Malena loves candy. And travel. And both together. And thus, this site was born.
by 
I started this trip ten months ago in Mexico, traveling with my grandmother in her country of birth. While this was my first trip of longer than a few weeks, Abuelita was old hat at it, having spent months independently traveling through South America, China, and Egypt. She had plenty of advice on long-term travel, and was prone towards giving it at all times. Still, my preparations for this trip were extensive and I imagined I had all the answers. I tended to discount or ignore many of her suggestions, perhaps due to the pride and vanity of youth (ha!) or maybe just an eagerness to be off adventuring rather than spending even more time dissecting my packing list/hotel selection plan.
Anyways, after some time on the road, I’m a little embarassed to say that Abuelita was almost entirely spot-on. Some of this is practical whereas others more philosophical, but ignore at your own hazard! (Well, most of it - I still have some reservations about a few things…)
Statues of Jesus
1a) Bring at least one pair of thick wool socks for warmth. I’m not entirely sure about this one, even now - wool socks just take up so much space in the bag! Abuelita sent me a pair a few weeks ago, and its working out better than I thought, but the weight and space and refusal to dry make them best for cold climates. My favorite thing about them is they don’t get smelly like most socks after a wear or two - you can reuse them for days!
2) Don’t just stay in a cheap hotel/hostel. Stay in a cheap, DECENT place. Well, most hostels I’ve been in have turned out ok, but in smaller cities off the traveler circuit I’ve had to stay in absolute holes of hotels. Definitely should have paid more rather than just watching my pursestrings…
Pintur the Puppy
4) Carry a local dictionary for translation. This is sort of an obvious one, but it’s easy to let slip away as you travel, especially when you’re switching countries or don’t plan on staying somewhere long. I don’t always have one, but it can make the difference between connecting with someone or not on a long bus-ride.
Decorated Camote
6) Always choose the hotel/hostel room with the big window. Okay, another obvious one, but I really underestimated how important sunlight is in waking up in the morning! If I want to wake up at a reasonable time with earplugs in, I simply require sunlight. Plus, you can open the window and clear out any nasty travelers’ smells that might be accumulating.
7) Travel light. Ditch the laptop. Well… I disagree and agree here. If I could travel with a laptop that didn’t break every few months, I’d keep it. The connectivity and money I save from not having to use internet cafes and the time saved by avoiding massive 10 hour photo uploads (my mission for today is to upload my Israel pictures!) would bewell worth a little extra hassle. But, no computer is tough enough to stand up to travel. At least, no computer from HP, so computer-less I will go.
Dolls for Sale
Share yourself with the people you meet. Abuelita always carried photos of her children and grandchildren to share with friends she met along the road - including one rather unfortunate picture of me. A good way to create a new friendship with others!
9) Buy local souvenirs. My main regret from Mexico is not buying anything at all while I was there! It was the beginning of the trip so I was reluctant to purchase anything so soon, but they have beautiful and inexpensive jewelry, textiles, and artwork that I just walked away from. Aw well, I’m sure my chance will come again soon.
Abuelita with her Purchase and the Painter
Note: All these pictures were taken in Mexico.
Me and Grandma
posting from United StatesDecember 6th, 2008 8:51 am
Very nice- Your Abuelita should love it.
Dad
posting from United StatesDecember 6th, 2008 11:03 am
I find it soooo amazing when it turns out that parents (even grandparents) know things. Simply amazing!
posting from United StatesDecember 6th, 2008 11:20 am
Don’t worry so much about food in India. I didn’t get sick once but here is a tip- the only people I met that got sick either ate meat or western food. I hope you like Indian food.
Oh, and I ate meat all through SE Asia and didn’t get sick. I must have a stomach of steel.
posting from United StatesDecember 7th, 2008 6:02 am
Hi Malenita:
“Al buen entendedor / pocas palabras” a few words to the one who can listen well. Glad to see you took my advice on some things. Love you. Continue having the wonderful trip that we can all enjoy. Abuelita
posting from MacauDecember 7th, 2008 6:55 am
I’m on my RTW trip right now and I agree with most of your tips.
#1 - I like the Nike Dri-Fit clothes. Looks good and can wear it a few times without needing a washing. Cotton and other natural fibers, at least for me, stains and smells bad quickly.
#5 - After a bad experience in Egypt, I got 10 pills of cipro for this trip. If you have traveler’s diarrhea, two pills should knock it out. Pepto may just cover up the symptoms.
#7 - I have my laptop and while it is a pain at times I don’t trust Internet cafes. IF I could, I would get a lighter one, or one of those super small subcompact laptops.
posting from EgyptDecember 9th, 2008 9:16 am
Thanks for the comments everyone!
Stacy - Hopefully I’ll be fine 
I think my stomach is pretty well adjusted to travel at this point, and I don’t eat meat (or western food) much at all. I’m looking forward to Indian food… and pad Thai again! Mmmm, eating a variety of food is something I miss when I’m traveling.
Brian - Thanks for the input! These don’t apply to everyone of course I wish I could still have my laptop, as it makes updating the blog so much less painful. Ah well.
posting from United StatesDecember 10th, 2008 12:32 pm
What herb is your grandmother smelling in that photo? Women in Guatemala were always carrying around large bunches of it and I could never figure out what they were cooking with it!
posting from SpainDecember 27th, 2008 10:30 am
Yes, indeed, listen to abuelita!
We are a family into our 3rd year of an open ended world tour and agree with most, but not all.
Try one pair of smart wool sox….that is all we have used. They dry fast, don’t take up room, are cool in summer, warm in winter & help prevent blisters from serious walking.
We could not live without our laptops & added another one last xmas for our daughter! We are a 3 laptop digital nomad family & absolutely hate internet cafes which tend to be smoky & dangerous for people who live a digital life.
We have 2 macs and a PC & even took the mac to the Sahara desert in Morocco! No problem! We always have at least one with us & homeschool supplies even when we are off for a month or more with just a small day pack each. Saves a lot of time and hassle.
Abuelita hasn’t done extended travel in the 21st century as a family or she would know that too. Great for free Skype webcam calls home to or piano lessons from another continent ( in our case).lol
Travel very light IS essential, but that can include a laptop today.A must in today world of extended world travel!
posting from IndiaDecember 28th, 2008 6:33 am
Soultraveler: I agree about the laptop… until mine broke!! Twice! I finally had to get rid of it and get used to (alas) the world of disgustingly smoky internet cafes. Ugh.
December 6th, 2008 7:41 am
How fun to read this, Malena! Amazing how a sweet little old woman - JUST KIDDING, MUM - might know a thing or two! Love your trip! You, too! Quita!