4 KICKASS WAYS TO START OFF DAY 1 OF ANY TRAVEL ADVENTURE

by Lauren Rains
on June 9th, 2011
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The first day of travel is essential as the kickoff for any trip be it a short stay over a mini weekend, a 2 week road trip (like me!), or the beginning to a year in a foreign country or a RTW trip.

Yes I know… often times on day one we are so jetlagged all we want to do is get to our hostel and past out, but we are real travelers here, and that’s just now how we roll, is it my friends? Being that just yesterday was DAY 1 of my 2 Week Road Trip sponsored by FoxRentaCar who has a good standing in the West Coast, we decided we needed to start our trip off with a bang.

1.) TREET YOURSELF TO A LOCAL DELICACY OF FOOD

For myself and the other 3 bloggers on this trip with me we started off with a tasty locally brewed LA beer as a gift from the 4 Points LAX we were staying at. And I must say, after a cross country flight from Miami to LAX and not even getting peanuts on the plane, coming into a hotel room to find a cold beer and a frosted glass to go with it brought a smile to my face.

Treating yourself to food or drink be it cold beer or local street food when you first arrive is a great way to start off any trip. It’s that feeling you get when you finally get to sit down in your final destination, crack it open or pull out that fork, take a sip or bite, and you think, “Damn… this is going to be good.”

2.) DON’T SAY “I’m Too Tired”

“I’m too tired” … this is the primary excuse most of us use when we first arrive as to why we can’t go out with our fellow hostel mates whom we just met that day. I suggest doing all you can to avoid this logical reasoning and be a little illogical on night one.

I remember on my first night in Buenos Aires, Argentina myself and 2 of my hostel mates went out for what would be one of the craziest nights of my life dancing our asses off at the what seemed like a 24/7 club called LOST in Palermo, BA.

I won’t lie to you though…. Tequila shots don’t sit quite well with me, and so, the final hour of the night was spent in regret. That still doesn’t mean I don’t look back on that DAY ONE with a huge smile and a shake of the head that says, “WTF was I thinking. Why didn’t I just go to bed?!” But it was damn well wroth it!

3.) CHAT IT UP WITH THE PEOPLE AROUND YOU

Meeting people from foreign countries be it the locals in the country I’m currently in or my fellow travelers staying at my hostel is one of my favorite parts of travel! It’s that other part that really helps you to grow and open your mind other than simply exploring and experiencing the country itself.

With that said, get to know your hostel mates on day one! They’re going to get you pumped and inspired from the start! Ask them what’s been best and worst so far, where you need to eat and drink, what ridiculous crazy experiences they’ve already gone through, what they think about your culture and the culture you’re in right now.

All these questions give answers that are fascinating and fun. It’s a great way to inspire your imagination for things to come after Day One of your trip.

4.) MAKE A LIST OF GOALS AND CRAZY TO-Dos FOR THE TRIP

While going into a travel experience is great if you just go with the flow and let things happen, it’s even better if from day one you go in with a game plan. I’m not talking a scheduled itinerary. I’m talking a game plan for what’s going to go on in your head while you’re there.

What do you expect to do on the trip? What kinds of questions in your life do you hope to find answers to and consider while you’re off exploring and doing wild and crazy things? In what ways do you hope to challenge yourself while you’re there? What level of the language are you going to commit yourself to learning while you’re there even if it is for just a few days?

Set goals, challenges, and ridiculous plans for your trip so you can get the most out of this! It’s one of my favorite activities to do one Day One upon my arrival. My excitement is up, my imagination if flying, and I can’t wait to get started! That is the perfect state of mind to do an activity like this!

OFF TO DAY TWO BEFORE YOU KNOW IT

Well my friends, I’m actually about to begin Day Two of my road trip. After a fabulous night out last night with friends (despite the jetlag) at a bar overlooking the skyline of San Diego, I’m ready for Day Two. And based on the goals I made yesterday for this West Coast Trip today I have a feeling it’s going to be a pretty fulfilling, kickass day!

So, what about you? What’s your DAY ONE must do routine? What kind of goals do you like to set for yourself while you’re off globetrotting?

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Lauren Rains

Lauren Rains is a crazy, sexy, cool chick on a mission to live a life of abundant adventure, meaning, and substance. She is addicted to the following: WORLD TRAVEL: Experiencing new languages, cute boys, outdoor adventure, crazy transportation, variations on toilets, cultural differences and similarities, crazy food. Everything! WEB 2.0: Web design to social media, she's proud to be a dedicated geek. ENTREPRENEURSHIP: At 12 months she knew she couldn't work for the Machine. WRITING: Check out TheMadtoLive where she blogs about how to live the wild, crazy and meaningful life we're all meant to live! You can also start up a conversation with her about the meaning of life on Twitter at @LaurRains.