Posing For Solo Pictures

Posing for travel photos is key. It's the most important part of your trip. Take one bad pic, your vacation is toast.

I learned this the hard way, on my trip to Europe back in '06.



This is me in London. Awkward on so many levels. Look at me trying to look all Rico Suave. This picture is a stain.

In my defense, I was trying to be like this guy:



Look how COOL he is. Why couldn't I look this cool??

It didn't get any better in Paris.



I guess I had a thing for railings. And I don't know what my hand is doing on my hip.

This was killing me for days. Couldn't I just be like everyone else and take a decent picture? Does no one else have this problem??

It wasn't until Amsterdam where I found my groove.



Here I am at the Heineken Experience. I should point out that my friends took this when I wasn't looking.

By the end of my trip, I realized that the best pictures are the simplest. The ones that are less about posing. The ones that show personality yet involve your surroundings.

They're also the ones that involve kegs of Dutch beer.

The Wandering

I ordered Rick Steves' Guides to Istanbul and Athens, as well as the Lonely Planet Guide to Egypt. Guidebooks maybe considered "old school" nowadays, with the proliferation of Twitter accounts, online forums and blogs. The traveler has so much information, that lugging huge books in their backpacks is inconvenient. Whatever. I still get the guidebooks.

Rick Steves' books are big on self-guided walking tours. One of my fondest memories of Amsterdam is the taking the Jordaan walking tour. I wandered down canals, passed people's homes, all in relative peace. Those are the experiences I long for.


*Taken on the Jordaan Walk*

When traveling, don't forget The Wandering. Wandering works best when you're traveling independently, but some organized tours have time in their itineraries for walking around and taking in the scene. Beware the tours that limit your wandering time.

Unless you're in North Korea. Then don't wander.