WHEN TRAVELING
THE selection of proper receptacles for one’s baggage is the first
point to be considered in making preparations for a journey. The
trunk-makers offer great variety in the material, quality and price of
their wares. The indispensable requisite of a trunk, whatever be the
material of its composition, is that it shall be strong. Look well to
hinges, lock and corners before buying. A trunk that will not stand
wear and tear is not worth having. One need not purchase an expensive
trunk, but one can not afford to purchase a cheap one. The material
employed must be good, though the appearance need not be luxurious.
If one can afford the price, one may find trunks where separate trays
are provided for each gown or where indeed frocks may be hung at full
length and come forth at the end of a journey as they might come from
my lady’s closet. But for those who can not or do not care to put
sizable sums of money into the carriers of their clothes, there are
good sensible receptacles at a moderate price. A steamer trunk, by
reason of its shape and size, is a convenient general-purpose piece of
baggage and is especially to be commended for short journeys.
* * * * *
[Sidenote: THE TRAVELING-BAG]
The bag one selects has much to do with one’s comfort in traveling.
It should be large enough to hold a nightrobe, a kimono, one’s toilet
articles, also an extra shirt-waist and a change of underclothing in
case of detention. The size of the bag is important. It must not be
so large that it is a burden to carry if necessity compels. It must
not be so small that the articles mentioned may not rest comfortably
and without crowding within. As with trunks, so in bags, one finds a
large variety in values. It pays to get a good bag of nice leather,
conveniently arranged for carrying the articles necessary to one’s
comfort. Such a bag, one that pleases the eye and in which one may find
one’s things without a distracting search for them, gives an amount
of satisfaction to a traveler beyond the power of words to convey.
One of the most acceptable gifts that can be made to a person who is
not of the stay-at-home type is a generously fitted traveling-bag.
As thousands of bags are made precisely alike, the stamping of one’s
initials at the end or side may save time and trouble.
* * * * *
[Sidenote: DRESSING FOR A JOURNEY]
One should wear dark inconspicuous clothing in traveling, and of a
weight suitable to the season of the year. Beflowered hats, light
gowns, light gloves—unless these are washable—and jewelry are in the
worst of taste and proclaim the unsophisticated or the parvenu. To
be dressed comfortably and modestly is the aim of the experienced
traveler. In summer a dark silk dress of light weight with a silk
rain-coat makes an ideal traveling costume, as neither holds dust. A
woman so attired will arrive at the end of her journey in much better
condition than her less experienced companion who clings to white (?)
blouses. If a fresh veil and a pair of white gloves are tucked into her
bag to be put on at the last moment, she will be charmingly immaculate.
A black silk bag for the protection of one’s hat is a good idea though
most Pullmans supply paper sacks for this purpose.
* * * * *
If possible, it is well on a journey to carry with one something more
in the way of money than one’s traveling expenses. One can not tell
what emergency may arise or what unexpected demands may be made upon
one. Many women carry the funds not immediately in use, in some sort
of pocket fastened on or made into the petticoat they wear. One can
buy very pretty separate pockets of this sort made of leather or one
can make them of a stout silk fastened down by a clasp on the flap.
Elaborate preparation in caring for one’s wealth is the penalty a woman
pays for being without pockets in her clothes. While it is wise for her
to put the funds unnecessary for immediate use in some such safe place
as that described, she should not keep articles which she may be at
any moment called upon to deliver, in a spot which it is embarrassing
for her to reach. Train conductors and baggage agents have many a grin
and sly smile over the woman who must reach under her petticoat before
she can deliver up ticket and trunk checks. An amusing instance of
this overcaution, so much more characteristic of women than of men,
occurs to the writer. An acquaintance, starting on a European voyage,
took the most elaborate means for the hiding of her valuables upon
her person. In transit she stayed the night at a New York hotel and
woke in the morning to discover, to her horror, that she had slept all
night with the door of her room unlocked and the key on the outside. A
considerable amount of change in a separate purse from one’s bills is a
convenience and a safeguard.
* * * * *
[Sidenote: MAKING ACQUAINTANCES]
A man may, if he chooses, make acquaintances on a journey, and a woman
also, though with less frequency and freedom. The exigencies of travel
may sometimes make it pleasant for her to render or receive aid from
another woman or possibly a man; and this may be the starting-point for
acquaintance. As a usual thing, it is best for a young girl traveling
alone, to avoid all communication with strangers, as she can not know
into what complications it may lead her.
* * * * *
[Sidenote: COMFORT IN A PULLMAN]
If one is making a journey that compels night travel, one must secure
one’s section or half-section in the Pullman or sleeper beforehand. In
order to get good accommodations it is well to do this several days in
advance. The difficulty of getting into an upper berth makes most women
choose the lower, though it is more costly and decidedly stuffier. When
one climbs aboard a train the porter follows with one’s belongings,
finds one’s section or half-section and deposits the hand luggage in
its place. Some travelers are very thoughtless in appropriating more
than their share of the space appointed for wraps, bags, etc. If one
has paid for a half-section only, one has no right to take more than
that, unless the other half of the section remains unsold.
When a traveler wishes his bed made up he should summon the porter and
so declare. Usually an electric bell between the windows of his section
will enable him to call the porter at any time. If the traveler is a
woman and is for any reason dissatisfied with her berth or section, she
may consult with the porter about a change which, if the car is not
full, he is often able to arrange for her. For instance, if a woman
having a lower section finds that the upper is to be occupied by a man,
it is often possible, by the payment of a small sum to the porter, to
move her quarters.
