LLWorldTour

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I’ve been traveling alone for nearly two years. And I love it. I can honestly say that I now prefer to travel alone than any other way (well how many ways are there really?). Of course, it’s always fun to meet up with a friend here and there, but going solo is, for me, the only way to go.

The funny thing is - by being alone you actually meet more people and in essence are never really even alone.

So the more I travel alone, the more people I meet. The more I travel with a friend, the less people I meet. It’s as simple as that. Many times I’ve been asked the question: “Aren’t you scared being a woman traveling alone?”

Not at all. Yes, being a woman can certainly sometimes bring on unwanted attention, but this is rare and usually not threatening. To me the benefits far outweigh the negatives. As a solo woman, if I need help anywhere, friendly locals will help me. On the few instances I’ve really needed help with my bag or couldn’t lift it over my head to shove it in an overhead bin on the train, there is always a nice strong Frenchman waiting in the wings to help a poor helpless girl. If I’m out eating or at a bar, I’m much more likely to be able to strike up a conversation with a stranger - man or woman. I’m a woman so as a stranger I don’t seem threatening or dangerous. But if I was a man and started talking to random people, they may worry that I was some kind of weirdo or looking for something besides just conversation.

In fact, I meet so many people while traveling that I’ve joked that I have to stop. I’ve seemed to reach capacity in my brain for all the new friends I’ve made in such a short time - names, interests, families - it’s a lot to remember. I mean when in my life (except for maybe just during university) in just 2 years have I ever made over a hundred new friends that I keep in touch with on a semi-regular basis. Perhaps it’s my fault and I shouldn’t be so good at keeping in touch. I do have a tendency to be a super-efficient emailer who never likes to not answer someone’s email within a few days of receiving it, but it’s usually more like a few hours. This is one of my pet peeves of the modern world - people that do not answer emails or do not answer questions posed in an email. To me this is like not calling someone back who has left you a message. In fact, since I’m traveling without a phone, this is exactly what this is like for me. Why would I write you if I didn’t want you to respond? Why would I type questions out if I wasn’t genuinely interested in the answers?

My good friend Marsha had gone on her own extended travels alone and said to me before I left Chicago two years ago, “I was never alone more than three days.” And she was exactly right. There are rare times when I don’t meet anyone, but it’s usually because I don’t want to. Most of the time I put myself in situations where meeting people is somewhat inevitable: hostels, couchsurfing, working, volunteering, taking the occasional tours, and just plain smiling.

Here is just a small example of one day in my life as a solo traveler recently. And this is not atypical. Most days I meet someone.

Caen to St. Malo:

20:00    Train Station in St. Malo-Helen: I arrived at 8pm in the small shuttered town of St. Malo. I left the modern train station and headed outside into the dark chilly night to search for a bus that could drop me off near my hostel.  Right in front were several shelters for bus stops. I studied the schedule and map posted and figured out which bus to take, but in this sleepy little off-season town, it seemed the buses were already done for the night. There was not a soul around except one girl standing on the curb, smoking a cigarette with a suitcase by her side. I approached her with a smile, “Bonsoir. Parlez vous Anglais?” Yes she did. In fact she worked in a hotel in Paris so her English was quite good. I asked her if she knew about the buses. She did not. But she was waiting for a friend to pick her up and offered within seconds to just drive me to wherever it was I needed to go. Shortly after, her two guy friends screeched up in their car and were happy to drop me off at my hostel. They were all complete strangers, but, unsurprisingly helpful.

21:00    Hostel-Amelie: When I arrived at my hostel in St. Malo I checked in to a shared room with 4 beds. There was only one other traveler using the room. Her name was Amelie and she was on holiday from Montreal. We proceeded to chat about our travels and then went down to the bar for a local Brittany beer and hang out like old friends. The beauty of meeting people when you travel is you are all in the ‘same boat.’ No one knows anyone so it’s almost like an unspoken rule that you will become friends faster and easier than in ‘real life.’ This is another reason I like travel so much. People are just friends. No questions. No rank. No status.

