Note from Linda

What’s On Your Mind? 

Feature Article: Preparing for Rural Travel in an Emerging Country

PTT Recommends: Women helping Women…and helping themselves, too

Lingo Tidbits: Dry Sausages

Dear Responsible W.O.R.L.D. Traveler,

Some say life’s mishaps work out for the best, and I heartily agree.

We all know that sometimes things spontaneously fall apart — when you need them most. In a flash, what you thought you had and believed you needed…collapses.

In mid-June, our Peace Through Travel website suddenly and inexplicably vanished. Vanished! Can you imagine?! I was shocked. Astonished. I spent 24 hours vacillating between outrage and panic. With some tears.

Then I made a shift. I decided to choose the high road and see the good in a rather startling situation. Happily, I surround myself with teammates who do the same, so together we turned the corner really quickly.

And now, a couple of weeks later, I am actually grateful for the crash! Our new website is still being built. However, it is new, improved, and a joy to us at Peace Through Travel.

Now that we’re all calm again, I reflect on the parallel between this experience…and travel. And in this case, by “travel” I mean intense travel, transformative travel, as opposed to more familiar and predictable travel.

When you choose to travel adventurously, to step into an unknown, you run a high risk of experiencing the collapse of some foundation you’re accustomed to.

Yet if you do it right and you properly prepare so that you maximize your comfort and happiness, you have a very good shot at a life-changing experience. It does take some effort, though, as well as guidance and desire. And optimism is always a good philosophy.

This month’s feature article, Preparing Yourself for Rural Travel in an Emerging Country, gives you some first steps for planning your adventurous wanderings into the rural nitty-gritty of a new world.

With love and peace,

Peace Through Travel

What’s On Your Mind?

From green travel to eco-travel, volunteerism to cultural immersion, I hear questions every day from people who are just not clear on what a term means, or how they should go about planning for a responsible travel experience.

Because I often hear many of the same questions, I’m announcing an official call for your inquiries. I’d love to hear from you and help clear up some of the confusion.

What’s on your mind? What do wonder about? When it comes to sustainable or responsible travel, what would you like to have answered or clarified?

Send your questions to lrivero@peacethroughtravel.net. I’ll be answering these in upcoming issues.

Preparing for Rural Travel in an
Emerging Country

There’s no denying the fact that when you travel to an emerging country for some rural exploring, you’re in for a fabulous adventure…and a major adjustment. Once you get out of the cities and immerse yourself in the rural world, you’ll inevitably find yourself surrounded by demands and situations that are far from your usual daily routine.

To make a smooth transition, prepare yourself as much as you can. Not only will you be more comfortable right from the start, but you’ll also save yourself days of precious travel time otherwise spent feeling disoriented and cranky.

Here are some suggestions to speed up your adjustment process.

Have Clothes, Will Carry

• Take clothes you don’t care about, especially women. You don’t want to worry about getting your cute little top dirty.

• Forget fashion. Look around you. Do you want to absorb where you are and draw people to you? Enjoy the designer look when you get home.

• Forget jewelry — although I admit I can’t resist a pair of earrings. But stick to your fun bijoux only—no expensive jewelry, please.

• Hot climates call for light colors, which are also preferable around mosquitoes; the little buggers seem to prefer dark shades. However, ladies, leave your pretty white summer frocks at home. They’ll get really dirty really fast. Light-colored prints are easy to manage; they camouflage spills and dirt but still keep you cool.

• Pack clothes you can wash easily and dry fast. Jeans are not the best solution, as much as we love them.

• Think carefully about your footwear. Washable flip-flops were a godsend in Africa. In the forests of Mexico, tie-on or pull-on shoes that I could wear in the rivers were great; and if they’re quick-to-dry, that’s even better.

• Bring a cap or visor if you’re sensitive to the sun. Women, if you like to look good but stay in the shade, get one of those pretty, crushable, wide-brimmed hats.

• Another tip for women: don’t go skimpy in rural areas. Leave the sexy camisoles and short-shorts at home. If you’re traveling in a conservative society, have a simple, modest skirt with you.

• Toss a rain poncho in your bag. It’s a luxury in a sudden downpour.

• A backpack is a great way to go. You can carry all your stuff (sunblock, camera, journal, Purel — and lipstick!) and have your hands free for climbing or balancing.

• Use Ziploc bags to compartmentalize all your little things inside so you don’t go have to go rummaging.

• Keep it light! …not that I’m very good at this, but I keep trying to do better.

