A French worker is paid for thirty days off every year. The US is the only developed country with no legally required paid holidays. Is it any wonder that many Americans opt for organized tours to cram as much sightseeing into a one- or two-week period as possible?
If you are retired or have the time, why not spend a little more time overseas for the same or even less money? While visiting it is a “can’t miss” sight mingling with the natives. Learn their habits. Visit their market. Dine on their genuine cuisine. These experiences can provide you with a better understanding of the numerous ways to do everyday things besides the American way.
These six steps will get you on the way to keeping your own “unforgettable memories”:
1. Browse library and bookstore guidebooks.
Look for those written by non-US authors. (Both the Rough Guide and Lonely Planet series were started by young Brits whose customers weren’t attempting to find luxury. They had a vested interest in giving their guides the full offering.)
2. If you prefer cruises, you’ll find many options in this guide.
(Note that the information provided here is not verbatim, and details included in parentheses have been inserted to provide novice travelers with additional information as an aid to use when making their travel choices.)
A. To visit Luang Prabang, the fascinating old French city—recently designated a World Heritage Centre—take one of the salt barges departing from Vientiane, capital of Laos, for a five-day journey up the swift Mekong River, one main waters of Asia. For about seventy-five US cents per night, you will have memories that will last a lifetime!
(You will spend your days and nights sitting and sleeping on a wooden platform near the engine room. After anchoring each night, you’ll have the opportunity to enjoy a refreshing bath or swim in the river.
Meals are available at numerous ports of call. Maybe you will be the lucky one invited to dine at the captain’s table on the last night of the cruise. Formal dress is not required.)
B. During this seventeen hour cruise, you’ll have many opportunities to mingle with the Chinese in one of their signature large single room boats. You will then board a bus for a sightseeing trip through the Chinese countryside seeing rice fields and will learn what life is like in rural China. The cost for the first ships and buses was what the French would call “triple”. In Guilin, your destination, another cruise will take place to see highly praised karst formations such as the “Hill of Longing for a Husband” that dot the Li River, one of China’s great attractions.
C. One of The East is Red boats is a cheap alternative to the numerous tourist boats on your can’t-miss visit to the Three Gorges stretch of the Yangtze River, China’s longest waterway.
(There is no first-class and only two second class cabins, but sharing a small room with seven or eight Chinese provides a distinctive opportunity to find out about their daily habits.)
3. If you prefer a land-based destination, consider these suggestions:
A. Before you leave China do not miss walking the Great Wall and remembering the splendor of the Ming Dynastysound visitting on their graves. (If you do not understand Chinese, your guidebook’s detailed instructions for going to the kiosk where tickets for under a dollar are sold also lists all the highlights of these two attractions. It’s also easy to listen in on the English-speaking guide in sight.)
B. The Trans Siberian train departs from Beijing station every Wednesday morning bound for Moscow. Pass through Mongolia where one admires this vast pristine sandy landscape. You’ll traverse seven time zones and cross four rivers, including the Volga, Europe’s longest river. Stone markers in the Ural Mountains depicting Asia from Europe are clearly visible from the train. (The price in a hundred-person dormitory is a much cheaper option than a flight if you choose it over the tiny second-class cabin that sleeps two people throughout the period of this five-day trip.)
C. After browsing through the dental extraction booths in Marrakesh’s square, wander through the rest of this colourful Berber market. Pay attention to the array of colourful spices used in their delicious cooking. (Take care as you walk past fortune-tellers whispering secrets under their little umbrellas otherwise you might find a harmless pet snake coiled around your neck—a ruse often used to demand money for its release.) A highlight of your trip is bound to be the camel ride. to the Sahara to sleep in Berber tents.
4. An even cheaper travel option is the visa stay in the city or country of your choice.
(Thailand and Bali are favourites, but either country has a lot to offer.)
A. Search newspapers, in addition to guidebooks, for cheap flights. (Some airlines provide free overnight accommodations and meals on long haul flights—quite a saving if you are going to Southeast Asia.)
B. Lodging will be your main expense, so look for alternatives to hotels. The guesthouse is an excellent recommendation for Thailand. (They have all the mandatory facilities and with a constant change of young backpackers keen to share their latest travel experiences their recommendations are top notch.
C. Look for alternative taxis such as pickup trucks with benches in the back. Motorbikes are easy to rent, but helmets are normally unnecessary. (Driving on the left side of the road can be problematic for
American. It’s often safer to be a passenger than a driver.)
5. Pack light, very light.
A. “Same shirt, different day” is an excellent note to remember for any type of self-travel as handling your own baggage will save you a tip.
B. Clothing should be functional. Leave your expensive jewelery at home. This is the invitation thieves are attempting to find.
6. Be flexible.
(If your carefully planned trip falls through the cracks, do not worry—reschedule it or forget it. Something else could be coincidence)
About the Author:
Bill Mahoney started hitchhiking around the country working odd jobs at the age of thirteen. He sailed the Atlantic as a sea merchant and the Pacific in the navy. He also fought in professional fights. He jumped over trolleys, trucks, cars and trains. He graduated from adult highschool then earned a BA at UCLA and an MA at Boston University. He taught world history in Paris for ten years. His second book, Was Muldoon Still in Paris, chronicles his naughty childhood and his third book, The Paris Mission is coming out soon. Bill speaks five languages and can tell a story in a dozen more.
Ina Garrison Mahoney grew up in the small Texas town of Blooming Grove. He graduated from Southwestern University with a BA in speech and drama and an MA from the University of Houston. He went to France in 1958 on a year’s leave from his teaching job in Victoria, Texas. When he returned to the US to live five years ago, he had to start learning how to live as an American yet again.
Website: http://www.billwrite.website
An Odyssey Through Retirement: An Unusual Journey Away From Our Paris Houseboat it can be purchased from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and through all major booksellers
