The Zayed National Mueum will feature five lightweight steel towers resembling birds’ wings, set within a landscaped mound with gallery spaces located at ground level.

The latticed towers will be designed to act as thermal chimneys that will draw cool air into the spaces below, whilst cooling pipes buried beneath will release fresh air into the lobby.

Named after UAE founder Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the museum will be dedicated to the history and culture of the country.

The museum is the latest superstar-designed building to be unveiled for Saadiyat Island cultural district; a performing arts centre by Zaha Hadid, a Guggenheim by Frank Gehry, a branch of the Louvre museum by Jean Nouvel and a maritime museum by Tadao Ando are already underway.

Designs for Zayed National Museum in Abu Dhabi revealed

Designs for the Zayed National Museum have been officially unveiled today by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai and Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom. Conceived as a monument and memorial to the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the founding president of the UAE, the Museum will be the centrepiece of the Saadiyat Island Cultural District and will showcase the history, culture and more recently the social and economic transformation of the Emirates.

Architecturally, the aim has been to combine a highly efficient, contemporary form with elements of traditional Arabic design and hospitality to create a museum that is sustainable, welcoming and culturally of its place. Celebrating Sheikh Zayed’s legacy and love of nature, the museum is set within a landscaped garden, based on a timeline of his life.

The display spaces are housed within a man-made, landscaped mound. The galleries are placed at the bases of five solar thermal towers. The towers heat up and act as thermal chimneys to draw cooling air currents naturally through the museum. Fresh air is captured at low level and drawn through buried ground-cooling pipes and then released into the museum’s lobby. The heat at the top of the towers works to draw the air up vertically through the galleries due to the thermal stack effect. Air vents open at the top of the wing-shaped towers taking advantage of the negative pressure on the lee of the wing profile to draw the hot air out.

Here in the museum these towers are lightweight steel structures, sculpted aerodynamically to work like the feathers of a bird’s wing.  The analogies with falcons and flight are deliberate and relate directly to Sheikh Zayed’s love of falconry. This theme is further celebrated by a gallery devoted to the subject as part of a wider focus on conservation. These inner spaces open up to an outdoor arena for live displays with hunting birds.

Balancing the lightweight steel structures with a more monumental interior experience, the galleries are anchored by a dramatic top-lit central lobby, which is dug into the earth to exploit its thermal properties and brings together shops, cafes, an auditorium and informal venues for performances of poetry and dance. Throughout, the treatment of light and shade draws on a tradition of discreet, carefully positioned openings, which capture and direct the region’s intense sunlight to illuminate and animate these interior spaces. Objects are displayed within niches and on stone plinths that rise seamlessly from the floor.
The museum contains a variety of performance spaces. A large auditorium, lined with Emirati textiles, provides an evocative setting for presentations and films. The lobby incorporates more informal venues for poetry readings, music and dance, where the audience can gather in a circle to enjoy the spectacle and atmosphere of traditional performances.

The interior concept for the restaurant draws on the opulence and hospitality of the Bedouin tent, with carefully selected furnishings. The majlis, or VIP spaces, open onto a central courtyard. This traditional space offers guests a unique perspective, as it is the only place in the museum where one can enjoy views of the wind towers.

Lord Foster said: “It has been a great privilege to work on the Zayed National Museum, to carry forward Sheikh Zayed’s vision and to communicate the dynamic character of a contemporary United Arab Emirates. We have sought to establish a building that will be an exemplar of sustainable design, resonating with Sheikh Zayed’s love of nature and his wider heritage.”

If you are a typical American, your are a couch potato by any European standard.  Europeans walk a lot.  They also climb a lot of stairs.  On one trip to Europe, I had to endure the symptoms of a torn meniscus in a knee.  Stairs, uneven cobble stone streets, and long distances between trains and stations caused me a great deal of pain.  What I discovered was that Europe is designed to accommodate very healthy sturdy walkers who look upon stairs as a hardy way to get exercise.  Cripples, wheel chairs, and the weak are not invited.  Do a little research on what Hitler did to cripples, homosexuals, and the mentally ill and you will better understand the European perspective on dealing with the vulnerable.

