Journeys and Adventures

The US Airways plane emergency landing into the Hudson River two weeks ago called attention to aviation safety—the pilot, crew, and air traffic controllers were all credited for remaining calm, thinking ahead, and keeping all 155 passengers safe.

The emergency landing made me think about the airline safety briefing that starts every flight.  Most of us know the “emergency exits are here” with the double-finger-point (we all learn that in the hospitality industry—it’s considered unprofessional to point), but how often do you really pay attention?  I always try to at least pretend to focus, because I feel it’s rude and I feel bad for the flight attendants, but I, too, often tune them out.  An emergency landing on the water, however, is a good reminder that we really should pay attention once in awhile.

Even if you’re not interested in staying safe, you should listen just in case you get one of the funny safety briefings like those mentioned by Aviation Etc. (“”We do feature a smoking section on this flight; if you must smoke, contact a member of the flight crew and we will escort you to the wing of the airplane” is one of my favorites).

Or check out this funny (and real!) safety briefing from Southwest Airlines…

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I’ve always been a fan of Budget Travel—they have interesting articles and helpful tips for anyone looking to travel anywhere and not spend a fortune (nowadays, who can?).  I’m particularly fond of their series on the hospitality industry: “Confessions of…”

In this collection of articles, hospitality workers like cruise agents, hotel inspectors, and massage therapists reveal some “behind-the-scenes” thoughts, activities, and realities that are often hidden behind the customer service mirage.  Often, these articles are controversial and cause interesting discussion (check out the newly released “Confessions of a Hotel Housekeeper” for an idea).

As someone who has spent several years in the industry, I have first-hand experience in some of these positions , and thought it isn’t always nice to hear, many of the points they make are true…while some are only true in some places.

Here are some particular quotes I do agree with:

Front Desk Clerk: “The desk is where everyone comes to complain.  Sometimes there’s good reason…and then there are instances where guests are less reasonable.”

Vegas Massage Therapist: “Many guests, men in particular, don’t think a woman can give a good deep-tissue massage…Big mistake.”

Hotel Executive: “When guests have a problem or special request, it’s important that they speak to the right person.”

B&B Owner: “Before we come to clean your room, please put your fur handcuffs away—far away, preferably in the bottom of your suitcase.”

Concierge: “Be courteous, and treat me like the professional I am, and the sky’s the limit.”

I’ll say it again and again…please be conscientious of every hospitality worker you come into contact with, but don’t put up with bad service (assuming, of course, you have a reasonable definition of bad service.)

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Photo waiter by keb, www.sxc.hu.

Often the best souvenir from a trip is a memory—not a shot glass or T-shirt—but, no matter how wonderful a trip is, years later, the memories fade. 

As a travel writer, it’s important for me to take notes when I travel.  I have small notebooks all over my apartment that fit in my purse to make it easy for me to take notes during a tour, record impressions of a city while sitting at a café, and write down restaurant names and menu options.

During my recent trip to Krakow, I discovered my notes from my trip to East Africa almost two years ago and I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to relive the bumpy roads (evidenced by my illegible writing on some pages),  the smells (“freshly cut grass from women ‘hacking’ with machetes, burning rubber from tires sitting in the hot sun, corn and manioc cooking over open fires, and exhaust from the vehicles” were all specific ally mentioned),  and some of the people I met along the way—including some names and faces I’d forgotten over time.

Even if you don’t want to carry a small notebook and take extensive notes, there are other ways of preserving memories.   Helen from Massachusetts shared her idea in a Journeywoman newsletter:

My favorite travel tip is to write myself a postcard every day. I choose one card per day with a good picture of my favorite site and then I take some time to write typical diary entry stuff. I pop into the local post office and buy the prettiest stamp for that area and stick it on the card. The denomination doesn’t matter because I’m not mailing these postcards anyway. At the end of my trip I have a wonderful journal, a unique collection of photos, and an interesting mix of foreign postage stamps.

These post cards can be stapled together when you get home, slipped into a photo album (it needs to be one where you can see both sides), or collected on a ring with a hole punched in each corner.

As Family Travel Adventures states, this method can also be a way to include children in the preservation of memories…encourage each child to select a postcard each day and have them spend a few minutes each evening writing themselves or a friend back home about their day—what they saw, what they ate, what they enjoyed.  They will certainly enjoy reading back over the notes as they grow older and return to vacation destinations as adults.

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Photo postcards1 by lusi, www.sxc.hu