Traveling with Less Fatigue
Traveling is fun but it can also be draining. I spent most of the year exploring the Europe during my Spring, Summer, and Fall tours and as a result I have several ideas to share. Most of these are common sense but given common sense isn’t always common, it’s a good idea to state all I have in mind.
1. Use Noise Cancelling Headphones
I bought my first pair almost a decade ago. I paid around 350 euros for Bose QC-15s (I still have them) but I would say I got the investment back many times over in terms of productivity. Since then noise cancellation has become mainstream and you can pick a good pair far cheaper than that.
Bose tends to provide good cancellation while sacrificing some sound quality. As a result, I’ve settled with a pair of Sennheiser Momentum M2’s. These wireless headphones have decent sound while they are also wireless. You have to charge them with a cable (Micro USB, I replaced the default cable with Micro USB to USB-C one) and give around eight to ten hours of playback.
Before buying a pair blind, go listen them. Find something with a good fit as it’s a long term investment. Warning: once you get used to wireless headphones, it’s difficult to go back to wireless ones.
2. Eat Bubble Gum on a Plane
It’s a good idea to have some bubble gum with you as you go to a plane. It helps with the ears (pressure thing). You can also offer some to your neighbours to make friends.
3. Drink Well
By this I mean, stay hydrated. Especially during longer trips, it’s easy to become dehydrated. The old army trick is to look into the color of your output. If it’s close to clear, you are fine. The darker it gets, the more dehydrated you are.
4. Move Regularly
Instead of sitting many hours straight, it can be a good idea to stretch a bit every once in a while. Checking out the restaurant car can be worthwhile during a long train trip for instance.
5. Buy a Day or a Week Ticket
Once you arrive to your destination, you still have some stress left. You have to make it to the accommodation and get organised. I’ve found it’s a good idea to purchase a day or a week ticket depending on the duration of the stay. Doing this removes the stress related running after tickets. Time is valuable.
6. Download Offline Maps to Your Mobile Beforehand
Given a mobile phone might fail to work or it would be too expensive to use, make sure you download the map of the target area to your map application beforehand. This will save some trouble later on.
7. Download Tickets to Your Mobile Beforehand
The same goes for any tickets you might have. It’s easier to deal with planes, trains, hotels, whatnot when you have everything ready.
8. Buy Prepaid SIM When You Arrive
Given I own a phone that accepts two SIM cards at once, I’ve found it’s easy to save money by purchasing a prepaid SIM from the destination and then using it for data alone. Another option would be to have two phones but then you have more devices to worry about.
9. Keep Your Devices Charged
Nothing is more annoying than running out of power when you are tired and lost. Because that’s exactly when this is going to happen. So stay charged.
10. Carry a Power Bank with You
Given the worst can happen and you can still run out of power, carry a power bank with you. This way you have an emergency charge. You have to remember to keep the power bank charged for this plan to work.
11. Plan Ahead
There’s a saying that goes “fail to plan, plan to fail”. It’s good to have some idea of the target destination and what’s going on. You don’t have to plan everything by the minute. But be aware of the local customs, currency, possible limitations, and possible opportunities (events).
12. Have Slack in Schedule
Given travel tends to get to you eventually, having some slack in the schedule is almost necessary. Having entire free days without anything planned allow you to catch up with the real world or explore the destination. Going to a far-away place without exploring is sad.
13. Learn to Pack Efficiently
This is something I’m still learning but I’ve found staying organised with your luggage and handling it well helps. Everything fits better and your clothes look better when you do this right. You can roll shirts or develop some other tactics. Also consider what goes where and how as it’s not fun to break liquid over your clothes.
14. Invest Into Good Travel Equipment
Traveling with a small backpack that just about fits everything you need tends to get frustrating over the time. Once I understood this and invested into a good one, everything became simpler. I won’t run out of space anymore and I can do short trips without any additional luggage.
In general, you should invest the most into the things you use the most. The same goes for shoes, hats, whatnot. I did the same with my other apparel and I haven’t regretted this at all as the investment keeps paying back in terms of comfort.
15. Get to Know Local People
You get more out of the experience if you at least try to be friendly. I’ve made lots of subway/tram friends simply with a “hello” or some observation. At least the trip will be a lot faster over when you find a common topic and you may learn something in the process.
I once picked up some photography ideas from a Czech person despite the fact that he didn’t speak English well. You’ll find your ways to communicate if you try. In the worst case you get ignored. At least you tried.
Conclusion
Travel can be fun and it’s even more fun when you keep some ground rules in mind. At least for me, it gets easier the more I travel. It’s still draining in its own way but it can also be rewarding. You can decrease the amount of fatigue and I’m sure there are ways beyond the list. Let me know of your favourite tricks in the comments.
