Haggling

When it comes to haggling, there is a certain mindset to have. I am a rather easygoing guy. I'm not very aggressive or assertive, at least not typically while shopping, but that has to change when you experience markets like those in third world countries.

The currency conversion cheat sheet becomes critical here, so bring that along to the market.

You should bear in mind that whatever prices they have listed could be jacked up a lot. Even being conservative about it, you can consider that you should be able to bargain and haggle the price to less than half of the price they give at first.

Remember that you can just walk away from any item. No matter how pushy they seem, (unless it turns into a kidnapping) you can simply walk away if the prices are too high for comfort. Don't feel guilty. Just walk away. I personally like to be sarcastic in it, and laugh at their prices when they're too high (any price they give me, really).

Usually, the more pushy the shopkeepers, the more opportunity to barter.

If anyone tries to force something on you, like putting a bracelet on your wrist, don't let them do it! If it's on you, there's a good chance that they won't take it back and you'll have to buy it.

I'd really appreciate feedback on this one from those who have done haggling before. I know that I'm not nearly as good at it as others, for the reasons listed in the first paragraph, so any extra input would be wonderful.

Tours In Europe

When visiting a new city, you want to get a tour of it. Even if you're seeing the most famous works of art in the world, you may not know the history and context that gives that art such greatness. So you always, always, want to get a tour if you can. Especially for museums.

My favorite tour that I've been on was a walking tour through the Vatican in Rome, and it wasn't just because we had the most attractive tour guide possible. We were given context and understanding and stories for everything we saw. Da Vinci, Michelangelo, various popes, and all those cool cats had real lives and we were able to learn both their significance and the significance of their art both to them and the world they lived in.

Most major cities offer "free" walking tours. If you're traveling on a budget, these are ideal, 'cause as they will tell you, you give as much as you think the tour is worth. If you know your history pretty well, a lot of the tour may not be worth much. I, for one, found that the free walking tour in London wasn't all that impressive, but the one in Paris was great.

I also went on an inexpensive walking tour in Brussels, Belgium, which was my favorite tour on my last trip to Europe. Since we were a group of students, we paid about as much as we would have tipped on a free tour anyway, and the tour was fantastic, taking us all around the city and telling us not only the history of politics and such, but also of the beer, chocolate, and waffles that the city is so known for.

Take a tour, 'cause there's a good chance that you can cheat a city out of what it's due by being ignorant of what's standing in front of you.

Street Vendors

In some tourist places in any part of the world, people will come up to you showing you the products they are trying to sell. And they will talk to you, to your face, as you walk by. Ignore them. And don't feel impolite for doing so either, 'cause they are often being impolite with how pushy they are as they try to get you to buy their stuff. Even if you are interested in what they have to sell, do not show interest, and always be willing to walk away if their prices are too high. They need your business more than you need theirs.

Street Performers vs Beggars

When you walk the streets of any big city, you can run low on money quickly without buying anything. That's because there are beggars and street performers around. And the difference between those two categories is huge.

You hear music as you walk around a corner, and you are intrigued because someone is actually trying to make a meager living by playing music on a street corner. Or maybe there are a few guys breakdancing, or on a unicycle, or any other number of strange things. These are the people you should give money to. Don't give a lot, unless you are a huge fan or have plenty to spend, 'cause it's easy to give too much for your budget to handle, but try to keep small coins in a pocket handy to give to street performers.

However, when you see someone sitting down with a cardboard sign that tells you to give them money, remember what the performers did, and what this beggar is not doing. Anything. The beggar does nothing besides ask for money. The least they could do is dance a little jig, or attempt at singing, or anything, but instead they do nothing. These, in my opinion, do not deserve your coin. Don't feel pressured by them either if they sound pushy, 'cause really, they are asking for you to give something in return for not even trying to do something.

Join In The Fun

Along the note of the last post, you should also remember to join in when you see something fun going down. If a bunch of Spanish people are dancing and cavorting in the Grand Place in Brussels, Belgium, because their team just won a game in the Euro Cup, start dancing with them and try to sing along with their chants.

If you see street performers playing music, dance as you walk by, and sing along if you know the music. It's a good way to meet people (or at least for people to meet you). Every performer likes to have someone appreciate their work, and even if you don't actually like their music, you can still join in because it's fun.

Exhaust Yourself

This applies more to short-term trips than to long-term, but is still very applicable to both. Anytime there is a chance to go out and see something extra, something optional, and your aren't vomitingly or diarrheaingly sick, go do it. You might be jet-lagged. You might be tired of people already. But that isn't important.

