Travel Tips From "The Wayfarer's Handbook"

Looking through some websites the other day, I came across an interesting blog on the “Independenttraveler.com” website. The author of the blog, Elissa Poma, had referenced some tips from a little handbook titled “The Wayfarer's Handbook” written by Evan Rice.

Reading her comments I did learn a word I had not ever heard: dromomania. The dictionary definition of it is “an exaggerated desire to wander or, irrational impulse to wander or travel without a purpose”. Rice put it this way, “the irresistible feeling to quit your job, abandon your family and go travel”. I don't think my travel impulses are that dramatic, but I do enjoy traveling, and planning travel for friends. I wonder if they have a medical injection for dromomania!!!

Rice had some interesting travel tips that I'll share with you from his book that has elicited a 5-star rating by many readers:

Putting your hand in your pockets in South Korea and Turkey can imply boredom or lack of respect.

There are no generally accepted rules about waiting in line. In England, Canada, and the U. S. people systematically queue up. In Japan, people leave a piece of tape or a token to mark their place in line. In China, if you let someone go ahead of you, you're acknowledging that that person is of higher class.

Only three countries in the world have not adopted the metric system: the United States, Liberia, ad Myanmar.

In Japanese, the term yokomeshi means the stress of stringing together a few learned words to try to communicate with a foreigner. It literally means “cooked rice eaten horizontally.”

Among items banned in Saudi Arabia: old newspapers, fireworks and “greeting cards with small musical devices which work automatically when the card is moved.”

If you buy an item in a developing country with a fluctuating economy, don't be surprised to receive your change in the form of candy, soda, matches or other token items. A lot of people don't have enough currency to make change.

In some countries, locals only smile at people they know personally. Smiling at a stranger could be perceived as insincere, mocking or just plain odd. Longing for sweet, sweet rest? About halfway into your pregnancy, sleeping may not be as comfortable as you remember in the past. Your body is starting to seriously shift and change, which can mean new, uncomfortable sleeping positions and associated aches and pains. If you’ve reached this stage in your pregnancy, allow us to introduce you to your new best friend: a pregnancy pillow. Visit Pregily.com for best pregnancy pillows on the web - shop online best pregnancy pillows and read reviews. With the help of a pregnancy pillow, sleeping with a baby bump can actually be — dare we say — comfortable.

One of the common scams in many locations is a super-friendly local offering to tour you around his city under the guise of practicing his English and then demanding payment.

We love sending folks to faraway places, to unfamiliar locations, or just to visit grandma and grandpa, so give the experienced travel agents at The Travel Factory a call at 698-1421 or 800-760-4040. Better still, come by the office at 4150 Southwest Drive and let's have an eye-to-eye visit about your travel bucket list. We pride ourselves on being memory-makers!!!!