My Travel Disclaimer: 22 Things You Should Know

I've been travelling with people I haven't traveled with before, and decided to write a little disclaimer for my crazy. I forget how OCD/Type A I can be when travelling. Please note, anyone who knows me already knows I'm neurotic and will think things are quite sensible, because I have clever friends. Nevertheless, don't say I never told you; consider this a warning, list of expectations, disclaimer, or whatever makes you comfortable. 

Free piece of travel advice: if you cannot take good pictures, you're pretty much a worthless travel buddy to anyone who is going to want their photo taken. Take it at flattering angles where you can see the person's face and learn how to zoom on cameras and on different camera phones. If you are a dot in the photo, but you have the giant building in the background, you did it incorrectly. Have the subject of your photo step forward. 

I've traveled with many friends, and the best part about traveling with friends, is you already like them. You are trying to compromise and make sure one another has a great memorable time. There has only been one disastrous trip where at the end, the girl and I were very obviously never to be friends again. (Points 6 and 20 have been added because of this). This is more of a "you're going to discover this anyways, so I might as well tell you up front". 

Saryah's #1 Rule of Travelling: Bring Snacks. 

These guys are serious powerhouse travelers! I love them!!!

1. Don't whine. You can complain about or say something negative once to let people know, but saying something negative more than once gets annoying, unless you're trying to be funny, but even then, there is a thin line. On the other side of the spectrum, not complaining a little can be problematic. If you're travelling with a bunch of people who don't complain, sometimes, at the end of the day everyone is about to die. You push each other so hard, because no one wanted to be the first to say they were tired. (P.S. this is still pretty fun even when you're dying. A bonus is, you begin to be able to read the "tells" of your friends on when they're tired and hungry)

2. You will walk...a lot. I walk faster than some, slower than others. We'll find out how you compare when we travel, but try to keep up. Please keep in mind, the only time I can't keep up with someone is if they have freakishly long legs, like Marijn. :) Since my natural walk may be faster than yours, I will turn around to check you are still behind me. Don't get offended. I just really don't want to lose you. There is just so much to see in new places and so little time. Because of this feeling, I don't like to take breaks every half hour or hour. We will not take a break after every thing we do, especially if the tour has only taken an hour and there is a site to see, not even 100 feet away. (the only way this happens is if I'm completely overruled by a majority)

3. Expect to get no more than eight hours of sleep each night, unless we have previously decided on a lazy vacation. You can sleep when you're dead. If you expect less than eight, you will be happy if I let you get eight full hours of sleep or more. You are only on vacation for a limited amount of time, and so I want to use every moment for fun. Just to be clear, you will be tired, and you will sleep better because you are tired. 

4. Wear comfortable shoes. Seriously. You can think if this as words of wisdom, speaking from experience. Blisters are very terrible on vacations. Same goes for sunburns. They have the potential to ruin trips. 

5. Don't dress like a tourist with me. I will hurt you.

-No white tennis shoes.

-No baseball caps. (for outside of America only)

-No shirts with American flags. (Texas shirts are acceptable).

-There are nice tshirts, and there are the tshirts that you get for free from events and you wear them at the gym or to be lazy running errands or laying around the house...don't bring the latter. 

6. Respect. Respect the cultural differences, the towns, or whatever. Don't be a snob. "When in Rome, do ask the Romans." Don't expect the Romans to cater to your American whims. You say thank you, and don't be a git. I traveled with this one person and the whole entire time she acted like she was better than everyone and corrected how people did things and acted like a stereotypical American tourist. Then again, I use to complain about how much I hated the NYC metro, until a friend recently explained it to me. I kept on getting lost. Granted, it's confusing, but I shouldn't have complained so much. 

Valencia: We all almost starved to death. We only had a pack of cookies
to sustain us as we tried to find a place open for dinner.
We hadn't eaten for hours, and everyone was hangry.

7. I sometimes forget to feed you because we have so much to do and see. If you're hungry, let me know! We will get food, even if it's a snack or something.

8. I get grumpy when I don't eat. If I start getting grumpy, let me know, or give me a candy bar. Don't worry, I sometimes don't realize why I'm getting upset until you remind me I haven't eaten. If you remind me, I like to buy snacks for the day, just in case. I might not even get grumpy, but after a while, you'll be able to tell there's been a change in temperament. 

9. Please tell me of any preexisting conditions you have. Bring ankle braces if you have weak ankles, knee brace for weak knees, snacks for hypoglycemia, etc. I can and will be considerate and accommodate plans accordingly. 

10. If you injure yourself on the trip, it's not complaining to let me know. I brought bad shoes on a trip and had horrible blisters for the rest of a vacation. Had I said something earlier, I could have bought shoe inserts before it became a problem. OR, for example, if you roll your ankle, say something. Your silence is only further hurting yourself.

11. Have an opinion. Part 1: I always create large to do lists for vacation. It is mainly a list of ideas for us to talk about or decide later, just so we have a rough idea of what we are doing.  If you want to sight see, or if you want to be lazy, let me know.  These are not permanent plans; they are open to interpretation, revisions, and suggestions. Don't be afraid to say you want to do something else. I will let you know if something on my list is a must do or just something I thought we could do if we had time.

12. Have an opinion. Part 2: if I say, do you want to do this or this, make a choice. I really want to know what your preference is. I am NOT saying "don't be flexible and easy-going". You don't always have to have an opinion, but if you never make a choice 100% of the time, I will kill you.

13. Try and know where we are. I acknowledge that 95% of the time, I will be the one reading maps and telling everyone where to go. (The other 5% is when I'm with Lukas...OR you are guiding us because you think you know where we are; I'll be quiet and jump in if you get us too lost) However, please be aware of where we are. I don't mind feeling like a tour guide, but I don't want to feel like a babysitter. Please note: you may think I know my way around everywhere, but I have to look at maps and use my phone's GPS. I only seem like I know exactly where we are because I have a great sense of direction and memory. 

Pavia, Italia. 2009.

14. There is one word you will never find me trying to claim: ladylike. Nope. Not me. I may not dress like a tomboy, but I'm really not a girlie-girl. I won't be eating dainty food; give me a steak over a salad any day. I have some manners, so you can take me places in public. However, if you're with me 24/7, you will see me yanking at my tights in public, not showering everyday, and spilling food and crumbs all over myself. #toolegittoquit #sexyandiknowit

15. On tours, I like to be in the front near the tour guide. Just a personal preference. 

16. Seven out of ten times if you give me the choice between a museum and something else, I will choose something else. I just get bored looking at things for hours and hours in a building. If there is a tour guide involved, the stories always entertain me. Also, I like looking for all the weird and silly things in museums. However, I love going through old homes. Some may say museums and old homes are similar, but I don't think so. 

17. If I'm following you, I may make a wrong turn without you. In my head, I think we are going one way, but really, we aren't. If I'm following you, I may fall behind a bit, but you will not lose me. Let me re-phrase, you *cannot* lose me, even if you tried. I'm an excellent stalker ;)

18. I have bad hearing. I will ask you to repeat yourself a lot. Don't feel self conscious. It's not you, it's me.

19. I will threaten you with bodily harm or death at least once during our time together. Don't be alarmed. This is just how I express myself. 

20. Passive aggressive behavior will ruin our friendship. If I'm doing something that's bugging you, let me know. I'm not a mind reader. Respect, guys. Respect. 

21. Don't try to throw me off docks into water. I will be openly upset. 

22. I love adventures! Adventure trips. Once-in-a-lifetime activities. All of it. As Dumbledore once said:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/111868154/harry-potter-quote-let-us-step-into-the