You need to go out and see and do as much as you can. You can sleep later. Right now, you're in a new state, country, or continent! Yes, you will probably have to crash much harder later, and you might be tired for the stuff you're actually required to do, but taste and see as much as you can, 'cause you may never have a chance to see it again. Exhaust yourself so you can see and enjoy as much as possible.

Do Your Homework

Before visiting any country, look them up on Wikipedia. It helps a lot if you are supposed to be preparing something for the trip (i.e. a sermon) and you'd rather procrastinate. If you are going to some wild part of Africa, look up poisonous creatures to watch out for. If you're going to Europe, look up history (there's a lot wherever you go) in the region you're visiting. The more you dig, the more you know, the more prepared you'll be when you arrive.

The arrival is always the least sure, especially if you aren't traveling with a seasoned group of travelers. Just looking at Google Maps and checking online about subways and trains, and your hostel/hotel's location within a town can save you a lot of stress. You don't have to memorize it all, but having looked at it will help you have an idea of where you're going. Also, iPhones can take pictures of Google Maps. And of directions with Google Maps. In fact, pictures of your hostel's website saved to your phone is a good idea, along with tours and such.

Also look up phrases in the native language. This is important for countries with languages other than your own, but even for countries that speak the same language, there are always differences (British word for pants is trousers 'cause "pants" refers to undergarments). Hand gestures are also good to know, since the "peace sign" backwards is the British equivalent to giving the finger, and I, for one, had several occasions of counting to two offensively while in Ireland.

Feel The Place You Visit

Do your new world a respect by learning it. Get lost in the confusing streets of Venice (but don't try that in Rome or you'll get robbed), or sit in the Starbucks at Victoria Square in Belfast, but above all, go out. Don't stay in your room when there are things to see, smell, feel, taste, and hear outside. Play with the local children, or write poetry while people-watching, or make conversation with fellow travelers.

One thing you should avoid doing, though it often cannot be helped, is just checking off a list of landmarks you have to see. Eiffel Tower? Check. Done. Picture taken. Move on. NO! Appreciate the place! Go to the famous landmarks, get your pictures, but breathe too. Don't just be somewhere. Feel it.

Because after the trip, when you are back at home and your friends ask "How was _____", you don't simply want to report your list of landmarks. You had that list before you left. What did you bring back?

Record What You See

This is more of a personal philosophy, but I still believe it to be true. Whenever you are gifted with the opportunity to travel, you have the privilege of sharing that experience with the world. Whether through taking pictures, video, writing blogs, or something else, always share what you've experienced. This is especially true when you do missions work, because odds are that the reason you had the opportunity to travel is because someone or many someones paid for your trip.

It's always just that one more thing to add to what you have to do at the end of the trip, or the end of the day during the trip, but it's incredibly worthwhile. Even if you just write a little bit, or post a few pictures online, it not only helps people back home know what you're experiencing, it also helps you process it, and give a lil' extra thought to it rather than collapsing after a tiring day (or partying on through the night).

Memories can be fickle. It may be "an experience you'll remember for the rest of your life", but really, you probably won't end up remembering much more than a feeling and a few images in your head unless you record something of what happened.

Cheat Sheets For Other Currencies

When going shopping in a country with a currency different from your own, it can be really difficult to keep it straight in your head how much you're spending. It's really easy to lose track if you're just getting used to a new currency. You can use an app on your phone or iPod to punch in the numbers, but that can get really annoying. Instead, I make a simple cheat sheet. It's easy, 'cause you can just pull out a lil' slip of notebook paper that has conversions for you, so you can make rough approximations.

Let's take the American dollar and the euro for example. As of today (August 9, 2012), 1 euro = about $1.23. So I would convert it for multiple dollar amounts like so:

1 euro            $1.23
3 euros          $3.68
5 euros          $6.14
10 euros        $12.28
15 euros        $18.42
20 euros        $24.56

You can get away with just converting with whatever converter, but if you want to play it really safe, you can find out what exchange rate you got when you exchanged your money, and that will naturally be the most accurate.

Use Bicycles

In Paris, they have these pay-as-you-go bicycle rack things. They're everywhere in the city, and when you borrow from one bike rack, you can return to the bike to any other bike rack you might come across. Our tour guide recommended them to us, and it made me wish we hadn't bought metro tickets. They're on a timer thing, so you pay for however long you use them, be that an hour or eighteen hours, but they aren't super pricey, especially if you're returning them to a bike rack as soon as you're done with them. If you aren't having to lug suitcases around, make use of the bikes.

How To Not Get Fondled

This one is for the ladies. Of the three times I’ve traveled to Europe with a team from my university, two of those times have involved the ladies of our trip being on a very crowded bus or subway and some guy fondling their butts and pushing his erection at them. The biggest problem was apparently that the young ladies could not get over the shock that it was happening to them, and that they did not know how to stop it once it had started.

