My husband and I made the decision this past October to cancel a trip to Spain and Morocco that I’d spent innumerable hours planning. It was a complicated trip - several legs, transportation utilizing planes, trains and automobiles. 12 days in foreign countries. Since it’s been a brutal winter for many of us and thoughts of summer travel are rampant daydreams, I thought I’d finally sit down and share a few hard-earned tips to remember when planning your next trip abroad.

Beware #1: Life Throws Curveballs

Don’t fall into the trap of thinking there is no way, no how, come hell or high water that the trip you’re planning could be cancelled.  This trip was to be a once-in-a-lifetime trip. One we’d given a lot of thought to, planned in our minds for a couple of years, and even committed the resources for. Travel insurance may cover some things, but it doesn’t cover prudence. By the time the trip came within a month of departure, our job situation had become unexpectedly dicey.  The decision to cancel was one of prudence. We knew we’d lose some money, but we couldn’t lose money we hadn’t yet spent. It’s not always illness or injury or some family crisis that creates a need to cancel.

If you go into the planning of a trip with this in mind, you won’t be unpleasantly surprised when you pull the plug.

Beware #2: Currency Change-ups

All of the lodging accommodations took the initial charges/downpayments in Euros. The exchange is easy enough to calculate.  BUT on the refund end several credited our credit card in British Pound Sterling.  In most cases, what I received back when I finally got the transactions converted back to Euros then U.S. dollars was not what it would have been had they refunded the money in the original currency taken - Euros (exchange rates fluctuate daily).  Not only that, as if that’s not enough, but it’s extremely confusing when you begin converting the multiple currencies. Make sure you ASK if a cancellation becomes necessary, in what currency they’ll make the refund. You can’t change the policy, but you’ll at least be informed.

I suggest you use a full size notebook page for every leg of the trip. Organize it any way you want, but make room for this: as you book, find out exactly by what time frame you have to cancel, and should that be necessary, exactly how much you’ll receive back assuming you cancel within that time frame.  Not a percentage, not a night’s worth, but the number of dollars/euros/pounds etc. If it’s not to be money, rather vouchers, get all the details of their restrictions for use. Note all this prominently on your planning page, the date, and the person’s name that gave you that information.

Beware #3: Cash vs. Vouchers

I booked several legs of the trip through Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Happy with their customer service and responsiveness, the cancellation process irrevocably damaged my opinion of them. I hesitate to say I won’t use them again. I will say instead that I’ll attempt to avoid them in the future. Or for that matter, any other booking agent that attempts the same. Here’s why. I was generally aware of the cancellation policy. In other words, I understood that should I have to cancel my refund would be in vouchers that could only be used towards another Smith property and had to be used within a year.  Okay.  But here’s what I didn’t know. In order to use the vouchers I received upon the cancellation, a FULL prepayment (as in 100%) of the price would have to be made for the NEW trip. So for instance, come June we decide to use the vouchers for a stay at a Smith property in the U.S. I’m within the year restriction, but guess what? Instead of the requisite down payment to hold my reservation, in order to use my voucher, I have to give them the entirety of the cost of the stay. No dice. Not only will I NOT use the vouchers, but I have to cry foul on this. ALL the lessons I learned were due to my own lack of savvy. This however, is a bad business practice, aka “RIP-OFF”.

Beware #4: Don’t Call Them!

Don’t ever call THEM.  If they’re not offering to call you to iron out any snafus, they don’t deserve your business. My credit card wouldn’t clear with our lodging company in Morocco. I felt guilty about that, as if it was my fault or the thought crossed my mind that maybe they thought I was attempting something I couldn’t afford. Add to that the need to get the particulars nailed down, and you’ve got me picking up the phone and making an international call when they asked me to.  It’s embarrassing to admit that. I was very upset at my stupidity when I received the phone bill. And incensed that they asked me to call in the first place.  There was nothing wrong with my credit card, they just had problems processing a U.S. card and they admitted mine wasn’t the first.

Beware #5: International Wire Transfers

No credit card surcharges, no currency exchange issues, a way to put down a reservation hold and know exactly what the financial impact will be. Think again!

A small B&B in Andalusia required a deposit in the amount of $100 Euros and could only accept a wire transfer (with the balance in cash upon our arrival). I had our banker figure the exchange and wire the amount. She even agreed to waive their normal international wire transfer fee of $30 (nice!). We received a confirmation that USD of $149.24 had been debited from our account and $100 Euro sent to the B&B’s bank.

