Wednesday, October 3, 2018

Keep your travel statistics handy - and record your name and date and place on awards

I just won another ribbon at Toastmasters. I immediately wrote the date and place on the back. I noted in my diary that I had won a ribbon. I had noted in my diary the club which I was visiting. Add the country, if you travel to other countries. On the day you know where you are. Six months or years later you will be looking at awards and wondering, where was that from?

Problem
How to sound practical and not just boastful when you say "I've travelled to lots of countries" or "I speak several languages" or even keep track of your maps and language courses and passport and visa expiry dates?

Why Statistics Are Important
Why does it matter?
What benefit can it bring you?
What could go wrong?

1 If you and your family do lots of trips, or you don't and you don't know regulations, one day you arrive in a foreign country and you or a member of your group have a passport due to run out in less than a year. The country refuses entry to your family member or colleague.

Once my husband arrived in India with a one way ticket. The travel agent said my husband could buy a return ticket on arrival. However, the passport or visa had less than a year. He was not allowed into the country without a visa unless he had a return ticket. On one occasion he was able to send his credit card over to buy a ticket.

On another occasion he was denied entry to a country. That cost wasted time and money and a delayed meeting and lots of stress.
 Google Analytics
Google Analytics keep track of your statistics. You can see whether you are gaining readers and followers.

Tips
Keep a book of vital dates and facts, visas, insurance renewal, passport expiry, cost of car insurance, trips taken, awards won, money owed, items you promised to send others.

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

No comments:

Post a Comment