by Sarah Jacques

Created on: March 24, 2007   Last Updated: April 10, 2007

Well, where do I start? Any traveller will tell you that wherever you go in the world, you are bound to come across something or someone you have never come across beforeand for that matter, will never want to come across again!

Hopefully this article will give current travellers and future travellers a little heads up on how to cope and stay sane when you're travelling.

My partner and I have just completed an absolutely amazing trip around the States. We have forever wanted to experience the real America and we certainly did just that. Before I continue with my newfound knowledge and wisdom from trip, I'll just give you an idea of the places we travelled. We started on the East Coast in New York, then headed up to Boston, Niagara Falls, down to Orlando, Miami, Washington DC and Chicago. We then flew over to the West Coast, starting in Los Angeles, down to San Diego, Death Valley, Las Vegas, Grand Canyon, Moab, Arches National Park, Salt Lake City, Yellowstone National Park, Boise, Bend, Portland, Bandon, and San Francisco. This area was covered within a 3-month period. Although I am referring to our experiences in America, these tips can be applied to almost anywhere in the world you may be visiting.

Right, here goes

1) If you're travelling with somebody, don't forget to arrange somewhere to meet if you get lost. I say this with great emphasis because we experienced something that forced us to follow this rule. After having been in the States for only 2 days and still feeling vulnerable after our first ever train ride to Boston from New York and not having a clue where to go, we used the Metro to get to our pre-booked guesthouse. As we were about to get off at our stop, bearing in mind we still hadn't a clue where we were, my partner stepped off the carriage and before I could even get a chance to follow him, the door closed and the train continued onwards into the unknown. As you can imagine I was in shock and as I stood and watched my partner fade into the ever-increasing distance, my legs started to shake and I was completely panicking. My 3rd day in a new, unknown country and I was already lost. Luckily for me, the metro was at street level and my partner somehow managed to run all the way from the stop he got off at, to where I eventually managed to get off. What a hero! In all seriousness though, planning for these types of unfortunate events and having a contingency plan will go a long way in helping you to remain safe and sane!
2) Keep in contact with

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