Each week we post an article or paper submitted by a member or "silent participant" of Guyana Caribbean Network. The featured article runs from Monday to Sunday each week. To submit an article for feature of the week contact us at admin@guyanacaribbeannetwork.com This week's feature is brought to you by "Terrence Ishmael".

My Travel Experiences and Lessons Learnt
by Terry Ishmael

Some of you may have been bitten by the travel bug while others may be planning to travel for the first this summer to strange places. If so, I wanted to share some of my travel experiences with you, and offer some advice, which, hopefully, may make your trip a bit smoother. As a traveler, you have to be prepared for the worst while expecting the best time of your life. Trips are usually wonderful adventures, but bad things can and do happen, and you have to be aware of this.

My very first trip to the Middle East was in a summer month when the temperature rose to 120 degrees. Apart from the searing heat, we had some other issues. The guide put us on a bus in the middle of the desert, and disappeared. Nobody spoke the language, and we didn't know what was going on until we saw the bus driver and the police approaching us in a threatening manner. Apparently the guide ran away with our money and never paid the bus driver. Since it wasn't advisable to spend time in a Middle East jail, we all had to scrounge up some money to pay the guide, before we were allowed to leave. Lessons learnt here are to familiarize yourself with the language or acquire a phrase book. Also, summer months are brutally hot; research the weather patterns before you travel. Most important, get references if you want to hire a guide in strange countries. It would be better to arrange your tour through a U.S. travel company and have them provide a trusted guide. Finally, always have emergency money hidden on you in a money belt around your waist or strapped around your ankle.

Trips can also be dangerous, but you can also prepare yourself. In Israel, some friends took me on a long journey into a remote section of the country. We stopped to stretch our legs, and I wanted to go to the bathroom. I saw a tree a little distance away beyond a wire fence with a sign in Hebrew writing, and I started to climb over the fence to head for the tree, when one of the friends suddenly grabbed me and pulled me back. Apparently, the sign read "WARNING MINEFIELD!". I had violated my first rule of travel, not knowing the language. Also, another rule for travelers in foreign countries is to always ask what signs mean. As you saw, they can be instrumental in saving you from blowing off your private parts.

If you plan on going to Israel, always take a window seat for two reasons. It is a 19 hour flight and you need the sleep. First, never take the aisle seat; Israelis are known to visit and re-visit the overhead bin over your head repetitively. I actually saw a metal folding cart fall out the bin and hit a passenger on the head on one occasion. Secondly, rabbinical students and religious Jews are not allowed to sit next to a woman. So you could find yourself sandwiched between them for 19 hours. Also, if you are a woman, you have to get up out of your seat for them to pass, unless you heed my advice and are safely asleep at the window seat.

There is one other important point I would like to share on foreign travel in strange countries. Never wander away too far away from your hotel alone and get lost. It happened to me once in Istanbul, and I ended up in a part of an old gated city. I was allowed to walk through the gate and into the town to take pictures, but I was not allowed to leave. They closed the gate with me standing in the middle of the road, and would not let me out until I handed over $25 USD as a toll. I guess they call this highway robbery.

So far, I have focused on the Middle East regions, but travelers have to be prepared in all countries. In Rome, for instance, I almost got my pocket picked by a young mom with a baby in a stroller. The baby distracts you while the mother works your pocket. Remember the rule on money belts and ankle belts. Never keep valuables or a lot of money in your pocket. When you buy anything, always use exact money. If you don't have exact money, always count your change. Vendors rob you on the change. Sometimes, there is a reason you need to use exact money. In Marrakech, I went to a restaurant, and paid with $50 cash, expecting the waiter to come back with my $30 change. The man never showed up, and all the waiters looked alike and were named Mohamed, so that was the last time I used any large bills in any of my travels. Whenever you change money, ask for the smallest bills; bulky, but no one could gyp you on the change.

American travelers have to be careful in Europe, because many Europeans think Americans are rich or stupid, and many sometimes try to con them. Never accept candy from a stranger. Fellow passengers on a bus have been know to offer you drugged sweets, and when you finally wake up, your money and passport are gone.

On a lighter note, I would recommend the following. Always verify the hotel check in and check out time to avoid extra charges; always confirm the room has an AC. Europe, especially London, is notorious for rooms with open windows instead of an AC, even the Park Lane Sheraton. Also confirm that there is a toilet and bathroom in your room. In some parts of Europe, be aware there is just a hole in the ground, no toilet seat. I even found this in a restaurant in Paris. And finally, be aware of what you eat.

I have gotten food poisoning from hotel food, and some restaurants in Europe are very unhealthy. Always check your food for hair. Be careful when ordering from some restaurants; the price is per ounce, not per meal. So if you did not read the fine print, you could pay $60 for the fish you thought was priced at $9. Another scam by restaurants is to offer you bread on your table, and while bread is free in the U.S, they will charge you $5 to $10 for the bread. As I said, they think Americans are stupid.

So I hope I gave you some food for thought here, and have a safe and great trip!