Hi there! I am Shelby Clarke of ClarkeStudio Photography, based in Colorado Springs! Kendra and I were paired up for this month's Operation E Blog Swap! Today I am sharing my top 5 travel tips. Over the past 6 years, my hubby has been slowly taking me around the world...and I would love to share some tips I have learned along the way.
1- if your flying and checking your baggage be sure to pack an extra set of clothes and emergency essentials in your carry on. When traveling to Israel in 2011, our luggage never made the plane from New York to Tel Aviv. {really} Our entire group of 30-ish people didn't have luggage. Now, they did give us a great little drop kit with pretty much everything you could need but there is something weird about wearing an unwashed tee and shorts to bed. Thankfully, I brought an extra tee and a jacket with me on the plane. So I at least had something cleaner on the next day. Our luggage arrived at dinner time when we arrived back at our hotel the next day.
2- Safety. keep your passport and wallet close to your body at all times. My 1st trip out of the country was to Ecuador and to the Galapagos with my In Laws. {there was no way we could have ever afforded to go on our own, especially with my husbands profession as a chaplain} While meeting everyone on the boat, one gal only a few years older than we and with a lot more travel experience had her wallet and passport stolen out of her back pack while on a bus. She had packed them both in the very front pocket of the backpack. The thief cut out the bottom of the pocket and took the contents. Keep both of these items in a small crossbody purse and very close to you. Yes, you will look like a tourist. But your identity will be safe. Consider a jacket on top for added security.
3- Flexibility. Something will go wrong despite all the pre planning one can do. Sit back enjoy and work around it. In the photo above we decided to visit a Museum in Athens that wasn't on our list of sites we were going to see. So on our afternoon off we took an adventure walking around Athens to find it...we got a little lost but eventually made it back to the hotel for dinner. While your out, eat local cuisine...there is nothing quiet like eating Shawarma in Greece, or hummus in Israel.
4- Be Prepared. After a visit to the Dead Sea, our tour guide stopped on the side of the road for us to ride camels. It was exciting but since it was towards the end of the day, some folks had used up all their camera batteries. Make sure you charge and pack extras! We also bought an Extreme weather camera for our travels that can go underwater, I highly suggest one if you plan to go on extreme vacations! As a photographer, I tend to take too many photos anyways but make sure you always take the time to have YOUR photo taken at various locations! But not necessarily like the one below, thanks hubby. :)
5- Layers. This year hubby and I stayed in the US for our vaca. Road tripping through Kansas, Nebraska, the Dakotas, Montana and Wyoming. This was the 2nd day of our trip, we drove up from Kansas and it was near hot there but as we went north a massive snow storm was blowing in and we woke up to 6-8 inches of snow the next morning. Thankfully I packed my snow boots and more layers. {layers are key} By adding layers you don't need a snow jackets just more shirts and long sleeves from your suitcase! {PS always pack a wind and rain jacket...prefect for blocking out the cold!}
Kendra, thanks so much for having me. I hope these tips help out anyone who maybe doing some last minute travels before Summer 2013 is over! Thanks and stop by the ClarkeStudio Blog to read Kendra's Guest Post!
Good idea about the layers, I hadn't thought of that, although I suppose being from Phoenix I'd prob not survive w/out layers and a huge coat if I would've been in all that snow! I too have had my baggage lost by airlines, only once did not get it back at all nor any compensation (awful customer service by a Spanish airline) so good idea on bringing some clothing on board. And of course safety, my hubs' would always make me put my backpack on my side or in front in busy places and safety overall was my hubs' biggest thing he always told me when we lived in Latin America a few years ago, esp Caracas. Good tips and I loved seeing your travel pics, didn't realized you'd traveled so much!
ReplyDeleteCuddly Cacti
Mitla Moda