Do You Ever Watch Movies to Prepare for a Trip?

On May 13, 2021May 13, 2021 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Egypt, Italy, South America, Travel Tips10 Comments

As we’ve been planning and looking forward to our upcoming trip to Kenya and Tanzania, one of the things we have done is watch a couple of movies that are set in the region. Not documentaries, but actual movies such as Out of Africa or even The Ghost in the Darkness. We don’t necessarily watch them to learn about anything particular, but more to just look forward to the upcoming trip. Obviously, depending on the film, you can end up learning about the culture or history of the country that you are about to visit. Needless to say, we don’t expect our trip to end up being like what is depicted in the movies and sometimes you find out that the director and cinematographer haven’t taken creative license by filming in locations other than the actual place that is supposed to be depicted.

Prior to traveling to Egypt and taking our Nile River cruise, we actually watched the mystery movie Death on the Nile. There are plenty of other movies about Egypt as well, but that was the one that came to our mind at the time. Prior to going to the Amazon Rainforest, watching the movie Medicine Man provides an interesting perspective and just traveling through various parts of South America prompted us to watch Dragonfly. Although we didn’t watch any movies prior to our time spent in Tuscany, there are obviously a plethora of choices of movies to watch to get you in the mood to visit that wonderful region of Italy.

View from Piazzale de Michelangelo in Florence

There certainly isn’t any tremendous benefit to watching movies prior to visiting a location, but we find it a way to relax prior to a trip while getting ourselves excited about the upcoming adventure. It could be that watching movies throughout our lives has given us inspiration to travel, so perhaps that is what drives us to revisit some of them when the time comes for us to finally visit that location. Perhaps we’re unique in watching movies or shows located in our intended destination, but maybe some of you do the same thing as us.

Seeing Demonstrations When Traveling

On May 3, 2021May 3, 2021 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Travel Tips3 Comments

There have been several instances where we have come across demonstrations during our travels. Fortunately none of them have been violent in any way, but that doesn’t mean that they can’t be unnerving at times. Especially when in a country that we don’t speak the language, hear people chanting and yelling things that you don’t understand can make you quite anxious. For the most part, whenever we do see a demonstration, we pretty much head the other direction and avoid it as much as possible. There are times when that isn’t always possible to stay away from the protest or demonstration, so when that happens it is important not to do anything that might draw too much attention to yourself.

People for Peace – Couldn’t Be More Friendly

The first time that we came across a demonstration when traveling was during our trip to Chennai in India. Elections had just concluded and when we got off of the plane from our 24 hours worth of flying it was late in the evening. As we found our driver that was taking us from the airport to the hotel, he hustled us through the crowds and we could see fires lit in several locations. We were exhausted, disoriented, and not completely aware of exactly what was going on. It wasn’t violent at all, but in the dark of night it certainly wasn’t the most comfortable feeling.

Crowds Gathering in Rome as We Walked Away

Seeing the posture of the police is usually a good way to gauge the volatility of the demonstration or protest. Many demonstrations are actually positive and if the police are present, they are simply there to control the crowds. Other times, though, you will see the police in their riot gear and that is certainly a sign that you don’t want to stick around. We have come across different types of demonstrations and protests in Rome, Lima, Budapest, Frankfurt, and Quito in addition to the one that we saw in Chennai. We certainly don’t seek them out, but it is interesting to see the passion of the people in the places that we visit. Have you ever come across a demonstration 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.