WHATCHATHINKIN'

I recently read an article entitled ’50 Years of Travel Tips’ by Kevin Kelly. The opening broke travel down to two modes – R&R and E&E.

R&R was rest and relaxation; travel done to remove yourself from the routines of daily life and to engage yourself in pampering and attention not necessarily gotten at home.

E&E was engagement and experience. While this may also contain some rest and relaxation, it mainly will have you experiencing and discovering new things and entering into an adventure whose outcome is not always certain. It will be a learning type of travel.

For those who have joined us on any Backroads excursion, from a simple few days on the road for one of our rallies to a more extensive out-of-country adventure, you will know that we are surely more about the E&E than R&R. While we don’t necessarily set out with that in mind, it sometimes turns out that way. We are not immune to the oft-found tertiary ‘road’ which may very well end up in a driveway, field or edge of a cliff. We have faith in our fellow travelers that they will make an educated adult decision and figure out the correct path to civilization.

What we do offer, should you be fool… - I mean intrepid – enough to follow our lead, is the opportunity to visit places that might not be on your radar, such as some of the off-the-beaten-track oddities that our good Dr. O’Life might suggest, or some of the small hamlets, burgs and villages that may have fallen by the wayside since traffic was moved to the larger roads and interstates. While riding a full day’s worth of twisty, entertaining roads is always a blast, it’s refreshing to stop and take in the sights that may end as a blur while zipping by – those random historic sites, roadside markets or unusual art creations. Brian will almost always slow or stop to read the historic markers along the roads as you just never know what amusing or incredible piece of knowledge you’ll gain.

Below are some of the many tips in this article which caught my eye, made me smile or had me thinking, ‘Yup, that’s what I’d do.’

The most significant criteria to use when selecting travel companions is: do they complain or not, even when complaints are justified? No complaining! Complaints are for the debriefing afterwards when travel is over.

Sketchy travel plans and travel to sketchy places are ok. Take a chance. If things fall apart, your vacation has just turned into an adventure. Perfection is for watches. Trips should be imperfect. There are no stories if nothing goes amiss.

It is always colder at night than you think it should be, especially in the tropics. Pack a layer no matter what.

You can get an inexpensive and authentic meal near a famous tourist spot simply by walking at least five blocks away from the epicenter.

The rate you go is not determined by how fast you walk, bike or ride, but by how long your breaks are. Slow down. Take lots of breaks. The most memorable moments—conversations with amazing strangers, an invite inside, a hidden artwork—will usually happen when you are not moving.

A few laundry detergent sheets in a tiny ziplock bag weigh nothing and won’t spill and are perfect for emergency laundry washing in the sink or shower.

Being beautiful, or well crafted, or cheap is not enough for a souvenir. It should have some meaning from the trip. A good question you may want to ask yourself when buying a souvenir is where will this live when I get home?

If you are and have been reading Backroads, I can guess that you most likely are a traveler rather than a tourist and that you like adventure on some level. No matter which you choose – R&R or E&E – get out there and explore new places, experience new cultures, meet different people and sample cuisines that may be outside of your comfort zone. We have quite a few ‘sayings’ around our house but one of my favorites is ‘Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass, it’s about learning to dance in the rain.’ Enjoy life, laugh a lot, and make the most of every adventure.