Know Your Strengths

When traveling solo, with family, or as a couple, it’s important to know the strengths and weaknesses of everyone within your party.

Nowadays, there are tons of technology to help fill the gaps in skill levels. For example, there are language apps to assist with communication, map apps to help navigate, and exchange apps to “math” the currency conversions. But the people in your travel group have significant roles to play and using their best skills will reduce the headaches of travel fatigue and frustration.

Through good communication, trial and error, we have developed an understanding of our own strengths. By dividing and conquering daily tasks in travel and living life abroad, we have successfully developed routines and feel happy. But one thing we’ve noticed is just how few roles there are compared to all the hats we wore when living and working in the United States. Do any of these roles match your own? Do any of these roles surprise you?

Systems Managers help maintain routines which keep all parties happy, healthy, and moving in a forward direction. To be considered for this role, the manager must oversee and orchestrate the big rocks of life including, but not limited to, budgets, destinations, accommodations, and modes of transportation. Additionally, the systems manager must support the initial systems upon arrival at each new location. Though they may seem ridiculous, small systems are vital for everyday life including: the location of daily meds vs first aid kit, access to coffee when bleary-eyed, keeping the shopping bags near the door to remember to take them, the location of bath towels, laundry, and outlets for technology, etc.

Key Master: each accommodation will have a key or set of keys for entry or equipment access. The key master might take lead on locking and unlocking doors, but most importantly, the key master prevents the group from getting locked out of their temporary home.

Chauffeur: it seems one person tends to rise and take the lead as the driving specialist for the group. This person often has needs to control the direction of travel, has an updated international driver’s license, or has more types of credentials on their home drivers’ license (like motorcycles or CDL). Likewise, the chauffeur may simply be the most attentive driver.

Navigator: Contrary to the chauffeur, the navigator must be quick on the draw to guide the group or the driver safely to the final destination. The navigator must quickly open phone map apps, differentiate left- and right-hand turns, read signs in foreign language with the translation apps, and google pictorial signs they’ve never seen before.

Chef: the lead meal planner and chef must help the group balance budgets and waistlines which requires them to be creative with familiar and unfamiliar ingredients. A good chef will be able to maintain health and comfort while interpreting labels in one or more languages.

Washman: liquid, pods or sheets, the washman must use technology to read the packages for laundry soap and fabric softener (laugh as you read Decision Fatigue). Also, the washman must find and read the manuals for any provided washing or drying machines that would become costly if broken. Finally, the washman must have good spatial skills to fit all the washed clothes upon the more typical drying rack.

Transportation Specialist: from ticket research to purchasing the correct dates, this person is responsible for budgeting points, tracking sales, studying schedules, organizing membership numbers, managing digital tickets before use, and ordering ride shares. This person must be detail oriented since transportation via cruises, airlines, trains, ferries, etc. are the second most expensive part of travel. Mistakes in travel can significantly impact both budgets and timelines.

Income Specialist: this role monitors bank account balances, tracks the income buckets, prays the stock market stays steady.

Finance Manager: Different from the income specialist, this role prepares the annual budget, tracks the funds being spent on a daily basis, and monitors categories of expenses for overages.

Info Tech: whether young or old, there is usually one person in the group with highly technical skills. Phones and computes need software updates. Accounts get locked when passwords are forgotten. New apps must be downloaded in different countries because everything uses an app (even making a haircut appointment). Email addresses are handed out like candy, so the spam and junk mail must be monitored. Contacts must be added or subtracted from address books because relations are constantly being changed in the travel lifestyle. Your whole life goes digital when your whole life is in a suitcase.

Think about the roles you take on at home while working because your skillset makes you good at that role. If you were traveling full-time, would those roles change? We bet you can think of many more roles in your home life or your travel life.