Your career on the road provides many opportunities to do and see things that you may have only, read or dreamed about. If you've traveled on a limited basis before, simply staying in nice hotels and flying regularly have their appeal. As you grow accustomed to spending time in different places, you make sure to partake of everything a location has to offer. And you should take advantage of every grand experience that comes your way. After all, it was the desire to travel but having the need to work that led you to get a job as a PT.
Sometimes a trip is too brief or your destination doesn't have the circumstances to provide you with a grand experience. At times like these your senses come into play to convert tedium into enjoyable sensory overload. We provide below only a smattering of sensual experiences a PT enjoys.
Touch
A sure way to soothe every muscle in your body is a bubble bath. At the end of a long day, with no major activity planned, a leisurely bubble bath is a treat. Order a glass of wine from room service, turn on the radio, and every sensory corpuscle you possess will thank you.
On the other hand, the brisk air of Anchorage is as physically rewarding as the touch of velvet. No one can prepare you for the thrill, and nothing can interfere with your enjoyment of it.
Sight
Your eyes provide you with the best ongoing circus in town. One PT we know swears that only four or five basic facial types populate the whole world, and all the rest are variations on a theme. She's seen doubles of her friends and family in the cities she's visited. In the Far East the doubles merely had oriental features. Watching faces in airports and city streets and customer offices provides quiet entertainment as she continues her quest to prove her unscientific theory.
Many PTs become skilled photographers. At first, the need to record new sights was the impetus. To more accurately depict the attractions of travel, greater skill was acquired over time. One of our friends uses framed prints he took during his travels in the Far East to decorate his office. Not only do visitors comment on them, but when he least expects it, a glance in their direction brings back moments abroad.
That most pedestrian form of visual entertainment, watching television, can be pleasurable when you're traveling. This is especially true if you don't have time to watch it at home or people who live with you control the channel knob.
Sound
Garry Johns told us the producers of radio dramas waved sheets of metal in front of a microphone to reproduce the sound of thunderstorms in a city. When it storms in New York and the thunder echoes and reverberates off the tall buildings, it does sound like that. For Garry, who grew up on the rolling fields of Illinois, it was an exciting part of his first trip east.
Another person we interviewed spent many weekend mornings of her childhood with her aunt on Audubon Society birding walks in northern Louisiana. Many years later she went on a business visit to upstate New York. As she was leaving the customer's parking lot, she heard a bird call that teased her with its vague familiarity. She was unable to identify it, but its sweet song prompted her to resume her former interest in birds. Now she packs a pair of binoculars as readily as most PTs pack a camera, and she's become adept at recognizing her quarry's songs and their feathery dress. It's a rare destination that doesn't provide a new entry for her birdwatcher's notebook.
Taste
Good food is one of the primary joys of traveling. To experienced PTs it sometimes seems there are so many tempting foods that eating too much cannot be helped. A frequent traveler learns to be discriminating when choosing places to eat.
One customer service representative for a computer company quickly learned to never follow the advice given him by the installation crew, since they always directed him to steak houses with fifties decor. Instead, he made a personal traveling tradition of finding a Chinese restaurant in every community he visited. He claims to have consumed some of the best and worst stir-fried vegetables. The best was in Fairbanks, Alaska, the worst in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Smell
One PT we know associates the smell of diesel fuel exhaust with the crowded streets of Rome. For another, the same smell recalls Seoul. For everyone who travels, the associated smells both delight and shock. A town whose economy depends upon oil smells like oil. Where garlic laden food is the norm, a ride in a crowded elevator can be a startling event. Nothing matches the smells produced by an outdoor market, whether the Kensington Market area of Toronto or the streets of Singapore.
The smells associated with your travels provide some of the strongest impressions of the places you visit. They don't always please but never bore you.
Journals
Many PTs keep detailed records of their travels. Becky Alkire (see "The Friendly PT" later in the chapter) puts photos and momentos from her trips into a scrapbook. She jokes about tying down visitors to her home and forcing them to view the book. In truth, her friends love to look at the record of her latest trip. The scrapbook serves as an excellent conversation starter when Becky's entertaining new friends, and when she's alone, it reminds her of the fun and foibles of being a PT-and the promise of good times to come.
