My travel mojo, that is. I realized it as I sat by myself in a restaurant in Dreieich, Germany, not far from the Frankfurt airport. Seated at a table with a German couple, I couldn’t think of anything to do except stare at my hands (literally twiddling my thumbs) while waiting for the waitress/barkeep to come back for my order. The beer was good, the restaurant was nice, and I was looking forward to the garlic cream soup and Bavarian style pork with cabbage, etc., but I was quite uncomfortable just sitting there.
What to do? The couple I was seated with didn’t appear to be looking for conversation, especially the guy, who just had that “scary” look about him. I thought about pulling out the iPhone and browsing the web, twittering, etc., but the silly outside-of-USA data policies made me hesitate. After what seemed a long time, but which was really probably 5 or so minutes, I got up, paid for the beer, and left. I had passed a Döner Kebab place on the way, so I headed back there, knowing it would be less intimidating.
What the hell? I used to eat alone all over the place, never hesitating to venture out into the places I travelled to. Eating alone didn’t bother me a bit, and I sometimes found interesting people to talk to. The only thing I can figure is that I’ve lost my travel mojo, and I will have to get it back. I don’t need to become an international spy or travel in time to do so; I’m pretty sure it just comes down to getting out on the road more frequently. Being married with a family means I can’t travel like crazy as I once did, nor would I want to. But I do need to get out there on a regular basis, not only because it’s good for my mojo but because it’s good for my job.
2 comments:
A great opener, especially internationally, is "what do you think about the US election?"
I am sure you'll get a lot of interesting conversation!
I travel quite frequently since I'm on the consulting side of the house, being an avid reader I just make sure to bring a book with me.
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