Travel Planning and the Humbled Traveler

Beyond the Best Laid Plans

Egypt was supposed to be a soft adventure. Our travel planning focused on the first true luxury trip since my partner retired. We had a few goals, then yielded the details to a local travel agency. They didn’t disappoint. I finally stood in front of Abu Simbel, the temples that Ramses the Great cut into a mountain on the southern Nile River. The wonder redoubled with the knowledge that the entire complex had been meticulously cut, then moved 150 feet up to preserve it from the rising waters of the Aswan Dam in the 1960s.

We managed the drive, pondered the complex, and then moved on to visit the Valley of the Kings, where multiple pharaohs have been interred. Avoiding the line at King Tut’s tomb, our guide left us at another popular entrance. “It’s a long walk and a bit steep but worth it to glimpse the original colors and carvings,” Abdul said.

After entering the shadowy corridor, we joined dozens of panting, international tourists. There was one way in and out. We marched through the tunnel while maneuvering along the steep ramp and stairs to the burial room. I expected a cool, subterranean break from the high 90s heat , but the air fwas dank and moist as we descended and then turned to pant along the incline out.

When Travel Planning Fails, Adjust As Needed

Was it the Pharaoh’s Curse that left me reeling with a serious infection days later? I took masses of vitamins and downed tea, but my symptoms compounded. Soon, I needed to roll my luggage onto a flight to Athens for the final leg of our trip.

A cold I can deal with, but nights of fevers and sweats followed. In between days of limited energy and lucidity, I lost my taste and smell. It was more than I could handle and another ten days of travel loomed. I emailed our travel agent, and she arranged medical choices – have a doctor visit me in my hotel, go to the hospital, or visit the Greek version of an Urgent Care clinic. I chose the later, conveniently around the corner from our Athens hotel, and after a half hour with a very patient physician, began a healing regimen of medications.

It was humbling, and luckily, my sweetheart revealed himself to be a princely caretaker. I learned to receive as he offered alternative ways to climb the Acropolis, never complained about heading back to our room for an afternoon recharge, and helped me find soothing meals. I learned how important it is to pay attention to what I may need and not be so stubbornly independent.

One of Bali’s sacred water gardens.

World-jumping jaunts have become more fraught for everyone over the last decade. I don’t mind wearing a face mask (no thanks, sneezing man in seat 29C or coughing kid across the aisle.) They might just have allergies, but I know more than one couple who caught the flu, or worse, on long flights. I might look odd with my N95 clamped across my weary face but I’m past the age of worrying about what others think. I’ve learned my limitations and know that jumping time zones makes me more physically vulnerable. I wear a mask when necessary, stay rested, and keep limber to travel well, rather than have a trip buckle due to preventable health problems.

Precautions May Be Required

In my mid-twenties, I backpacked across Sri Lanka and Europe toting band-aids and birth control. I loved the food and had no gut problems (read more about food and travel in this earlier post.) After weeks of exploring the island, I ended up with a deep cough, and sipped a bottle of arak, the local brandy, to sleep through long nights. I eventually returned home in decent shape, especially my legs, toned from long hikes and city treks.

Elaine marveling at the Egyptians grandeur

In my early forties, my fiancée and I flew to Thailand. Smoking was still allowed on airplanes, and he suffered through hours of inhaling secondhand smoke. We spent a few days in Bangkok, nursing his ensuing cold and fever, then left the metropolis’ and its poor air quality by train for a seaside village in the south. It was a good decision, and at our target destination, we found a local clinic that prescribed antibiotics. Another lesson learned – small hospitals and health centers are often wonderful options when facing health problems overseas.

Strangers to the Rescue

I was clueless about where to find a pharmacy in Denpasar, Bali’s main city. An oozing band of bubbles wrapped around my knee and although Google said there wasn’t a cure, I needed something for the itch.

A few days earlier, on the famous Tulamben USS Liberty Wreck dive, I’d dug that bare knee into the sand to steady myself while taking a picture. I didn’t feel any bites but something living in that muck took advantage of that bare skin. By the time I’d gotten to the capital city, a cab driver took a glance at my wound and swung through streets, then pulled over, ordered an ointment at a small pharmacy counter, quickly erasing my anxiety over the language barrier as well as helping me mend.  I learned that asking locals for suggestions and where to get help can be a solid strategy.

I’ll never climb the Dubrovnik fort stairs or ascend the Great Wall of China. I’m fine with it. After a life of adventure, I’m good sitting in a cafe as the family or my partner goes bungee jumping or sky diving. I’ll happily document their accomplishments with my phone and Go Pro.

The Chania, Greece lighthouse is a highlight when travel planning a Greek vacation.

We’re in this Together

It doesn’t mean adventure is over. I entered my name in the lottery for a three-day raft trip through the Grand Canyon. River Adventures contacted me less than a year later with two spaces on what they promised would be a relatively easy trip. When departure day finally arrived, we met in Las Vegas, were shuttled to an airstrip, and then divided into groups for a helicopter ride to the launching ramp. Once all bags were loaded and tied down, we climbed, one by one, onto a giant raft. As I stepped up, my foot got tangled in the entry netting. I spun, slipped between pontoons, and was left spreadeagled in the tangle. Luckily, I was wearing a skort or I would’ve drowned myself in disgrace. Everyone looked and froze until I yelled out, “Ok, I’d like some help here!” I spent the rest of the trip working against that humiliation and how my age was circled in red on the trip manifest (Oldest on the trip. Don’t ask!) Still, I have no regrets.

More recently, I rappelled into a vertical cave in Java and didn’t mind being the slowest to cross the mud path in the dark cavern to a hidden waterfall. A proud badge of ruddy clay smeared my boots, legs, and smiling face on the way out. It was a once-in-a-lifetime chance I’d gladly repeat.

Travel is a privilege, and if I’m not writing, I’m happiest discovering new parts of the world. However, I do admit that coming home with pictures and stories is second place to coming home and just staying still. time with friends and family, cooking a meal, and savoring the familiarity of each day’s light. None of us knows what the future may bring, but I know with certainty that I’ve been blessed. Using my experience and newly earned respect for limitations, I plan on more years of adventure, whether it’s across the planet or simply finding someplace new closer to home.