Jackie Zehring's diary is also multi-functional. For her it's a record of where she's traveled, what she's bought, and which restaurants served the best meals. She includes the names and addresses of people she meets so that she can contact them on a return visit. For her friends Jackie's diary serves as a travel guide to bargains and other quality experiences when they follow in her footsteps.
One PT writes brief descriptions of touching experiences on hotel stationery. Back home she finds these pages scattered throughout her luggage, which never fail to make her smile.
Diaries are a way to preserve an important event. Coupled with your memory, your scrapbooks and journals will provide you with pleasure long after the events they recount are past.
The art of traveling. The artful traveler believes in infinite possibilities. That traveler can just as well back into an adventure as plan it. That traveler knows the significance of intelligent traveling, the understanding of one's fellow creatures that it gives you. Such a traveler revels in the enduring diversity of it all. Artful travelers take advantage of their employer's need to ship them to a far destination because once there they use the time and money they've set aside to explore on their own.
Be a good tourist. When time permits, Jackie Zehring loves to take sightseeing tours and go shopping. Many down-at-the-mouth travelers unfortunately decry tourist attractions as unworthy, unappealing and otherwise un-redeeming. Don't you become so pseudosuave. Tourist attractions attract tourists because they hold intrinsic fascination. Passing them up because fashion tells you it's chic is silly. Movies, photos, or someone's description cannot prepare you for the Grand Canyon. The ferry ride to the Statue of Liberty is a bittersweet experience. Think of every story you've heard about the Golden Gate Bridge, the Eiffel Tower, the San Diego Zoo, the canals of Venice, the Washington Monument, the Empire State Building, St. Peter's in Rome. Are you going to pass them up?
There are usually organized tours to local attractions. They offer the advantage of taking care of transportation, meals, and schedules. A pleasant way to be with people, the tour may reveal a side activity you want to explore later on your own. You meet people you'd like to know better, someone who shares your enthusiasm to seek the best version of, say, chicken-fried steak or clam chowder. Touring with a group gives you others who exclaim with delight when a scene of interest simply must be shared.
In your search for contrasting ways of life, do not laugh at or scorn them. It is easy to do in a touring group but you may offend both your hosts and fellow travelers. Wait until you return to your hotel to confess your feelings to a close friend or your diary.
Don't be a good tourist. When you're not sticking to schedules or planning each day's excursion, you can get lost. Sometimes going to a tourist attraction on your own provides opportunities to get lost. Getting lost-and asking directions-is a great way to learn about the place you're visiting. When you're lost, you talk to anyone with an honest face. You walk a lot trying to find your way, and you eat in corner establishments with wholly local clienteles.
If you get lost, somebody will try to help you. In the process the two of you will discuss jobs, home, the town. In ten minutes you can learn a lot. Being lost is not always comfortable, but good travelers know not to always be comfortable. "If you are kind to others, they usually respond the same," says Becky Alkire (see later in this chapter). "I've never had anyone be rude when I ask for directions or help."
Sandra Heggen got lost twice in Mexico City. On her first evening she left her hotel before she took the time to look at a map. The city's traffic circles disoriented her. A long-haired young man whose English was virtually nonexistent indicated he would help her. Sandra named her hotel and the young man walked her several blocks to it. In the lobby they laughed at their efforts to converse because it was impossible. Sandra said thank you, the young man left, but the hospitable aura he cast stayed with her throughout her trip.
The next day, Sandra got lost again exploring La Zona Rosa markets. Two college students pointed her to her hotel and in the process offered to act as tour guides if they could practice English with her. She had a personalized tour of nearby pyramids and visited the family home of one of the students. Months later they visited Sandra in her home in Austin, Texas, on their way to a college in California, and their friendship is still going strong.
Jeannie Cowley (See "First Job," in chapter 1) regards getting lost in Seoul, Korea, as one of the more humorous adventures she's had.
"We were working at an Air Force base in Korea and decided that we wanted to go into Seoul for the day to look around. So we took a bus to another military base in Seoul. We went first to the Japanese embassy to see if we could get a visa to Japan for the weekend. We couldn't, and we started walking around. We stopped for lunch at a hotel, admired the palaces, visited a friend in his office, and hailed a taxi when it started raining.
