A complete travelers guide in 4 minutes. To plan your journey, just ask yourself
ten questions:
Where to go, what to see?
How to travel, what to do?
What to spend, how to prepare,
What to take, what to dare?
What to avoid and what to share?
1. Where is first with myriad choices:
Iguazu, Niagara, Victoria Falls,
Taj Mahal, Angkor Wat, Reykjavik,
Normandy, Johannesburg, Tetons,
Arches,
Yellowstone, Everest, Machu
Picchu, Mumbai,
Tuscany, Barcelona, Antarctica,
Alaska,
Egypt, Denali, Petra, Amazon,
Kilimanjaro, Korea, Rapa Nui…or
Mars!
2. Then plan what to see:
Rijksmuseum, Hermitage, Louvre,
Van Gogh,
Fjords, Tulips, Christmas
Markets, Castles,
Terra-cotta Warriors, Windsor,
Versailles,
Forbidden City, Parliament,
Kremlin, Pushkin, DC,
Neuschwanstein, Stonehenge,
Thingvellir, Bayeaux,
Serengeti, Yosemite, Pyramids,
Notre Dame, St. Peters Cathedral,
Sydney Opera House, Cable cars,
Gardens—Tivoli, Kew, Butchart,
Moai, Aurora, Eclipse, Calving
glaciers, catacombs, hippos,
Tigers, Monkeys, sloths,
amusement parks.
3. So how to travel?
Boat, Air, Drive, Walk, roller
skate,
Bicycle, Crawl, Scooter, bus,
Uber, Lyft, taxi, shuttle,
Coach, Limo, Raft, Climb.
Helicopter, Train, Gondola,
Double-decker sightseer,
Dog sled, Camel, Llama, Ski,
Snowshoes,
Snowmobile, parasail,
ultra-light…hmm.
4. What to do?
Backpack, Bungie jump, bicycle,
surf,
Symphony, Opera, musical play,
Ski, swim, scuba, snorkel, Mai
tai and marguerita,
Parasail, parachute, camel ride,
roller coaster,
Snorkel, kayak, walk, spelunk,
Fish, birdwatch, hunt, golf
Tennis, soccer, photograph,
zipline.
5. What to spend?
Pesos, Pounds, Euro, Dollars,
Stirling, Dirham, Franc, Kroner,
Rupee, Won, Yuan, Shilling,
Yen, Rand, Ruble, Lira,
or what about AmEx, MasterCard
and Visa?
6. How to prepare?
Maps, GPS, Brochures,
Ask Siri, Travel agent, word of
mouth,
Consult schedules, books, guides,
search engines,
Research passports, visas,
bookings, transfers.
7. What to take?
Layers—warm and cold, boots,
sandals,
Backpack, suitcase, carry-on,
camera, selfie-stick, binoculars,
socks, shirts—long and short
sleeve,
Pants—long, short and dress,
sweater, fleece, coat, ties, cuff
links,
underwear, glasses,
prescriptions,
medicines, walking stick,
compass,
cell phone, maps, passport, visa…
And, oh…pack light!
8. What to dare?
Will I bungie, will I jump?
Will I scuba, will I ski?
Will I crawl through caves?
Will I climb the highest peak?
Dare I take the taxicab with the
mad driver?
And just how safe is parasail?
Will my wings hold when I base
jump?
When I climb free solo, will I
fall?
9. What to avoid?
Mosquitos, Scorpions, too much
sun,
Flesh eating spiders, poisonous
frogs and snakes
Lost luggage, missed connections,
Delayed flights, mechanical
breakdowns,
Bumped reservations, pickpockets,
thieves,
Fleabag motels, typhoid, cholera
and malaria.
10. What to share?
Not much…and certainly not
pictures…you’ll lose friends fast.
After all, just thinking about
all this has made me too tired to go at all!