12:30    In town-NJ kids: The next day I was walking around town and passed two teenagers sitting on a stone wall. I overheard one finishing his sentence with “…the tri-state area, ya know, New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.” I stopped in my tracks and said “I’m from New Jersey.” They were traveling with their folks through parts of France and visiting an uncle who lived here. We chatted a bit, swapped respective NJ hometown names and then I went on my way with a smile and warm feeling of familiarity.

13:00    In town-folks from Little Rock and Baltimore: I was waiting for the tourist office to open after it’s ‘lunch break’ as some American tourists walked up. I alerted them that the Tourist Information office was closed for lunch and we proceeded to chat about each others travels for the next 15 minutes.

16:00    Café-UK man who had a few too many beers: I ended up being the translator between a café owner and a slightly inebriated man who was trying to find his way back to his hotel.

16:20    Café owner: After previously mentioned drunk man left, the café owner thanked me and we proceeded to chat in broken English and French as she told me she was a big fan of the soap opera, “The Young and the Restless.”

The very next day, I took two buses to nearby Mont St. Michel-perhaps the most famous image of Northern France of the spectacular Abbey on the hill surrounded by water. During the tour, I met a lovely couple from NJ: Janet and Marvin. They offered to drive me back to St. Malo where they were also staying. For me a ride in the countryside was wonderful. I rarely, if ever, am in a car while I travel and it was great to take the scenic route along the ocean and chat with my fellow New Jerseyans along the way. The best part? We stopped in a fabulous little seaside town called Cancale-famous for its huge oyster beds that line the beach. We walked down the small boardwalk lined with cute colorful restaurants, shops, and stone buildings. We breathed in the salty sea air and couldn’t help craving the local ‘fruits of the sea.’ So we sat down at an outdoor café, as the late afternoon sun dipped into the Atlantic drank the local cider and slurped down the freshest (and almost still alive) and best tasting oysters I have ever had.

It’s an interesting time in America and the rest of the world. Being abroad during this election season, is giving me a different perspective. Your first thought may be I’m missing something. But the US elections are huge news everywhere and just as important to the rest of the world as they are to us. Thankfully though I’m not inundated by media and lip-flapping pundits here-perhaps because most of it is French so I just can’t understand it anyway, nor do I normally have a TV.

Absentee Ballot

While in Berlin, I went to www.votefromaborad.org and was able to print out my absentee ballot application and a ‘write-in ballot’ and mail it in. The process was mostly painless, except that once I mailed that and they received it a couple weeks later, I then actually had to fill out a second more ‘official ballot’ that they emailed to me and then I could fax that from France to the NJ elections office (oh yeah, I’m voting in NJ where my current permanent address is at dad’s and NJ is inching a bit closer to becoming a swing state) and then had to mail them the hard copy. Thankfully there are no chads on my ballot–hanging, dimpled, or otherwise. So the process is either really accurate and careful OR I just voted three times.

One day I was hanging out at a café in Berlin called St. Oberhotz where a large number of laptopers and expats seem to hang out downing coffees and sucking in the free wifi all day. There was a guy sitting at a hightop table near the door with a small sign affixed to a clipboard that read: US Voters - Help. This expat American voluntary sat here once a week and helped overseas Americans register to vote and find the necessary links to be able to fill out their absentee ballot. I told him I had already sent my ballot in, but he continued to look up the name and phone number for me of the woman I should call at the NJ elections office to confirm she’d received my ballot.

Then a few weeks later I found myself in Paris joining a fellow expat New Yorker I’d met through Couchsurfing, at a ‘Democrats Abroad’ debate party. Since most of Europe is 7 hours ahead of New York, it’s hard to watch the debates here unless you want to tune into the BBC or CNN International at 4am. So the following night they scheduled an event for the many expats living in Paris who wanted to watch the Obama/McCain town hall faceoff. It was held in a lovely cinema-style screening room in Paris’ Cine-Aqua, a sort of Aquarium.

