December 8, 2011
You may think that with all the travel I do, which is just about every week of the year, that I am a fearless traveler who treks dauntlessly throughout the world. That’s not always the case. Not at all.
Sometimes I just want to hibernate in my hotel room because there’s discomfort on the other side of the door. I may feel perfectly safe and at home within the walls of my hotel but don’t want to venture out into the streets where the culture is different; the foods are mysterious and the words are not understood.
Yes, hard to believe that I can have these anxious feelings, but I do. Have you ever felt the same?
What I’m not going to let happen though is for this initial anxiousness to ruin a visit to somewhere that I’m sure must be wonderful, or why would I have traveled there?
My tried-and-true ways to squash the unease are these:
- Head out the hotel door and start walking (ask the hotel front desk or concierge about the safety of their hotel vicinity). Once I walk a few blocks and start to enjoy the store fronts, peak at a few restaurant menus and see friendly-looking faces, I already feel 100% better. On my first walk, I usually keep to one or two streets so that I can be confident that I can make my way back to the hotel.
- Make a pact on where I’m going to eat. I’ll say to myself “I’m going to walk two blocks and then eat at the very first restaurant I see after that point.” This has been a wonderful way to try restaurants and foods that I normally would have passed right on by without making such a definitive pact. Oh, I might have my 2nd thoughts at first, but a pact is a pact and this approach at swallowing my fear ball has never let me down – and I’ve enjoyed really wonderful foods. (A pact may need to be broken if the appointed restaurant only serves scorpions and cicadas, as my friend Pat encountered in Beijing since a fundamental rule of mine is NO BUGS!)
- Take a ride on a hop-on, hop-off bus if the city offers such a service to explore its highlights. At first I’ll plan on riding the full circuit without getting off, just to get the lay of the land. Though with 100% certainly, I always jump off at a stop that just looks too good to pass up, even knowing I could come back later. Hop-on, hop-off boats are also great! Here’s a great place to start to see if there’s such a tour where you’ll be visiting.
By now, my anxiousness has turned into excitement and I’m off and running! My pre-arranged plans, talks with the hotel concierge, chats with Twitter or Facebook friends and TripAdvisor recommendations for Things to Do (here’s my list from Singapore) and now I’ve got too much to do in too little time. Fear ball conquered!
What are your tips for moving from A to B (anxiety to bravery)?
To receive a free copy of our ebook, 70 Secrets to Safe Travel — Because Your Life Can Change in a Heartbeat, and for more travel savvy info to help you travel smarter, safer and with more enjoyment, visit SmartWomenTravelers.com and PearlsofTravelWisdom.com. Watch for my new book, Business Travel Success – How to Reduce Stress, Be More Productive and Travel with Confidence, being published by Morgan James in early 2012.
Posted by Carol Margolis under Favorite Cities and Towns, New Travelers, Places to See; Things to Do |
June 15, 2011
One of the greatest pleasures for many travelers is shopping. It’s fun to see the different products that are available in each destination and to compare prices on items that we can also get at home. I also like looking at the names of products. In a store window was “Man’s No Fall More” hair loss prevention product, a name that didn’t translate quite correctly in English.
In Hong Kong, Starbucks coffee was priced much higher than in the U.S., but McDonald’s super value meals were at a really super price compared to home (about $2 US for a Big Mac meal). Cashmere was priced great, while Coach bags were higher. It definitely pays to do the research before buying to see what your visiting country’s specialties are (and have a calculator!).
Some of my Top Travel Shopping Tips are: Read more of this article »
Posted by Carol Margolis under Favorite Cities and Towns, Shopping!, Travel |
April 20, 2011
I have a renewed perspective on my busy travel life after this encounter.
I was at my bank the other day opening an account. The financial services advisor I was working with was asking about my business. She asked about the t-shirt I was wearing. “Is that your business?” she asked, pointing to the logo on my shirt. “Yes,” I replied, “Smart Women Travelers is one of my businesses.”
Then came the barrage of questions: What do you do, where do you travel, and what’s your favorite place?
As I kept answering her questions: I help travelers travel smarter, safer and with more enjoyment; I travel all over the world; the Greek Islands are my favorite place, I could see that my new account was going to take longer than I hoped to get set up.
Then she said the words you may also have heard before: “Wow, you really have the dream job!”
My initial thought was “Are you kidding? – I traveled all or part of 50 weeks last year!”
But I didn’t react out loud. I thought about it while she was busy filling out the endless bank forms.
The downsides can be many. I miss:
Read more of this article »
Posted by Carol Margolis under Favorite Cities and Towns, New Travelers, Random Thoughts, Travel |
March 19, 2011
They’re not your typical type of ‘business travelers.’ They caravan from one city to another with trailers full of art and great hope for big sales. Many of them know each other as they go from one outdoor event to another throughout ‘the season.’
Just who are these business travelers? They are the artists and craftsmen who labor on their creations during the week, then get behind the wheel to bring their one-of-a-kind pieces to us — their buyers and art connoisseurs.
This weekend, all roads fed into the city of Winter Park, Florida for the 52nd Annual Winter Park Art Festival. They come from California, Oregon, North Caroline, Michigan, Wisconsin and numerous other states, all for the opportunity to show, and hopefully sell, their unique and beautiful art for three days.
