Because I’m a low-budget traveler (a backpacker most of the time), I’ve found myself sleeping in a number of…um…unusual situations. Sometimes it was due to the unique circumstances I found myself in. At other times, it’s been by choice…I simply chose one option vs another less desirable one. Note: no alcohol was involved in any…
Ever find yourself on the verge of making a travel decision, minor or major, then hesitating?
Perhaps it’s right before you take a bus or a taxi in a foreign country (or at home). Or maybe when you’re considering whether to visit a certain town or not.
Or maybe it’s about the actual trip itself.
You want to go to a certain country and have been excited about it for a while. You’ve sort of figured out when/how and then, when it’s time to hit the ‘purchase ticket’ button, you find yourself hesitating.
The worst part is–you’re not sure why.
There are times when you have a clear-cut gut feeling and so, like most people, you would simply follow it. But there are times when you’re not sure if that is the case…perhaps you’ve been over-thinking it. And some of that (but not all of it) could be that the country’s international media profile isn’t too hot.
Case in point (for me right now): Indonesia.
What happens when two friends get together for 4 days/5 nights, stay in a small apartment with one bathroom, cram in too many activities and then save NYC for the last day, when they’re exhausted and the weather happens to be cold all of a sudden (after being perfect the day before)? By the way….Friend…
It’s that time of year once again–time, that is, to plan my summer trip. In about 2 months I’ll be off from work for the summer, which means I’ll have a nice chunk of time to travel.
Of course, and unfortunately, I don’t have a ton of money to do it, so the trip will probably be for 4 to 5 weeks. Also, I’ll have to plan this just right to make it work. I love the idea of Indonesia, but I’m not 100% sure at this point if that’s where I’m going or if the plan will come together. Here’s why:
1. I may not travel solo this time
I’m used to traveling on my own and do quite well with it (prefer it for the most part), but I may be going with a very good friend of mine who’s itching to take a trip with me. She like the types of adventures I tend to have and would love to have one, too; she’s not sure how to do it on her own. I’ve said a sort of conditional ‘yes’ (see #2).
As you’ve seen in this series, it’s easy to fall in love with alleged ‘bad boy’ country Syria and have the time of your life there—whether you’re a man or a woman.
I did, after all, and I’m a SWF.
Before you go, though, there are a few things you should know that will help make your first trip a great one.
As awesome as Syria is to visit (cool video here), he does have a few issues you should know about in advance.
Most of these tips are unisex; some are specific to women.
As you read in Part 1 and Part 2 of this series, within just a few days of arriving in Syria, I was pretty smitten with Damascus and then, torn between two…husbands.
I was also torn between staying with there and checking out his slightly conservative brother Aleppo and the rest of the country.
Moving On
I made the tough decision and moved on from the great city—as wonderful as he was—and began my date with Aleppo and all the other great places I could squeeze in.
I was told that he (Aleppo) was “wonderful,” but also “a bit conservative.” I didn’t care. If it didn’t work out, I could just….move on.
Sure I was a SWF in Syria, but I wasn’t there to meet men. In fact, that was the last thing on my mind.
So how’d I end up with with 2 husbands…in 1 day?
Well, it began quite innocently in Damascus, a city I fell for rather quickly.
I was lingering over breakfast in the hotel courtyard, enjoying the quiet and the cool morning air and reflecting on how much I loved the city and almost wanted to commit to him (it) and to stay longer, perhaps enrolling in Arabic course.
But I was feeling a bit torn….between him and his more conservative brother Aleppo (and the rest of the country).
In some ways, traveling to Syria was like going on a blind date…with someone who looks like a bad boy on the outside, but is actually a great guy on the inside.
Of course, I didn’t know that when I met him for the first time.
People Warned Me
I’d been warned that he was a cousin or nephew of the Axis of Evil brothers and so, when I met him and his family at the border, I did hesitate for a moment. First of all, it wasn’t a very romantic setting for a first date. He–the bad boy father–looked a little intimidating–especially in the family photos.
Second, he (daddy) made me pay for the date–$130 for the visa. And then the chaperone uncle, the border official, didn’t exactly give me the warm and fuzzies.
“Want to help me find my camels?”
I was in Jordan—one of several Middle Eastern countries I visited this past summer—traveling on my own and loving it, but facing a few challenges due to the fact that it was the end of high season. While it’s nice to visit places that aren’t overrun with tourists, the down side is that you’re not always able to jump in on other travelers’ tours or to share transportation costs. There just aren’t that many options.
But as luck would have it, things just sort of fell into place—as they often do when I’m traveling. I was on the verge of committing to an expensive couple of days (I was going to experience Wadi Rum no matter what) when something wonderful happened…
One of the Bedouin guides I’d been talking, a man named Atayak, decided to invite me as his guest.
“I’m finished working for the season and I’m now officially on vacation. I just need to get back out into the desert and find my camels that I left there. Want to join me?” he asked. I would only need to pay for food, he said. He’s a camel racer, by the way.