Proud to be American

I am more proud than ever to be voting in this election. During my travels over the last two years, I’ve gone from criticizing my own country, to defending it, and back again. It’s hard to be the one “American” in the room trying to explain all the aspects of being American-many of which I have come to appreciate more while away-but something else I just can’t do. I am American, but I am certainly not a spokesperson for all Americans or the United States government.
I am proud of where I come from and very lucky in many ways. But I think this is something hard to even appreciate when it’s all you know. It’s actually the foreigners that sometimes make me more aware of how fortunate I am to be free and have so many opportunities in my grasp. That being said, since I have never really lived in another country, how can I say the US is the best one? How do I know that growing up in France or Sweden wouldn’t provide the same opportunities or perhaps even more? I can’t say this. Who can - unless they’ve actually done it. Unfortunately, in today’s world, being an “American” has become complex and comes with many stereotypes and stigmas. I want to be proud to be an American because, of course, I love my country. But this does not have to mean I love everything.

Just please vote.

Berlin is a city on the move. It is one of those rare places that grabs you, takes hold, and never lets you go. You can’t help but love a city that looks back and acknowledges its (undisputedly awful) past with great reflection, no more denial, and respect for the tragic events that either took place or were rooted here. And at the same time Berliners are not just looking toward the future, but sprinting toward it with progressive thought, bold ideas, and striking architecture.

City of Neighborhoods

I tend to like cities that are big and thriving, but made up of smaller, friendlier neighborhoods where one can build a life and a community. Berlin has this. For a more local, neighborhood-feel you can stay in the hip, leafy ‘hoods of Prenzlauer Berg or Kreuzberg (pronounced kroitz-berg).  P’berg is situated in the heart of what was East Berlin. This area had become rundown and filled with squatters after the fall of the wall. Yesterday’s bohemian, alternative-artist types have morphed into today’s hipster pierced parents pushing prams around the quaint, refurbished blocks past innumerable cafes and independent boutiques. During an afternoon stroll around Kollwitzplatz, you can stop in for a latte and a quiche slice at the Anna Blume Café and enjoy sidewalk seating under the awning while watching the young urbanites walk on by. For a younger vibe, head just a few blocks over to Kastanienallee (say that three times fast) where actors, artists, and expats are often found at many of the cafes and bars.

Afterwards you can head north a few blocks to the Kulturbrauerei -a former beer brewery turned ‘culture brewery’ with a lively mixed use space of galleries, restaurants, and cinemas.  Also here you will find Berlin on Bike. They do a comprehensive and down to earth four-hour city tour - very worth the 17 Euro cost. Seeing the flat city on two wheels is a great way to get an overview of this sprawling town and much less ‘insulated’ than one of the many double-decker bus tours around. Besides watching out for cars, you will notice how bike-friendly Berlin is by all your fellow cyclists whizzing about. From your bike saddle, you will see the tourist musts:

• Alexanderplatz and the Fernsehturm (TV Tower)
• Hackescher Markt
• Berlin Dom and Museum Island
• Unter den Linden
• Potsdamer Platz and huge modern Sony Center complex
• Checkpoint Charlie
• The Berlin Wall
• The Reichstag and other modern government office buildings
• Brandenburg Gate
• The Holocaust Memorial
• The Tiergarten - Berlin’s huge, ‘Central Park’

Back in Prenzlauer Berg there are several choices for lodging. For something a bit more affordable I checked into the EastSeven Hostel - one of the nicest hostels I’ve ever stayed in. It’s a squeaky clean place with singles, doubles and dorms. There is a great backyard with tables and even a grill and a lounge and kitchen to use at your disposal.

The more arty bunch of today have left Prenzlauer Berg behind and are pushing the limits in Friedrichshain - around the grungy-turned-trendy Boxhagener Platzand in Kreuzberg - dining on tapas or Indian food on Bergmanstrasse or hanging out at the bars lining the Landwehrkanal (canal) during the balmy summer months until the wee hours.