• Bring a map, if you can get one. I love maps. Not only do they help you visualize the magic all around you; they also work as a kind of anchor. It’s nice to know where you are on the planet.

Your Health

• About inoculations: I’m all for them. Not only are some required for entry; I also believe recommended vaccinations and preventive medications are fundamental to not only physical health but also peace of mind.

• Take water purification tablets or a water filter. They work fine and are a blessing when you’re parched. What you don’t want to do is drink untreated tap water, of course.

• A reminder about water: You know not to drink tap water, but remember not to swallow untreated water inadvertently when you brush your teeth.

• Take a good sunblock. I use an spf 60 on my face and 45 on the rest of me. The sunblock not only avoids burning (and consequent premature aging – gasp!), but also enhances peace of mind.

• If you’re going to be sleeping outdoors, bring your own portable, lightweight mosquito net.

• A must is insect repellent. Despite the risks I know are associated with DEET, I did use one with 45% DEET in Africa and I must say, I didn’t get bitten once. I put it on the morning and again lightly at night before sleeping, applying it only to exposed skin. For heavy mosquito season, I’ll use another that’s 97% DEET.

• Perhaps other alternatives like lemon-eucalyptus oil are effective. I’ve read some encouraging but not conclusive information. I do know, however, that DEET does work, so I decided to go with it. Yes, it has its risks, but I figure malaria and encephalitis are worse. Just don’t use DEET for very long.

• Of course, be sure to take any prescription medications you require. If you have several of these, it’s a good idea to take a doctor’s note along, indicating your need for them. I once spent four hours at a border crossing where I was interrogated and strip-searched, all because I was carrying several medications (post-surgery) with no medical authorization. Those cops just didn’t believe me. So avoid that nasty possibility with a note from your doctor.

Communication and Electronics

• Remember to bring your chargers for your camera, cell phone, iPod and other electronics.

• If you love to photograph, have an extra memory card or two.

• And of course, be sure to bring your converter/transformer with the appropriate plug adapter. I just carry the converter/transfomer with its set of 5 plug adapters in a little carrying case and pull out the right one once I get where I’m going.

• About cell phones: it’s a good idea to have cell phone service in your destination. You can either use your regular service or rent a phone at, or prior to arriving in, your destination. Some rental plans even have extras like travel blog functions built in, so shop around for the best equipment and prices for you, and compare those with your roaming charges and expected usage.

Odds and Ends

• Bring a little travel bottle of detergent to use nightly for your mini-laundry.

• For washing when you don’t have a shower, take along some of those nifty little just-add-water cleansing cloths available in travel stores. While a cloth clean-up is not quite like luxuriating in a hot shower, those little items do get you pretty clean, and you just need a tiny bit of water to use them.

• Arrive with some local currency! You don’t want to get off the plane and have to go wandering around a city you don’t know at midnight in a desperate search for an ATM just to pay for your taxi — which, I’m embarrassed to say, I have done. Bring local money with you.

Your Happiness

You’ll be so much more light-hearted if you arrive at least somewhat oriented for your destination. Get there warmed up!

• Learn some language, at least greetings and courtesies. These you can learn in any language.

• Learn some culture. Read your guide books. Research online or in your library. Speak with a knowledgeable travel agent. Contact the national tourist office or consulate. Speak with someone from that country, if you can. Know what to expect!...at least a little bit. Avoid the disappointment and frustration of not knowing how to interpret the way people interact with you.

• Bring lots of patience….and check your Western sense of time at the door. In most emerging parts of the world, time moves at a v-e-r-y different pace. You’ll probably do a lot of waiting, with delays a likely part of your daily routine.

• So bring a good book!

• Forget Plan A…and B and C. Don’t get too attached to your travel schedule. I’ll bet you there’ll be changes, and things won’t happen exactly when and maybe even how you expect them to. If you’re with a good pre-arranged travel program, you should get to everything included in your itinerary; you just may not get to them exactly when or how you thought you would.

• Be prepared to get dirty every day. It’s part of the reality of where you are, so go with it. You can shower – or wash in some manner -- when you get back to your room.

• Most of all, bring your sense of humor. Expect the unexpected, and find the laughter in everything. It’s always there, if you want it to be.

• And, simply, smile! You’ll feel better, and people will like you more, too.

© Linda Rivero, Peace Through Travel

Women Helping Women…and Helping Themselves, Too

Women’s Travels for Peace: Senegal, November 2008

You’ll love what you see. And once you experience Women’s Travels for Peace, you’ll love what you feel even more.

The cat’s out of the bag; you know I can’t resist a good tongue-twister.

Love and Peace,