3-Weeks In Europe: My Travel Memoir

The other day my sister sent me a text message, it said:

I decided on a title for my book, “The rental car counter doesn’t ask for my ID anymore:  A travel memoir.”  That’s all I’ve got maybe you could write it?

She’s a funny one, that sister of mine; especially when she’s in an airport that she travels through multiple times a year for business.

But this inspired me to finally sit down and summarize the 3-weeks that I spent in Europe last month.  Here’s what I came up with, and I dedicate this to my fellow sister traveler.

(Me!  Straddling the Prime Meridian Line, Greenwich, England February 2011)

1.  Develop a greater perspective for your life purpose by visiting different cultures and interacting with different people- Experiencing, seeing, tasting, touching and conversing with a world 4,000 miles beyond my own backdoor exposes me to a things inside and outside of myself that I would not otherwise “see”. When everything around me starts to feel stagnate and uninteresting, it’s time to travel; especially international travel!  It feeds my psyche the way fresh, colorful, in season vegetables feed my body.

2.  Learn to anticipate and intuit when “the next train might pull into the station.”  Become more self-sufficient and trust your instincts- Catching flights in European airports.  Navigating streets while pulling my suitcase down foreign sidewalks in order to find my hotel. Keeping track of my passport and different currency (Euros, Pounds and Dollars) and exploring a country with customs that I’m not familiar forces me to think on my feet, make decisions quickly and be 100% responsible for myself.  No one “has my back” when I travel alone, but my confidence in my ability to really take care of myself at a core level builds quickly, and thankfully that’s something that stays with me long after the trip ends.

3.  Turn off the auto-pilot and think outside the box- When I got off the Paris Metro, one stop past my original destination because of a station closure, I encountered a strange group of men blocking the sidewalk. There was no time for my mind to be on auto-pilot, I had to quickly change my course. Flexibility, awareness of what is happening in the present moment and the willingness to turn around and re-trace my steps (even if it took 30 extra minutes) is sometimes needed when traveling in new environments, and certainly throughout our lives.

4.  Be very considerate of other travelers on their individual journeys.  Develop a deeper level of kindness and compassion- On my flight from Paris to Lisbon the flight crew gave the departure spiel in French and the arrival spiel in Portuguese.  They also made brief announcements in English as it is assumed most travelers understand some English. There were many other languages spoken among the passengers during that flight as well (German, Spanish, Korean, Dutch, Chinese) and with that comes different cultural norms and expectations.  It was an open boarding process, so after showing our passports we could pick any seat we wanted. First come first serve. We had to move quickly and efficiently.  There was no time for petty inconsiderations, selfish demands, individual whining or treating others with disrespect. While most of us didn’t use a lot of words to communicate I was struck by the common language of decency, kindness and cooperation. Kindness and selflessness is a palpable, remarkable thing.

5.  Identify when your gas tank is running on fumes and refuel whenever necessary- Crossing multiple time zones at 39,000 feet, while moving 545 miles per hour, for 7-8 hours with a couple hundred other people in a small pressurized space, is not my favorite thing, but it’s a necessary means to an end if I want to travel.

Every time I arrived in a new country the energy was always different from the energies I just left behind. Fast, slow, hot, cold, heavy, light, complicated, easy, oppressed, liberating, welcoming, abrupt, exhausting, energizing.  I feel it immediately.  It’s exhilarating and I love every minute of it; but my body needs time to re-boot.  An afternoon nap within 18 hours of arriving in a new location always helps my mind and body sync and connect to the local energy.  I moved fast and covered a lot of ground during this three-week period and I needed as much mental clarity and physical energy as I could get. Sleeping well and removing myself from large crowds for a couple hours each day is how I re-fuel in general, but it’s definitely a priority when I travel.

6.  Pull off the main highway and say “Yes” to different roads that push you just past your comfort zone- I haven’t eaten gluten for almost five years.  I also don’t eat a lot of starchy, sugary food but I adapted a “when in Rome philosophy” on this trip.  I wanted to experience the local food and drink. I drank Spanish wine and English tea with milk and sugar, I ate some French bread and Portuguese pastries. I also ate fresh fish and olives in Portugal, seafood paella in Barcelona, cheese in Paris and my much revered lamb bhuna in London.