If I lived here I would pick one of these neighborhoods to live in. And living here seems pretty easy - you can find a small one bedroom apartment for under 500 Euros. No wonder so many people are moving here Quentin Tarantino has flat here, Brad Pitt bought a place here (both are in town filming Quentin’s latest flick currently titled “Inglorious Bastards“, Even 80’s pop star Joe Jackson moved here. Now that says something. I think.  Berlin is one of the cheapest and coolest cities in Europe to live in…something I just might do.

The first time I traveled around the world, I really wasn’t running away from anything. It was more like I was running toward something - a dream; doing something I had always wanted to do, but just never could. But then a small window opened and I slipped out into the world and never looked back.

That was two years ago now. Starting October 2006, I left the comforts of my well-appointed home in Chicago and traveled, literally, around the world - staying with friends, meeting strangers who became friends, and having the time of my life. Fifteen months later, I returned to the US. For eight months I bopped between coasts from New York City to Chicago to Los Angeles and back to New York again. And now I actually think I am running away - away from having to ‘root’ myself in an ordinary life; away from having to make a decision about where to live; away from having to work full time again; away from having to pay actual bills and away from the reality of the fact that eventually I will have to give up this vagabond lifestyle and someday buy a bed of my own again.   Or maybe I figure I should just keep traveling until I just can’t stand it anymore. But I think that is highly unlikely.

I am sitting in seat 21D on a Swiss Air flight headed to Europe.  This time around it didn’t seem as monumental leaving the US and all; sort of anti-climatic actually.  No goodbye parties. No big farewells. No major life changes.  I just hopped the subway to JFK in New York City and blew a kiss goodbye to one of my favorite cities.

And soon I will be in Berlin, perhaps my favorite city from my last trip. I am returning for several meetings/interviews for some possible freelance opportunities. Then I will be heading to France and Italy for a few months. I’ve been to these popular destinations a few times before, but not on my last trip. Paris was the first city I had ever set foot in in Europe more than 10 years ago and it had me at ‘bon jour.’ And Italy, oh Italia, I’ve been three times and am anxious to return to see if I still love it like I did every time I was there in the past.

Then I’m not sure where my wanderings will take me. As any traveler knows, my list has not gotten any shorter. In fact the more you travel, the longer it gets. This trip is currently looking something like this:

• Berlin
• France (Paris, Normandy, Lyon, Swiss Border towns, Provence, Bordeaux ?)
• Italy (some of these: Turino, Verona, Assisi, Gubio, Orevieto, Bologna, Perugia, Arezzo, Lucca, Roma, Sicily)
• Malta
• Cyprus ?
• Egypt
• Israel
• Jordan
• Istanbul
• St. Petersburg
• The Baltics (Latvia, Lithuania)
• Denmark
• and eventually back to Berlin and Paris again.

As always, if you know anyone - friend, family, animal, mineral - in any of these locales, please let me know. I would really appreciate it. I love to meet new people and have new friends when I get to a new town.

Unlike the last trip, this time I do have a return ticket. For two reasons: one, I’m taking advantage of all my racked up frequent flyer miles and flying for free to and from Europe therefore needing to book an actual roundtrip ticket and, two, I have a ‘save the date’ in New Jersey in the Spring.  I will return home for my father’s wedding. After thirty odd years of bachelorhood, dear old dad is tying the knot and my tiny family is getting just a bit bigger. Mazel Tov!

Hello friends of LLWorldTour! How are you, by the way? This is not a rhetorical question - feel free to leave a comment on my site with you deepest sentiments.

For those of you that read this site on Internet Explorer there was a problem with the last two posts.

Those who use Firefox (much cooler, faster, better web browser) had no problems of course.

So…I wanted to resend these links to my subscribers who did not get the pleasure of reading them.

Livin’ the LA Life: Part Dos

THE Toaster Smash-Up 2008: A Must Read!

Please enjoy and feel free to make comments, suggestions, rants, raves.

Thanks, as always, for reading!

