Travel Tips From a Pro

The man who always returns in one piece with stories and a gazillion photos.

Stephen and I met for lunch at a little Mexican restaurant halfway between our houses. I was thinking about running away on a long car trip, and, although we had much gossip to share, I really wanted him to give me some travel tips.

His life’s goal is to visit every country and American state before he dies. As of now, 155 countries and three states remain. Stephen is only 53 and thinks he may complete the states but fall short of the countries. I believe he’ll make it to 100 and still be out there with a suitcase. By our lunch date he was in the midst of planning to check at least two more places off his list between spring and late fall. After all, it was February 19, 2020—plenty of time to arrange them.

We’ll call the following Stephen’s Top Tips for a Successful Trip. Keep in mind that, by his own admission, he tends toward being obsessive, which is what you want when seeking advice, but feel free to amend to your own personality.

Planning:

• In deciding where you want to go, be guided less by what’s popular and more by what really interests you. Lesser-known places make for more memorable trips.

• Pick up maps. Stephen’s best subject in school was geography, so his obsession floods his apartment with a ton of maps. He even pulls out a couple of atlases. You may find staring at them inspirational and decide on someplace unexpectedly compelling.

• Once you have a destination, launch into researching its regions, cities, and towns that might interest you. From there, gather as much information as possible about accommodations. Try to steer away from expensive touristy and chain hotels. They won’t provide any local flavor. Consider, instead, bed and breakfasts, historic hotels, or countryside lodgings.

• Off-season may be tempting because prices are lower, but you also may find places you want to go closed. Check websites for seasonal schedules.

• Always learn some basic phrases in the native language. While many places will speak a little English, it’s always appreciated if you at least master “please,” “thank you,” and “hello.”

• Familiarize yourself with local customs, not only to learn the appropriate manners but also the dress rules that will help you avoid difficulties. For example, women should bring scarves if they want to visit churches, especially in Spain and Italy. Also, leave behind stilettos if planning to visit St. John’s Co-Cathedral in Valletta, Malta. Both men and women are required to cover their arms in Venice’s Church of Santa Maria Assunta and modest dress is very important in Arab and North African countries.

• PACK LIGHTLY! Stephen totes only one carry-on piece of luggage and a day pack. Bring only a few articles of clothing. No one cares if you wear something two or three times, and you can always wash things out in your room. Also, consider packing old clothes, ones that are on the verge of being unpresentable, then discard them along the way. You’ll make room in your luggage for treasures and souvenirs to bring back. However, bring one decent outfit to wear to dinner or the theater. And if you color-coordinate ahead of time, you won’t need more than two pairs of shoes.

• Except for medications, don’t take a ton of toiletries. You’ll find everything you need in local pharmacies and markets. Plus, you may come across some fascinating alternatives to your regular soaps and creams. (Recent discovery: Guardian and Watsons drugstores in Singapore are phenomenal for first aid needs!)

In country:

• Adjust to local customs immediately upon arrival. Each country and state has its own unique conventions. Don’t be a jerk and expect them to bend to your standards.

• To counter jet lag, no matter what the time difference, don’t immediately go to sleep. Push through and retire at night at the same time as the country does.

• Have a daily plan of where you want to go and what you want to see, but leave some free time in case something like an unplanned closure, detour, unanticipated insider tip, or inclement weather comes up.

• When possible, walk instead of taking taxis. Hire a car for a more personal experience, or ride the subway, bus, or tram to see how everybody else gets around. You’ll get a better understanding of the country and have a lot of interesting encounters.

• Stop at a local bookstore and pick up a novel set in the place you’re visiting. It’s an intimate way to acquire its history and personality while you’re there. Ask the clerk for recommendations. There’s always an English section.

• Don’t be afraid to talk to people. They’ll tell you about out-of-the-way gems and restaurant recommendations (more food tips in the next section). When Stephen merely asked someone what was going on with a little crowd in Bergen, Norway, he ended up marching in the Norwegian Constitution Day parade. He was even given a torch to carry through the streets.

• Go with the unexpected. For example, when Stephen found the streets of historic Dubrovnik, Croatia, shockingly crowded with day-tripping cruise ship passengers, he found an unexpected escape by hopping on a boat to the nearby island of Lokrum, which he had almost entirely to himself.

• Particular to Stephen: He avoids most stereotypical tourist traps, has an intense interest in regional architecture, and will go out of his way to wander around ghost towns and cemeteries.

Food and restaurants:

• Check out local grocery and farmer markets and pick up regional brands and snacks. You may very well be delightfully surprised by, for instance, discovering the world’s best chocolate—Finland’s Karl Fazer brand. If there’s a street fair, wander about there, but avoid any international fairs, which tend to be all show.

• Unless you really, really have/want to, consider the value of not going to the most famous restaurants. Instead, look for neighborhood restaurants that don’t cater to tourists or have a Michelin star. Stephen still gets a little misty-eyed and starving when recalling the mom-and-pop eateries in small-town Italy he found. They rarely see a tourist and dramatically outclass more popular restaurants in Rome or Venice.

• Ask local people for tips, and not necessarily the hotel people who may steer you to tourist traps. Ask the staff at small bakeries and food shops where they eat.

• Avoid any restaurant whose menu is in more than two languages. It’s a certain giveaway that it caters more to tourists than locals.

• Ask the wait staff for menu recommendations. And, unless you’re allergic to a certain ingredient, always opt for the daily specials—they’re seasonal, bound to be fresh, and are often quite creative.

• Be adventuresome as much as your personal diet and food consciousness allows. Stephen draws the line at insects, but as a carnivore he’s enjoyed zebra, bear, llama, and whale even though he still feels a measure of guilt about it.

• Some of the best meals are found in countries that may not rank very high on people’s lists: Malta and Namibia. Malta’s cuisine is so intensely flavorful because the country has been invaded and occupied by so many different people who have left distinctive stamps on the food culture. Namibian dishes are cooked with unusual native ingredients and animals.

Once home:

• Sort and edit all the photos you’ve taken. This is at least a month-long task for Stephen.

• Find places for the treasures and souvenirs—and not tourist tat. Buy something more meaningful. A painting by a street artist in Buenos Aires, for instance, or the piece of jewelry you made yourself at the Corning Museum of Glass.

• Make notes. You’ll revel in looking back at them and recalling something that your photos haven’t captured.

• Give yourself a month, and then start the whole process all over again!

Bonus: Stephen’s favorite places so far: Stockholm, Venice, Namibia, New Zealand, and any beach in the Caribbean.

After we left the Mexican restaurant and stood on the sidewalk saying our goodbyes, I asked Stephen where he was planning to go next.

“Maybe Arizona, or Czechia and Slovakia,” he said. “Depends on how this whole COVID thing pans out.”

We hugged each other and walked away to our separate subway stations.

Of course, the COVID thing didn’t pan out so well and I didn’t see Stephen again for 15 months. When we did, he told me he’s still staring at his maps, not sure when he’ll go out into the world again.