Travel tips for Engineers living out a suitcase

Having spent the last few months in a B&B waiting for our house build to be completed, it brings back memories of an earlier time in my career when I worked project-to-project as a younger contract Process Engineer.

Now older, and (presumably) wiser, I approached living back in a B&B with a bit more of a strategy – especially during these unique Covid times. In most cases, I’d prefer to rent my own place and do my own cooking, however with short term rents in Cork almost impossible to find, and queues down the block for open-viewings on potential lets – options were limited and demand for lets (any lets) greatly outstripping demand.

For any engineer working away, and having to cover their own expenses, hotels are a significantly more expensive option – and pre-Covid, hotels with gyms/pools and a restaurant offer an option of overcoming two of the downsides of life in a B&B – being a hot meal and a mechanism to stay fit.

I find that the greatest challenges in living in temporary accommodation, often away from home, is maintaining health and fighting off boredom. It becomes all the more difficult when working in a country where you don’t speak the language.

To address these challenges (in no particular order), I would offer the following tips to traveling light and living out of a suitcase when away on assignment.

Language

Over the last 30 years I have worked in 22 countries – many of which have not (obviously) been English speaking. It isn’t uncommon to converse with English speaking locals, many of whom start with “I am sorry that my English isn’t very good” – and then continue with grammar perfect English!!!

It does highlight how we in the Anglo-world have missed a trick by not better educating ourselves in other languages given it really does open up the world and gives easier access to it’s wonders! It also shows that “us indigenous English speakers” really need to give those non-English speakers we meet as much help as we can.

My experience in travels is that for the most part, local people have often strived to help and accepted my limitations in their language as a predominately English speaker who can fumble in German and a little Spanish – but has no idea how the grammar of either language really works.

Never was this more evident then when living in Vigo, Spain (early 2000s, so pre-smart phone). Armed with only a phrase book and a few Spanish lessons under my belt, I decided to try my hand out ad about in the city suburbs where I was staying.

All was going well until I stopped to eat and ordered my lunch in Spanish. Salad and water.. check.. “Me gustaria ensalada mixta y agua con gas, por favor”. Not perfect (it doesn’t have to be), but it made sense and prompted a smile from the waiter and a “thumbs up” from the locals on an adjacent table.. ok.. So my first free Spanish lesson was “aceituna” being the olives in my salad, and not tuna fish as I expected.

No disaster.. good salad and I have never forgotten how to order olives in Spanish since! Looking over the menu that was all in Spanish (as expected), and with an audience paying attention to “this tourist” in a very non-tourist back street café (they can often be the real gems!) I decided to go for the chicken on the menu….”Me gustaria Pollo, por favor” with my (then) still thick Australian accent that made the “Pollo” sound very much like “Polla”- the “male” of chicken.

I couldn’t make out why most of the people on the adjacent tables were rolling about on the floor in laughter. The following day my Spanish tutor explained the conjugation rules around gender and that the Spanish term for a male chicken (in “Polla”) means exactly the same as the slang in English! Free Spanish lesson #2 – take care on vowel pronunciation!

In the world of smart phones, dealing with such has become all easier – especially when the phone can speak for you. Even with, the advice I’d give is that is that dealing with a foreign language isn’t as intimidating as it first seems once you learn a few nouns and the basics of how to say in the local language…

◉ Thank-you / Please
◉ Can you help / Can I have … / Do you have …
◉ What is … / Where is … /
◉ I am sorry, I don’t speak …
◉ Do you speak English? (asking in the local language is my preferred way of asking)
◉ Left / Right
◉ How much does it cost? / can I please have a receipt?

From there, you just have to build up a few nouns and my experience is that the locals really appreciate the effort and often (other than the French!!) welcome the opportunity to try English. It pays to always be polite and respectful of the locals and their ways.

Pity I have not seen the reverse as always being true in English speaking places I have lived in. The message is to get out (provided it is safe to do so) and see as much outside your room as you can – language isn’t as much a barrier as is apprehension.

Health and hygiene

Healthy food and some exercises are keys to overall health and wellbeing, especially when away. Whilst some may like take-aways more than others, few are healthy in the long term and they tend to get monotonous – especially during covid when choices were limited.

The real challenge to living in a hotel room or B&B is finding greens to eat and not eating too much processed carbs, fat, salt and sugar – especially as there often isn’t anywhere to cook/prepare foods or refrigeration to store them. Crack that nut, and one can maintain a reasonable diet. Oddly, I really miss broccoli!! Who would have thought?!?!

Fortunately, most supermarkets offer “ready meals” that can provide an alternative to take-aways (or restaurants, when they are back open). There are any number of ready packed carbohydrate foods, nuts, cereals and dried fruits available – as well as sliced meats for the carnivores.

Sushi and “add boiling water” to cup or bag options are also available and do offer additional variation to sandwiches. Some of the pre-packed salads can be “ok”- but rarely better than that. I also indulge in canned and dried fruits as an alternative to desserts – be careful not to over-indulge (Tom Hanks explained that best in the movie “Castaway” in relation to too much Coconut milk!!).

Yoghurt can also be an alternative dessert. In places where hygiene or water quality is an issue, fruits you can peel are your best bet – citrus and bananas can be your friend! I’d also recommend to consider herbal teas to usual tee/coffee.

One trap when working away is to consume far too much caffeine.. not sleep well at night and so the following morning… consume more caffeine.. and so the cycle goes. I personally find I am less inclined to “eat sweets” with herbal tea than I’d be inclined to do with a cup of coffee.

I am not a big consumer of alcohol, but have seen many of my colleagues that were normally likewise fall into the trap of “just another beer”.. and another… Boredom can do that to some when working away…. It some places, vices come looking for the foreign workers…. Alcohol can often be the pathway to such…It is also full of calories!

Exercise has been tricky during covid. When away, and where the water quality is ok, I’d lean towards swimming given it doesn’t result in the sweaty clothing that you may not have a place to store, or can often wash. Storing sweaty cloths for any length of time in your room is just unpleasant! Bathers can easily be dried in the shower over-night and re-used the next day.

Gym sweats… not so much.. Same goes for jogging. Dealing with the sweaty clothing and the extra luggage needed other makes these activities difficult if you are traveling light and don’t have laundry options. Bathers, very much less so. Exercise is a good way to deal with both health and boredom.

Final bit of advice when away is to keep looking after your teeth! If you are consuming more sugar or acids then you will need to consider using mouthwash with brushing a little more frequently than you would normally do.

Boredom

Covid has made this a bigger hurdle than before given “exercise options” and “social options” have been greatly reduced. Some places offer better options than others, so in those time when one can’t get out and about (especially in foreign countries and/or places where security is an issue) or engage in exercise.

One thing I would recommend is a streaming stick and a 4G/5G internet connection. It opens a whole world of TV and movie options to you when away – especially when in a non-English speaking region. Such are also easily transportable and can plug into most TVs or computer monitors.

Internet face-to-face calls with friends and family is also a recent, welcome addition to the fight against boredom. I don’t do social media, so I can’t comment about that – some find that they can kill hours keeping up with whatever they are “liking”.. or not…

Boredom can be a challenge, especially when working away by yourself in a location far from home. One thing working away does give you, is some time in the evenings… There is every opportunity to make best use of this time should you choose to. Taking some time after work to increase my knowledge of the local language is one opportunity many don’t take…. Just be sure to round the “o” correctly when you are out ordering chicken!