There is Always One More Place to See

On March 8, 2024March 8, 2024 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Travel Tips1 Comment

We originally posted this back in 2017, but the sentiments that we expressed remain as true today as they did seven years ago. No matter how much time you spend in a country, or even a city, there is always one more place to see or thing to do. Sure, it may not be the most important thing to see or do, but it probably something interesting or fun that someone else has done. After returning to the United States from spending six months in Europe, our least favorite question that people asked us when we got back was “did you go to…?”. We were working during the week, so we only had weekends to travel and didn’t have an unlimited budget, so obviously we couldn’t go everyplace. We also wanted to take advantage of our close proximity to other countries in Europe, so we couldn’t see every place in Germany, let alone Europe.

The same is true of many other trips. We spent two weeks in Spain and upon our return people inevitably asked whether we went to Madrid, Barcelona, or Portugal. We concentrated on southern Spain, so we did not make it to those places and we had a wonderful time and treasure every memory of our trip. We leave for Lisbon, Portugal in five days, so we’ll finally be able to “tick that box”. We also spent two weeks in Bolivia, but didn’t make it to the Uyuni Salt Flats due to the distance and costs from where we were. When we spent a week in Paris a few years ago, we decided to go to the Catacombs on the next to last day of our trip and it turned out that they had closed the Catacombs that day to do some repairs. It was just bad timing.

Temple on Sun Island with Moon Island in the Distance on Lake Titicaca, Bolivia

The point that we’re hoping to make is that it is okay that you don’t see everything. Don’t worry about the places you didn’t get to see, restaurants you didn’t get to try, or the attraction that happened to be closed during your visit. Our standard response to people these days is that those are just reasons to go back sometime in the future. Worrying about the things you missed is like complaining about the half empty glass. Keep traveling and your glass will only get fuller and fuller.

The Erechthion in the Acropolis in Athens

Don’t Get Hangry When You Travel

On November 2, 2021November 2, 2021 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn France, Travel Tips8 Comments

When you are traveling, you are often very busy, on a tight schedule, or lacking access to common conveniences such as restaurants or food stalls. Add a lack of food to the stress of being in a strange country or city can lead to the condition known as “hangry”, which is anger or irritation caused by not having enough to eat. It has probably happened to all of us at one time or another and now we can often see it starting in one another when we start to get short with each other. Being hangry while you are traveling can cause you to not enjoy the experience as much as you might otherwise have enjoyed it, so it is definitely something to be avoided if possible.

One of our very first trips abroad was to Paris and we were definitely tourists and not travelers at the time. As is typical for overseas flights, we flew late in the afternoon and overnight to arrive first thing in the morning at the Charles De Gaulle airport. Not wanting to lose any time during our trip, we did what we always do, which is to immediately acclimate to the local time and start our day even though we’d been up most of the night. It happened to be at a time when there was a transportation strike, so we had to walk to all of the sights that we wanted to see that day.

We made the most of the day, had a light lunch, and enjoyed walking along the Seine, seeing the Eiffel Tower, and just walking the streets of Paris. As the afternoon came to end, we decided to head back towards our hotel on the Left Bank to find a restaurant for dinner. This was our first trip to Paris and we didn’t know at the time that most restaurants don’t open until at least 7pm for dinner and most don’t open until even later. To make matters worse, we found ourselves lost as we tried to make our way back to the hotel. The net result was that we started snapping at each other and yes we were getting hangry. Eventually we ate dinner and we were back to holding hands and enjoying one of the most romantic cities in the world.

Looking Down the Seine River from the Eiffel Tower

These days we always make sure to carry a power bar or snack with us as there have been many times where we don’t have access to a meal. Whether in the jungle or driving through remote areas, having something with you at all times is always a good idea. That doesn’t mean that we never get hangry anymore, but we certainly try to avoid it as it can ruin part of your day. Have you ever gotten hangry during your travels?

Lessons to Make You a Better Traveler

On April 29, 2021April 29, 2021 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Travel TipsLeave a comment

We have been fortunate to have had many great mentors throughout our lives who have imparted words of wisdom to us that have molded our thoughts and actions. Most of the best advice that we’ve received apply to all parts of our lives, whether with family, work, or traveling. Usually they are amazingly simple and yet very powerful when applied consistently. Hopefully you’ll find them to be as useful over time as we have found them to be.

Treat others as you want to be treated (the golden rule) – Wouldn’t the world be a better place if we treated EVERYONE that we met in the same manner that we hope and expect to be treated. Sure, we learned this rule as children, but it is probably the most important piece of advice that hopefully all people can learn. Whenever we travel someplace, anyplace, we want to learn about the customs and traditions of the locals. We respect their religions, beliefs, and social expectations. Having an understanding and respect does not mean that you have agree with or do things that conflict with your own personal beliefs, but you must have empathy and understand where they are coming from. You would be surprised how much better your experience will be if you are friendly and honestly express your desire to understand the culture of the place that you are visiting.
Talking to an Old Woman in Bolivia
Make decisions quickly and act upon them – This doesn’t mean that you don’t do your due diligence and get as many facts as possible before making a decision, but too often people become paralyzed by fear of making a mistake or spend so much time thinking about the decision that the opportunity passes them by. We have a lot of military in our family and the motto for an officer on the battlefield is that the only bad decision is no decision, this is surprisingly true of life in general. Will this lead to some mistakes? Sure, but you don’t grow and learn without making a few mistakes. More often than not, just deciding to go someplace and making it happen has led to some of our best experiences. If you wait for all of the stars to align and the moment to be perfect, you’re likely to miss out on some of the best experiences of your life.
Our First Trip to Europe was Planned in a Few Weeks
Never stop learning – Learning is growth and the moment that you stop learning new and interesting things is the moment that you stop truly living. Obviously it is hard to go through life and not continue to learn new things, but don’t just learn through osmosis, actively seek out and find new things to learn that might interest you. Pick a country that you’ve never heard about and learn as much as you can and then go visit there. Understand the history of a place, what has influenced its culture, the leaders of the past and the regional forces that shape their current beliefs and society. Learn as much of the language as possible and use it when you visit.
We’ve Learned to be Better Travelers
Strive for continuous improvement – None of us are perfect and those people who think that they are should be avoided like the plague. In all aspects of life, we periodically seriously reflect on our current state and consider how we can improve in our relationships, work positions, health (mental and physical), as well as our travel goals and expectations. Even during our travels, we will ask ourselves if we’re seeing the most relevant and interesting sights that mean the most to us or are we just following a list from a guidebook? Are we talking to the locals and getting the best advice on places to see and food to eat? We’ll come home from a trip and talk about our experiences and what things we could have done better and use that information on our next trip.
Lunch at a Moroccan Restaurant
Step out of your comfort zone – It is easy to get complacent and accept the normal routine, whether at work or in your personal life, but some of the most rewarding opportunities come from pushing your limits. That might mean doing an activity that makes you uncomfortable, like zip-lining, parachuting, or just spending the night in a forest. We’re not suggesting that you pursue dangerous activities, but just that you try something that perhaps you’ve never previously considered. It might be going to a country that makes you uncomfortable, but it could be as simple as trying food that you’ve never heard of. Growth comes from new experiences that most likely reset your image of what you’re capable of doing or achieving.
India Definitely Stretched Our Boundaries

There isn’t anything earth shattering here, just simple concepts that, when followed consistently, will improve your life and our case, our travels as well.