Even modern airports have multiple flights of stairs designed as if to say ?we told you to pack light.?  Bring along several pieces of large luggage and you will feel the pain. 

How good a shape must an American be in to travel in Europe?  If you can walk about 5 miles a day over rough terrain with brief bursts of speed and climb ten flights of stairs, you meet the minimum requirements.  To really train for your trip, carry a ten pound bag of sugar or flour in a market bag or brief case.  An even more realistic training regimen would include about thirty pounds of extra weight.  This last method takes into account all of the books, souvenirs, maps, cameras, clothes, and other goodies that you will find yourself carrying by the end of each day. 

If you belong to a health club, work out using a treadmill with it set to hill climbs that are variable and at a fairly steep angle.  If you don’t belong to a health club, do mall walks.  Mall walks are easier than anything you will do in in Europe, so do a couple a laps a couple of times a day. 

Learn how to stretch.  Any book on running should provide you with information on stretching.  You will need to stretch at least once a day. 

You will need very supportive (ugly) hiking shoes.  These shoes must have good arches and be ruggedly constructed.  Cheap shoes sold by discount clothing stores will not be satisfactory.  They will fall apart after a few days, they won’t have adequate arch supports, and they will be made of mostly synthetic materials that will result in hot sweaty feet. 

Have walking shoes professionally fitted to your feet.  Buy your socks before you buy your shoes and fit your shoes with while wearing your new socks. 

You will need good socks to wear with your shoes.  They should be thick, padded, and will not cost less than $6 a pair.  $12/pair is not too much to pay.  Clean socks are a daily requirement.  Buy enough for the whole trip.  Alternatively, buy as many as you can wear between washings. 

Hygiene 

Bring a wash cloth and a re-closable freezer bag or two to store it in while you are between hotels.  Apparently, Europeans don’t fully bathe or they don’t think that foreigners need to.  You will rarely find a wash cloth in a European hotel.  Some luxury hotels and some rare tourist friendly hotels may have wash cloths.  If you see one, you are most likely mistaking a hand towel for a wash cloth.   

European and many American hotels mistakenly believe that guests can adequately dry themselves with a piece of cloth about twice the size of notebook paper and about twice as thick. 

If there is an evaluation card in your hotel room fill it out.  Request giant bath sheets, huge fluffy bath towels, large absorbent hand towels, and bath mats that cover the floor.  It won’t help you this time, but it may help you the next time you visit Europe. 

Toilets may have any number of flushing handles, plungers, panels, or even chains.  They will most likely be located at the top of the water container, but may also be located on the floor. 

Ever showered with a telephone receiver?  If you haven’t, you will in Europe.  Shower heads are usually portable in that they can be taken off of the wall and used to rinse hair or delicate parts of the body.  Consider that water that feels comfortably warm on the head can feel uncomfortably hot when sprayed elsewhere.  Spraying elsewhere is also a problem.  European and many American hotels don’t have adequate shower curtains.  It is very easy to flood the bathroom if you aren’t careful.  Remember that you will only have a couple of tiny little towels for mopping up the mess. 

Sleep 

Pillows will range from sacks of unknown content that feel like clay to fluffy feather pillows that collapse to thickness that barely exceeds the back and front layers of the pillow covering.  You may have request a fiber or foam pillow, but you may not get one unless you are staying at a better hotel.  I have often had to use my soft suitcase as a pillow even in expensive hotels.

European hotels seem to replace their mattresses about every quarter century whether they need it or not.  Unlike American hotels they buy better mattresses.  That assumes that better mattresses are so hard that they cannot be worn down to the deep valleys often found in American hotel beds.  If you like hard mattresses, you are in luck.  If not, try the floor if the carpet is padded, it may be softer. 

