Travel Tips vol.2: During the Trip

Bonnie and Clyde Urban Tours
20 hours ago
5 min read

If you’re anything like me, it rubs you the wrong way to be called a tourist when you identify more as a traveller. Here are tested Travel Tips for During Your Trip.

In " Travel Tips, Vol.1: Before the Trip" we looked at tried and tested tips to get your travel-ready for some of the best moments of your life.

This article, Travel Tips, Vol. 2: During the Trip, provides helpful ways to experience authentic moments during your trip.

Let the magic of travel begin!

As a traveller, I cringe at the thought of being a tourist; glued to a cellphone screen, depending on apps to suggest where to eat, rushing around, missing the charm, being herded like a sheep on large tours, paying way too much for bad quality food and drinking cheap non-local beer.

Most importantly, I refuse to be part of the mass-tourism wave, which holds no interest in protecting the beauty, resources nor supporting a viable long-term economy for the local population. Non merci!

“To travel is to live” – Hans Christian Anderson

Travellers seek the true experience of a place. We LIVE for incredible fleeting moments which can completely take our breath away. The magic of travelling is in the details, the frame of mind in which we make decisions & key factors that ensure that you are ready for terrific moments to happen to you.

authentic travel tips

vol.2 DURING THE TRIP

1. Buy a good road map

What could be more iconic and authentic than a traveller with an open paper map on the café table or the hood of the car?
Invest in a large road map, made with good quality paper, including as many details as possible. Don't go cheap here. It's worth every penny.
Make sure it includes detailed sections of cities, includes landmarks sites.
When getting directions from locals, pull out that map!
Don’t be precious about it either; take notes, write on it, circle places, draw routes.
Go full co-pilot here & embrace this timeless orientation method; you'll be amazed at how much fun you'll have figuring it all out.

+ EXTRA FUN TIP!

A personal favourite...

When getting directions from someone, instead of listening to the confusing

« Take a left, then a right... » and forgetting everything a second later, take 3 minutes to get them to draw a quick map on a napkin or in your notebook!

2. Leave your phone behind

Let's be honest, this one is a challenge! So be brave. You can do it!
This will come with a healthy dose of initial discomfort. Be kind to your travelling self; acknowledge just how addictive your phone can truthfully be in your life.
Allow your brain and body to relax, to enjoy freedom, to tap into your natural rhythm.
For pictures? Use your awesome film camera to take pictures. (see vol.1)
For orientation? Build confidence using your road map.
Social interactions? If you want to post anything online, designate a time and place. Having no phone glued to your hand will also bring a more friendly vibe with your travel companions & all those around you.
This tip might be the biggest game-changer.

3. Collect keepsakes

Cool little unique things such as coasters, tickets from activities or ferries, museum programs, postcards, activity flyers, matchboxes, bookmarks, business cards, menus, stickers, etc.
Paper keepsakes are an excellent way to keep the info of the place you enjoyed, would like to remember, or may want to recommend to others.

4. Buy a soap

The sense of smell is a deep, direct link into memory.
By the way, that’s why we spend time on our craft beer tours discovering and enjoying the unique aromas of each beer!
Upon arrival, buy a local soap with a scent you like. Put it in your suitcase and let the scent permeate automatically each time you open your bags.
After your trip, keep the soap in a drawer or with your other travel keepsakes or use it to bathe. Each time you smell it again, you'll be transported back to that distinct place & time.

5. Send postcards

You will never, ever regret sending a postcard!
You've collected mailing addresses before you left (as seen in Vol. 1 article).
At the first chance you get to find a post office or even at the airport upon arrival, buy international stamps. Get plenty since they can be hard to come by afterward.
Do not hesitate to buy multiple cards as you travel around; you can not have too many and might end up keeping some just for yourself as souvenirs.
At a café, beach, resto or bar, instead of picking up your phone (tip no.2) write anecdotes to your friends and family as the mood strikes you.
If no words comes to mind, simply write «Greetings from Chania! Love, Your Name».
A letter, big or small, is a shared place between yourself and the reader; a world being shared on paper.

6. Say yes! Then Show up.

Travel Rule #1: Safety first. Always. Then go with the flow.
Accept invitations that spark your interest.
Art exhibition? Live music night? Theatre? Film festival? Special night at a bar? Friendly invitation? Spontaneous hike? Bonfire?
SAY YES.. Then SHOW UP for it.
Embrace the unknown, the things that make you buzz & being delighted by life.
Resist the urge to cancel or say “whatever, next time”. This IS the time. Carpe Diem!
Then... let the magic of travel happen to you.

+ EXTRA TIP

Make yourself under-plan.

Embrace the traveller part of you; the one who is curious, open for adventure, inspired by the local spirit and perhaps bold to ad lib a little.

That being said, make sure to allow adequate time for rest, time slots where "nothing" is the plan, and especially to over-estimate your commutes & how tiring getting around from point A to B can be.

Give yourself breathing room.

7. Follow the music

Find live music gigs on posters around town, cafes, public boards or ask around.
In Greece, if there is a panigiri (summer festival) happening, those are some of the best venues in the country! Wine, food, music, dancing & merry-making.
Not only will you hear live music, which strums the strings of our bodies & souls, you'll also discover a cultural part of the land through its songs and instruments.
It doesn’t get much more authentic than live music, folks.

8. Invest in small group activities & gastronomy tours

We mentioned this tip in vol.1: before your trip as well and it bears repeating!
Make your entertainment budget count: invest in experiences worthy of your coins.
Find eco-friendly tours in small groups exploring the local side & less-travelled paths.
I especially recommend gastronomy tours; food, beer & drink tours!
Speaking from experience on our Craft Beer & Food Tours not only will you meet other international travellers keen on having a great time as well, you’ll also get to taste local delicacies that you might otherwise miss.
You are likely to find guides who are passionate and with the TOP recommendations.

9. Soak it up. Moment by moment.

Take a few nice deep breaths. Relax. Soak it up, just as it is.
Take it all in; the sun, the air, the sounds, the tastes, the aromas, the feeling.
Force yourself to just be here. Remember that you have nowhere else to be.
Embrace getting lost. It's all part of the journey.
Trust that even if you don’t remember the details of each moment, that they are part of your adventure, part of a new you.
S L O W D O W N.