As part of my regular Follow Grandma Diving blogs I’m re-reading my old diaries and some of the ‘Wisdom’ is worth sharing. Whether you’re a diver or a general traveller to far flung places here are a few tips to make it easier when you’re travelling solo. My trip to Cozumel, a small Mexican island, proved that my rules for solo travelling really pay off.
“I’m travelling alone on a ferry from Cozumel to Playa del Carmel on the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico, listening to a wandering band of enthusiastic Mexican musicians as they entertain passengers for the forty-five-minute ferry ride. Today the sea is calmer than the journey to the island I experienced last week and the sky is a brilliant blue with scudding little clouds. I’ve had a great week diving. I’m a little tired but I am a happy lone traveller.
Before I left the UK I decided to keep to my rules and travel first class on the ferry and it’s been worth every peso – (actually around £8 extra!) Arriving midday at the ferry terminal, there were hundreds Mexican and foreign holiday makers milling around in mercilessly scorching sunshine. My ticket gave me priority, I was ushered to the front of the ‘line’ (that’s a queue in English), my bags were whisked away, receipts issued, and I was ushered aboard. YAY! On this trip I’m not travelling light. I have two huge bags; one is for whatever life throws at me and one is full of diving gear – a chunky, buoyancy jacket, a pair of fins, diving boots, snorkel, mask and two diving suits.
The final blessing was discovering a reserved comfortable leather seat in an air-conditioned lounge. Perfect embarkation and time to reflect on how Follow Grandma ‘solo traveller rules’ have evolved over the years.
RULE NUMBER 1. Make life easy for yourself.
You are the only one looking out for you. There’s no one else to stay with the luggage if you need to chase the guy who knows where the ferry, train, bus or plane goes from. (I’ve learned the hard way that luggage has to be taken with you as you schlepp around airports and stations looking for information about the next stage of the journey) So, on occasions like today, first class is non-negotiable and now, comfortably seated, with my luggage stowed, I can read, snooze, or even write a blog or two.
My plan when we dock is to find a young, virile porter who will carry my bags and walk a few paces behind me whilst I find a local taxi driver to take me to my next destination somewhere down the Yucatan Peninsula.
RULE NUMBER 2. Check and agree the price of the porter or licensed taxi before the journey begins. That way you aren’t in for any price hikes and nasty surprises.
RULE NUMBER 3. Keep a supply of small local currency or single dollar bills handy – to give to people who have been extra caring or helpful.
RULE NUMBER 4. Keep all your travel papers in one A4 plastic folder. I start a folder before I leave the UK. It contains tickets, my itinerary, contacts, addresses, photocopy of my passport and I also put receipts in.
So how did the rules work out in Mexico?
RULE NUMBER 1 Make Life Easy.
The first-class ticket gave me priority. I escaped the crowds and terrible heat, my bags were handled perfectly and I had an air conditioned journey with a seat.
I found a porter with a bicycle carrier. (Sadly not virile and young but older and weathered by the hot sun.) He was fantastic – as sturdy as his bike and basket carrier.
RULE NUMBER 2 Agree the price.
We struck a dealon the price and he said he knew where to negotiate a taxi outside the busy ferry terminal at Playa del Carmen. Then, he leapt onto his bike and was off at speed with my two bags, including the heavy diving gear. So much for my fantasy of a young man walking behind me. I raced after him through the crowds and soon found taxis at the ferry exit. However, before he could unload, I asked the price to my hotel. They wanted $60! I’d done a little research and knew it should be $25 so, with a big smile, I declined and encouraged my willing bicycle man on towards the town taxi rank. There I offered $25 to the taxi rank manager. It was immediately accepted. A saving to me of $35.
RULE NUMBER 3 Have a supply of small ‘thank you ‘ currency
I produced US dollars for the heavily perspiring porter. Then I added a little extra money over and above the agreed fare because he had been kind. (He could have dumped me at the first ferry terminal taxi rank.) He cycled off with a broad smile and my journey continued.
RULE NUMBER 4 The Travel File.
I showed the taxi driver my file. He read the clearly printed name and adress of the hotel and we were off. So much easier for him to read than for me to try saying it in Spanish! I sat back cool, calm and relaxed as I headed towards more adventures.
Simple rules which, yet again, had made it easier and less stressful to navigate the short voyage from the island to the mainland.
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