Having a mother from the far Eastern side of Asia, a father from the middle Eastern side of Asia, and growing up on the West of Africa means I've been travelling left and right since I was in my mother's womb. My first flight was when I was 45 days, and flash forward two centuries later, I've lived in five countries in the past six years...and I'm about to move to my sixth in a few weeks. Up until I was 15, my Mom would always be in charge of the travel arrangements, as well as packing. I grew up observing the process, and when I started to travel on my own, I learnt a few tricks which have helped make my process of moving around really easy and stress-free.
1. Be very curious
Some people like to be spontaneous on their trips and just go with the flow but I prefer to do a lot of research and learn as much as I can, so that I can plan ahead -- down to the smallest details like know what kind of charging adaptors should I bring? What SIM card should I purchase upon arrival? What's a typical taxi rate from the airport to the city center? My trips are always planned a good number of weeks in advance, and that gives me ample time to read and even take down a few important notes in a travel diary. Of course, when you get to your destination, you can always ask the information desks at the airport, your hotel, or your taxi driver - that's fine. When I was younger, my parents would always rely on asking the locals every step of the way, but today... a lot of information is already on the internet, though not always accurate, but a lot of very helpful tips from travellers, and bloggers are out there (sometimes even videos!) so I like to take advantage of that. And besides, all the reading you do before your trip only adds to your knowledge; you have nothing to lose!
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| Photo of how I planned a self-guided tour for my family, when we went to Paris in 2015 |
2. Find/connect with locals
One thing I feel very lucky for, being a Bahá'i, is that anywhere and everywhere in the world I go, I am always able to find Bahá'i friends, and we immediately feel like family! First time this happened to me was when I was moving to Sheffield - a friend connected me with her friend in Manchester, then the latter introduced me to a family in Sheffield and that's how I met the whole community there. They became my first friends (I met them the very day I arrived) and they were so happy to show me where to find the Oriental stores, which bank to open an account in and how to book a cab with my phone!
I've been in Manila for two years now, and I've welcomed a big number of Bahá'is (from Canada, Australia, the USA) who have come here for a visit, because friends of friends connect us. I know that not everyone has a "circle of friends" or a community they can relate to, or feel they can connect with. That's when you can try asking out on Facebook "Does anyone know anyone in xxx?"And you'll be surprised to see how helpful mutual friends can be. Locals are always able to give you so much more than any tour package or travel blog can. You might not also have the time to meet these friend physically or they might not have the time to take you around personally, but having them one call or one chat away really does help you make the most out of your visit.
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| On the first week of University in Sheffield, I joined the Persian and Filipino student societies. The first group took me out to the best Persian restaurants in town and the second group invited me to their homes where they cooked Pinoy dishes, so I never had to miss my mom's cooking! |
3. Pack light
I've lived out of two pink suitcases (one for 30kg check-in, and one for 7kg carry-on) for the past six years now. It holds majority of the dresses and shoes that I own, as well as a few important documents. I often leave a few things at home (in Nigeria or in the Philippines) and always try my best to pack light because over the years, I've found myself buying new things from the places I've travelled to, which I want to take back (either for myself or for others), so I always need to leave a little room for that. If there's one virtue that travelling has taught me to learn to master - it's detachment. When I was preparing to leave England and India, I was overload by a lot! So in Sheffield I found a group who buys second hand items (clothes/shoes) and they pay you based on the weight of the items! This was nice, because I was able to use the extra cash to purchase a few new things and replace the ones that I let go. Two months before I left India, my students and I visited an orphanage, and that's where I gave away my old things to make space for the new dresses I had bought there.
Also, go back to the first tip - do some research. It's important to check the weather forecast of where you're headed to. That way, you'll know the right kind of clothes to bring (light or thick). You should also find out what amenities are available at your hotel - is there laundry service? If not, does your room have a balcony (so you could wash your clothes in the bathroom, then hang them out to dry... that way, you don't have to bring too many clothes because you can re-use the few you bring).
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| Photo from when I was departing Lucknow, India in 2016 |
How about toiletries? I know some people are picky about the brands that they use, and sometimes you're not sure if they're available in the place you're travelling to, so you have no choice but to bring bottles of what you need. In my case, I'm not picky. If I'm gone for a year, I pack what's good enough for the first month (I usually bring a few sachets of shampoo and then transfer my creams to little travel/refillable plastic bottles), then buy from local stores when I run out. If I'm out on a short trip, I tend to rely on hotel toiletries. A lot of booking websites/hotels and even AirBnBs indicate whether or not free toiletries are available, so make sure to check.
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| my travel zip pouch for liquids |
4. Be nice to the flight staff
A lot of people are able to get away with overweight luggages because they think they were "lucky" with the ground staff (ie. the staff was in a good mood). Sometimes, you need to create that luck...simply by being friendly. This is something I grew up seeing my Dad do; he'd always start conversations with the ground staff and flight attendants, always cracking cheesy jokes and making them laugh (men and women alike!) On every single international flight he boards, he asks the flight attendants questions like where are you from? And if he knows someone, or has been to where they're from, he has stories to tell. That's really just his personality, but from observing him all these years, I noticed that he always ends up having a great flight, because he's comfortable to ask for favors you might not even know you can ask for! For example - he gets them to check if there's any available/empty three-seater (middle row) so that he can transfer to and lie down and sleep during the flight. They check, and when they find, the reserve it for him! Sometimes he asks for a tablet of Panadol if he has a headache, and even a free business class travel kit (when he flies economy.) Another thing you probably didn't know you could do is visit the cockpit! He's been making this possible for my brother and I since we were very young.
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| on a local flight in Iran, 2016 |
5. Safety
There are so many things I can say about how to stay safe in a new place you're traveling to or moving to - most of which I know everyone already knows, for example - don't go out alone at night, keep your purse or backpack in front of you, keep your important things in a smaller bag/pouch inside your handbag/bag etc. But here's one tip that has helped me walk the streets of Sheffield alone at night, ride jeepneys in Manila at 3 am, go shopping in open markets alone in Lucknow. That trick is to walk strong and confident. If you're lost, never make it obvious. If you need to take out your map, do it somewhere quiet. If you need to ask someone for help/directions, don't talk in a loud voice, so that others wouldn't know that you're lost. If you're with your friends and you're deciding which way is the right way, don't point here and there so openly; try and do it as quietly as possible. Even if you are feeling scared or worried, try your very best not to look it, so that even though you look foreign (because of your skin), you could easily be taken for a local because of the way you walk and the confidence you exude. The best way to really avoid getting lost, is to double check your maps (paper maps and digital maps) and ask someone you trust (don't be shy to ask them to repeat things more than once!) before heading out.
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| DO NOT TRY to pose in the middle of a chaotic round-about in Lucknow |
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