6 Key Things to Consider Before Traveling

I spent the holidays in Dubai, a place I’ve been itching to visit for a while. The city is nothing short of fascinating and awe-inspiring, seated at the edge of Western Asia with a penchant for sensational and outrageous architecture. Some of my favorite things we did while there were experiencing the diversity of various cultures, spending time on the beaches, and enjoying the warm sun with my son.

But being the first significant bit of traveling I’ve done in years, I was reminded of some of the planning and logistics that come with traveling. If you’re planning a trip any time soon, I want to help make it successful. In that spirit, I’ve compiled some of my favorite travel tips for trips anywhere, from Dubai to Denver. Let’s get to them!

To Have an Itinerary or Not to Have an Itinerary

Every good trip starts with the same simple, yet not-so-simple question: what will we do? Well, a question that’s easier to get to the bottom of is this: do we want an itinerary? This is usually much easier to answer, and also makes the rest of the planning much easier for a few reasons.

First, itineraries provide structure. Now this can be a good or bad thing depending on your trip. You may want to take in a lot of incredible sights and history—in which case an itinerary can be your best friend. On the other hand, you may be heading on a vacation where your single goal is to relax, unwind, and unplug. In that case, having an itinerary may just feel like work—moving tirelessly from one scheduled event to the next.

Even if your primary goal isn’t to simply relax, not having an itinerary can be helpful. When you’re not tied to any concrete plans, it allows for a great deal of spontaneity; this can make things feel very adventurous.

And keep in mind, you can do both. If relaxing isn’t priority number one, but you also don’t want to be on a schedule, consider planning a few excursions and then freestyling the rest of the trip. It’s your vacation, after all—there are no rules!

Take the Road Less Traveled

When it comes to choosing things to do, you can always plan ahead, or simply go out and find what awaits you. Both are perfectly good strategies for having a good time, but can be a few advantages to not following a perfectly-scheduled plan.

Think of dining in your own city, for example. Some of the best restaurants aren’t always the ones with the flashiest lights; some are almost neighborhood secrets. Simply looking up ‘restaurants near me’ on Google won’t bring you there, and they might not show up in the ‘best of’ articles because they don’t have the foot traffic of the bigger names. But the hidden gems are always worth finding.

But finding them can be work, so here’s a trick: ask the locals. Just like you’d give advice to someone in your neighborhood, people are usually more than happy to point out some of their own favorite spots or popular places near where you’re visiting.

Packing

Packing can be another cause of stress for some when it comes to planning a trip or vacation. It doesn’t need to be, though; making your packing plan well ahead of your departure is key to removing some of that stress.

First, make sure you’re packing adequately. Bring clothes that will keep you warm if you’re traveling outside of the summer season, and even if you’re traveling in summer, make sure to bring layers. Restaurants, hotels, and nights can all be much cooler than daytime temperatures.

Secondly, keep in mind that regardless of whether you’re going on a trip for one week or three weeks, you never need to pack more than about four days of clothes. Choosing simple clothing items that complement each other allows you to mix and match several combinations out of just a few articles. This makes organization and packing simple, while ensuring you don’t have burdensome, large bags.

Now, the most frustrating part of packing and going on a trip is to inevitably arrive at your destination and realize you’re missing your underwear (or anything else, for that matter). A simple trick to avoid this is to have your bags completely packed two nights before you leave. Then, the day before your trip, begin using the things in your bag as though you’re already traveling. So, at night, get your toothbrush from your bags; get your clothes from your bags, get any medications you take from your bags, and so on. This way, you go through your routines and have an opportunity to realize if you’re missing socks or toothpaste.

Finally, if you’re flying, check your bags to make sure they’re within the weight limit if you have a checked bag. Nothing will throw a wrench in your packing plans like arriving at an airport only to find out that you need to either swap something into your carry-on bag, or wave goodbye to it at the airport terminal.

Let’s Talk Transportation

Once you’ve arrived at your location, the next tricky step is figuring out how to get anywhere. Depending where you’re visiting, your options could be pretty limited. But in other places, namely major metro areas, you might have a lot of options.

While the specific mode of transportation you use isn’t necessarily crucial to the success of your trip, it can be helpful to determine things like whether you’re going to optimize for convenience or affordability. If you want a mix of both, it might help to consider planning activities for one area at a time, so you could take a cab to the general area, and then use bikes or scooters within that area. Another advantage of using bikes or scooters is your ability to stop and continue at will, whereas if you’re in a cab or rideshare, you’re effectively locked in, and don’t have the spontaneity.

