Sourcing: Travel hacks
Sourcing for a project is an elixir of education, frustration, inspiration, and adventure. Getting lost in the souks or spending the day wandering flea markets, exploring in a new city, makes for a magical day. There are some best practices I’ve gathered over the years that are worth sharing.
• Before you leave on your trip, figure out broker & transport options for sourcing items. It’s no fun to find something amazing and not know how to get it home, and if you don’t speak the language, figuring that out can be very time consuming and challenging in real time. Often, brokers and transport companies can pick up items you purchase from the shops, then pack, insure, and ship them. No need to worry about adding heavy things to your luggage or filling a 20-foot container. It can be pricey, but it is possible.
• Create a hit list. Before you leave, google where designers shop/go in your destination city (especially those who live there). Usually there’s an Architectural Digest or Monocle article, even if it’s from many years ago, about a designer’s favorite shops or best 24 hours in a city. Once you have a short list, upload that to a google maps so you can see where they’re located in proximity to your hotel. Then you can plan out your days accordingly.
• Take a pocket moleskin notebook with you for important notes about money conversion, basic words, address of hotel, etc.. Moleskins have a small pocket in each notebook where you can stash some money, and cards. I know I know.. all these things can be accessed with an iphone but there’s peace of mind having it in writing, so you don’t have to worry about drained battery or WIFI connection.
• When checking into a hotel always grab a business card with hotel contact information at the front desk, take a photo of it, and keep it in your mini moleskin. You’d be surprised how handy this is when asking for directions or giving directions to a taxi, especially when traveling in a country with a different language spoken.
• Always pack running shoes. Opt for walking or biking over taxis when possible. There is so much to see and be inspired by, and you miss so much of it when in a car. It’s one of my favorite parts about traveling alone; the locale becomes your companion. Some people think they’d get lonely, but if you’re a curious person, it can be a very enriching way to travel.
• Wear Sunnies. Sometimes in big markets where the hustle is high, I like to wear sunglasses and ear phones just as props to give myself an excuse to not engage in the sales pitch or street heckle.
• Bring a paperback and audible book. Traveling these days means a lot of waiting, especially in developing countries, so be prepared with a paperback book, hopefully something that’s relevant to the trip, and an audible book. I like memoirs as a genre on audible, especially when read by the author.
• If it’s a long trip, one that will require a ‘re-entry’ (a catch-up session at work). Always come back on a Wednesday which gives you two full days of catch-up work before the weekend. Then you can hit the ground running on Monday when you’re rested and caught up with everything you missed.