While staying in a hotel in Europe (and some places in the U.S.) if you find yourself feeling hot and half awake in bed in the middle of the night, do not be disturbed about your health.   It is unlikely that you are experiencing malarial symptoms.  This assumes that you have not just come from a lengthy stay in some tropical country.  The tossing and turning, and feeling hot then cold is part of the hot mattress syndrome..

European hotels seem to universally use rubber mattress pads.  These pads are made of the same material as hospital bed coverings and serve the same function, the prevention of body fluids soaking the mattress.  If you want a good night’s sleep, peel back the cloth sheets and remove the rubber mattress pad.  Be cautious about looking at the mattress.  It may be stained to the point where you might decide to put the pad back on or sleep on the floor. 

Food 

Many European hotels and now some American hotels provide continental breakfasts.  The word breakfast is a misnomer.  What they really mean is pre-breakfast snacks.  Hotel breakfasts in Europe are interesting little treats if you are into bread, coffee or tea, maybe some meats and cheese.  A few hotels will make available a tasteless cereal or an all too flavorful muesli.  Depending where you are, cold cereal may come with hot boiled milk.  Still other places will provide a runny tart yogurt for your cereal.  Fruit for your cereal may be hard to come by.  Depending where you are, you might not want fruit for health reasons. 

If you are used to an American breakfast of something like bacon, eggs, and fried potatoes, you are out of luck.  It is possible to adapt after a few days, but not easily.  If you drink coffee or tea, remember that you may be consuming more than the usual amount of caffeine on a nearly empty stomach.  This could make you jittery and irritable during meetings later in the morning.  Suggestion:  Eat as much of the bread or whatever is available that you can force down.  Lunch will be a long time off and you may not be any more impressed with it. 

Lunches may consist of a smallish roll with a thin slice of meat, a thin slice of tomato, a tiny piece of lettuce and maybe a thin slice of cheese.  For many Americans, this would represent one tenth of a good deli sandwich.  If you find good ones, you might consider eating them by the dozen.  If you are lucky, your hosts will take you to a restaurant for a formal lunch.  This seems like great news until you gobble everything in sight and drink half a litter of wine.  Remember that light breakfast you had.  Your body will immediately interpret your feast as the ending of fasting and send most of your blood to your stomach and intestine to digest what you just ate and drank. Nap time.  Some Espresso or chocolate is your only hope for staying awake under these conditions. 

The best way to eat your way through the day is to start the day is with a hardy breakfast, have a moderate lunch and an early light dinner.  Europeans do the exact opposite.  They eat nearly nothing for breakfast, have light lunch with alcohol, and a late large dinner.  This pace takes some getting used to.  Try cheating as much as you can while still being polite to your hosts. 

Powerbars or some other energy bar may be just what you need to get you through the day.  Bring at least one for every day you are traveling, including time on planes.  Airline foods my not be edible if you have good taste in food.

1. Do some homework before you leave. Check if the hotel that you plan to stay in has gym facilities or a pool and so on (depending upon your preferred workout activity).

2. Remember to pack workout clothes and shoes. This will remind you to work out and also make it convenient to hit the gym or simply head out for a walk wherever you are staying.

Workout shoes can be bulky so rather than carrying them in your baggage, you can simply wear them when you travel and instead pack the other less bulky shoes into your bag.

3. Carry a jump rope or a couple of dumbbells or kettle bells with you. A session with the jump rope can be a really strenuous workout in a short time, and doing a few weights with dumbbells or even lifting some bottles of bottled water can be a good workout.

4. Do other exercises that don’t need equipment – pushups, leg raises, squats, lunges and stair climbing are all easy to do wherever you are.

5. When eating out, order items that are steamed, grilled or poached. Avoid the items that are fried or calorie rich – if it says ‘crispy’ or ‘golden’, it’s probably been deep-fried, if it says ‘rich gravy or dressing’ that means high in calories too.