Take Precautions for COVID-19

It almost goes without saying, yet must be said: if you’re traveling, make sure you’ve taken precautions against spreading or contracting COVID-19. Always check with the CDC’s guidelines for safety when traveling. Additionally, be sure that you:

• Delay your travel plans unless you’re fully vaccinated against COVID-19

• Wear a mask in transportation areas and other crowded areas

• Get tested the day before your trip to ensure your safety and the safety of the people you interact with on your trip

• Finally, get tested after your return to ensure that you didn’t contract the virus during your travels to ensure you won’t spread it within your own community

Don’t Forget to Have Fun

Overall, travel should be enjoyable! It can be deeply relaxing, fun, and therapeutic. It can be both an escape from the stresses of life and a chance to lunge forward to new adventures and endeavors.

No matter where you go, make sure you have the opportunity to relax, hang out, and enjoy the company of the people around you. There are countless ways you can do this, especially on vacation, but some fun options include things like:

• Free walking tours: Many cities or popular locations have free walking tours organized by community groups. This is an exceptional way to learn more about the city, because even though it will most likely focus on the city’s main locations, the insight of a local will provide greater context and a richer overall experience. Plus, who doesn’t love a free event?

• Eating local specialties: Whether it’s paella in Barcelona, Ceebu jën in Senegal, or Turkish coffee in Istanbul, take the time to experience the culinary traditions of each place you visit. It shouldn’t be too hard, after all—everyone gets hungry, especially after a long day of vacation!

• Playing cards: Even on vacation you can get bored or need to relax. Playing simple card games while recuperating at your hotel or lodgings can be a great way to bond further with your friends and family. Even the most extravagant vacations can sometimes be outshined by an afternoon full of laughter with the people close to you.

• Visiting an art museum: Art museums often contain more than just beautiful works; they hold troves of information and context about the place, its history, and its culture. Additionally, many art museums hold unique, interactive events that are incredible to experience.

Travel is More Than Just Traveling

Pack for your trip carefully, but without fretting, and take the time to double check. Trust your gut when it comes to making plans, and keep the goal of your trip in mind when making plans, because when you travel, you’re not simply going somewhere. You’re growing closer with friends and family or making new friends, enriching your cultural knowledge, and experiencing different ways of living. When you travel, you are, in effect, becoming and shaping yourself. That’s The Way I See It.

Family is the Magic of the Holiday Season

Family is the Magic of the Holiday Season

Jwaye Nwel - Merry Christmas

Growing up in Haiti, my life was neither as predictable nor as peaceful as one would hope. My father's health was highly unstable for much of my childhood, and my brother died young. Through my youth in Haiti, there simply weren't many anchors I could lean on for emotional support. There was school, which I threw myself into with intense dedication; education gave me the chance to find magic within myself in a life that wasn't so magical. But there was another faithfully consistent point of light as a child growing up in Haiti: Christmas.

By this point in time, the vast majority of my life has been spent here in the States. As a result, I now find myself forging one identity out of two, as so many immigrants do (E pluribus unum, or so they say). And although I don't consider myself an immigrant anymore—I'm a Hatian-American U.S. citizen—the deepest roots of my cultural experiences, like memories of Christmas, still originated in Haiti.

I can recall to this day how incredible the holidays were during my childhood. The way Christmas was celebrated in my youth has had a big influence on how I've come to celebrate it as an adult with my own son, Andrick.

In Haiti, most of our Christmas celebrations took place over Christmas Eve, although we called it 'Réveillon de Noël' due to the French influence on language and culture there. We went to church on Christmas Eve, opened our gifts on Christmas Eve, and shared a festive meal with family. Today, my son and I celebrate in a similar way here in New York.

Christmas and the holidays are such a special time for people everywhere, and I think the reason is its beautiful abundance. Being gorged on the Thanksgiving feasts and Black Friday sales that punctuate November can feel gluttonous and inaccessible to many. And for many who work, it's a busy time of the year, adding an extra burden of stress to the gatherings.

But by contrast, everything seems to slow down near Christmas. Maybe it's the countless lights that give scenery a fairy-like quality, or the holiday decor of Santas, reindeer, and candy canes that plaster storefronts, or maybe it's heart-warming Christmas tunes that follow you everywhere you go. Maybe it's the traditions like decorating gingerbread houses, caroling, or a personal one, like eating pumpkin soup. Surely, these things contribute to the magical feeling of the holiday season.

