I am VERY lucky to have so very many amazing cousins and aunts and uncles looking out for me and my travels. They are built-in tour guides, hoteliers, and all around wonderful hosts.
Additionally, sometimes I can invite myself along on their family vacations (and sometimes not) and as my aunts & uncles get older, I get more sensitive to their needs and try to stay away from being the annoying guest.
When they are in the US, I work hard to be the good host, too.
Here's my basic guide:
1. Be pleasant and enthusiastic. ALWAYS.
Granted, there will be moments of being tired on the road. But unless you are injured or clinically depressed, try to be on your best behavior at all times. (And if you are injured or clinically depressed, you need to work harder at this)
Your family might cut you some slack, but when you are dealing with strangers at a hotel-it helps to be extra nice to them and request as little as possible.
2. Do your homework about any of your technology.
Before you leave, find out what plugs you need for your devices. Do you also need a voltage converter? (110V in the US vs 240V in Europe). Recent laptops & phones have built in converters, but you might want to have one, just in case. Are you sure you have the correctly shaped plug for where you are going? Call ahead and try to get a picture of what a plug looks like. I did this with my cousin and he laughed at the plug I had purchased. He Facebook Messaged me a bunch of pictures of the plugs that he uses.
FYI: This is the plug for Santa Maria & the Azores.
Additionally, sometimes I can invite myself along on their family vacations (and sometimes not) and as my aunts & uncles get older, I get more sensitive to their needs and try to stay away from being the annoying guest.
When they are in the US, I work hard to be the good host, too.
Here's my basic guide:
1. Be pleasant and enthusiastic. ALWAYS.
Granted, there will be moments of being tired on the road. But unless you are injured or clinically depressed, try to be on your best behavior at all times. (And if you are injured or clinically depressed, you need to work harder at this)
Your family might cut you some slack, but when you are dealing with strangers at a hotel-it helps to be extra nice to them and request as little as possible.
2. Do your homework about any of your technology.
Before you leave, find out what plugs you need for your devices. Do you also need a voltage converter? (110V in the US vs 240V in Europe). Recent laptops & phones have built in converters, but you might want to have one, just in case. Are you sure you have the correctly shaped plug for where you are going? Call ahead and try to get a picture of what a plug looks like. I did this with my cousin and he laughed at the plug I had purchased. He Facebook Messaged me a bunch of pictures of the plugs that he uses.
FYI: This is the plug for Santa Maria & the Azores.
3. Find out what your carrier charges for international calls & data.
Sometimes there are ways around surprise fees. My Sprint carrier charges $4.99 for an international plan and calls are $.99 a minute. Texts are $.50, but I use Whatsapp, which allows free international texting. The Sprint people showed me the steps to turn off "Data Roaming" (complex!) so I won't be charged. Wifi will be a godsend, but it's not just a matter of keeping it on "Airplane Mode" the whole time.
4. Pack extra things you really need. Especially in your carry on.
Pack like you will be stuck on a desert island. Or worse, an airport whose shops are closed.
Afraid to be stuck without aspirin? Your favorite sunscreen, SPF 70? Do you get hangry? Toss in an extra set on undies & your toothbrush. Maybe one of those wrinkle-proof shirts/dresses.
This is great if your luggage gets lost, your flight is delayed or you are just looney after a long trip. Better than having to dig through all of your bags to find your essentials.
5. Pack a smaller day bag. And something that even Ryanair would let you fly with.
Even if you don't know all your smaller trips in advance, you'll want to have ways to carry your stuff without lugging everything around. Also remember that you'll be buying stuff, so that you should bring stuff that you can leave. Presents for cousins or books; I have a friend who brings old clothes on her trips & gives them to any homeless people.
Also the cheap airlines charge extra for suitcases. Like Ryanair, which is going to get me from Santa Maria to Lisbon for $90 roundtrip. Easyjet is another great airline that services the Azores, but they just revealed that nobody at the company knows what Portugal looks like.
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