Also remember if it is a salad you’re ordering, ask for vinaigrette dressing rather than a cream or mayo-based one. Order small portions and opt for fruit instead of a confection at the end of the meal.

1. Take only one bag. “Suitcases are for suits, check-in for suckers” as my well-heeled friend Jan Chipchase points out. My choice is the Northface Heckler backpack (in black). It’s got a convenient sleeve for my computer, and plenty of room for the camera and other items – your mileage will vary.

2. Pack less. This is what makes #1 work. You’re going to be tempted to pack for every eventuality. Don’t. only to find out when you get there that you only need 1/3 of what you brought.

3. Carry a power bar. Usually you can find food wherever you are, however for the small cost in space having something handy that gives you some energy and that you can trust to not get a stomach bug over, this is my first choice.

4. For the techies… USB devices are great for transferring information, applications and pictures use one. However, remember that there are no condoms for USB devices and that every PC and internet cafe device should be treated as a pox-ridden carrier of digital STDs for your virgin device. Keep it faithful to only your computer (and vice versa).

5. Paperbacks trump hardbacks. There’s a lot of waiting around when traveling, which makes it nice to have a book handy.

6. On mobile phones. You have two choices on your phone. a) buy a cheap one when you get there ($20-40) and get a local SIM card. b) get an unlocked phone before you leave and just buy a SIM card when you hit the ground. For multi-country travel I suggest going with “b”, which is what I do. If you lose a lot of phones, or are terrified of being robbed, go with “a”.

7. Bargain for everything. Have a great conversation with the first seller of whatever service or product you’re interested in. Never buy from that person. Instead, figure out exactly where the line is and then haggle harder with the next vendor, tout or merchant. (How can I state this delicately…? If you’re paying 25% of the asking price, you’re still being ripped off.)

8. On Cameras. A lot could be written about this, but suffice it to say that smaller is better unless you really like to take good pictures. I would suggest something that is waterproof. My personal favorite is the Sanyo Xacti – I love this thing. However, I could equally suggest getting something that runs off just a couple AA batteries. (Pros and Prosumers who, like me, carry a larger body DSLR ignore this one. You have your own rules to live by).

9. Spread your money out. Never carry all your money in one place. This isn’t just for security reasons, its for bargaining as well. I suggest carrying varying amounts of cash in 3 different spots and knowing what the amounts are so that you never pull out too much.

10. Eat local. This is especially true if you’re going on the cheap, don’t be afraid to eat the cooked foods at the road-side kiosks. You’ll see me regularly eating beans and chapatis on the streets of Nairobi for lunch. At $.50 I’m getting a good full meal and I can do it in a hurry if need be. If that’s too adventurous for you, you can choose other local spots, just don’t fall into the trap of thinking that you have to eat at the “westernized” establishments.

11. Mosquitos are made in hell and must be killed. I could write a whole post on the epic battles I’ve had with these satanic insects. Buy a can of Doom (insect spray), get insect repellent, sit on the smoky side of the fire, use a mosquito net – whatever it takes. My favorite way to kill them is a wadded up t-shirt as it has a wide area of impact – if you’re good you can smash them up against the wall/ceiling from a good distance away.

12. Remember your power adapter. Know what the outlets are going to be like where you’re going so you can recharge your computer and/or camera. Not knowing where you’re going, I would suggest this one – though a little big, it does fit almost everywhere you’re likely to travel.

13. Watches are overrated. It’s just one more thing to carry, use your cell phone for the time. Time doesn’t matter as much anyway to be honest… I haven’t worn one for years, but it could be I’m missing something here.

14. Drink a lot. I’m not going to get into it on whether you drink bottled water, sodas, beer or tap water – just make sure you’re drinking. You’ll end up sweating more, walking more and not realizing just how dehydrated you are until you notice that you haven’t gone to the restroom all day.

