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Archive for the ‘travel tips’ Category“The reality of travel seldom matches our daydreams.” - Alain de Boton Do you agree with this? Have there been times when a place has disappointed you because it wasn’t what you had imagined? For the most part, I am not disappointed when I visit a new place. But there are often challenges that threaten to affect my enjoyment, such as:
So what can be done? As with everything in life, it is mostly us who control how we feel or react. We can resolve to have a bad time, or we can pull our socks up and make the most of things.
Do you find the anticipation of a trip beats the reality? Have you ever overcome a seemingly bad situation and still had a great holiday? If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed! If you’ve just returned to your home country after a long absence, you’re likely to experience reverse culture shock. It occurs when you’ve been away long enough to find strange what was once familiar, because in the meantime you’ve adapted to living somewhere very different and your home country has probably changed a bit, too. That isn’t to say you’re not glad to be home again. But if you’ve been away for years, it’s not necessarily easy to settle back in as though nothing’s happened. Why? You’ve changed. You’ve had experiences that perhaps your old friends and family can’t understand or relate to. Perhaps they consider your travel tales big-headed or redundant. But your perspective has changed, so you may well see old things differently. Symptoms of reverse culture shock include:
Ways to cope
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed! The Sydney Morning Herald has run a clever blog article called Things Not To Try Before You Die (found via Vagabondish) about disappointing travel experiences or destinations the writer recommends we skip. What’s just as interesting is the article has elicited many replies from people with their own ‘don’t go’ tips. The commenters suggest we avoid:
The question is, how much do you take other people’s tips into account? I’ve visited places based on recommendations and been disappointed (eg. I was a little underwhelmed by Montreal, which is pretty, but so are other places). The fact is, such advice can be a godsend or it could prevent you from having an amazing experience because you didn’t find out for yourself. If I really wanted to see a place, my excitement may be curbed a little by a bad review but I wouldn’t let it stop me. What about you? If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed! Language learning is a skill which some people find harder than others. Some seem to pick up languages in minutes, while others seems to struggle permanently at Base 1. But the truth is, no matter what your learning ability or speed, you can learn another language. It’s all about knowing how. As a language learner and (former) English teacher, I’m going to pass on my tips for learning a language. How to learn a language (tips range from beginner to advanced) 1. Balance your learning. Some people learn best from books, others by interacting. Both are valid, but not exclusive. Make sure you talk, read, write and listen. Each one helps the others. 2. Don’t be shy. As a beginner, speaking up can be excruciating. Most people are understanding of this and will be supportive. Don’t be silent, and be flexible. You always know more than you think and your confidence will grow. 3. Live in the country. Ideally you will be living in or visiting the country where the language is spoken in order to accelerate your learning. If so, definitely take a course (which are usual plentiful and come in a range of prices) and chat to locals. 4. Find native speakers. Even if you can’t be in the country, you can still learn by chatting to native speakers. Pay them, or do a language exchange. Practicing with fellow foreigners is good too but remember you are likely to be sharing mistakes as well, and not picking up the natural flow of a native-level conversation. 5. Set short-term goals. It may sound obvious, but try setting goals for each week and keeping to them (eg. one language meetup, one audio book chapter etc). Learning a language is much like exercise - you need a routine. 6. Set long-term goals. There is likely to be some sort of language exam you can take. Signing up for it well in advance will give you something to work towards. Warning: don’t set your goals too high or you will become frustrated. 7. Take breaks. Language learning can be exhausting. Your brain is working very hard. Allow yourself breaks to think and chat in your native language. It will relieve and revive you. 8. Put the dictionary down. The dictionary is the beginner’s lifeline, but opening it every few seconds will stilt conversations and you are unlikely to remember the word for the future. Try and talk ‘around’ the word by describing it , or ‘miming’ it. And when you are ready, buy a basic monolingual dictionary with simple descriptions instead of the New Language - English version. 9. Experiment with ‘thinking’ in the language. Most of us chatter away to ourselves (internally) all day. Try swapping languages and you’ll probably be surprised at how much you know. 10 Don’t lose the basics. As your skills improve and your vocabulary widens you will start overlooking the basic grammar rules you first learned, because you’re concentrating on the more advanced aspects. Go back to your beginner books and skim the rules again. If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed! Travel safety for women is an issue. Lonely Planet devotes at least a paragraph to it in every single book they publish. Being female should not be an excuse for staying home, but the sad reality is that often women travelers do need to be more cautious than men, especially if traveling solo. Still, many women travel alone and have a blast. How? By being sensible and following the tips below. Ways to stay safe:
Doubtless this advice will make things sound much worse than they’re likely to be. The trick is to be alert and careful. Don’t let the fear of the unlikely stop you from going, just be prepared. If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed! |
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