December 4, 2014
The Fine Art of Killing Time
After nearly 30 hours, we are still 8 hours or so from arriving in Punta Arenas, I have fallen asleep in a bus, several planes and a surprisingly comfortable set of three chairs in Lima, Peru. I even caught a solid hour of snooze time curled around the tray table during my flight to Santiago. If I were to possess any skill or strength even remotely resembling a super power, it could be only one thing: my ability to sleep anywhere.
My other skill? Waiting. In a world where speed is ever increasing, the simple act waiting is becoming a lost art. Now don't get me wrong stop lights, lines... even waiting for food to heat up food in the microwave can be a monumental feat for me at times, but over the years, I've learned that killing time is just as important of a skill as being efficient and fast.
On expeditions, things often occur that are very much outside of your control. Weather delays, equipment breakdowns, permitting problems. It's always something. And learning how to deal with those delays is just as important as knowing how to tie a figure eight knot.
Josiah, the main videographer for my production company COLDER films is here with me. We've worked on a variety of projects together over the past four years and even though is roughly half my age, we always manage to find interesting topics for conversation. Today, it was passing along some of my hard-learned international travel tips.
Bring a pen - At some point you're going to have to fill out a customs and immigration form.
Share the love - I always try to make it a point of how much I love their country. You'd be surprised at how many things will go your way if you show a little a love.
Tooth brush. If you're bag doesn't arrive, you can easily live in your same underwear (for several weeks), but that doesn't mean you should neglect your dental hygiene.
Shoes off, wool socks. For any international flight, I always take my shoes off before the plane takes off. This prevents an unnecessary build up of stinky foot particles that will soon permeate into the far reaches of the plane. I wear lightweight Wigwam wool socks that never seem
Watch then do. I'm a huge fan of holding back until I figure out all the new 'systems'. A quick scan of a room and observing what others are doing goes a long way in terms of navigation through foreign languages and new situations.
Your tips. Curious to hear more.
In the mean time, our last flights of our mega travel day boarding now.
Image: Waiting with our bags in Santiago.
My other skill? Waiting. In a world where speed is ever increasing, the simple act waiting is becoming a lost art. Now don't get me wrong stop lights, lines... even waiting for food to heat up food in the microwave can be a monumental feat for me at times, but over the years, I've learned that killing time is just as important of a skill as being efficient and fast.
On expeditions, things often occur that are very much outside of your control. Weather delays, equipment breakdowns, permitting problems. It's always something. And learning how to deal with those delays is just as important as knowing how to tie a figure eight knot.
Josiah, the main videographer for my production company COLDER films is here with me. We've worked on a variety of projects together over the past four years and even though is roughly half my age, we always manage to find interesting topics for conversation. Today, it was passing along some of my hard-learned international travel tips.
Bring a pen - At some point you're going to have to fill out a customs and immigration form.
Share the love - I always try to make it a point of how much I love their country. You'd be surprised at how many things will go your way if you show a little a love.
Tooth brush. If you're bag doesn't arrive, you can easily live in your same underwear (for several weeks), but that doesn't mean you should neglect your dental hygiene.
Shoes off, wool socks. For any international flight, I always take my shoes off before the plane takes off. This prevents an unnecessary build up of stinky foot particles that will soon permeate into the far reaches of the plane. I wear lightweight Wigwam wool socks that never seem
Watch then do. I'm a huge fan of holding back until I figure out all the new 'systems'. A quick scan of a room and observing what others are doing goes a long way in terms of navigation through foreign languages and new situations.
Your tips. Curious to hear more.
In the mean time, our last flights of our mega travel day boarding now.
Image: Waiting with our bags in Santiago.