Some of the strengths that you might expect a world traveler to possess would be a good sense of direction and accurate map reading skills. I am noticeably deficit in both qualities. This can make things a little stressful when trying to find my way to a destination in an unfamiliar location – let alone when the language around me is also unfamiliar! But this handicap can be remedied with good preparation…

A few years ago I started to “google stalk” each unfamiliar city before I traveled there. Google Maps is this awesome tool that will let you view nearly any accessible location on the planet, and in more populated areas, actually zoom down to a street view for a rotatable 360 degree image as if you were standing in the middle of the street looking around. It’s an incredible tool for someone like myself, who has a great memory for images.

I can view my accommodations from afar, so that I recognize the building when I get there in person. I can move the google camera down the street to trace the route I’ll take from the bus stop, which is also conveniently indicated on the map. I can move over entire neighborhoods checking out restaurants, museums, attractions, conveniences… many with informative reviews linked to the map tags. I keep notes on all the important details, but having the mental pictures of my destination pre-saved in my memory is both a great comfort and convenience upon arrival. I spend so much time poring over the maps in advance that I know my way around instinctively once I get there.

Getting to know a place in advance is also beneficial when I only have a short time to spend there. I had two days in Reykjavik, Iceland last summer, and google stalking helped me plan my activities to make the most of my time, and my preference for walking to as many places as possible. As I google stalked the city, I found a tapas restaurant with great reviews and a tantalizing menu, and that feast of local cuisine became one of the highlights of my trip. The maps showed me a number of other touristy type places that I wanted to check out in the neighborhood, the links gave me the hours/prices, and the reviews let me know if they were worth my time. I was able to plan an efficient walkable route to hit all of my interests within their own open hours.

And sometimes this advance planning helps assure that I won’t miss an amazing experience due to lack of good timing. Last night I was google stalking Alice Springs, Australia when I found Sounds of Starlight Theatre, which focuses on didgeridoo and other local music. They offer $10 workshops on playing didgeridoo, which is something I am so excited to try, and evening concerts from local artists. Yay! And had I just arrived in town and went about my business without knowing the day of the week, I would have missed all that super coolness. But foresight allowed me to adjust my plans to take advantage of workshop and concert. My google wandering also turned up another restaurant offering a feast of local dishes, and what looks like great reptile education center.

So… I’m still working on that whole “living in the now” part that I mentioned in my last post. But I suppose that there is plenty of time to both appreciate the moment, and then spend the next moment obsessing over pre-exploring my destinations. Appreciate the next moment, and then repeat the cycle. ;)

Embracing the World ~O~

Google Stalking

A Beginning

Power

Sanctuary

Comparative Luxury

Debutante

EPIC

Fear, Money, and Veggies

Holding Pattern

Transformation

Stefanie D. Warren