The art of travelling well : some ideas
- When you go to a new city, do a bit of homework but don’t be a slave to the guide book
- Find a passion or interest that will transfer to different places. For me it is art and visiting the art galleries and finding new paintings and new settings is a constant joy. And they usually have a great cafe. It could be music, or sport, or something else, but provides a focus and thread
- Find books and films about the place to read them while you are there. So in Vienna I was reading ‘Hare with the Amber Eyes’ and watched ‘Woman in Gold’
- Find somewhere to stay near the centre so that you can re-enter a walking city
- Work out the public transport system and use it when things are too far to walk
- Things will cost more than you think they should, but that is OK because you are here and taking part
- Find an iconic cafe and nurse a drink for as long as you can and soak up the society there. See through the tourists. I remember ‘Sum schwarzen Kameel’ in Vienna with its beautiful Art Nouveau decoration and groups of well heeled locals putting the world to rights round comfortable tables. The drink will cost a great deal but will be worth it. You are paying to rent the table for an hour or so.
- Avoid the attractions that are aggressively promoted with glossy pictures - so in Vienna the Schönbrunn Palace was amazing but the Kunst Museum even better
- Look out for hints of how the history and geography has formed the place and the people
- Notice the clever new ways that life is lived - and think what you would like to appropriate
- Find out if there is anything the local people are thinking about today and try and sample, like public concerts or events
- Use your imagination
- When you take photos, don’t be too obvious. Find the corners and details
- Don’t forget to pray for the place you are in. And for the work of the kingdom and for faithful people in that place.
- See if you can ask, and perhaps answer the questions : what does this place teach you about yourself, or the place, or God...
- Resist the temptation of checking up on home too often