15. Toss out your expectations, embrace the differences. It’s not all going to fit the “standard” (as I reminded myself when I nearly bashed my skull in) that you think it should be. Just roll with it and keep a light-approach to life. When something goes wrong, which it will, remember that a smile, a shake of your head and a laugh will take you a lot further than the angry, frustrated and shouting “white person in Africa act” will.

The bonus tip is this: make friends locally and listen to them. They know the area and can point you towards people and places that you’ll get a lot out of. They also know most of the dangerous and dark corners of the region that you should stay away from, which Kristof talks of. People, at the end of the day, are your greatest assets when traveling, not your gear, knowledge or prior experience in the region.

• Time. Good weather can make your trip a great and bad weather can spoil you. Make plans where you will be each month for not finding you in places where hurricanes and monsoons, and also help you decide what to put in your suitcase.
• Health. Go to the doctor or health clinic travel specialists at least six weeks before traveling, where you say if you need any vaccinations. And do not forget you out travel insurance.
• Cultural clashes. A rule although it is on paper is that we must respect the culture of the country we visit. In many places it is obviously not right to enter churches, temples or mosques in shorts and tank top. It also helps to try to say some simple phrases in the language of the country you visit.
• Common Sense. Sometimes you get both in your adventures, you can be risking. Stop and think: what you would do at home, do not do when you travel.
• Safe arrival. Try to reach a new destination for the day. It is much easier to orient, and is much more likely that you might need such as banks or offices to buy tickets, are open.
• Book your accommodation in advance. If you’re traveling during high season, it is better to book your accommodation in advance. And thanks to hihostels.com and global network of reservation systems, you can make reservations for the entire duration of your trip.
• Ask the experts. The world can change quickly, so get informed about the countries you plan to travel. National authorities (Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Department of State, etc..) Can advise you about anything that concerns you or restrictions, visas, etc.
• And finally. Before you begin your trip, be sure to stop by the shop and take the necessary travel, such as travel guides, travel insurance and a phone card. In the Travel Deals section to find out how you can save money on your travels, and Packages and Specials section contains information of exciting activities.

• Over 664,000 British nationals visit Australia every year (Source: Tourism Australia). Most visits to Australia are trouble–free. See General – Consular Assistance Statistics. Australia is a vast country; you should plan your journeys carefully, particularly if travelling to remote areas, bushwalking or going swimming.  

• British nationals are required to obtain visas for entry into Australia. You should ensure that you have a return or onward air ticket. Beware of scam adverts offering to sell information claiming to help you extend a working holiday visa; several British (and other foreign) nationals have had their visas cancelled as a result. See Entry Requirements.  

• Take extra health precautions if travelling in the Northern Territory, parts of Western Australia, parts of South Australia and parts of Queensland. There have been a number of deaths and serious illnesses from Murray Valley Encephalitis in several States/Territories in 2011. Pertussis (whooping cough) is a large and growing problem across Australia.  There have been several cases of hendra virus in Queensland and New South Wales in 2011. See Health.  

• Australia is prone to seasonal natural disasters including tropical cyclones, flash flooding, dust storms and bushfires (forest fires). The Cyclone Season normally runs from November to April. Travellers in affected areas should keep up-to-date with advice from local media and emergency services. See Natural Disasters - Tropical Cyclones.  

• Recent months have seen heavy rain and flooding throughout Australia.  Queensland suffered the worst floods, with an area the size of France and Germany inundated, three-quarters of Queensland declared a disaster zone, 200,000 people affected, and a number of deaths across the State. 

• Bushfires are common in the summer months from November to February, but can happen unexpectedly at any time of the year. In early February 2009, Victoria suffered its worst ever bushfire outbreak. See Natural Disasters – Bushfires.  

• You should take out comprehensive travel and medical insurance before travelling. See the General - Insuranc

You can either be a tourist or a traveler – mastering the art of travelling entails being the latter.

