On Valentines Day I leave for a big trip. I travel a long way, to a place I’ve never been before. I’m excited and find myself breaking out in an occasional smile, but I also have a huge case of travel jitters. I called to confirm my flight reservations and had so many questions the customer service representative finally interrupted me and said, “Everything is set, you are all set, everything is going to be fine!” I paused, took a breath and said, “Yeah? OK then, thank you, thank you very much, ok then, bye bye and thank you.” I heard the click on the other end long before the last thank you. I'm sure all will be well and I will return with many happy memories but right now I'm a bag of nerves.
I have learned a few things along the way and enough cannot be said about the following wise travel tips. #1 Travel lightly, keep your important paperwork in one place and keep it in your bag, not on the seat next to you. You will look and feel like the biggest idiot EVER while your begging an airline official to allow you back on the plane to get your passport and ticket. You will not be allowed back on the plane, you will not make your international connection you will pay a fat fine for missing your flight, you will feel like an ass. #2 Travel lightly, but always carry two bags unless you only have a carry on. In your second bag, which should be a carry on, pack extra underwear, pair of pants a shirt, toothbrush, and toothpaste. The delight of having fresh underwear and the ability to brush your teeth is beyond measure. The fact that all personal hygiene products are in Cambodia while your on the third day of a romantic six day holiday in Spain, is not seductive or romantic. #3 The teachers who invented Airborne are saints and should be canonized immediately. Arriving for a Summer Holiday in the French countryside sick as a dog, and spending the entire vacation in bed recuperating just in time to catch a flight home, does not rate as a vacation in my mind #4 Before you get to the airport weigh your suitcase or have your credit card handy. The fees for an overweight bag are astronomical. You will be angry, you will be upset, you will yell. Trust me, this will not help you. Weighing your suitcase before you get to the airport, that will help you. #5 " Ridiculous! That adult woman has a pink and purple Hello Kitty suitcase." Yes folks everyone can see that suitcase and that happy lady left 35 minutes ago. In the meantime you and everyone else on the plane are watching 135 identical black suitcases sweep past one by one. An hour in a half later you still have no idea which one is yours. She's not so ridiculous any more, is she? Last but not least, #6 if told not to drink the water or eat from the local stands and you do and find your new best friend is a porcelain bowl…. I'll I can say is that's a fast learning curve, unless you have serious cognitive disability, no matter how good it smells or how thirsty you are you will never be so bold again.
Travels are meant to be joyful. Have fun, be a beacon of peace and let your love light shine!
Jai Bhagwan Baby.
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