LL

There are some new buzzwords in the world of travel: ‘Stay-cations,’ ‘Volunteer Vacations’ and ‘Voluntourism.’ During my travels, I was fortunate to do all of these. Some of my most memorable moments were while volunteering. Check out an article I recently wrote for the Boston Globe on how to give back while on vacation.

Tired of lying on the beach with nothing to do, but get the sand out of your shorts? Sick of traipsing around a new city with a ripped map and waiting on lines for museums full of other sweaty tourists? Now more than ever travelers are looking for a new kind of vacation. Traveling with a purpose and volunteering during our vacations is becoming increasingly popular. With voluntourism, you can travel to beautiful regions of the world, meet and work with locals, and enjoy the camaraderie of fellow volunteers. And with today’s economy forcing many to cut back on their vacations, these types of trips are typically a lot more affordable than your routine all-inclusive holiday at the ‘all-you-can-eat’ resorts of the Caribbean.

In our global village, we are becoming more and more committed to giving back when we travel; to contributing to communities rather than taking from them. By now, you’ve probably heard of ‘voluntourism’, but it’s a new day and there are many more options out there for the traveler who may shy away from some hardcore volunteer experiences like risking life and limb with the Peace Corps, pounding nails with Habitat for Humanity, or the ubiquitous English teaching gigs.
Here are some more unique experiences that can not only save you money and give you an amazing adventure, but provide valuable manpower to local communities around the globe.

Crisis, London:
‘To give is better than to receive;’ so why not really give back this holiday season? Travel to London, for a unique program called Crisis Open Christmas. During the weeks around Christmas and New Year’s, more than 1,500 ‘homeless guests’ are welcomed at eight different empty office buildings spread around London. The guests are not only provided with warmth, companionship, food, and a safe place to sleep, but also amazing services such as checkups from on-site doctors, professional advice, and other treats like an arts and crafts center, a computer lab, karaoke, live musical entertainment, and even a mini beauty saloon for some pampering of massages and hair treatments. Volunteering here for a few days allows you to actually get to know some of the folks by name and give them the gift of friendship and human interaction, something they crave and often do without.

Crisis
66 Commercial Street
London, E1 6LT
UK
Tel: 011-44-844-251-0111
Email: volunteering@crisis.org.uk
Web: www.crisis.org.uk

Pueblo Ingles, Spain:
The most rewarding travel experiences always seem to involve interacting with locals and traveling on a more ‘down to earth’ level. Now, imagine a week in sunny Spain meeting local professionals with all your lodging and meals completely free. There is one catch-you have to speak English. Pueblo Ingles offers Americans a ‘different kind of vacation’ in Spain by bringing native English speakers from all over the world together with Spanish businessmen and women at a rural 4-star resort in a beautiful countryside setting for an intense week of speaking English, all around good times, and fun. It is basically like a ‘camp for English,’ but there is no teaching just talking…and lots of it. This is a very unique opportunity-not only for Spaniards to be immersed in the English language for a week, but also for English-speaking travelers to be immersed in the rich culture of Spanish life by really getting to know the people firsthand.

Pueblo Ingles
Rafael Calvo 18, 4A
Madrid 28010
Spain
Tel: 011-34-913- 913- 400
Email: anglos@puebloingles.com
Web: www.puebloingles.com

Best Friends, Utah:
For more than two decades, Best Friends Animal Society has been dedicated to the simple philosophy that kindness to animals builds a better world for all of us. This sanctuary at Angel Canyon, in southern Utah, is home on any given day to about 2,000 dogs, cats, and other animals, who come from shelters and rescue groups around the country for the special care they can only receive at Best Friends. Thirty-thousand folks visit the sanctuary every year to take tours and volunteer. Animal lovers can help with the work of feeding the animals, cleaning their living areas, grooming them, taking them for walks, and socializing with them. There are cabins to stay in on the property or motels nearby in the town of Kanab, Utah.

