Odd Things People Ask Me When I Travel

Hey!
How are things? I'm in the middle of planning a trip today and was thinking about some of the more interesting questions folks ask me when I'm traveling.

​Now don't get me wrong, for me travel is a way of life and meeting interesting people and having adventures is part of the fun. But I must be very approachable, because people do not hesitate to ask me off hand questions at every turn.

 Is it just me or does this happen to everyone?

Most often asked question or statement:

 "You don't look like your passport!" Said by every customs agent everywhere. I usually reply, "Thank God! Because I was ill then," or something like that. They have never given me any real grief over it, so I must not look THAT DIFFERENT, lol  
(The picture is rubbish and I will not post it, lol but take my word for it!)

But I honestly don't tend to look the same in any pictures and since I color my hair as a hobby, I do tend to look different everyday. (As you may have noticed on here.)

Next common question: "Where's your husband?" 

They usually look uncomfortable when I tell them he has passed away.

I don't get offended anymore when people (men) ask. I guess for some people (men) it's tough to imagine a woman traveling that much?

Another really common question I hear is: "What are you doing here?" or "How did you get here?" People seemed surprised that anyone would visit their region or even their countries. Usually I answer pretty straightforward, by telling them a plane or a train or a bus or whatever. I always run into people who have never left their own countries and cannot image anyone coming all the way from America to see their area.  Travel really is a mindset as much as anything else. 

(Actual Rotterdam station)

Leaving Rotterdam, Norway a youngish train attendant was talking to me about which route was best to take to get to the port and seemed to be caught off guard by me returning to America via a ship. "How long does it take? It takes 6 months, right?!" ​
​
Funny but a lot of people still seem to think it takes months to cross the sea.
​ #WTF?!

We are going on a bigger ship than this! It usually takes about 7 days to make the crossing from NYC to Southampton UK. It takes a bit longer from Norway but still not over 2 weeks even with stops along the way.

The number one question French women ask me, when they find out I grew up in south Texas:
 "Are cowboys real?"

---

Yes, they are. But most of them are not like on TV.

Another common question I hear is: "Is Trump for real?"
It is usually asked by everyone who sees my American passport.

Your guess is as good as mine!

Another common question or actual statement I hear often in England is:
 "There is nothing older than 200 years in America! Nothing there to see so you come to Europe!"
Ugh! I usually just smile at this and walk away, because its not my job to educate people.

But if you want to learn more about ancient sites in America I'm working on another blog post...

This is Chaco Canyon in New Mexico it was occupied from around 800A.D., to the 1,200s. There are plenty of Native American sites across America that are even older. 

What are you often asked when you travel? I'd love to hear so leave me a comment below.

See you at the airport!