"In Seoul the taxis are different colors and each color represents a different part of the city. We found ones that we thought were the right color, but we couldn't find any with drivers who spoke English. We had no umbrellas, so we got in one anyway and the driver started driving all over the city. We asked to go back to the base in Seoul, but we didn't realize there were three different places with the same name.
"Finally, we got out of the cab and started walking. Nothing was familiar. We couldn't find anyone who spoke English. We started stopping people on the street and asking them. We had no idea where we were and no one could give us directions. After almost two hours, we finally ran into someone from the base who could point us in the right direction. By then we were close enough to walk there!"
Jeannie and her friends may have seen more of Seoul than they anticipated, but overall the shared experience was valuable. They survived it with smiles and anxiety, and when they get together now, the mere mention of the incident provokes a storm of laughter. On trips in countries where English is not common, they now prevail upon their hosts to write at least two notes for them when they start on an unguided tour. One note has the name and address of their destination, the second the name and address of their starting point. Notes in hand, they can get where they're going and back, even if they get lost.
If these PTs had not become lost, they would have missed these experiences. Their trips would have consisted of standard tours and shopping junkets. By getting lost, they discovered a wholly different side of the Orient.
Other small pleasures associated with traveling are as follows:
Collecting. PTs collect similar items from places they visit, the most common are matchbooks from restaurants and hotels. Some collect articles of clothing such as hats from each locale. One training manager has hats from such offbeat places as Matoon, Illinois, and Santa Maria, California. A product demonstration specialist from Dallas has antique earrings from places like Helena, Montana, and Niagara Falls, New York. Even an unsuccessful search for the items you collect produces interesting conversations and new friends.
Anthropology. Studying cultural differences is an ongoing activity for frequent travelers. How and why people act the way they do is continually interesting. The intellectual acknowledgment of the different customs helps the traveler adjust when traditions collide. It's commonplace to be an amateur anthropologist when you're visiting unfamiliar places. What most PTs don't anticipate is that after becoming experienced travelers an overwhelming urge to study your own culture may surface. Looking with new eyes at those close to you encourages affection and tolerance, and frequently, when you're totally unprepared, secret amusement. This urge to understand is an asset for one who travels.
Churches. Churches, especially in smaller communities, orchestrate some of the best social and shopping events available. In Hawaii they put on the best luaus, replete with all the traditional foods, and provide hours of entertainment. Church socials in the midwest have everything from bingo parlors to pony rides to cold beer to carnival games. From Rochester, New York, to Hong Kong, Christmas gift bazaars organized by churches provide everything from handmade dolls to painted silk scarves at incredibly reasonable prices. The best way to find out about their activities is a local newspaper.
Local offerings. Other activities that embellish your travel experiences are libraries, local theaters for the performing arts, and craft shows. In addition to books about the region you are visiting, libraries show films and offer storytelling sessions. No matter where you are, there are always movie theaters, and in many cities you can see the wonderful variety of world theater. Local crafts exhibitions frequently offer items that aren't local at all-Laotian embroidery in Montana was a pleasant surprise.
Sex. Most PTs regard their love lives on the road as guarded topics. Although most admit sex is available to travelers, they don't want to talk specifically about their experiences. However, a few anonymous comments indicate that sex on the road is as complex as sex at home.
"Never do it on site, in sight." This instruction was offered to a group of trainers embarking on their first major trip supporting a new product. The manager who provided this maxim was hoping the need for discretion would be ingrained in the trainers' behavior because a previous imprudent act had caused Shockwaves of gossip at a customer's site.
"Once you're unfaithful on the road, your marriage is over." This comment was provided by a married couple who in previous marriages had been unfaithful when they traveled on business. Their second marriage meant so much to both of them that they believe that giving in to temptation on the road would mean the end of their relationship.
"This is my third marriage. I ain't screwing around." A traveling salesman of communications systems said this to some of his fellow salespeople when their suggested entertainment for the evening went beyond the boundaries of his marriage. He felt he'd messed up two previous marriages and he wasn't going to do it again.
