Mother-Daughter Travel for Grown-ups: Preparation Edition: From 40-Year-Old 'Traveler's Checks' to Modern 'Shared Lists'.
Every day, I look at the latest Singapore spots my daughter sends me and let my imagination run wild with packing for our next trip. Singapore was the destination of my first trip using my first paycheck. Looking back at my experience from my time living there to the present, the 'three sacred treasures' of travel have changed surprisingly.
This time, I will write about my preparation techniques for a mature trip to Singapore, which I want to cherish now that I am over sixty.
1. Your feet determine the quality of your trip
In the old days of Singapore, especially when I lived there for the second time, sandals were the only choice to deal with the heat. At the time, there was a huge boom among expatriate wives for
'fitflop'. Not just Japanese people, but locals too, all wore those thick-soled, comfortable sandals to walk around town.
However, for me now, 'ease of wear' and 'fatigue reduction' come first. I am preparing by breaking in a pair of all-weather walking shoes that won't hurt even after walking 20,000 steps before the trip. I'll sneak some stylish sandals into my suitcase for evening meals, and don't forget beach sandals for the poolside. For a mature traveler, switching footwear to suit the scene leads to peace of mind.
2. Packing peace of mind in the form of 'first-aid'
I used to be overconfident, thinking, 'I can manage without medicine,' but it's different now.
In addition to prescription drugs, I have stomach medicine for when I overeat, and most importantly, something I can't do without isa compress like 'Kyusoku Jikan'. After walking around vast Singaporean landmarks like the zoo or botanical gardens, just putting one on the soles of my feet at night makes a huge difference in how refreshed I feel the next morning. It's an essential item for a mature trip, isn't it?
3. From the era of 'cash' to the era of 'smartphone sharing'
Speaking of overseas travel in the old days, the'Traveler's Checks (T/C)' issued by the bank were a lifeline. I remember signing each one nervously in case I lost them. But I never got used to them until the end...!
Now, most payments are by credit card. I also found my'ez-link' transit cards—a Tsum Tsum design from 2019 and an even older blue card. I wonder if they still work... Checking at the station window is a small pleasure for next time.
Well, are any of them still usable?
And the way we plan has also evolved. Now, my daughter and I create a shared list on Google Maps and save the places we both want to go. Based on that, we discuss our itinerary on LINE night after night. Since you can look up anything at your destination as long as you have a smartphone, guidebooks stay home. It's a digital convenience I couldn't have imagined 40 years ago.
4. Inheriting a love for 'paper' from my mother
While organizing old documents, I found a 'travel notebook' that my mother had cherished.
It's a format where you can write down the day's schedule, clothes, meals, and money spent, but wait, there's no place to stick photos...
She carefully hand-copied the contents of guidebooks and filled it with souvenir lists. This notebook even had a page for an address book to send postcards from the trip. The heat conveyed from the notebook overwhelms me, showing just how much of a 'special event' overseas travel was in my mother's day.
My daughter throws away pamphlets immediately, saying, 'A smartphone is enough,' but even now, when I find paper maps or pamphlets, I take them, bring them home as souvenirs, put them in my travel file, or paste them into a travel notebook I've made myself along with tickets and such.
Paper can be a burden, but just like my mother, I want to cherish that excitement of turning the pages.
The feeling of loving 'paper records' seems to have been passed down from my mother to me.
In closing
Looking at my mother's travel notebook made me want to make my own travel notebook soon. The trip starts from the preparation stage, doesn't it?
I plan to report on my next trip in a new series! I'm very much looking forward to seeing what kind of Singapore I'll encounter.
Thank you for reading until the end this time as well.