New Year Travel Thoughts

One more day, then 2011 makes its appearance with some fireworks and pockets of revelry. Because that’s how a new year starts among men in civilized societies. For tribesmen out in the desert or in the dense jungles, who knows? They don’t have calendars to mark the passing of the months, just the solar solstice and the more frequent waning of the moon.

Travelers of yore look to the stars for guidance, like the magis who were led to the Babe in the poorest area of the obscure town named Bethlehem. Wondrous are the things we find at the destinations we have chosen; surprising are the events we will be in. Taking on a new culture and being with people who don’t speak our language can be disconcerting. That’s why there are places too exotic for tourism to penetrate. Nonetheless, we are somehow impoverished for not having been given the chance to visit these places.

There are places too that are only for the brave and the daring, for the curious and the visionary. Like lashing through the lush vegetations of the Amazon, in search of new discoveries in the field of science, in general, and pharmacology, in particular. Like paddling the surging waters of the Congo or trekking the high altitude pathways of the Andes. Like scrounging the bottom of the Great Barrier Reef for marine realities far beyond our imagination or sifting the undulating sands of the Tigris-Euphrates Valley for archeological treasures the must be made manifest for mankind’s better understanding of the phenomenon of Man.

But for most of us who are travelers only to known destinations, it is still best to keep stock of what we should look out for when on the road. One of the most important consideration is being “stress free” throughout most of your travel. Noted travel writer Peter Moore shares: “If you are having a good time – stay. If you meet someone you fancy and who fancies you – stay. If you are too buggered to move – stay. If the police are closing in on you – go.” Rushing from one place to another in order to complete the vacation is downright ludicrous. You will arrive back home more pooped out than when you started.

Second consideration is that any place is a good place. You choose which destination is best for you, in terms of budgetary constraints, in terms of travel time involved, in terms of hassles connected to getting into the country. Tasmania, for instance, will never be a favorite destination to most people because it takes so many trip connections to get there, with long airport waits along the way. Plus, the need of an Australian visa (costs and time to apply). Hence, to go to Tasmania must be a dream come true to the traveler; otherwise, forget it! You can always take the Southeast Asian cruise and arrive in style.

Plan well ahead so that you can avail of special fares. Enroll in mileage programs so that those flying miles can be converted into free flights. And travel in the right season. For me, I love the bracing cold of early spring – my favorite time of year in the temperate zone. Winter can be brutal, like what’s happening this year; autumn although colorfully enchanting is a busy time for me at home. Summer is out of the question. Aside from high season fare, it would be too hot. Why go to the west to be as hot as I am at home all the time?

So, third consideration is to travel in the off season and buy the ticket well ahead of time. I bought my Cathay Pacific Cebu-New York-Cebu at the start of December, when a good offer was emailed to me. I have a reunion to attend in the Big Apple on March 26, so I got me a ticket on March 15 (there are always time limitations to specials, so give yourself time to think over your options).

Fourth consideration, be sure about your budget for the whole trip. Set limits to shopping and basic spending. Bring cash for only as much as it may take to dine in out of the way taverns or flea market opportunities.

Lastly, check that attitude. Have a more tolerant outlook once you set out of your front door and into the airplane cabin. I know it is better said than done, but I have proven this to myself, how flexibility can make or break your journey. If there is a delay in the flight, do something useful – draft a poem, start an article, read a book, make friends with fellow passengers. If you can’t get a ticket to that Broadway show, spend time instead at the Metropolitan Museum. When schedules are beyond patching, skype or call by phone. Now, we have come full circle in our list. We now go back to rule #1 – being stress free. That’s all there is to it!

May 2011 bring in better times for all of us. Celebrate the New Year safely. I will be in the midst of the revelry in Singapore with my children and grandchildren. Traveling is after all beyond seasons…but it is always personally significant.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!