My last column for the UNC Greensboro newspaper, The Carolinian, will run on Tuesday. Normally I just convert one of my regular blog posts with a little bit of editing and run it, but for the last article I wanted a little bit of a different feel. Here it is:
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It's been quite an adventure.
With two weeks to go before my return to good ol' Greensboro - I'm amazed by how much I miss it - I'm exploring the Philippine Islands... wandering the streets of Manila, trekking southern Luzon volcano regions, relaxing on black-sand beaches. It's only two weeks, but I'll make the most of them.
This'll be the last issue of The Carolinian you'll read until August; exam-time is in its death throes (or putting you through yours) and the freedom of summer awaits... three beautiful, beautiful months. Thinking about doing some traveling? If you're headed abroad, I'd like to advise you of several priceless things I've learned during my overseas adventures, things I wish I'd been told.
1) Don't Lose Your Credit Card. Especially if you're travelling by yourself. Trust me, you don't know how reliant you are on it. To safeguard against theft, make sure you use lockboxes provided at hotels, guard your pockets against pickpockets if you're headed to areas where that's a problem, and make sure you get your credit card back after you use the ATM. This is not something you want to experiment with. (To safeguard, you may wish to open a separate bank account and get a debit card for emergencies, storing it in a separate place... it'll keep you from starvation and rooflessness while you get a new card sent to you. Or you could:
2) Bring A Guitar. Besides being a lifesaver if you lose your card and you're broke (if you didn't read about it, I got stranded in northern Thailand and played on street corners to earn enough money to survive) music is a priceless commodity during travels. I've pulled mine out in airport terminals, inside a bus, on a train, on the beach, next to the pool (this is not recommended if people are jumping in) and in hotel rooms. Boredom is never a factor if you've got a guitar... and its ability to bring groups together is priceless. Perfect strangers of different nationalities who might otherwise never be friends suddenly hear Wonderwall playing and start singing along, chatting, and then everyone's best friends. It's like a magical force. And for an awesome travel momento, buy a sharpie, and when you meet people, have 'em sign their name or a brief message on it. It's something you'll treasure forever.
3) Forget About Hotels. Unless you're into the ritzy spa-and-massage type of getaway, or into spending way too much money (given you're college students, you'll probably not fall into those categories) hostels are the way to go. Known as youth hostels or backpacker's hotels, they're basically dorm rooms fitting bunk beds, anywhere from four in smaller to sixteen in the larger ones, for prices far less than standard hotels. You surrendur privacy, but the social aspects are beyond price. Get a hostel for the night, mix in a touch of friendliness, and you've got instant conversations and new friends.
4) Don't Just See The Sights. See some of them, but not all of them. If you have time on your hands, spend a week on a nondescript section of town, walk the streets, and see daily life as it exists outside of all the touristy locations. You'll get a much clearer view of everyday life in the place you're visiting... walking down the slum-lined canals of Roxas Avenue in Manila is a much different experience than staying in the shopping district and lounging on the beach. Tourist attractions can be fun, but they seldom leave you with the proper feel for where you're staying.
5) Go With The Flow. I can't count how many times I've learned and re-learned this lesson. If you're restricted to certain dates of travel - that is, you've got your return ticket already purchased - you're naturally going to be limited in your ability to wander at your heart's whim. But don't make my mistake: before departure, I spent hours planning every detail of my trip. Google Earth, Google maps, Lonely Planet, Frommer's guides... I filled out calendars with itineraries, browsed travel forums, and determined exactly where I would be, when I would go, and what I'd do there.
Virtually none of it happened. And with a bit of hindsight I see just how much better off I am for it... the entire trip has been packed with surprises and whimiscal ventures, irreplacable in my memory. Be spontaneous. Be smart and make sure you've got a backup plan - but be spontaneous. You won't regret it in the end.
So there you have it... five things I wish I'd known before my own departure. If you're headed out, be safe, be smart, be free... and have fun. I know I did.
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Having the opportunity to write the column was an absolute joy, and it lent more of a sense of purpose to my journey.
...but, that said (or typed, as the case may be) the journey is not yet over. I'm still in the Philippines, in a tiny town called Legazpi. I'm two miles from the most perfect conical volcano in the world... and it's far from dormant. I have ten days left, and I'll make the most of them. I still have stories to tell.
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