A Boat Trip

"You Don't Have to See the Must-Sees" - Pauline Kenny

When we start something new and it’s a roaring success, we cannot stop doing it over and over again. Take a non-materialistic approach to travel. The travel experience is for us to enjoy, not for us to recount later to friends.

The best thing about traveling is to have the freedom and the choices. There is nothing like it. Everyone's interests are different, but we find that some of the best travel experiences come from following the same interests we pursue in everyday life. At home, most days include a coffee and some social contact at our local coffee shops; finding a favorite café, restaurant or tea rooms near our neighborhood.

So likewise, I needed some stress free entertainment and now I think I just over-did it this winter. As January silently rolls in February of this year, it comes with changes in seasons. As ‘daily star’ columns on weather mentioned how the “seasons in Bangladesh always had a mind and a pace of its own. This year is no different. One day it is too foggy to see beyond the next streetlight and the next day the sun is blazing down while you walk down the road. If you're bundled up at daybreak, chances are you've turned on a fan by the end of the day. And it is a time to take extra care so that you don't catch a seasonal bug”. I have interestingly caught the bug but that hadn’t stopped me from enjoying a short trip yet again. Regardless of the bugs and the changes in weather however, this is undoubtedly the best time of the year for short day trips and vacations for anyone.

After my friend’s wedding, and my parents’ anniversary celebrations, work and study pressure, I bravely ventured out on a boat trip yesterday through Contic Travels. This was something I have wanted to do for the last two years but didn’t quite have the time. We were given a boat called the Fleche D’or. This is a ‘Panshi’ type of boat, which was used a few thousand years ago for rowing races between villages. They were broadened later, without loosing any of their very original elegance. The travel took us from Savar to Noyarhat and back on the Doleshwari, through the famous Buriganga River under the Gaptoli Bridge on a half day tour.

The trip which had initially started out quite small with just me and Mukda from work planning it, finally expanded and ramified in proportions until our bosses from work joined in with friends and families; finally we had to fight back willing participants to keep the number down.

What I have realized while planning this trip was simple and straight, stuff like good planning is significant and rare. If it’s excellent planning, you far exceed your own expectations. A successful trip is not just successful on its own, or just by having a bunch of people on it. Here are some hints to make it better.

* If you have a tour plan, stick to it. * Be in a great place instead of a not-so-great place. Don't assume that one trip will be as good as the last one, so do your research, read the reviews, talk to people who have followed the same trail and find a place that other people have liked.

* Keep enough time in hand for planning; give a deadline to people willing to join in. * Organize everything at least a week in advance, including reliable transport, food, fun and entertainment. Find out what is being supplied and what you need to take along with you. Let this be a different trip than others. Make it special for everyone. * Involve people in the same group or who have similar personalities and characteristics to induce maximum relaxation and level of comfort. * Take lots of fluids and make sure there is access to a washroom on the way or around if required. * Keep good supplies of food. Good food makes a trip worthwhile. Munchies can come in various forms, for boat trips; try nuts, Pringles, dry cakes and perhaps sandwiches. Chocolate bars can come in handy. Do not take squishy fruits or oily snacks. * Take your camera along and dress comfortably.

Not all expensive trips are great trips. Sometimes occasional trips, planned diligently, turn out to be quite delightful tours. Do make your trip memorable and wonderful. Look forward to it, plan it and do it. Travel on short, long or weekend tours and do something that allows you to see sights and centers around what means the most to you, personally; so that when you return home, you cannot wait to start organizing the next trip!