The Keys to Travelling

Here are 8 tips I've picked up in my experiences travelling. 

1) Anger gets you nowhere

Whether you're at the airport or a hotel check-in desk, there's always something bound to go wrong. While it might seem like the perfect opportunity to let out all the stress of travelling on the receptionist, it won't get you anywhere. My brother used to work reception, and they always had ways of punishing unruly customers, and trust me, you're better off just working with them in a quiet and kind manner. Also everyone in the airport who walks by you and sees you yelling will automatically hate you.

2) Don't forget to sync up

Although it might seem obvious, unsynchronized timing while passing through time zones can spell disaster. I met up with a friend once in Germany for a few days and we crashed at an airport hotel the last night. The whole time his phone was still set to Egypt's time zone and missed his flight entirely. Also when travelling with family/friends syncing watches/phones is very important. If you're going to meet up at 1:15 by gate 36, you'd all better be on the same time.

3) Have a designated spot for everything

I have to admit I'm pretty terrible at this, and it comes back to bite me 9 times out of 10. This is especially important for your passport/ID and wallet. Just have a specific pocket to put them in and you should have no worries.

4) Relax

This is really important on long trips. If you have a long layover, take a stroll or grab a bite to eat with a book, anything to take your mind off the stress. It's probably important to have #3 locked down before so you don't accidentally lose anything while you're napping on the terminal seats. My personal favorite way to relax is to grab some McDonald's and chill by a window or somewhere with a nice view.

5) Bring Entertainment

Seriously. Don't think you'll nap through everything because you stayed up late the night before. Over-prepare if you have to but the worst thing in the world is being stuck wide awake in a cramped seat on an airplane while the guys next to you are asleep and you have no source of entertainment. 

6) Be Over-Cautious

Show up to the airport 2 hours in advance for International flights, and an hour and a half for domestic, on long layovers check every the boards every once in a while to see if the gate changed, etc. Better safe than sorry.

7) Have communication

It can be pretty daunting in a foreign country with no way to contact home in case of a missed flight or an emergency. Roaming plans can be pretty expensive but if you have a 3G iPad or Kindle it can be a nifty way of sending a quick e-mail. Don't panic if you don't have one of these, just go to a help desk and remember rule #1. It's also good to remember that although you might be stuck in an airport at the moment, you won't be trapped there your whole life, it'll all be sorted out. 

8) Have fun

I guess.

Introduction

   Hi, my name is Jake Marten, and I'm currently a Freshman at Penn State studying Geosciences. I was born in Houston Texas and lived there for 3 years before moving to Norway, where I lived for another three years. When I was six I moved back to Houston for a year, after which I moved to Cairo Egypt where I lived for 11 years. My life has taken me all around the world, and it's been pretty crazy. I have one brother and one sister, both of whom have graduated college. In High School I was pretty active in clubs and sports. I played four years of Varsity Baseball with one year as Captain, I joined the Model United Nations club and served as President of the Security Council, and also did one year of Wrestling and one year of Basketball. Living in Egypt gave me the opportunity to travel to tons of places and see incredible things. I've gotten the chance to build homes in the poorest regions of Ghana, and I've been able to witness a revolution from my balcony. I only hope that I can continue my experiences into my adult life. I think one of the most important things that a person can do is to explore the world and expose themselves to new cultures and strange places.

   I thought I would write a blog about my experiences overseas both good and bad, and how living in Cairo has compared to life in America. I thought it might also be cool to give advice that I've picked in my traveling, for those of you who might be going on a trip sometime in the near future. I'll try to include any pictures I can find and hopefully it'll be as enjoyable to read as it is to write.