2019-10-01 Wanderlust

TRAVEL SECRETS

64 wanderlust.co.uk October 2019

ESSENTIALS

Whetheryou’rebookingyourlight,boardingthe

planeorarrivingatyourdestination,there’slotsof

sneakytechniquestohelpyouimproveyourtrip

Departures

Simon Calder suggests

hanging back from

boarding to spend less

time on the plane and

for a chance of getting

a good seat; (below

right) catch a live act

on your travels

63

Leaveyour

phoneathome

Benedict Allen,

British explorer

The big secret to travel

needs underlining today

more than ever: that venturing

from home is all about connecting

with another world – and that

means disconnecting from your

own. Leave that phone behind! Or

at least keep it well buried in your

daypack for emergencies.

64

Findthelocal

musicscene

Ben Lerwill,

author, WildLives:

50 Extraordinary

Animals that Made

History (Nosy Crow)

I love live music, so I’ll often use

songkick.com in advance of a trip,

particularly if I’m spending time in

a city. The site’s essentially

a massive database of global gig

listings, which you can  ilter by

place and date. In unfamiliar cities,

concerts can be visceral, thrilling

experiences – I’ve seen amazing

local live acts everywhere from

Budapest to Beijing.

65

Book

smart

LucyBairstow,

Wanderlustsenior

salesexecutive

TheHopperappallows

youtosearchandsave lights

you’reinterestedinbookingbut

willsendyoudailyupdateswhen

theyhave luctuatedinprice(ie:

‘Booknowthesearethecheapest

they’vebeeninmonths’,or,

‘Holdonweexpecttoseethem

lowerin2‡3weeks’).

62

Immerse

yourself in water

after lying

Tom Daley, Olympian

When I travel, as soon

as I get on the plane

I make sure I have

as much water as

possible. To avoid

jetlag, as soon as

I arrive I do a workout

or submerge myself

in water. I ind it helps

thebodyreset.When

IwasinJapanItriedto

stayactiveandeven

didaworkoutinfront

ofMountBandi.

“TomDoesJapan”

isoutnow:youtube.

com/user/tvtomdaley

60

Bethelastone

ontheplane

SimonCalder,senior

traveleditorforThe

Independent

IcanscarcelybelieveI’m

classingthisasasecret,becauseit

seemsveryobvioustome:bethe

lastontheplane.Hangingback

atthedeparturegatehastwobig

advantages:youspendminimum

timeontheplane,whichisareal

bene it–andyoualsogetthepick

oftheseats.Ialwaysperchbythe

gateandaskthegroundstaŠto

letmeknowwhentheyarekeen

formetoboard.AndIveryrarely

sitwhereIamput(thoughdon’t

trytoself-upgrade).Ofcourseif

everyoneheldback,itwouldbe

chaos–butIhaveobservedthat

theherdmentalityisstrongerat

airportsthananywhereelse.So

let’skeepitsecret.

61

Learntospeakthe

locallanguage

Hilary Bradt, founder of

Bradt Travel Guides

Wherever you travel

abroad learn greetings

and short phrases in the local

language; “Hello”, “Goodbye”,

“How are you?” etc, and keep

a crib sheet in your pocket written

phonetically. It’s not just a courtesy,

it will gain you smiles and laughter

from local people. “What’s your

name?” and “My name is...” works

a treat with kids.

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