Around The World In 30 Days

 Well here we go again... I've really fallen behind on this project this year... but to be fair I've had more on my plate than is usual...So to make it up I'm not going to take my usual leave of absence for the summer but will add a couple installments in what I'm outlining for you today...

I got very bogged down with this trying to outline it in one of two segments and decided it needed more so I'm parring it down in three installments... I've gotten a lot of wonderful gifts in my life... but two really stand out... one was the Executive Physical at The Mayo Clinic (I've actually gotten this as a gift twice (I've been intimate with someone who is very well to do in the medical world (it's really expensive) but it's an amazing experience... truth be told I'm screening to donate a kidney and received the same tests and evaluations over a longer period of time... I'm not going to be going into this in any detail now... but if you are interested here is a link. Mayo Clinic.

Pan American used to have two round the world fights... Flight 1 left from Los Angeles and went to Honolulu, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Yangon Myanmar, Kolkata (Calcutta), Karachi, Beirut, Istanbul, Frankfurt, London, New York and back where you started in Los Angeles.

Flight 2 left from New York and went the opposite direction... You could get off at any destination and rejoin at any of the stops as long as you completed your trip in 180 days... as for me I stayed with the same crew and many of the same passengers and completed the trip in 30 days... it was 30 days that changed my life... but I'll get back to that later.

Flight 1

Flight 2

Every trip I've ever taken subsequently to anywhere else and to some of the same destinations the memory of this trip has been in my thoughts and actions... but the one thing that started here and still remains is... I send postcards to people who send me postcards because I love getting them... the problem for me is there is absolutely no combination of words that I could put on the back of a postcard that could in any way come close to what I saw and experienced... but I managed to impart some images, tastes, and ideas. The truth of the matter is as I learned on this trip the people you are traveling with are the most important part of a voyage... the sights, sounds, tastes and souvenirs all follow...For me a vacation is always something that takes us away from our everyday life and transports us to a place in our inner-most desire or dreams with the light of a new reality to take with us on the rest life's journey.

Travel and adventure can teach you some very important lessons... one was taught to me by the person who gave me a set of Mark Cross luggage for this round-the-world dash... "know how and what to pack... because most of the time you are going to have to carry your own bags from point A to point B and sometimes on to X,Y and Z"... so I took a bag that fit into the overhead bin and another that fit into the bottom the seat in front of me... and a small bag inside one of the bags for anything I could not live without on the way... If you know how to pack and make use of hand washing in hotel bathrooms and using their laundry service...you'll look great (and fresh for the next month)... and no-one ever said they got tired of me seeing variations mixing and matching the same things.

One of the things that made this trip a little easier was that we could go to the Pan Am offices in each city and exchange currency, send and receive mail... with modern technology and most banks offering free currency exchange all of this is easier to to do now than it was back then... I had them on this trip... but I can't even remember the last time I took travelers cheques on a trip since we can use credit and ATM cards practically anywhere in the world... make sure you notify your bank and give them an itinerary of where you will be and when.

I want to address traveling etiquette... whether it's your companions... people you may never see again... treat people kindly and respectfully like you would want to be treated... if you can't you should stay home until you learn how... but more importantly know the lay of the land before you get there (maps, customs, currency exchange rates... but most importantly learn  how to do and go without seeming like a tourist... most of this is common sense and manners... but there are places in the world that some of the things we say or do that we take for granted are not looked upon favorably in other cultures... learn before you go... with the internet nobody has the excuse of not knowing everything from local weather (the trip I'm referencing was from July to August... it was pretty hot everyplace we landed) to tipping and dress codes... and the language apps that will translate on our phones are the best things since sliced bread as far as I'm concerned... I traveled with several small phrase books for this trip since most of the places we went... my native languages were useless.

These round-the-word trips started in 1947 and were discontinued in 1982... so I'm happy that I had this experience... About 75 people were on the flight from LA to Honolulu and about 40 people continued and about seven of us stayed with the crew for the 30 day trip... we picked up people along the way... for the most part it was a one month party... with some ups and downs along the route... so starting in  July I'll take you on the journey form LA to India, and in August from India to New York and back to Los Angeles.

Since you know our destinations... I'll give you some supplemental information... we stay in each city about 2 days give or take... the hotel is part of the deal (but only for the two day period)... as is ground transportation to and from the airport (but only if you stay with the  flight crew)... so you need money to eat, take day excursions or whatever you want to buy. So figure out how much you need... and it's going to be hot so figure out what to pack (I told a little fib earlier... I started with a larger suitcase that had to be checked and it was so  heavy when packed... I repacked the other two bags in Honolulu and called someone to pick it up the large bag at the hotel and retrieved it a month later)... life is too short to schlep heavy suitcases around the world (nothing had wheels in those days... and you could not always find someone to help... Oh and we're flying First Class so there is Champagne and caviar and excellent food on each flight during the journey.

For a big part of our trip you need to be vaccinated for Cholera, Hepatitis A & B, Japanese Encephalitis, Malaria, Rabies, Typhoid and Yellow Fever. Getting the shots and Health Documentation forms necessary to enter some countries... I leaned why some people don't travel... it's always been worth it to me... Tourist visas are also necessary for some countries... Pan Am helped navigate through  all of this... and there are currency restrictions in some places entering and leaving the country.

Do a little on line research to see what you might like to see and do at each stopover...

So grab your passport (I recommend you get a new one for this trip because some countries require two blank pages) and pack a bag and I'll share with you some of the memories and things I learned on one of my favorite journeys... the first is... "There are places you've never visited... where you already belong... and vice vera."... and because of this trip it helped me land a job I really never wanted but I'm glad I had that experience too.