There are two ways to travel – like an invited guest, you can ring the doorbell, enter through the front door and have your host guide you to the prized room of the house while they serve you in their finest china, make small talk and control your experience of the place – or, you can enter through the back door, through the kitchen, see what’s cooking on the stove, set the table, make tea and find your own comfort zone to enjoy the experience at will. The former is a tourist, the latter an explorer and mastering the art of travelling entails being the latter.

So, to all desi travel enthusiasts, before you venture into the unknown, here are the top ten tips to get you into that ‘exploration’ frame of mind.

Disclaimer: If you are one of those insufferable ‘aunty’ types who are only interested in the most soulless part of the city where all the amusement parks and designer outlets are, then please there is no need to travel; all the beauty, culture and bizarreness of a foreign country will be wasted on you – stick to Dubai at best.

1. Don’t stay with friends/relatives: There is a world of a difference between travelling to meet friends or family and travelling to explore, so be clear on which is a priority. Because, if you travel and stay at the place of some friends or relatives, you will end up spending the majority of the time cooped up inside their house, making frivolous conversation with people from their extended circles, interspersed with trips to places that fit their notion of ‘worth seeing’. Of course if this was the intent then may God save your soul. However, if not, then stay at a cheap hotel or hostel instead and just visit your friends at will.
2. Expand your horizons: In a foreign country do not be guided by the single minded pursuit to find the tastiest desi food, watching desi flicks at Cineplex’s or connecting exclusively with desis. Broaden your horizons, expand your circle and step out of your ghettos. Interacting with ‘the other’ is the only way to dispel the many stereotypes and biases you may have against them and vice versa.
3. Travel with peas from the same pod: Never travel with people who are not likeminded, regardless how ‘fun’ they may seem or how much you will save by staying at their chachi’s house. Travelling together requires a different dynamic. So there is a rule; either travel with someone you have lived with before and have a shared sense of adventure and comparable level of energy, or just do it solo.
4. Be a maverick: Remove the myths, fears and biases you have against travelling solo, and this applies especially to all you ladies. Provided you do the homework, are not retarded enough to stray into deserted places or the dodgy parts of town; you will be fine. You are far more likely to tailor your trip to your taste, meet interesting people and have unusual experiences if you are alone than if you are too busy lending an ear to someone’s whining about how hungry they are, how their spouse/mother/boss ignores them or how they hope their goldfish or baby is fine at home. Trust me, if you do not have someone fantastic to share it with, life is short, do it solo.
5. Do your homework: Suggested travel guides are Lonely Planet’s and Rick Steves’. They will tell you everything from the most ancient temples to check out, the sushi place you cannot miss, to the secret bizarres for bargain shopping and designer rip-offs.
6. Leave your worries behind: The only baggage you carry is your luggage. Fundamental to a truly reinvigorating experience is to create distance from your own life, circles and routine and devote oneself to exploring a foreign place. Again, if while sitting inside some Buddhist temple, at a quaint café or while trekking up the Machu Picchu, you are going to be obsessing about your life and relationships at home, stay home.
7. Take the road not taken: Get off the beaten track. Cannot be stressed enough. Do not get bogged down in seeing the leaning tower of Pisa, the Eifel tower or the London eye. Enjoying such overly hyped tourist sites means you have to brave hoards of (surprise, surprise) tourists, never-ending queues and exorbitantly priced tickets so you can experience a claustrophobic moment of disappointment. It is far better to view them from a distance and explore the non-touristy parts of the city instead, since that is where the real life resides.
8. Think on your feet: National Geographic’s tagline, “let’s get lost” has deep wisdom in it. As a qualifier this should be taken in spirit, not literally, implying ditch ‘the plan’, be spontaneous and willing to ‘wing it’. Let the place break you a little.
9. Take your time: Absorption implies truly ‘taking in a place’. This might mean you need to pull up a chair, observe the scene around you, write your thoughts, meditate, and if you find that perfect spot, stick around till sunset. For this to happen, you must let go of the ‘touch and go’ paranoia and explore a place leisurely.
10. Talk to the people: Talk to your fellow passengers on the train, the immigrant workers selling the trinkets, fellow tourists, waiters, the shopkeepers. Nothing enriches your experience like when you unexpectedly bond with someone who is not of your generation, gender, class, nationality or religion yet somehow a kindred spirit.

