30 Words

This morning a great friend boarded a plane for a far away land.  She is the type of traveler my sister and I envisioned when we designed 30 WORDS language guides seven months ago.  She is blessed with an infectious lust for adventure and an eagerness to learn that epitomizes a great travel companion.   

Last night my traveling friend and I stayed up late debating language guides, discussing the best ways to meet locals, and laughing over a host of our favorite travel stories (some of which may appear in the blog at a later date…).  Watching my friend prepare for departure reminded me of some of the nuances of traveling and the preparations that go into an adventurous, inspiring, and fulfilling journey.  

  1.  Pack Smart:  Emphasis is often placed on ‘packing light’.  However, it is equally important to pack consciously.  A well packed bag allows a traveler to pull anything from their bag at a moments notice.  Packing ‘conciously’ means you can tell a fellow traveler where to find your airplane ticket even as you rush off to deal with a last minute errand.  Knowing where items are equates to knowing what you have.  Knowing what you carry (your tools for adventure) is the first step in becoming a resourceful traveler.  

 2.  Bring Language Guides that you know and love:  My friend is taking two Mandarin guides on her adventure.  I have traveled with one of the books before and I loved it.  However, my experience with is also inspired me to develop a better guide.  Undoubtedly, there are many good language guides on the market, but there is no perfect guide book out there, not even our own.  Therefore, find one that you enjoy and take the time familiarize yourself with the organization of the guide.  Travelers who become intimate with their language guide (or better yet, the language) possess a tool more valuable than anything they can carry. 

 3. Travel with an open schedule:  If you decide not to buy a ticket home, you are both a fortunate and courageous traveler.  If you do not know where you will be sleeping on the second night of your adventure, you may be a master traveler.   Open traveling requires patience, a smile, and optimism – and the willingness to recognize that your frightening misadventures will become valuable learning experiences… or slightly entertaining blog posts.    

 4. Seek local knowledge.  Any adventure is more fun when you open yourself to learning.  Be it a new language, knife throwing, or harvesting rice, showing a willingness to learn leads to new friends, invitations to dinner, and ultimately, a more fulfilling travel experience.  Who knows?  It may even launch your career.  In traveling, as in many other arenas, if one arrives prepared to be a student, he or she may leave prepared to be a teacher.  

My best to all who are reading this but especially to my friends on the road.  Feel free to peruse the links on this page, they encompass the beliefs of 30 WORDS but more importantly are posts that are good for the soul!

Finally:  Here is my promise: not ALL blog posts will be oriented toward language guides.  I know there is a danger in writing about traveling and coming across as a blogging salesman.  That is simply not what this blog is about.  (Feel free to visit www.30words.com if you want a REAL sales pitch.)  

Cheers!