Things came unwound from there. An email comes from the proprietor of the B&B that a deposit of $85 Euro had been received.  I emailed her back reminding her she’d requested $100 Euro and that I had in hand confirmation $100 Euro had been wired directly to her bank account. I even got our banker into the fray, but nothing could be done. The proprietor’s bank had charged her an incoming wire fee and she had to pass that on to us, because, well, that’s the way business was done in Spain and she felt terrible that she hadn’t told me that upfront, she assumed I knew, and on and on. She blamed the misunderstanding on her bank in the end. Numerous emails were exchanged. But in the end, we only received credit for the $85 Euro.  I was helpless to combat this situation.

When I calculated what the fees were for the wire transfer of $149 USD, the total was $51 ($30 potential fee from our bank and $21 fee from the receiving bank - $15 Euro converted).  That’s just a small fee of 34% of the amount wired!!  Avoid international wire transfers unless you get all the particulars and fees assessed in writing ahead of time.

Beware #6: Foreign Car Rental

Plan to spend triple the amount you would allocate for a similar amount of time stateside. The collision damage waivers are extremely pricey. But we felt we needed the best level of coverage offered. Even if that could have been reduced with a lower level of coverage, it was difficult deciphering what was covered and what wasn’t.

Since we were to be in the South of Spain for several days, we wanted to rent a car. With plans to take the AVE from Madrid to Cordoba, we wanted to pick up the car at the Cordoba train station. Even with the help of a travel agent, the first attempt at this would have required we load our luggage into a taxi for a short ride to the rental car pick-up. Not so bad on the trip in, but on the trip leaving, that element of unknown time threw up road blocks where scheduling was concerned. Even though the car rental agency showed up as being at the Cordoba train station, when we looked closely at the address, it was off-site. At the time we canceled the trip, a rental car had still not been locked down.

Forget the fine print. Ask more questions. As in a LOT of questions. Stupid questions. Get names and emails confirming what you were told if you can. If someone wants your business, they shouldn’t mind. And prepare for this: no matter how many questions you ask, how many t’s you cross and i’s dotted, there will still be a few unpleasant surprises upon a cancellation.

On a bright note, I loved TripIt (www.tripit.com) for organizing the trip. In one glance it allows you to see the itinerary for every day, addresses, phone numbers, flight or rail numbers, costs, confirmation numbers, level of accommodation you booked, etc. I can’t think of a detail it won’t handle.

For me, since there’s no travel more rewarding, relaxing, or stimulating (the last two are not mutually exclusive) as road trips, the following travel tips are worthy of this abbreviated list, as hackneyed as they may be.

And really, I hold little close to the vest, so don’t read these and think “these aren’t secrets, she’s told us all this before.”  Well obviously you can think it, just don’t say it aloud. Unless you want to leave a comment, and then of course you can say just about anything you want because comments make bloggers giddy.

Like this? This was located with a GPS, wasn't even close to an Interstate, and was within my county of residence (at one time).

Jen Laceda of Folie a`Deux tagged me to share three travel secrets and in turn tap five other travel related bloggers and request they do the same on their blogs. “My 3 Best Kept Travel Secrets,” organized by Katie of Tripbase.com states “the aim of this game is to unite travel bloggers in a joint endeavor to create an amazing list of top travel recommendations across the globe to share with the entire travel community.”

I believe this list was initially conceived to reveal favorite destinations, but like the secret whispered in the ear of a friend who passes it on to another friend, who passes it on to another friend, it’s evolved into pretty much whatever the tagged blogger wants to discuss.

• SRT travel not-so-secret secret #1: Spend the money for a GPS or any device that will allow you to leave a breadcrumb trail (so you can confidently return to where you began). For one day of your trip, take your wallet/purse, the GPS and a camera, leave your maps and guidebooks in the hotel room, and hit the streets.  For an even more intense rush, leave your camera behind as well. Leaving the camera behind takes the most guts. No guts, no travel glories.

• SRT travel not-so-secret secret #2: Speaking of guts, exit the Interstate if you’re interested in seeing anything other than the sterile, stamped out cities they connect.

• SRT travel not-so-secret secret #3: Take a weekend road trip and stay within your county of residence.