What’s the fun of buying something if you have to pay full price?

Bargaining to the Chinese is like seduction to the French. You are creating a relationship with the merchant, not a price war. Remember to establish a friendly rapport first. Shouting, arguing and pointing are not very seductive. Smiling, being friendly, offering to buy more for a better price are.

Open-air markets and privately run stores are best for bargaining. Large department stores have set prices, but don’t be afraid to ask, “Can you offer me a better price?” Clerks will be more than happy to point out sales and other bargains in their stores.

Crime    

Street crime is fairly uncommon in China, relative to Western nations that is, but pickpockets and muggers are most likely to work in crowded situations. Be sure to keep your wallet, pocketbook and camera close to your body.

Female travelers

I’ve traveled alone through China and felt safer than in most cities in America, but there are some guidelines to keep in your head.

Caucasians are more likely to attract attention, some of it unwelcome. Most white people are presumed to be Americans, and the stereotype of the loose American woman perpetuated by endless Hollywood movies is alive and well. If you feel you are being harassed, shout “Bu!” (pronounced “Boo!”) loudly. This means, “No!” It will usually attract help and drive off your unwanted beau-to-be.

Asians, though, will blend in, which can be an advantage in cities, but in remote areas can be a danger. In very rural isolated areas, the scenery may be spectacular and ripe for backpacking, but there may also be kidnapping rings looking for Chinese women to be sold as wives to Chinese farmers. Once while traveling outside Kunming in Yunnan province, I was approached by two Chinese men who tried to attack me. By shouting loudly in English and Chinese, so that they realized I was American, they let me go. If you find yourself cornered, it is essential you shout so that they figure out you are a foreigner. The Chinese government will take the kidnapping of a foreign tourist very seriously, and most would-be kidnappers prefer to go after more vulnerable, local prey.

If you want to backpack on your own, be sure to let friends know where you are going first.

Noise

China is loud. It’s a populous country and people have learned to shout just to be heard. Some megastores hire people to shout along their aisles to attract customers by imitating traditional street vendors. You’ll get used to it. You will.

Off the beaten track

While package tours abound, if you feel like going rogue and exploring China on your own, here are some tips for deals your guidebook might not tell you about:

Cheap rooms can be rented on most university campuses. They have special “guesthouses” for foreign travelers. You might have to share the bathroom with other travelers of the same gender, but the price is a fraction of what you’d pay in a hotel. The streets and alleys surrounding universities are also lined with cheap restaurants catering to students.

Buddhist temples and convents often serve vegetarian meals to travelers. Although they are not officially restaurants, for a donation many offer visitors delicious and entirely vegan dishes.

If you want to make local friends quickly, try going to a park and asking where the “English corner” meets. This is the term for clubs of people practicing their English, who would be thrilled to meet an English-speaking foreigner. In exchange for language practice, they can give you advice on where to stay, sightsee and eat.

Planes, trains and automobiles    

Domestic airlines have improved dramatically within China in terms of safety and reliability. That being said, never pack anything into a checked bag that you can’t live without. Although my checked bags have always been found in the end, they have been delayed, especially when flying from Beijing to Shanghai, which is known as the Bermuda Triangle of lost luggage. There’s even a counter set up with a bilingual (Chinese-English) clerk right outside the baggage carrousels at the Shanghai Municipal Airport, for example, to file a report if your checked bags don’t arrive when you do.

