If someone asked me to choose one thing in the world that I like to do more than anything it would be traveling. Most of the time, I travel alone, but I am not always alone. Sometimes I am hardly ever alone. Spending time with locals is a gift that gives you a close and personal view of the culture. Living with locals gives you an opportunity to be a part of a family. Meeting other travelers can give you lifelong friendships that develop over very short periods of time. This blog serves to share advice to other dreamers and travelers, particularly to women heading out to a faraway place for the first time. The one thing I can say to all of you is: get out there, wander the earth and wonder what the next turn in the road brings. An adventure awaits you.

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Use your network.

One of my friends is getting ready to go on her first trip abroad. Nickie and her boyfriend are taking a Mediterranean cruise and will spend some time in Rome and other cities in Italy, Greece and Turkey. Knowing this, and knowing that another friend of mine, Michelle, had spent several days in Rome last fall, I asked her to provide some travel tips for Nickie. So she shared the name of an incredible tour guide in Rome, a good way to plan ahead for a visit to the Vatican, and some advice on what to do for food (you can’t really go wrong in Italy when it comes to food, which is no big surprise). Then I emailed my friend Pep about his trip with his family to Greece last summer and if he had any tips. Sure enough, he did. Even though Nickie won’t be spending as much time there, she now has a better idea of what might be possible in their limited time.

And that is the point of today’s blog post: networking. Everyone is crazy for networking these days. Social networking. Networking for work. Networking events. Networking whatever. But it is useful for planning your travels as well. Let your friends, family, coworkers, acquaintances, and distant relatives know you are taking a trip and see if they have been there, or if they know anyone who has.* This can help you make plans on what to see, what to skip, where to go, how to get there, and may even connect you with someone local who will make your trip even more interesting and special.

(The most memorable time this happened to me was in Mexico and I discussed it in this blog post.)

Sometimes there is no connection, and that’s okay. That doesn’t mean the trip won’t still be amazing or that you won’t find remarkable things on your own. If you’ve been following this blog, you know I’m all for solo travel and blazing your own trail (see posts here and here). But perchance you do make a connection before your trip, it could be really helpful and/or add something special to your trip that you may not have known about otherwise. So ask those seasoned travelers in your own personal network. You never know who or what they know. Or who or what the people they know know. Ya know?  Networking can sometimes lead to some awesome places.

* Side note: I'm sure you know this, but it bears repeating. When using Facebook to seek such advice, please do not post on your wall that you will be out of town or when you will be out of town. Keep it simple, e.g. “Hey, has anyone been to Athens?” Not, “Hey, we’re going to Athens for two weeks starting July 1 and we need some advice.” Response: “Hey hospitable home robbery victims, thanks for the heads up. We really like your TV, sound system, laptops and jewelry collection. Hope you had fun in Greece!” Networking can sometimes lead to some not-so-awesome places. Just beware. 
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