Five travel bloggers that must now make a post regarding their 3 Best Kept Travel Secrets or more of the American highway system will implode:

Notes From the Road

John Batdorff Photograhy Blog

Travel Dreams & Moonbeams

One.Year.Trip

Postcards & Coasters

The subtitle for Wanderlust and Lipstick states: “The essential guide for women traveling solo.” My readership on this site approximates 50% male so when Beth asked I review the book, I was reluctant to discuss and recommend something geared specifically towards women. Then I actually read the book.

From cover to cover it’s glutted with resources I’ve not seen all compacted in one tidy place and many with which I was completely unaware. From forums (which have become some of the best sources for hands-on information) to dining guides, to websites covering all modes of transportation timetables, to information on how to handle illness or emergencies, the resources alone make this book worth the purchase price.

Beyond the sheer quantity and usefulness of the resources for traveling the world, the book inspires. Beth has ridden a BMW F650, SOLO, from Seattle to Panama, had a grenade pulled on her in Cambodia, and encountered the monster of giardia in Southeast Asia. Without having to say anything, Whitman’s erudition alone is inspiring. But she doesn’t stop there. Her ability to impart nuggets of wisdom and encouragement tells the reader she’s a woman on a mission - her goal is to see others enjoy the empowerment, liberation and rejuvenation of solo travel. She’s done it, she loves it, and she’s going to make you love it too!

Based on the comments to various posts and other interaction with the male readership on this site, you face the same strongholds towards solo travel that women do (and why wouldn’t you?). There’s logistical, psychological, and sociological issues with solo travel and these issues do not discriminate between the sexes.

So guys, if you’re not comfortable ordering the book for yourself, order it for a woman (or two) in your life and read it before tying on a bow.

Beth’s website, www.wanderlustandlipstick.com is another great resource (and entertaining), with gear reviews http://wanderlustandlipstick.com/wandergear/wander-gear/ and ideas for world travel http://wanderlustandlipstick.com/wander-tales/. Check it out!

The book is $15.95 and can be purchased on the Wanderlust and Lipstick website: http://wanderlustandlipstick.com/books/solo/

SRT readers, let me know if you enjoy this post and/or find it informational. It’s a departure from my normal road trip fare, but worthy of the detour.

We’re a nation teetering on social burn-out. The multitude of devices designed to bind us together like links in a chain has made it difficult to go to the bathroom and be alone. Articles on efficiency are prolific: how to cut a minute off some task, make your morning shower more efficient, and speed up this or that. And yet I know more discontented people than ever. When the pundits start messing with your morning shower, who wouldn’t be unhappy? It all begs the point, if being continually connected to a large group of people and having your life maximized for efficiency can’t deliver happiness, what’s missing? Some solo time, my friends.

Ester Schaler Buchholz, PhD, an outspoken advocate for solitude, in her 1997 book The Call of Solitude writes: “We live in a society that worships independence yet deeply fears alienation. The earth’s population has doubled since the 1950s and in cities across the world, urban crowding and the new global economy have revolutionized social relationships. Cellular phones now extend the domain of the workplace into every part of our lives; religion no longer provides a place for quiet retreat but instead offers “megachurches” of social and secular amusement; and climbers on top of Mt. McKinley whip out hand-held radios to call home. We are heading toward a time when, according to the New York Times,” portable phones, pagers, and data transmission devices of every sort will keep us terminally in touch.” Yet in another more profound way, we are terminally out of touch. The need for genuine and constructive aloneness has gotten utterly lost, and in the process, so have we.”

Solo road trips (SRT) strike fear in the heart of many. Either the brain conjures up “solitary confinement” and goes downhill from there or the thought of a road trip disgorges memories of the family sedan and their Dad’s mission to see America at 55 mph. But it’s not about getting away, it’s about going somewhere….with yourself. I read an article on solo travel that recommended spending some time on a psychological sofa before heading out on a solo road trip. I beg to differ. The trip IS the psychological sofa. And there’s no astronomical hourly billing attached. Few things in our lives are as liberating, empowering, and rejuvenating as a solo road trip. Yet as good as that sounds, most people have NEVER taken one. Friends can face down a room of professionals in a board room, or the crush of orders coming in for burgers and fries at high noon, but they can’t face the prospect of being alone.

