It’s International Women’s Day today, and more importantly, my mother’s birthday (Happy Birthday Mum!), so I thought I’d change things up a little bit and share with you some travel tips from, who else? My mother.
Mum’s definitely seen her share of jet-setting days – working the aisles in the sky as a Singapore Girl in her younger days, then marrying a pilot and continuing to travel frequently even with three kids in tow. Even now she travels a lot, probably more than I do, though we have very different travel styles of course.
Since she’s my mother and will nag me regardless as is her right, I asked her to share one piece of sage advice she’d give any traveller based on all her own travelling experiences. Her advice is surprisingly simple and straightforward:
Stay healthy and stay safe
Both of which seem like common-sensical things one should know. She just shrugs matter-of-factly when I probe for more: “Your health is most important on a trip. And of course you need to be safe, right?” You don’t argue with mum on that.
But it’s true though, that the simplest things are often the most easy to overlook in the excitement and flurry of travel.
And perhaps I’ve ingrained some of that advice in me, because I do err to the side of caution when travelling, even more so when I’m alone. And I try and stay a little bit healthier on holidays by sleeping earlier, staying warm and eating regularly.. The mere fact that I can’t really think of anything more important that health and safety on a trip probably means she’s definitely worked it right into my psyche.
So my dear Occasional Travellers out there, what advice on travel have your parents or family members passed on to you? Share them here!