When I Travel to _______, People Say this_______.

by Adrienne Wilson on

Go on, fill in the blanks. Just humor me alright. It’s early Saturday morning and I’m as giddy as ever. My visa for Tajikistan is finally on its way, I have less than a month to go and high hopes of making it to the Pamirs. My head is swirling with sweet exotic travel thoughts of a land beyond lands – the Roof of the World. I’ve got happy feet. I’m elated. I’m so excited and I just can’t hide it… I’ll stop now. Now if only I could make my family understand. Every time I pick a new destination to jet off too, the response is often why do you want to go there? I usually spit out the typical off-the-beaten track traveler’s answer, why not?

Why not?

Not that I’m the kind of person to pay too much attention to public opinion I do find what people have to say about the places I go or think about going rather hilarious. It’s almost like a nice round of MadLibs. If I were to describe what some of the responses have been like and who they came from this is how it would probably read:

When I travel to Tajikistan, people say ‘where?’ (75% of reactions) Well I haven’t gone yet, but I’ve got 25 days left till departure.

  • But, why, why, why, would you want to go there? – Family member desperately trying to understand my NEED to travel there.
  • Oh, so you’re going to the ‘Stans?’ – Random person who couldn’t point out the so-called ‘Stans’ on a map to save their life.
  • You’re going by Afghanistan? Are you crazy? – Overly concerned friends.
  • I’m pretty envious of you. Dushanbe is one of the best places in Central Asia. Stay at Malohat’s. – Friend of a friend who knows and who has been. (I liked this guy.)
  • Adrienne, you’re crazy? – Multiple people speaking in regards to travel and non-travel related issues.
  • Isn’t it dangerous there? – Americans who don’t realize how dangerous it is here. (Isn’t there a Serial Killer on the run in Arizona now?)
  • My brother just got back from there on business. – Woman who was trying to hire me for a job I had to pass up.
  • I’m so glad you’re doing this for Habitat for Humanity. That’s really cool. – Andy, my amazing travel agent and pal who does the booking!
  • No one goes there. You’re the only one. – An employee at a bookstore that didn’t carry any Central Asia travel guides.

I could go on, but I won’t. What do you think about when you hear Tajikistan? What have people said about your travels to Milan, Abu Dhabi, Eritrea, Buenos Aires, Montevideo, Kingston, or where ever you may have been? Planning a trip now? What are people saying about that? Anything useful? Just a fun little way to exercise your brain this fine Saturday morning.

Happy travel planning!

SmarterTravel: Best & Worst Travel Destinations for Women

by Adrienne Wilson on

As a woman, traveler, and the type that tends to like parachuting into off-the-beaten track destinations, I long for articles that point out where women should go and where they should exercise extra caution when going. Well, USA Today features a fine piece for the solo women journeying this big bad world on her own with the best and worst places for women to travel. The list, compiled by Jessica Labrencis and RaeJean Stokes of SmarterTravel, doesn’t suggest women should free up and lose all inhibitions in so-called safe places or completely avoid named worst destinations. Instead of rambling on about what the list does suggest let’s take a look at their best and worst and share some of our experiences. (You’ll want to go to their site for all the specifics.)

Best travel destinations for women:

  • Amsterdam
  • Ireland
  • Costa Rica
  • India
  • Vietnam

Worst travel destinations for women:

  • Middle East & Northern Africa
  • The Mediterranean Coast
  • The United States
  • Latin America & the Caribbean
  • States of the former U.S.S.R.

If you ask me the worst place destination list looks to include a heavy number of places. Considering the U.S. has 50 states (some worse than others) and the former U.S.S.R. has some 14 states (including my next destination -Tajikistan) it’s safe to say women have to watch their backs almost everywhere. What’s your take? Ladies?

Pamir Panoramas

by Adrienne Wilson on


One word for this shot: breath-taking. Same guy I mentioned a couple of days back who has kindly been schooling me to Tajikistan travel forwarded this Pamirs photo gallery my way as well. According to his notes it is where the Afghan, China and Tajikistan borders meet and I won’t be able forgive myself if I don’t make it down. Sounds pretty intense. I’m still making my last week itinerary as we speak so perhaps I’ll have an opportunity to make into the region. In the meantime check the Pamirs out for yourself.

Yellow Fever 101: Why Am I Getting this Shot?

by Adrienne Wilson on

I’m going to be honest with you – when I went in for my vaccination for Typhoid fever I didn’t bother to really read about what Typhoid fever was or why I should be getting the shot. My local Health Department could have injected anything into me on that day. All I knew was I wanted to go to Thailand and would take any and every shot needed and recommended for my safety. So I guess you can say I’m not completely ignorant. I mean, I know Typhoid fever, like any fever isn’t something you want to bring back from vacation.
Well today I sing a different tune. The lyrics are along the lines of something like this: “Oh, joy! I’m going to Tajikistan in about a month, but they won’t let me in without spending $84 bucks on a yellow fever shot – shucks! Oh – Why do I need this shot? (repeat3x)” The point I’m making is how many of us read about these vaccinations and know what they are? The CDC says we have to have them and we go stick out our arm for the needle, but how much investigation do we place into these deadly diseases?

Strangely enough the CDC actually says Yellow Fever isn’t something required for entry into Tajikistan, yet in order for me to get my visa I have to have the certificate. So this brings me to the question, what is yellow fever? Yellow fever is a disease that is transmitted to humans through the bite of infected mosquitoes. Illness ranges in severity from an influenza-like syndrome to severe hepatitis and hemorrhagic fever. Several occurrences take place after travel in certain countries in Africa and South America. If you want to know the 101 on Yellow Fever check out the CDC or tinymosquito.com for easy to understand information.

Word for the Travel Wise (07/22/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

Now that I’ve got my invitation letter from the Habitat affiliate in Tajikistan I ready to roll out and hit the country, but not without practicing a little more of the local language. So tonight it’s another Tajik word for the road.

Today’s word is a Tajik word used in Tajikistan:

rahmat / tashakkur – thank you

Tajik is the official language of the country and is closely related to the Persian (Farsi) language spoken in Iran. According to Wiki the most important Tajik-speaking cities of Central Asia are Samarkand and Bukhara which are located in present-day Uzbekistan. In addition to giving interested language learners a taste at some commonly used words and phrases, the Great Game Travel Company has excellent info and short trips for touring the city of Dushanbe, Tajikistan. Be sure to check out the list of words first. If you’re near the University of Washington look into their Near Eastern Language Programs. Lonely Planet has a pocket-sized phrasebook on Central Asian lingos worth packing along and several other book picks can be found by clicking here.

Past Tajik words: rohi safed, mailesh