More often than not, it is almost always the lessons learned the hard way that stick with us. While I was reviewing for the Board Exams, one of our reviewers actually said that we should be thankful for every wrong answer we make on our mock exams; because it is those questions that we answered wrong that will be remembered when the real thing comes. I couldn’t say for sure that it was 100% true, but I know for a fact that there is a grain of truth to it. But when applied within the context of my wandering feet and wandering mind, it works.
(This is a continuation of my “travel tips” series, as inspired by a challenge set forth by the very friendly peeps over at Turo, formerly RelayRides, a provider of airport car rental services.)
1. DO keep tabs on your belongings at all times. Remember when I left my purse containing all my cash, cards, identification papers and (egad!) my passport in an airport bus, and it had to do the whole Seoul circuit all by its lonesome before it got back to me more than an hour later? And I ended up rebooking my flight to Jeju, effectively wasting at least 3 hours? (That mishap, I take full responsibility for, because I was distracted, hence my forgetfulness. But I wonder, if we were on another mode of transport, would I have forgotten it? Maybe I should try airport car rentals the next time I travel. Hmmm….)
2. DO check the weather. I totally overlooked checking the weather or, more specifically, the temperature in Hong Kong before we went on our trip. As a result, we weren’t prepared for the extreme cold of December. Imagine shivering your asses off at Victoria Peak, then getting stuck in a queue while the wind whips around you ruthlessly. UGH.
Accuweather is a very good site. As per personal experience, it is mostly accurate and, often, even spot-on. It even had accurate forecasts on rainfall occurrences, by the hour!
3. DO NOT leave your “spares” at the hotel. By “spares”, I am referring to spare batteries or spare memory cards.
In our HK trip, I made it a point to buy an extra battery for my camera. Then when my camera battery drained at Victoria Peak, I realized that I left my spare at the hotel!! You cannot imagine how much I wanted to bang my head against something when I realized it. And we haven’t even gone inside Madame Tussaud‘s yet!
4. DO be mindful of time differences. Better yet, adjust your timepieces to adhere to the time of the place where you’re currently in.
Case in point. Cambodia is one hour behind Philippines. On our second night in Siem Reap, we were told to wake up early because we have to leave for the 2nd part of our Temple Run at 5am. My timepiece was adjusted accordingly; one of our companions forgot to.
The result? While I was in dreamland, my adventure got interrupted by knocking on our door. It’s our companion, telling us to “Get up! We’ve all already taken a shower!” My roommate and I woke up, and I looked at my timepiece, which said a little past 3:00am. We went, “B-b-but… it’s still 3am!”
There was a pause behind the door, followed by an “Oh, s**t. I forgot to adjust my watch.”
The poor things at the next room must’ve woken up at 2am.
5. DO wear socks or bring a wrap. I’ve seen this happen several times to friends. Whenever you go somewhere that has temples, places of worship, or something similar, it is best to wear closed footwear. Some places might not let you enter if you have bare feet. The same is true for bare shoulders, so bring a wrap to cover it up, just in case. (And it goes without saying that the socks be clean, yanoewhati’msayin’?)
I raid my Ma-dear’s closet for her stash of shawls for exactly this purpose. I also made it a point to purchase some jackets made of thin and light material so they won’t be too bulky, but remain handy. Lately, I’ve been eyeing I.M.Presa‘s circle shawls, considering I have a couple of trips lined up in the coming months.
Seeing as I do not want to rest anytime soon, it looks like there will be more lessons to be learned. And I welcome them, even if I have to learn them the hard – and harsh – way.
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