Best Friends Animal Society
5001 Angel Canyon Road
Kanab, Utah 84741-5000
Tel: (435) 644-2001 ext. 4119
Email: volunteers@bestfriends.org
Web: www.bestfriends.org

Volunteers for Israel
Put on your combat boots and volunteer for the Israeli Army. Meals and lodging are paid for during the week and then you are free on the weekends to explore this history-rich country. The majority of volunteers are assigned to work on army bases with tasks ranging from kitchen duties to simple mechanical repairs. Volunteers will work alongside or under the direction of soldiers and perform duties such as packing food rations or medical kits, changing spare parts, gardening, painting, or cleaning.

Volunteers for Israel
P.O. Box 67532
Chestnut Hill, MA O2467
Tel: 866-512-3255
Email: info@vfi-usa.org
Web: www.vfi-usa.org

Earthwatch Institute
Observe the lives of fur seals and contribute to the conservation of the Bering Sea. Help the world’s fastest mammal in a race against extinction in Namibia’s ranching heartland.
These are just a few of the amazing volunteer opportunities available at the Earthwatch Institute. This international non-profit organization brings science to life for people concerned about the Earth’s future. Founded in 1971, Earthwatch supports scientific field research by offering volunteers the opportunity to join research teams around the world. Today, Earthwatch recruits close to 4,000 volunteers every year to collect field data in the areas of rainforest ecology, wildlife conservation, marine science, archaeology, and more. Through this process, they educate, inspire, and involve a diverse array of people, who actively contribute to conserving our planet.

Earthwatch Institute
3 Clock Tower Place, Suite 100
PO Box 75
Maynard, MA 01754
Tel: 1-800-776-0188
Email:info@earthwatch.org
Web: www.earthwatch.org

When traveling, the places we see may be amazing, but we quickly learn it’s more abut the people we meet. Encounters with locals and making new friends are the memories that last forever. Check out my article for Brave New Traveler on how to spice up your travels and really immerse yourself in your new, albeit temporary home.

One of the biggest reasons to travel is to expose yourself to a new culture, to see how things are done in another place and do your best to join ‘em. As a traveler, you should strive to embrace these differences, not fight them. Try to really immerse yourself, not in your guidebook, but in the place you are at the moment. Stop. Look. Listen. Think about all your senses. Smell those roses and just breathe it all in.

Here is a list of some general “DON’TS” to heed when on foreign soil.

DON’T Hail a Taxi

Stretch your travel budget by avoiding these gas-guzzling, wallet-draining rides as much as possible. Most cities ‘round the world have some amazing public transportation that is often very clearly marked and easy to understand if you just take a few minutes to become familiar with the system. It’s a great feeling of

One Million Dong!

accomplishment to navigate your way through the airport right to the city bus or metro train, join the locals aboard and soak up the view into town.

DON’T change cash at a cash exchange or bank

Nowadays the ATM card is the only way to go. Before you leave home, make sure your bank card will work in the country your visiting. If you can, get a duplicate spare card and stash it somewhere in your bag just in case you lose your main one. Banks and cash exchanges charge commissions and you will almost always get the best exchange rate by using your bank card.

Dubai Fries with that?

A billion served in Bangkok.

DON’T find the nearest McDonald’s

First of all, if you must, you can always eat at McDonald’s, KFC, or Starbucks at home. You are somewhere different—take it all in by indulging in the many tempting treats at your fingertips. From local food stands to gastropubs to sensory-overloading markets, trying local foods can be a cheap, fun, and a palette-expanding experience.

DON’T only go to Irish pubs or expat bars and spend the week getting drunk with other expats

It’s time to immerse yourself in not only the culture of the city, but the people. Meeting locals is one of the very best things about travel. One of the best places to do this is at the local watering hole where the beers are cheap and the people are almost always friendly. It’s a way of embracing our differences and realizing how alike we all are at the same time. Don’t miss this amazing opportunity to enrich your trip tenfold.

DON’T just stay and party at your hostel the entire week

Blonds have more fun??

Yes, hostels are great. We all know the amazing benefits and it can be comforting to be around other travelers and your fellow countrymen to vent, empathize and share general travel highs and lows. But don’t let this be all you do. Get out. You are traveling to discover new places and people.

