I’m currently on a trip in Paris with my partner. We’ve been here before and we’ve traveled to other European cities as well as a month-long trip to New Zealand and Australia. This time around, we included a third traveler with us, a friend. We played in the Gay Games so we were a team of three. It became clear to my partner and me, that our friend had difficulty keeping up with us and he was often times in awkward situations. I decided to write this for the not-so-frequent traveler as well as the seasoned travelers who want to take along someone who is new to traveling.
First of all, our friend has traveled before, but it was more for relaxing at the beach “au Sud” during the dead of Canadian winter. Our friend is also of a certain age which I won’t reveal here, but let me just say he’s not very active on social media platforms. Even with technology, he is awkward. I didn’t realize the depth of that awkwardness until we visited the cemetery of Père Lachaise. There he had to use his iPhone instead of his camera because he ran out of charge in his battery. Just before visiting the cemetery, we were at Fontainebleau taking unbelievable amounts of pictures. I asked him why he didn’t bring a second battery. He didn’t think he needed it was his response.
If you’re going to take pictures on your trip with a camera and/or with your cell phone, please bring along an extra battery or two for your camera and a phone charger for your cell phone. In addition, be sure to have a memory card with enough capacity for your trip. I admit to going overboard on this trip to Paris with two 128 GB memory cards. 32 GB should be plenty for most travelers.
While traveling, especially in Paris, you just might find yourself in line either buying entry tickets, something to eat, or some souvenirs. As a courtesy to others in line waiting for you, be sure to take your credit card or money with you and step aside so that others can be helped. We watched our friend awkwardly put his money away in his money belt still in front of the counter while the cashier and the next customer were looking on in annoyance. Likewise, it is important to have your metro ticket in hand before going through the turnstile, and not searching for it when you get to the turnstile. (Yes, our friend has done this.) This might go without saying, but know your credit card code. As I was helping our friend buy a metro ticket from the machine, he didn’t know his four-digit code to finalize the transaction–later that day we contacted his bank. Just as important, let your bank and credit card company know that you will be traveling so as not to flag or impede your transaction as you’re trying to buy those Eiffel Tower key chains.
Now about social media. My partner and I are both active on Facebook, sharing our photos with our family and friends, reading their replies, and responding to their comments. Our friend is unable to share his photos on his Facebook page because he cannot transfer his camera photos to his phone. I checked his camera and it has wifi capabilities, but he hasn’t downloaded the application on his phone. I tried using my card reader to connect with his phone, but his phone doesn’t find the reader at all–and, yes, we did try it on my partner’s iPhone which worked.
You might be asking, “Why bring a camera when you have a cell phone?” Personally, I use both when I go on trips. The camera allows me to save the charge on my cell phone. Moreover, I can use the zoom on my camera which has a better quality than my cell phone. It’s much faster using a camera than a cell phone–using my phone at the ready to take pictures drains the battery. While I do have wifi on my camera, I found that transfers (including video) are faster using a card reader to my cell phone. Naturally, once the photos are in my cell phone, they can easily be shared through social media. Our friend still has not shared the majority of his photos to his friends and family.
Know your weather! As we were preparing our luggage for the return trip home, our friend found it difficult to place things in both his luggage and carry-on, which was a small hydration backpack. Come to find out, he had packed a bathrobe. It’s the middle of summer and most of Europe is going through a heatwave. You do NOT need a bathrobe! And that small hydration backpack? It was stuffed to capacity! My carry-on bag was my gym duffel bag. I carried my clean clothes, souvenirs, and messenger bag in my carry-on. Normally my partner and I travel light, and our carry-on is our luggage–we don’t check in our luggage. This trip, however, we had pétanque balls with us which are not allowed in carry-on luggage so we had to check them in. Fitting everything into a carry-on luggage will save you time and hassle on your trip–no waiting at the baggage claim and no worries about your luggage getting lost. Fortunately, on this trip to Paris, our flight was direct.
If you need more tips and suggestions on how to travel and how to do it lightly or at least minimizing the hassles, you can find travel videos on YouTube. Also, consult with travel agents as well as friends and family who have traveled before. Have fun, and bon voyage!
Café and Journal 