipping thing. Once again, easy to look up. Just do it. You may or may not have mobile data/wifi at a restaurant, and you don’t want to worry about it then.

At the end of the day, I can try to think of a bajillion travel tips to write about, but how you prepare yourself really depends on what kind of experience you want. In my opinion, you get the most out of traveling when you get used to adapting. Plans don’t always go accordingly, and knowing or learning what to do in troublesome circumstances is a vital skill that we all can never get enough of. Besides, why put yourself out in the world when you are expecting nothing unexpected?

Look up. Take in the sounds, scents, and colors. Don’t just read street signs and historic plaques. Read people’s faces and expressions. Read the laughter of your new friends. We are human beans that adapt. Accept it and take advantage of being alive now, in a time where chocolate is fucking amazing and we have offline Google maps to show us where we are on a map. You can appreciate the beauty of the ephemeral when you let yourself, so please don’t close your eyes and your mind.

The mailman just came by and dropped off my phone that an Austrian girl living in Iceland found! YOU WILL SEE PICTURES IN MY NEXT POST! Are you excited as I am?!?!