Pages

Friday 2 August 2013

What problems can I expect to face on holiday?

So, you have packed your bags for the summer and everyone is bustling out the door to go to Zante or Tenerife. Great! The travel there will be a chore, but you are willing to overlook it to get some rays and to run around on a beach playing volleyball. To sublimate the surprise of any problems on holiday, here are some travel tips to really get the best out of your holiday.

 Traveling with people

Traveling with lots of people can be great, especially if you are all really close and have known each other for a good while. Booze cruises and midnight parties abound, the great thing about being surrounded by your nearest and dearest is that things won't ever slow down.

You are all likely to bounce ideas off each other and getting other viewpoints in the mix, rather than just having your own preferences to go on. This really does bring out the best in travel now and again. Whether traveling with the lads or the girls, you are very likely to have a good time. However, here are some things to look out for:

Falling out

Lets face it, some people can be a pain, however, you really want to remain friends after the trip. 

 Examples

We've all been through this before, name-calling and insults.
  • Stuff goes missing and blame gets passed around. 
    • Your bags go missing within the airport and your friend tells you now that she didn't bother taking out travel insurance.
  • Conflict with what people want to get out of the holiday.
    • You want to go to see Buckingham Palace while traveling London while all your other friends think it is better to enjoy day inside the hotel spa.

 Avoidance

It is possible to avoid arguments without becoming a doormat for people to walk over.
  • Look back in the past and evaluate just how good you are at traveling with those that you will be spending so much time with. This isn't always a problem but when you are expected to spend half a year with them traveling Europe, at some point the heat of the sun is going to shorten the patience of you all.
  •  Plan what to do if there are any potential conflicts with what is to be done on the trip. Whether it is for someone's birthday or your idea to go traveling, make sure everyone knows who is calling the shots on this trip and make sure everyone is organised before leaving the country.

Gossiping

He said, she said. If you have lived with anyone before, you know how easily this can escalate.

Examples

Whether there will be men or women traveling with you on this holiday, there is likely to be no sex differences in the derogatory tone of gossip. Men and women are also found to gossip about similar topics (Levin, 1985). For instance: 
  •  Having a controversial past really makes you paranoid and others can pick up on it.
    • 'Did you hear that he got someone pregnant in '11?'.
  • A bad history with one of the holiday-goers really doesn't help with the case.
    • 'You know he called me a **** once? I never got over it'.

Avoidance

If you fought over what the meaning of life is, or had a heated debate on what really is the best way to look after pets, there is room for trouble.
  • Regarding any controversies, there really isn't any better advice than keeping it to yourself. If you don't want this stuff to come back to haunt you then you really need to take the ammunition out of the gob and keeping the diary hidden in a very secret place. There is nothing more incriminating than evidence after all! 
  • One thing to look out for more than anything is any past arguments you had with one of the people before. To have fuel to burn is all it takes for it all to erupt into a fire. Make sure to extinguish any embers that can create flames on the trip.

 Traveling alone

Sometimes traveling alone is the best alternative to traveling in a crowd. As seen above, there can be such Marilyn Monroe once said something very  true to the reason for many traveling single:
trouble when many people mix with one another. Besides,
I restore myself when I'm alone.
A simple quote indeed, but one that rings true to a lot of budding travelers. However, before embarking upon the great escape towards a new civilization within the Amazon Rainforest or traveling off to find the Karen Long  Neck Tribe in Thailand, there are a few kinks to sort out in regards to the travel itself.

Needing assistance

The good thing about adventure is that we are challenged to better ourselves, due to the fact we have no choice in the matter. However, some things are just hard to go through alone:

Examples

 Little problems turn into big deals:
  • Running out of money. Without anyone there to help you out, there is the chance running out of resources. 
    • After a deep sleep in the hostel, you wake up the next morning and find out your wallet is empty.
  • Getting lost and having trouble getting back. This is one everyone can relate to and no matter how far you are from home it is never too pleasant.
    • Arriving in an unknown place after asking to go to local Chinese market, you end up being dropped off at another part of town where there is no chance of finding your way back.

Avoidance

Who says you need anybody anyway, even if anything bad happens?
  •  Make sure you understand the conversion rate from your own currency to the one you will be using in your holiday destination. Just because 5 US Dollars equals 498.80 Japanese Yen now doesn't mean you will be rich in China. Always remind yourself of this rate so it doesn't pass your conscious thoughts.
    • As a side note, keep your wallet hidden in public places and get a fanny pack. If you have to fall asleep with strangers around, put the wallet under your pillow. These strategies will prevent you being robbed.
  • Make sure you plan your journey through recently updated maps, if you have no access to an iPhone or internet during your stay. Be ready to communicate the specific place you want to go to cab drivers and always have a card with your hotel address on it so you can definitely get back after the trip.
    •  If you want to go shopping, tell them the specific mall or market name. This will prevent them ripping you off and taking you around the block a few times as it sounds like you know where you want to go.
    • Work out how much the cab drivers should charge you for the trip, or how much renting a car or bike will cost you. Often, it is a good idea to barter with any of these companies to the proper price set.

Losing inspiration

After the build up of the excitement of getting out and about on holiday, now you are here it is possible you can just burn out and not know what to do with yourself. 

Examples

Holiday won't always be about having a clear mind, without a cloud in the sky. Hiccups can occur just as easily as they do where you spend your home life now.
  • After getting to the place you want to be, the grass may not be greener on this side of the fence. Instead, you may find the culture a bit of a shock and this may cause you some stress. The place may not be as you thought it would be
    • Decided The Leaning Tower of Pisa was the only attraction you wanted to visit, what now? You feel like you have seen it all within your first week of being here. Not to worry, there are ways to get your drive back.
  •  A bad experience makes you see the place in a different light to what you would have preferred. This could be to do with the culture, an experience or a very rude person making you feel like you don't belong.
    • While traveling around New Delhi in India, you are followed by a starving child begging for money on the streets, within the part of the city close to the slums.

Avoidance

Though you may feel like this now, there are ways to develop that passion you felt for the place you are in now before you visited it.
  • If you have already booked a flight to whisk you away next week and now find yourself running out of things to do, buy a travel guide. There are tonnes of these, especially within tourist destinations. What stops you ordering one on the internet if there isn't any place to buy one close. Take a day off exploring and see what you can find to get your motors running again.
  • Though the place you are visiting might not all be what you expected to find, this is what it is all about. You are now less ignorant of a country than you were before and this can inspire you to even help a country or teach others about the problems a place you visited had. This can create a butterfly-effect in terms of inspiring others. Having stories like this to tell make you wiser and grown as a person.

Conclusion

Though it is hard to really get that happy medium on holiday, no matter where you go, it is unlikely that you will find it a perfect experience. Nevertheless, anything you do go through while your away will make the story of your tales even more riveting than what it would have been without them. Just remember to try and nip any problems in the bud as quick as you spot them. You'll have yourself to thank in the end for making the holiday better for yourself and/or the others with you.

References

Levin, J., & Arluke, A. (1985). An exploratory analysis of sex differences in gossip. Sex Roles, 12(3-4), 281-286.

No comments:

Post a Comment

 

Tunes of the Moment!


Need to know more?

The guestbook!

Flag Counter