"A long distance romance is hard to maintain." This wistful observation was provided by a PT who had seen a promising relationship drift off to the horizon. She'd met her would-be lover on a plane to a city that both of them visited often. Their two-hour conversation on the plane was fun and intimate, and they both felt a physical attraction. But the 1800 miles between their home cities, coupled with career commitments for both, made getting together for any length of time difficult. The impossibility of the situation sunk in and the relationship dissolved. The PT remembers the time fondly, though, and doesn't regret it. She believes the next time she's that attracted to a man, the timing and distance will be right.
For the most part the standards in selecting lovers PTs follow at home are the same standards they follow on the road. (The exception to this are those who feel that a physical separation from one's spouse equals a release from the bonds of marriage. This characteristic seems to be more common in men.) When you're on the road, there's no reason to believe that you change what is important to you in selecting a lover. The only cautionary note concerns discretion, which is necessary any time you reveal your sexual mores to your co-workers and your boss.
Your life as a PT will delight and challenge your senses as no other. So intense is the stimulation you may become addicted. The only cure is more of the same.
The Friendly Pt Becky Alkire
"Meeting different people, seeing their unique lifestyles, and visiting places I've always heard about-that's the way to experience life."
Meet Becky, the sensual enthusiast. New experiences, people, foods, and scenery turn her on. In her work as a training specialist for Northern Telecom, Inc. she's getting an opportunity to enjoy them in ways she never thought possible a few years ago.
Becky left her birthplace, a small town in New Mexico, and has lived in Dallas for a large part of her life. With an education degree from Baylor University, she worked her way from clerk position in two Dallas companies to personnel secretary at Northern Telecom. A tall, blond woman entering her thirties, Becky is known for her constant smile. She's not just friendly, her manner tells you she's sure you're going to like her because she thoroughly enjoys meeting new people. This and her desire to see new places made her a natural candidate for her present position. When the manager asked her if she'd be interested in a job involving travel, Becky didn't hesitate. She took it!
Both her formal education and her ability to get along well with others are used every day. Her responsibilities involve acting as liaison between the Air Force and her company, and making training presentations at Air Force bases in Korea, Alaska, England, Guam, and throughout Europe.
One of her trips found her in Calgary, Canada, and she didn't take long to discover that she was only an hour away from Banff, a place she'd heard about from a co-worker. Since she had to stay till Monday for a customer meeting, she had the entire weekend available. With a rented car she drove to Lake Louise, and hasn't been the same since. The beauty of the place, the hotel resembling a Swiss chalet and majestic mountains framing the lake's blue waters, captured her heart. Even though it was summer and not cold, she found ski lifts and wonderful hiking trails, For an outdoor girl like Becky it was "perfection"; the Canadian Rockies inspired the romantic in her. "For any couple on a honeymoon ... let me put it this way, I'd certainly like to go back there with a man!"
The air was clear in Banff, but, clear or not, Becky can relish the atmosphere of any place. "You use all your senses," she explains. "For instance, when I think about my time in Korea, I think about the people, the fun I had, the scenery, and the terrible smells-the garlic and the fish hanging out at the stores. But you get used to that. Everything is part of the whole scene. The good and bad both are what make it different, interesting, and unique.
"I crave adventure and seeing new things. Ifs educational, and if anything, travel has made me less prejudiced. I've become more understanding of people. Now I'm an 'accepting' person. If I'd been born into the same circumstances, I'd be the same as the people I see. When I was a kid, I had these preconceived ideas about the way certain kinds of people are, but travel has opened my eyes.
"I think you learn from people. They're all basically the same. Lots of people say they don't like New York City or the people there, but I have no problem in New York. Everyone is very friendly when I ask for directions or help. Ifs like any situation, people are going to respond to you as you respond to them.
"I'll probably always have the travel bug. I've always wanted to travel, but it never seemed possible when I was young. I never dreamed I'd get to go anywhere. Now I try to see as much as I can. Ifs so fascinating to me how people live. I take piles of photographs, and when I come home, I put them in scrapbooks for everybody to look at. They'd better, I tie them up if necessary!
"I'm going to Israel and Egypt during Christmas. My dad feels I should be investing my money in a house instead and using it wisely. But I tell him, 'Not now!' There are things that are more important to me, so many places I want to see first. I figure I can save my money later. I'm enjoying this life too much now."