If ever there was a time to be passive aggressive, it is not at that time. This is when you need to forget being in such a delicate and reformed culture and summon your inner-American; otherwise, you’ll be a victim. Don’t take that crap from that stranger. No matter how crowded it is, you need to yell and cause a scene, and make sure that that person knows that people are watching.

Remember that people may try to fondle you and touch you inappropriately, and remember that there is something you can do about it.

How To Not Get Robbed

When traveling anywhere, I have a general rule that has kept my stuff from being stolen. If it’s hard for you to reach it, it’s hard for anyone else to reach it. Granted, it could just be coincidence that no one has attempted to steal from me, but my friends have been robbed enough that I think I can give this advice with confidence.

I wear skinny jeans, or shorts that were once skinny jeans, so it’s actually uncomfortable to take anything out of my pockets, money and phone included. I also keep my passport holder, basically a wallet on a string that I bought at Walmart, looped over my neck and under my armpit, and also usually under a layer of clothing, unless I’m just sporting one layer.

I often carry a backpack with a laptop in it, along with valuables further in the bag, but I always try to pack it under a hoodie or sweater.

It can make you look stupid or clumsy when you’re retrieving money, electronics, or sweaters, but you also get to keep those items.

Taking Pictures

Take in the world you see, then set aside time for taking pictures. This applies to any country, in any part of the world, except if you are working as a photographer/videographer or the like. And even then.

Many people who travel to a new land are armed with cameras. Still pictures or video, these can present a real problem. While studying abroad in Ireland, we were told to just experience the place, and not hide behind a camera lens. It was the best of all possible advice. When you experience a new culture, you need to take it in, and you simply don’t have that opportunity when you’re hiding behind a camera.

No matter how desperately you want your Instagram to be filled with pictures of the Northern Coast in Ireland, of the colosseum in Rome, or with the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the fact is that the lens cannot capture what your eye can. The immensity and historical umph packed into everything you see should overwhelm you, but when you look through the lens of the camera, those four sides of the picture can pretend to contain more than they are able, and you’re left with more brochure memories than real ones.

Oh, and make sure people are in your pictures of important sights in the world. Otherwise it really would be just as good to Google it or buy a brochure. 

Dealing With Suffering & Poverty

I recently got back from a month in Uganda, and, as is likely when you do any missionary work in a third world country, we saw a lot of poverty. People with few clothes, if any, whose homes were dirt, mud, and trash. Children walking up to piles of trash and digging for some sort of cardboard to use as toilet paper, since they relieved themselves on the ground moments before. This is how I’ve learned to deal with seeing such things.

First, immediate reaction. Be happy. Smile at those children, because regardless of what state of life they are in, they are in it, and they are just kids, and honestly, most of them are happy to see you, so return the favor. Smile and wave and yell and laugh, even if you’re just in a bus passing by, because in a lot of Africa, if you’re white, you are a big deal, so regardless of what exhausting other exhausting ministry you’re doing, do the kindness of showing those kids the love of God in whatever way you can.

Second, remember what you’re doing there. You wish you could do something to help every person you see. You wish you could give them a proper home, a balanced diet, pants, shirt, underwear, socks, shoes, attention, love, safety, and a myriad of other things. But often, you cannot do all of that. In fact, attempts to “fix” some things could kinda go against the way their culture works, and that’s something only they can “fix”. No, what you need to do is remember what your ministry is doing, what you are doing, what you did earlier that day, or the day before, or are going to do. Otherwise, you’ll die of empathy. It’s only healthy as long as it brings out the humanity in you, but if it’s forcing guilt or something else bad on you, you need to stop. You are doing precisely as much as you can, and God is working through it all, both ahead of you and behind, and He orchestrated for you to do as much or as little as you are doing.

Last (or maybe not, but we’ll say so for now), learn about what you’re seeing. Culture shock is difficult to deal with, but it needs to happen. Find out why poverty is so prevalent, and to what extent, and what is being done, and what is not being done. Are the people lazy? Is the government corrupt? Is anything being done? Asking questions will make it possible for you to know something when you get back, maybe even enough to raise support for some of those people suffering across the world.

The Reason

I travel a lot, at least during the summers. And I’m only going to be traveling more once I become a missionary on a more permanent basis. As I’m only 22 and have been to lots of countries (10-ish?) on four continents, I’ve been asked for advice quite a few times regarding travel tips. And I have a lot that I’ve learned. So I’m gonna try to disperse the tips like I would cookie dough and dark chocolate to young women who have treadmilled enough to make themselves feel like they’ve earned a few calories.