As a nutritionist I believe the body is an amazing machine and a pastry here or there will not make me “unhealthy”.  Just like I don’t believe a vegetable here or there will not make me “healthy.”  It’s what I do in the highest percentage month after month year after year that makes the biggest impact. I think strict, obsessive eating can turn into a disorder in itself.  I was not strict with my eating while in Europe and I actually paid the price when I felt a little nauseous after eating a rich, gluten-filled pastry in Lisbon, but I have no regrets.  I was very open about what I ate and I even took pictures.  I walked tons during those 3-weeks and I came home a couple pounds lighter (physically and mentally).  I think “tasting” and experiencing things, every once in awhile, that are off my normal “highway of life” brings enjoyment and better health to me in the long run.

7.  Ask for help and directions along the way – The man at the front desk of my Paris hotel mapped out, circled, drew arrows and numbered my “must do” list for my first day in Paris.  If I didn’t ask for his help I never would have gotten such a wonderfully detailed “local take” on how to see Paris.  I wasn’t shy about asking others for assistance or advice as I traveled alone last month.

Every time I came out of the Victoria Underground Station in London I was met with a flurry of quick moving pedestrians, buses, cars and taxis.  I was dizzy with my direction options.  The streets in London branch out like spokes on a wheel, they twist and turn and go in numerous directions, and then with no warning at all a street will end.  There is no grid system in London. I often asked complete strangers for directions. Every person I spoke to would stop their fast paced walk and kindly point me in the right direction. I can travel great distances in this world by myself, but ultimately I can never do it *all* on my own!

8.  Every once in awhile glance in the rear view mirror; it can bring great perspective to the road you once traveled and the road you’re currently traveling- My first job in London, 17-years ago, was at a Bed & Breakfast.  I left that job after working there for 6-weeks.  I felt like my whole London experience was revolving around living and working in that B&B.  I wanted to see and do more.  So I joined a temp agency, found a flat and an Irish roommate.  The owner of the B&B told me it was financially risky to do temp work in London (no guarantees for work).  He discouraged my departure.  I did it anyway.  Within two-weeks I was hired full-time at Harrods Department Store.  I loved that job.  I got along swimmingly with my roommate and the next 8-months turned out to be one of the best times and best experiences of my life.

Two weeks ago I returned to that B&B on a dark Sunday night.  I stood outside and looked inside the windows. It was empty.  Abandoned.  I was struck by how “the place” that told me I wouldn’t make it, had in fact not made it themselves. I didn’t know what my future held 17-years ago when I left that B&B, but I took a risk, and it worked better than I ever could have imagined.

When I revisited the B&B on this trip I *knew* for the first time in a long time that if I take a risk with my career again it will all work out.  And then I walked, very slowly back home.  I didn’t need to look in the rear view mirror anymore.

9.  Map out your course 50% of the time and fly by the seat of your pants the other 50% of the time. One morning I got on a London bus and in transit learned I could take a boat from the Tower of London to Greenwich.  It wasn’t my original plan that day but it sounded fun so I changed course.  In Barcelona I set out to see the Picasso Museum.  I began walking and found narrow stone streets with hundreds of cafes and shops that totally captured my attention.  I explored that area on foot the rest of the day.  I went to the Picasso museum the next day.  I had guide books for each city, but I rarely used them.  Most days I would just start walking or hop on a bus and see where I ended up.  This way of moving about my day is a welcome change from my normal wanting-to-have-everything-planned-to-the-minute when I’m home in the U.S.

10. Try flying solo at some point. It can be exhilarating!- When I came out of the Paris Metro and stepped onto the street my first thought was; “Oh!  Everyone should travel somewhere by themselves at some point in their life!”  Granted, experiencing new places with another person is a wonderful thing as well. But there is nothing like having time with my own thoughts, responses, senses when I’m in a new environment/situation for the first time and not having the input of someone else. For me, it’s a moving meditation.  I can really “hear” myself.  What do I like?  What do I need? What can I do differently?  What can I contribute? Sometimes the chatter of others makes it hard for me to hear those answers.  Milestone birthdays are a fun time to travel, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60… but I think it is worth the effort, energy, time and money at any age.

There will always be excuses, fears and justifications as to why you can’t travel alone, and the car rental counter may not always ask for your ID; but do it anyway.  Just Travel!  The benefits will stretch far and wide.

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If you’re so inclined you can still read my daily travel diary in reverse chronological order at JoleneTravels on Twitter .  I also uploaded my pictures to my personal Facebook page and I opened those albums up for public view.

Click here to view, London

Click here to view, Paris

Click here to view, Lisbon

Click here to view, Barcelona

Click here to view, Eating And Drinking My Way Through Europe