They sleep in their campers or look for economy hotels. They’re up at Read more of this article »
Posted by Carol Margolis under Favorite Cities and Towns, Places to See; Things to Do, Travel |
March 10, 2011
I attended the New York Times Travel Show on February 26th at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York. While the show was three days long, my travel schedule got me there on day 2 after flying back to the States from Scotland. My daughter Jenn flew in from Chicago to join me.
It was great to listen to presentations by Arthur and Pauline Frommer, Rick Steves, National Geographic TV personality Julia Dimon, friends from TBEX Kim Mance, GoGalavanting.com; Andrew Evans, National Geographic; Robert Reid, Lonely Planet; and Jen Leo, LA Times Web Buzz.
Read more of this article »
Posted by Carol Margolis under Current Affairs, Favorite Cities and Towns, Travel |
October 31, 2010
One of my favorite benefits of business travel is seeing new cities, towns and countries, and experiencing different cultures.
I’m in Scotland for business and today is Halloween. When I arrived here, I wasn’t sure if Halloween is celebrated in the UK or not. Oh yes it is, and for much longer than it’s been celebrated in North America.
A bit of history:
Read more of this article »
Posted by Carol Margolis under Favorite Cities and Towns, Pearls of Travel Fun, Places to See; Things to Do |
August 26, 2010
As I write this, I’m on my way to Sydney, Australia. I left my home in Orlando on Monday, spent four days with a client in Houston and am now in mid-air for the beginning of a 26-hour journey. Nothing crazy about that so far, is there?
What’s crazy is that I’ll be in Read more of this article »
Posted by Carol Margolis under Favorite Cities and Towns, Places to See; Things to Do, Travel |
April 15, 2010
When you’re at the mall and walking by a travel or luggage store, do you leave your shopping mates behind and run in for a peak at the newest travel gadgets? I do! I can’t pass up a luggage store without just taking a quick look. You never know if some new-fangled product came out that’s a must-have!
Even though I have enough luggage to bring along a family of six, there just may be a color or size I don’t have yet, with the perfect interior to fit everything in its place. And laptop totes — my friend Tamara will tell you that we never pass up any store with laptop totes because we’re forever in search of the perfect bag. And there are always new travel doodads to investigate. Travel-size umbrellas keep getting smaller after all, and I’m all about carrying the least amount of weight possible. Oops, I just added a few ounces with my cashmere pashmina, but the extra weight will be so worth it!
If you ever get to Houston, a visit to Luggage and Leather is a must! Bring a luggage-sized credit card when you go! Their stores are amazing- very spacious (unlike the cramped quarters of typical mall luggage stores) and full of laptop totes, gadgets, gift items, travel clothes and of course every kind of luggage. They’re also online at Luggage and Leather.com if you want to let your fingers to the shopping.
I just ‘happened’ to be driving by one of the Luggage and Leather stores this evening and picked up a new Travel Neck Pillow. This will be perfect for my long journey to Hong Kong (did I tell you I’ll be back in Coach?). I’ve tried the u-shaped pillows, the blow-up pillows and no pillow – not really liking any of these solutions. The Travel Neck Pillow made by Anywhere Comfort is memory foam that will mold to my neck. And it rolls up to a fraction of its size so it’ll easily go in my carry-on bag. I’ll post a review of this item on Smart Women Travelers after this weekend’s journey.
Most non-travelers could never relate to a fixation with travel products and the quick veer into a luggage store. How many times have you been asked “just how much luggage do you have?” Travel goods go into the same list of favorite shopping items along with shoes, clothes, jewelry and wine (wow, that’s quite a list!).
Post a note in the Smart Women Travelers community and share your stories of clandestine luggage store visits, stockpiling of bags and collections of travel gear.
Posted by Carol Margolis under Favorite Cities and Towns, Shopping! |
November 29, 2009
How many of us have tourist attractions right near where we live that we almost never go to? I live in between Disney World and Daytona Beach and rarely get to either. When I lived in Chicago, I stayed in suburbia and seldom ventured down to State Street or Michigan Avenue. Granted, I am only home one to two weekends per month, so I usually do not want to venture anywhere away from my beloved home. But it is really nice to spend the day as a tourist in one's own hometown once in awhile.
St. Augustine was my touristy experience this weekend. It's about a 90-mile drive from my home, and it was a sunny, beautiful day to drive north on I-95. My daughter, Jenn, was in town from Chicago and her girlfriend Rachel joined us.
St. Augustine is the oldest U.S. city, first sighted by Spanish explorer nter Don Juan Ponce de Leon on Easter, March 27, 1513. He claimed the land for Spain and named it La Florida, meaning "Land of Flowers". The oldest wooden schoolhouse in the U.S. is here, built over 200 years ago.
The schoolhouse is on St. George Street, which is also the main shopping avenue of St. Augustine. Our goal was to get our Christmas shopping started and we found some great things in the unique shops along St. George Street and the surrounding area. Music was playing from various restaurant decks, and there was a festive feeling in the air.
Lunch was a special event at Columbia Restaurant. A pitcher of Sangria and fantastic 1905 salads were enjoyed at this Florida tradition (their restaurant in Ybor City near Tampa was founded in 1905).
All in all, it was a great day in Florida. Tourist attractions, great lunch, wonderful Sangria, shopping and time with my daughter … what more could I ask for?
Rachel, Jenn and I
Posted by Carol Margolis under Favorite Cities and Towns, Pearls of Travel Fun, Places to See; Things to Do, Shopping! |
