Keeping in Touch: While On the Road

Post by Samara O'Shea: Visit her at LetterLover.net and follow her on Twitter

I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel's sake. The great affair is to move.

~Robert Louis Stevenson

Tis the season to be traveling! This weekend my cousin Kate and I are heading to Ireland for a few days and to Amsterdam a few days after that. We are celebrating Kate’s officially becoming a doctor (after four years of medical school and three years of residency). I’m such a proud cousin! This trip is unlike any international trip that I’ve been on in that we’re bouncing from place to place to place—Dublin to Nenagh to Galway to Amsterdam.

Words cannot express my excitement, however, I’m taking some necessary precautions. The unknown element of international travel is part of the fun and also part of the fear. I’m putting together an itinerary to give to my mother and my aunt Susan (Kate’s mother) before we go. I’m making sure to include the flight information—not only for the big flight to Ireland but also the little flight to Amsterdam. I’m giving her the location/contact information of the two sets of friends we’re staying with, in Dublin and Nenagh, the bed & breakfast, in Galway, and the two hostels, in Amsterdam.

Part of what I love about international travel is being unreachable. My cell phone is out of commission, and I leave my laptop at home. Other than one or two stops by an internet café, I’m offline. But I don’t want to be so unreachable that my family can’t get in touch with me in case of (God forbid) an emergency. And I also want them to be able to trace my steps easily in case (again, God forbid) I end up off the radar for some reason. Consider doing the same—even if you’re staying in the states with your cell phone. Having a communication back-up plan puts everyone’s mind at ease so the best time can be had by all.