Let’s debunk a myth right off the bat about solo travel. There are those who believe the only experiences that really matter are those you share with someone else. Pifel! That’s my mother’s favorite exclamatory word and provides a more politically correct substitute for my favorite words: bullshit, crap, crapola, and whatacrock. If you asked these people in a question format “do you believe the only experiences that really matter are….” they would likely say “no.” But my SRTs have become a curiosity, and with that I’ve become a curiosity. So I hear feedback about them and I can tell you a lot of it is negative and without any ability to relate. Why? Because deep down they believe the myth and they can’t relate to those of us who don’t. Various friends and family members are so unable to relate to my road trips, they can’t talk about them. Upon my return last fall from 9 days on the open road, a best friend called and said “Okay, it’s just not right you wanting to have all that fun to yourself, and I demand to go with you on the next one.” Judy. Then it wouldn’t be a SOLO road trip. The concept is beyond her; fun should be shared. End of discussion. But it’s not the end. If it were, I’d have nothing else to write. And I’ve plenty to say, so stay tuned.

So you’re at least considering a SRT? Good! First, realize it’s not brain surgery. The logistics are simple, subjective, and subject to change - a beautiful thing. And keep in mind, SOLO road trips and road trips have little in common in the way of experience or preparation.

To push you over the edge, here’s my list of reasons to make at least one SRT in your life. And really, it should be at least an overnighter.

• You can disconnect every connectivity device you own.

• Planning can be thrown out the door; no agenda required.

• There’s no one to care when you eat, what you eat, or if you eat.

• You can turn around 500 times to photograph something you caught a glimpse of at 70 mph.

• You don’t have to ask or care if someone else is having a good time, what they want to see next, is the temperature comfortable for them, do they need a restroom stop, what music they prefer, does your driving scare them, do they care if you go 10 miles down a dirt road looking for that ghost town you heard about once when you were a kid.

• It’s your choice of music and volume.

• It’s your choice of lodging and check in-out time.

• Getting lost becomes meaningless.

• No one cares if you don’t shower that day, or brush your teeth.

Film!

Now that we’ve covered the touchy-feely side of solo travel, let’s talk about the practicalities, most of which revolve around safety. Until 2007 my solo road trips were taken in a 1994 Mazda MX-6. No 4-wheel drive, no GPS, no OnStar, no AAA membership, and just enough clearance to not be a turtle killer. And I had a fantastic time, no matter what happened, and a lot happened.

• The single most important component: your mindset. Make sure you’re ready to consider everything that happens part of the adventure.

• If you can afford it, purchase a AAA membership.

• Inform close friends and family you’re leaving and what general direction you’re headed. Yea you’ll have to hear all the crap about it, and listen to your Mom tell you not to sleep in your car, but do it anyway.

• Designate one person as your daily contact (and tell the others who that person is). Make that call once a day, without neglect.

• Purchase a recent Atlas.

• Pack a warm blanket in the car, heavy duty gloves, a rain jacket, jumper cables, ice scrapper, a pair of boots, and all the tools required to change a flat. Make sure you’ve got a good spare.

• Have the oil changed, tires and basic fluid levels checked.

• Place a first aid kit in the vehicle.

• Never allow your fuel to go below ½ tank.

• Know the territory you’ll be in. If hiking, know the rules, the dangers (are there bears in the area, snakes, etc.) and be prepared for those. If you don’t know, don’t go. Actually, unless you’re familiar with survival techniques, I’d caution against going into any backcountry situation alone. With quite a bit of experience under my belt and some near misses (a run-in with a full grown mountain lion comes to mind), I now avoid most wilderness situations unless I’ve someone accompanying me.

• If you have any alcohol to drink, drink it after you’ve checked into your lodging for the night. Besides not wanting to drink and drive, you’ll also have all your capacities and wit about you during the time you’re out and about.

• Take both a car charger and a wall charger for your cell phone, and keep it charged.

• My own rules: No fast food. I pack sandwich fixin’s, snacks and drinks in an ice chest before I leave home. And I limit major highway travel. I’ve seen few things of note at 75 mph. But if you’re contemplating your first SRT and you’d feel better staying on major freeways, then do it! You’ll get all the benefits of solo travel and you’ll feel safe (VERY important).

Captured with film on last year's solo road trip.

Road Trippin’

By: Red Hot Chili Peppers

“Road trippin’ with my two favorite allies

Fully loaded we got snacks and supplies

It’s time to leave this town

It’s time to steal away

Let’s go get lost

Anywhere in the U.S.A.”