Travel Will Expand Your Horizons...and Hopefully, Self-Awareness

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I recently returned from a short cruise. Enjoyed four days on the ocean sailing between Florida and Grand Bahama and Bimini. The weather was perfect, the sea mostly calm, and the ship was big. With over 3000 people on board, this was a great opportunity to meet some new people, have some new experiences, try some new food, and do a lot of people-watching.

Learned a lot from watching all those people. I was woefully unprepared.

Here is a quote about Travel from Elegance ( circa 1950s) by Genevieve Dariaux:

"If you consider that you are far away from home and surrounded by strangers, you are judged entirely on the strength of your external appearance, perhaps you will realize the importance of being flawlessly well-dressed whenever you travel. Which means that your clothes should be perfectly adapted to your role as traveler...On the excuse that travel so often leads to a holiday resort, there is a dismaying tendency today to set forth already dressed for that first sun bath."

Mrs. Dariaux would be shocked to see what travelers and vacationers wear today. I know I was. It seems we have taken 'casual' to a whole new level. After having worked in the medical field, let's just say I have seen enough skin. The quantity of exposed 'bulchritude,' whether on board ship or aircraft, was mind-boggling, and in some cases, rather offensive.

When you have a long flight, I know you want to be comfortable, and you have to deal with security, but there are other options besides tank tops and flip flops. A little self-reflection is in order. How do you really want look to other people? I am not talking about 'flawlessly well-dressed.' Just dressed.

Your clothing is a serious component of non-verbal communication. You don't know who you might meet while traveling - a valuable business connection, an interesting new friend, even an old friend, maybe the possibility of a personal relationship. The connections you make while traveling could be priceless. So why not take advantage of the situation and create the image you want.

What are you really communicating to others with your clothing choices? Clothes do not have to be expensive. It goes a long way if your clothes are clean, mended, and fit properly. Fit seems to be an issue lately with a lack of understanding of what that really means. For example, think about what could happen when you have to bend over to retrieve something? Will more be exposed than you anticipated? Should you really be wearing that super low-cut tank top, or those skin-tight, flesh-colored yoga pants?

Who do you think you are attracting with those baggy-saggy pants (used to be called 'droopy drawers') or that tacky t-shirt with the asinine axiom?

With the easy-care, easy-wear clothing choices we have today, there really is no excuse for not looking good and being comfortable while traveling.

And, please, not everyone should wear a thong bikini.

I

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