Travel Tip Tuesdays: Learn a Travel Skill

You all know I love to write. It’s my profession, my hobby, my bread and butter, my inspiration, my way of viewing the world, and a great way to share my travels with others. However, when I’m on the road, few people learn that I’m a writer— more people think of me as a musician. Why? Because I sing and play piano whenever I get the chance, which immediately gets people’s attention and draws them into conversation with me. 

A kind hosteler on San Juan Island, WA, let me
try out his mandolin after I heard him playing
in the common room.  I bought my own
mandolin a year later.

Whenever I’m at a hostel that has a piano, I sit down and start bumbling through my limited repertoire. Someone always approaches me. This often leads to a conversation, some shared songs, or a full-out music night where a more qualified pianist shoves me off the bench and lets me sing and play bongos instead.

The same principle applies to drawing. Most people leave you alone if you’re reading a book, but if you’re sketching something, many people will come over to see what you’re up to. The next thing you know, you have a game of Pictionary going on. Origami also works wonders on this front.

This is all to illustrate my travel tip of the day: If you’re traveling with the intention of engaging and meeting people, learn a travel skill.

My band, Insomniac Folklore, excelled at drawing people in when we were on tour in summer of 2011. We’d pile out of our van at rest stops and practically attract a crowd through feats of contortionist yoga, juggling, and turtle-wrangling (yes, having a pet turtle does draw people’s attention). While traveling solo, I’ve used journalling, cooking, dish-washing, and Sharpie-tattooing as a way to engage the people around me.

This kind of engagement is important because, to me, people are what travel is all about. The more you can reach out to the people around you, the more enriching and memorable your trip will be.

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