Most airports will deliver late luggage to your hotel if you leave your address. For this reason, if you’re planning a multi-city itinerary, give yourself enough time in each location for your luggage to arrive.

When taking trains, sleeper cars on the te kuai (express) trains are surprisingly comfortable, economical and allow you to see the countryside as well as keep all your bags with you. Non-express trains will stop frequently as migrant workers get on and off on their way to the cities. While this can be interesting, it is slow indeed.

When getting into a minivan or car for travel within a Chinese city, always use the restroom first. Traffic congestion is legendary, and hard on the bladder. Once you make it to the gleaming superhighways looping outside China’s megacities, the drive is usually smooth and fast. But again rest stops can be few and far between.

Remember this if you plan on seeing sites outside major cities, be it the Great Wall and Ming Tombs outside Beijing, the Terra Cotta Warriors outside Xian, the Buddhist grottoes in the mountains of Sichuan, or any other ancient sites.

Shopping

Yes, China is this shopper’s paradise. From gorgeous silks to designer clothes, antiques to folk art, China has something for me and, I imagine, for everyone. Remember to bargain, check out multiple stores for prices before ordering something expensive like a tailor-made suit or dress, and feel free to ask locals for recommendations on where to shop and how much something costs. Chinese are generally friendly, genuinely proud of their country, and willing to help tourists so that they will have a good impression of China.

Tipping

Never feel obligated to tip. But if you plan to return to a restaurant or are on a cruise and someone is very helpful, a small tip is a good way to establish a friendly relationship.  Tips are rarely (in my experience, never) refused, and create goodwill.

OK. I know a lot of people take trips by themselves all the time. You all go galavanting around the globe without a care in the world. I’m so happy for you. And I am also a little jealous of you. But the fact is, I am not one of you.

I always tell myself I should take trips by myself. There are a million places I want to visit, and since all I need to work is my computer and my brain, it’s almost a waste for me not to be constantly on the road, because it would just be so easy!

But you know what else is easy? Sitting on the couch at my house with my fiancee and my dog, snacking and watching TV. That’s actually a lot easier, if we’re going to be honest here.

And so, there it is. I’m that person. Is it because I’m in a relationship? Because I’ve gotten lazy? Because the appeal of the comforts of home now outweighs the appeal of adventure?

Well, I’d have to think about that some more. But what I do know is that I haven’t taken a trip by myself in years….

…until this weekend! Yours truly is in Chicago, soaking up the 32 degree weather and the deep dish pizza like an injection of freedom straight to the jugular. It’s glorious. There are, however, a few tips that I’d pass on to anyone in my situation…and I know you’re out there…

1. Ask your cab driver for advice about what to do. Especially if you only have a few days, he or she can tell you what parts  of town to focus on.
2. Bring cash. Speaking of cabs, your debit card is not so useful when trying to pay for one.
3. Remind yourself in advance that ghosts are not real. I forgot how scared I am of ghosts until…well, about three hours ago.
4. Plan, but not too much. If you don’t plan at all, you (or I) could easily wind up staying in your hotel room all week, curled up in front of the TV in a robe, pretending that since you’re in a different city, you have no responsibilities at all! Wheee! But that would not be true, and it would also be kind of a waste of time. Know what you want to do on your trip, and give yourself the flexibility to do it when you feel like it.
5. Carry a map. And read it when you need to. Will you look like a tourist? Yes. But will you also then not be lost well into the night? Also yes.

BONUS TIP: Don’t be afraid to eat in restaurants and drink in bars alone! You don’t have to get all Elizabeth Gilbert about it, but you also don’t have to feel self-conscious. A solo diner/drinker isn’t a new sight to anybody, and it’s really fun to sample local cuisine while drinking. Don’t deprive yourself of that joy because you’re worried about how you’ll look, or that you’ll have no one to talk to. All the more reason to order extra courses to keep your mouth busy.