Introduction
In the previous write-up, I shared the things I need to have available when I travel. But the first decision that needs to be made is where to go? Plus of course, the how and when that come after that decision.
Start the Decision Process
When one makes these decisions, one really needs to look deep into oneself first. You need to truly understand your likes, dislikes. As you age, your physical limitations need to be truly understood. If one does not have a good understanding of yourself, your enjoyment of your travels could be limited.
Further, if you are travelling with a companion and or in a group, don’t just assume that everyone is going to agree on what to do and when. My best suggestion is that individually everyone go through the thought process that I am about to lay out below. Then get together and compare, contrast and discuss the similarities and differences. Where can compromises be made in varying itineraries? Hash this out before landing at your destination otherwise you could be in for a difficult vacation
My Personal Thought Process
As for me, I love seeing new places, people watching, getting the vibe of the city, resort or cabin where I am staying. My travel journeys started back in my university days when I spent six months in Barcelona kind of attending university. As you can guess, not much attending university happened. I am amazed I passed.
From that time onwards, I travelled when life and money allowed. I would use my passion for tennis as my reason to visit many cities in the US. I signed up for tournaments in cities throughout the US over the years.
Now in my senior years, photography is the driving force of many of my visits along with sport. I have completed the tennis Grand Slam as a spectator. I am now looking at other tournaments to attend throughout the world along with some F1 races. My first question is what sort of sporting activity do I want to photograph.
Travel Gadgets you need:
Getting Around
Being a little older now, a limitation for me is walking long distances and as I found out recently hills, stairs, and cobblestones pose real issues for me. For any destination, I check and see if there is some form of Hop on, Hop off tour bus group. Big Bus Tours operate in many cities. I find these so handy. You can easily check out all of the major sites; where they are located; what kind of foot traffic is around the attraction.
Many of the tours have a live guide (not a recording) from who you may be able get other information such deals, best times to visit and so on. The final added feature of a Hop On, Hop Off tour is found in the name itself. If you arrive at an attraction where you would like to spend a little more time, you can hop off the tour and walk about. A friendly note: make sure you know the schedule, don’t hop off and be stranded at the end of the day.
Local Transit
Since we are on the topic of local transportation, I will talk a bit about that. Do some research on what public transportation may be available where you are going? How safe is it? Are there stops near attractions you want to see? Is the public transit fully accessible? What is the taxi vs Uber situation?
Here are some examples of issues that I have run into with transit. In Montreal (a city I love and visit often), they have an impressive public transit network. But here is the rub, many stations are not fully accessible yet. I visit every year to attend the National Bank Open (formerly Roger’s Cup Tennis tournament). The closest Metro station to the park is De Castlenau. It is a beautiful station but access from the ticketing floor to the street level is by stairs only. Similarly, here in Toronto, 80% of the stations are fully accessible but there are a few not yet up to snuff. There exists also the potential for an elevator or escalator at the station you need to be out of service. So do your research ahead.
I realized that I jumped ahead to local transit and missed the whole topic of getting to your destination. What type of travel do you like? Planes, trains or automobiles? What’s your budget? Do you have time constraints on either end of the trip?
Planes, Trains & Automobiles
I realized that I jumped ahead to local transit and missed the whole topic of getting to your destination. What type of travel do you like? Planes, trains or automobiles? What’s your budget? Do you have time constraints on either end of the trip?
Myself, I am a big fan of trains. Again, it may be because it was my main mode of travel in my university days. I loved taking the train home from Ottawa where I attended university. I could read, relax and a drink whatever. Nowadays, Via Rail is how I get back and forth between Toronto and Montreal. The business class seat may seem costly, but when I consider the air travel alternative, time is money.
I hate spending hours in the airport then having to spend another $100 each end of the trip on taxis. The train is downtown to downtown. To top it off, if you time it right you can get seats for as low as $50 in economy (one way). But with Via One (business class), you get a meal included, a little larger seat, a beverage or two. For me it is worth the extra money, so download a few episodes of your fav Netflix series and give it a try.