But there's more to that magic than just the aesthetics and the traditions. What the incredible holiday feeling really comes from, I believe, is the excited looks on children's faces, rare visits from friends and family dotted across the country and the chance to reconnect, and the overall sense of being at peace and being at home.

However, Christmas overflows with emotion of all kinds, both the joyous delights printed on Christmas cards, and the sober reality that the world is indifferent to these joyous delights. This is the first year Andrick and I will be celebrating the holiday without his father, who passed unexpectedly earlier this year. Christmas doesn’t simply bring joy; being so close to the end of the year, it makes us highly reflective too. Not only that, but the abundance many of us experience during the holidays also has a way of highlighting the holes in our lives that can’t be filled with gifts or washed away with good cheer(s).

Christmas, if anything, is a scale or sorts, which lays our wants and needs before us and asks us to weigh our own priorities. It’s an easy decision, but we have to face whether we’ve made it each time we should. As someone who has recently experienced loss and grief, I can emphatically say the moments when "faithful friends who are dear to us gather near to us, once more," are the most important moments in our lives, and the things we should be most invested in. And as the pandemic surges onward, I have to imagine we can all agree on that point.

Like the ornaments that adorn Christmas trees, life is beautiful, bright, and fragile. And we often forget to see these qualities until it's too late. The holidays provide a much-needed chance to reconnect with the people who make us us. That, more than the lights, the music, or the gifts, is what makes the holidays so special. At least, that's The Way I See It.

The Fruits of Children: Boundless Energy & Timeless Wisdom

Sen pa janm twò lou pou mèt li — ‘Bosoms are never too heavy for those who have them,’ or, you must always assume your responsibilities, even if it is difficult.

Some people say their kids are their spitting image. Well, that couldn’t be more different for my son and me. When I was young, I was quiet and shy. I was afraid of my own shadow. Not my son, Andrick. Where I was a reserved and obedient child, he's a social butterfly, the class clown, and filled to the brim with energy.

To add to the differences between us, where I'm analytical, incisive, and logical (go figure—I'm a lawyer!), Andrick is more thoughtful in the artistic sense. During my time in school, I kept my head down and focused every ounce of energy on classwork. Granted, I went to a catholic school with nuns and all that was characteristically meek but Andrick doesn’t need that strict rigidity to get things done. His sense of positivity finds a way to shed light without the gravity I needed as a child.

At the end of the day, Andrick glides through life with an ease and levity unrecognizable in my own childhood. Perhaps in my youth, the stability and clear direction of school was something I cherished, but not simply because of its value. Where identity was an issue for me growing up, I was one of six children and change was constant, including immigrating to another country, school was a place where order reigned supreme, and I reveled in it. Andrick's childhood is different. Andrick is an only child. He was born here.

But that's not to say that his childhood and mine share no characteristics. Indeed, they connect in tragic ways. Andrick's dad, to whom I was married for eight years before our divorce, died suddenly early in 2021. It was and continues to be a painful and challenging grieving process for Andrick and me. Sometimes for him, the loss is hard to understand; for me, the loss is hard to comprehend. As he navigates life without a father, and me without the only person I knew as a partner, it’s my duty as Andrick’s mother to support him, but despite that, I find that sometimes Andrick is the one supporting me.

Sometimes, Andrick’s ability to center me is shocking. Once, I was grieving his father's death, with full on tears, knees to the ground, and Andrick said to me, 'Mom, who's going to take care of me if you keep crying over dad? The sun is shining, the flowers are blooming.’ It shocked me spiritually; it was as though his father had spoken to me through my son-his father always believed in hope and gratitude. Just seconds before, his face was punctuated by resolve, but seconds later, he returned to his childlike play with Legos. Children are often wrongly portrayed as selfish. In truth, as Andrick has shown me, children demonstrate an unbridled capacity to see beyond themselves and lift others up. Even when they’re afflicted by the same sorrows, as Andrick and I are.

That instance was just one of many that remind me of the wisdom of children—their ability to sometimes see things with a clarity we lose as we age, and their ability to restore and center us in ways we can't on our own. Single parenthood is paradoxical in that way—as a single parent, you pour everything you have into your child. Every second of the day is, at least in some direct or roundabout way, devoted to their wellbeing. Some days it feels like all you do is give, give, give…

But even so, there are these fleeting moments that remind me how much children give back to us. They give us a sense of youth, a peace of mind unencumbered by the countless anxieties of daily life, and a well of energy that never runs dry. At least, that's The Way I See It.