DON’T blather on in English

We are extremely fortunate to speak English and even more fortunate that so many people in the world do as well. But don’t expect everyone to speak English or understand you. Please take the time to learn a few words in the mother tongue of the country you are visiting. Challenge yourself to try and speak the local dialect. Greeting someone with a smile in their language is so easy to do and goes a long way.

Stuck in Lonely Planetville.

DON’T keep your nose in a travel guide

There is no denying that your dog-eared, coffee-stained Lonely Planet Guide is an extremely helpful amalgamation of maps, tips, and sleep/eat suggestions. But don’t become too LP dependent. Pick up a local paper. Ask other travelers. Query your inn-keeper where he likes go. Then leave your guide book there and explore.

DON’T keep your eye in the viewfinder

It is the extremely rare traveler that does not have a camera in pocket. We tend to sightsee with one eye looking through a lens or nowadays into an LCD screen. It’s great fun to capture what you’ve seen and take home these precious memories. But take a moment and put the camera away. Focus on the here and now—breathe it all in—the sights, sounds, smells—of this moment.

DON’T expect things to be how they are at ‘home’

Whether you are in Tulsa or Timbuktu or Togo, remember that each place has its own way of doing things. Open yourself up to the idea that just because you grew up learning to do something one way does not mean it is the right or best way.

It all comes down to opening yourself up and exposing all of your senses to this amazing experience of travel. If you do, you will know it is much more than sightseeing and souvenir-shopping. The greatest gifts come from not what you see or buy, but whom you meet and the experiences you share with new friends from all over the world.

When we travel it’s nice to put English on the shelf for awhile and try to learn a new language…or at least the most important phrases – ‘please,’ ‘thank-you,’ and, of course, ‘cheers!’ Check out my article recently published on Matador Nights on “How to Say Cheers in 50 Languages.” Sante.

The ancient Egyptians did it. The ancient Chinese did it. And so did the Greeks. Evidence shows us that people around the world have been partaking in booze for thousands of years. Following suit, the act of ‘toasting’ and clinking glasses together, has been taking place for so long that it’s origins are quite blurry. There are many debated theories out there—the most popular being the noise of ‘clinking’ was to ward off evil spirits. Another tale touts that by crashing glasses together, the libations in each glass would slosh into the other’s cup, therefore proving neither was poisoned. Regardless, people all over the world continue to drink together and toast together. Most commonly the toast translates to ‘good health,’ something we all need after one too many.

When traveling the act of sharing a libation with a local brings people together all over the world. So it’s very important that you learn how to say “cheers” to your new found friends. Here is a cheat sheet for you to print out, laminate, tuck into your passport, or copy to your cell phone. Enjoy.

1. Afrikaans: Gesondheid! (Ge-sund-hate)
2. Albanian: Gëzuar! (Géschuar)
3. Arabic (Egyptian): في صحتكم!(Fee-sa-ha-tak)
4. Armenian: Կենացդ (gen-ots-nute)
5. Azerbaijan:i Afiyët oslun!(Afeeyet Ohs-lun)
6. Basque: On egin! (On egín)
7. Bosnian: Živjeli! (Zhee-vi-lee)

Candy is Dandy, But liquor is quicker.
[© 1936 by Ogden Nash, REFLECTIONS ON ICE-BREAKING]

1. Bulgarian: Наздраве! (NAZ-dra-vey)
2. Chinese (Cantonese): (Gom bui)
3. Chinese (Mandarin): 乾杯! [干杯!] (Gan BAY)
4. Czech: Na zdravi (NAZ-drah vi)
5. Croatian: Živjeli! (ZHEE-vi-lee)
6. Danish: Skål!(Skol)

Drink is the feast of reason and the flow of soul.
–Alexander Pope

1. Dutch Proost! (Prohst)
2. English Cheers! Bottoms up! Down the hatch! Here’s mud in your eye!
3. Esperanto Je via sano! Toston! (YEH VEE-ah SAH-no/Tóston)
4. Estonian Terviseks! (Ter-vi-seks)
5. Ethiopian (Amharic) Letenachin (L’-TAY-nah-chin)
6. Farsi (Ba-sal-a-ma-TEE)

