I learned very early on that when I travel, I really, really, really like a routine. It’s not-negotiable for a number of reasons. A routine helps me sleep better*, which means I’m a happier traveller, and enjoy wherever I am much more. There is nothing so awful as wandering around historic and cultural sites like a zombie, close to tears from utter exhaustion.
So I try and make wherever I am a little bit like home**, sans cat and kid, of course. This involves having a routine that mimics – as much as possible – what I do at home at night. And it means being a bit of a nanna. No hitting the nightclubs and karaoke bars for me! Instead, I’ll go out for dinner (often with my tour travel companions, but happily solo), be tucked up in bed with a glass of wine or two, watching a movie on TV (if I can find an English channel) or reading my book by 9.30pm.
This is quite similar to what I do at home of an evening. It’s conducive to the invariable and regular early starts on tour (often bags have to be out at 6.30am), and I wake refreshed and ready for a full day of sight-seeing and travel experiences.
* Phenergan 25s are my go-to sleep aid when I travel. These antihistamine tablets are available over the counter in Australian pharmacies for about $12. A Phenergan, glass of wine or two, stick in the ear plugs, add some white noise and I’m out like a light! And I don’t wake up groggy, which is a bonus.
** I don’t share a room at home, and I don’t share when I travel. I’d rather pay a single supplement than share my space with a stranger just to save a few hundred bucks.
I’m not sure if you appreciate lengthy comments, but I’m intending to find out 🙂
I find this topic fascinating because I’m the absolute opposite! I’ve had travel partners describe me as exhausting because I like long days. I scoff and call them amateurs 🙂
I suffer from life-long childlike pre-Christmas excitement when I travel. I leave myself about 6 hours of sleep because if I left any more, or were any more rested, I’d wake up before dawn and bounce up and down like a perfect idiot until go-time.
I usually pack my daily itinerary with plans making sure to have one or two important things per day, and then plenty of interesting but sacrificial filler in case I really like where I am and really want to stay for a couple of hours longer.
Perhaps the main difference is that I don’t do tours. I always like to do plenty of research in advance and have my own transport. If I’m urban-travelling I will stop into a few nightlife spots (because that’s a relevant part of appreciating a city), but I don’t spend all night in clubs either, I can’t really see myself thinking back 20 years later, with fond memories of that one club! Instead I prefer the early morning photo ops which I typically scope out during the day before, or using the wealth of the internet as my guide to photography.
Thanks for sharing your routine. It’s timely for me, as I’m planning a lengthy US road-trip next year, so I’m in full booking/research mode.
Thanks for stopping by, Milorad! All comments – lengthy or otherwise – are appreciated!
Travel is such an individual thing – I’m sure if I travelled with someone, my approach would be different to my current practices and considerations.
I know lots of people don’t like tours and I completely understand the reason/s. For me, though, they work. I often joke that the only times I ever like to be bossed around are when I travel and when I run!
Good luck with the arrangement for your road trip. I look forward to hearing more about it 🙂
This sounds like me, both at home and while traveling. I also have that Christmas morning excitement, which usually gets me up very early, but it wears off by 9 p.m. Also, I really love being up and about early in the morning, either on a run or for a walk when everything is quite and most places are closed down, you get a very different perspective of a place.
I agree Catie – that early morning “rise and shine” activity is so interesting, with people going about their day-to-day lives. This one of the reasons I’m a huge fan of street photography, especially when travelling.