Air Canada (and Air Canada Vacations) has been my airline for as long as I can remember. I have always had a good relationship with them, and they have never yet lost a bag on me! They are not the cheapest nor do they pretend to be. My only caution on booking with them, is to check and make sure it is not on their Rouge subsidiary. The Rouge planes are abysmal. The seats are uncomfortable and crammed almost one on top of the other. But what would expect from a discount airline.
Now crammed uncomfortable seats are okay for short flights of less than 90 minutes (for me that is). I am a big boy and need a big boy seat if the flight is going to be longer than that. When I flew to Australia, I used Cathay Pacific and I paid the extra for premium economy. For those of us who can’t afford first class seats, premium economy on long haul flights is the next best. I was comfortable; I had leg room; the wide arm rests made sure there were no elbow fights; I was able to lay back and watch all my recorded videos.
As for driving, I would reserve that for very local visits. In Toronto, public transit abounds so I don’t own a car. I have a Zip Car membership if I want to do a day trip somewhere this is totally great way to do it.
Travel Wear
Hotels, Motels Or Someone's Home?
The last key component in travel is where to stay. I am a big fan of the Marriott chain of hotels. They have locations in all price ranges. When I was travelling a lot playing tennis, I would look for a Marriott Residence Inn. In Montreal, my two favourite hotels are The Residence Inn Westmount (now the Hotel 2170) or The Fairfield Inn Downtown. You had a small apartment for your stay where you could stretch out, and cook your meals which were vital when playing a tournament. In recent years, I have also used Airbnb and am looking at Vrbo for similar reasons. I want to stalk up the fridge and go! While I have heard some bad stories about Airbnb locations, I have not had any yet. I’ll keep you posted
You and your companions, if any, should think through what you need at your location. Do you want a full restaurant and bar? Does it need to be close to any other location? Do you need gym facilities? Business centre? Do you need Wi-fi and is it free and or do you have to pay extra for speed upgrades? Do you have any physical needs? If doing a Residence Inn style stay, is there a grocery store nearby? Are there laundry facilities? Is parking included or extra? Is parking on-site or found elsewhere? Is the beach near or a distance away?
Maybe call the hotel before booking and ask about outlets – you may find this weird – but many older hotels don’t have enough outlets to keep all my devices charging. If you know in advance that this could be an issue, you could make sure you bring an adapter to expand the number of available outlets.
These questions that I have come up with via good and bad experiences when travelling. My last piece of advice is as you are about to head down to check out, do one last walk around the room and check for personal items – medications, books, and especially charging cords that may have fallen behind desks or tables.
Conclusions
My final piece of advice is going to contradict everything I have said so far. Don’t plan yourself into a corner! Remember the goal of a vacation is primarily to unwind and relax. I recommend planning in flex time. A day or two to relax on the beach; find a coffee shop and people watch for an afternoon; plan a day in bed just blocking out the world.
With things now opening up, get out there and see the world. Learn more about people everywhere. See the world from a new perspective! Upcoming blogs on Montreal and Puerta Vallarta. Thanks for reading.
***** Important Notice *****
Please note: The opinions expressed in this document should never be construed as advice. The thoughts are based on my experiences after 40-plus years of business and vacation travel. My likes and dislikes may vary drastically from yours. Do your research and find products and experiences that align with your likes and dislikes. Most of all have happy travels and see you out there on the road!
Al of Al Murray Travel & Photography: From the time in my youth, when I would lay on our garage roof watching planes traverse the skies above me, I knew I wanted to see the world.
My passion grew after spending a semester of my university days in Barcelona. I spent more time on trains and buses than I did in class.
After earning my BA from Carleton University, life got in the way. But I did find time to graduate again from George Brown in Fitness and Lifestyle Management and then work my way through most of a degree in Sports Administration. However I needed to find work and pay for all this education!
It wasn’t until my “middle age” did I start exploring the world again. First, transversing the US and Canada to take part in tennis tournaments. Then later to complete my spectator “grand slam” of tennis.
I accomplished this while earning my certificate in photography from Toronto Metropolitan University. I am now combining the two passions and now sharing with you my many lessons learned.