Eat thy bread with joy,
and drink thy wine with a merry heart.
—Ecclesiastes 9:10

1. Finnish: Kippis! (KEEP-us)
2. French: Sante! (Sahn-tay)
3. Gaelic (Irish): Sláinte! (Slawn-che)
4. German: Prost! (Prohst)
5. Greek: στηνυγειάσας! (Stin Eyiassou/Stin Eye-ee-yass-ooh)
6. Hawaiian :Okole Maluna! (Å’kålè ma’luna)

Payday came and with it beer.
-Rudyard Kipling

1. Hebrew: לְחַיִּים!/L’Chaim! (Le Hy-em)
2. Hungarian: Egeszsegere! (Egg-esh Ay-ged-reh)
3. Italian : Salute! Cin cin! (Salu-tay/Chin Chin)
4. Japanese: /Kampai! (Kam-pie)
5. Korean: 위하여 (Gun-bae)
6. Latvian: Prieka! (Pree-eh-ka)
7. Lithuanian: i sveikata!(Ee sweh-kata)

The problem with some people is that
when they aren’t drunk they’re sober.
-William Butler Yeats

1. Luxembourgish: Prost!(Prohst)
2. Maltese: Evviva! (A-vee-va)
3. Mongolian: Эрүүл мэндийн төлөө! (Erüül mehdiin tölöö)
4. Norwegian: Skål! (Skoal)
5. Persianبه سلامت: ی!(beh salamati)
6. Polish: Na zdrowie! (Naz-droh-vee-ay)
7. Portuguese: Saúde! (Sow-ooh-jee)
8. Romanian: Noroc! (No-roak)

Work is the curse of the drinking class.
-Oscar Wilde

1. Russian: Будем здоровы! (Boo-dem Zdo-ro-vee-eh)
2. Serbian: Ziveli! (ZHEE-vi-lee)
3. Slovak: Na zdravie! (Naz-drah-vee-ay)
4. Spanish : ¡Salud!(Sah-lud)
5. Swedish: Skål! (Skol)

Here’s to you and here’s to me,
the best of friends we’ll ever be,
but if we ever disagree,
to hell with you and here’s to me.

1. Thai: ไชโย!(Chok-dee)
2. Turkish: Şerefe! (Sher-i-feh)
3. Vietnamese: Chúc sức khoẻ!/ Một hai ba, yo! (chook-sa-koi-ah/Maht, hi, bah, yo!)
4. Yiddish: געזונטערהייט! Zei Gazunt! (Zye GAH-zoont)
5. Zulu: Oogy wawa!(oogee-wawa)

Undoubtedly you will be making many toasts in your lifetime and hopefully in many different languages. So hoist a glass with some new friends and drink in the moment. Cheers!

Almost two years ago I added a link on my site (see on the right there…where it says “cool travel sites?”) for one of my favorite sites ever: WherethehellisMatt.com. This guy is my idol. In a nutshell, he travels around the world, dances badly, and records it. And that’s about it. He’s been doing it for several years now, has secured a sponsor and has quit his day job. If you haven’t seen his videos yet…you must check out his site right now. He’s just released the 2008 video where other locals and travelers join him for a dance off in each locale. But the first two videos are a must-see as well.
It’s so simple and yet always nearly brings tears to my eyes. It somehow makes the world seem smaller and in harmony if only just for a moment. Maybe if everyone danced more often, we would all see more smiles, more laughing, enjoy life more, and look forward to each new day. From big rich countries to the lesser developed struggling countries he visits, you can see joy in the faces of the young and the young at heart. No matter how hard life is for them, they can still have fun.

The video and message is simple: no politics, no attachments, no stress, no problems, just people having fun together doing the same thing (dancing badly) at the same time, all over our big beautiful world.
Take a look.