* * * * *
[Sidenote: THE TIMID TRAVELER]
[Sidenote: DRESSING FOR THE NIGHT]
Many women who find themselves compelled for the first time to take a
sleeping-car, feel timid at the prospect. But the process is simple
though not necessarily comfortable. Once behind the curtains a woman
may remove all her clothing precisely as she does at home if she feel
equal to the physical ordeal of putting it on again in a crowded space
in the morning to the accompaniment of rapid motion and the nausea it
often induces. Unless one is a good traveler, it may be preferable to
remove one’s dress, pinning the skirt to the inside of the curtain to
save its freshness, putting small articles in the swinging hammock next
the windows and for the rest merely loosening bands. Directly above
the head one will find in all first-class trains a button that when
pressed will give a light by which one can read or which will help one
the better to endure an hour of nervous wakefulness. A small bottle of
brandy or spirits of ammonia is carried by delicate women to ward off
train sickness. A woman should not hesitate to summon the porter for
extra covers, a glass of water or any other service that contributes
to her real comfort. To send for him with too great frequency shows
lack of experience and consideration. If one is to be called before
daylight it is wise to give one’s self ample time for dressing and
so the porter should be instructed to call one at a certain time
considerably ahead of the hour for leaving the train. Experienced women
travelers do not don white night-dresses in sleeping-cars, but keep a
dark silk robe for this purpose, insuring equal comfort and a better
appearance in case of illness or accident.
* * * * *
There are many small offices for which one may call upon the porter
if so inclined. One must, however, keep it in mind that he should
be rewarded proportionately at the end of the journey after he has
performed his last office of brushing one off. Twenty-five cents is
the usual amount given to him for the services rendered in twenty-four
hours. An occasional wary traveler bestows his tip for the first rather
than the last service asked. If a porter appears sullen this method
will be found to have advantages.
* * * * *
Before leaving one’s berth in the morning, one should, as far as
possible, get into one’s undergarments over which one slips a bathrobe
or kimono before going to the toilet-room. One should take with one
to the toilet comb, brush, tooth-brush, clothes-brush, wash-cloth, a
cake of soap (it is never wise to use the public cake) and the gown
one intends wearing, with its accessories. All the toilet articles
should be carried in a silk waterproof “companion,” or better still,
in a crash apron with rubber-lined pockets for soap and towels, to be
tied about the waist. Arrived there one should be as expeditious as
possible in order not to keep others waiting. One woman’s selfishness
in out-staying her time in the toilet-room may keep ten others in
misery. It is not the time and place for a complete bath. Nowhere is
the quality of true courtesy more needed than in the toilet-room of a
Pullman. When one has finished one’s ablutions, combed one’s hair and
fastened one’s gown, one should clean the basin and place the soiled
towels out of the way. When one leaves the room it should be ready for
the next comer.
* * * * *
[Sidenote: IN THE DINING CAR]
When the announcement is made that breakfast, dinner or luncheon, as
the case may be, is served, the passenger makes his way to the diner.
If this is crowded he must wait his time patiently and with courtesy to
those about him. Sometimes the meal is served _a la carte_ (literally,
by the card), in which case a separate charge is made for each article
on the bill of fare or menu. (Menu, by the way, is pronounced
“may-noo,” not “meyn-you” as one often hears it.) Many dining-cars
serve meals _table d’hote_ (tah-bul-dote) and for these a fixed charge
of one dollar is made. Some train dinners are very good indeed, others
are execrable. If a dish is particularly bad and one complaint does not
produce a better, the diner should not brow-beat his waiter—who is not
to blame—but may if he choose speak to the steward in charge. Having
been served he should fee the waiter. The usual fee is one-tenth the
price of the meal, though men, more frequently than women, give more
than this.
* * * * *
[Sidenote: ARRIVING AT A HOTEL]
Arrival in a strange city is bewildering to a person who has traveled
little. There are always, however, in the city railway stations,
bureaus of information where one may find out the necessary things. If
one is desirous of a cab, one may discover there the most trustworthy
line; or, if a car is wanted, what direction one must take to find
the proper one. Usually the traveler, if intending to go to a hotel,
will have made himself acquainted, before arrival in the city, with
the relative value and expense of the different ones. A person is much
better treated at such places if he writes or telegraphs ahead for
accommodations. A woman should choose the side entrance, if there is
one, as this is reserved for ladies. If a woman arrives in a strange
city, unaccompanied, it is sometimes difficult for her to get the
hotel accommodations she desires. At some hotels they will not admit
unaccompanied women after nightfall. Under these circumstances the
traveler would better go to the hostelries established by the Young
Women’s Christian Association, where she may feel certain of the
character of the place and entertainment. These places invariably
require that one shall be introduced and one will do well, therefore,
to take a letter from one’s clergyman. The length of one’s stay is
usually limited but it is sufficient for the ordinary holiday or
shopping visit.
* * * * *
[Sidenote: THE UNACCOMPANIED WOMAN]
If you are arriving in a city and expect to be “met,” do not, if you
can possibly avoid it, take a train that pulls in at an unearthly hour
of the night or early morning. If you must take such a train, tell
your hostess she is not to meet you, that you will stay the night at
a down-town hotel or at least will take a carriage. An intelligent
woman need have no fear of danger in arriving in a strange city alone.
She may possibly be annoyed by a bold stare, even by a question, but
the chances are that if she be quiet in dress and manner she will not
suffer even inconvenience.
Policemen and station officials are always willing to answer the
questions of perplexed travelers. A little fee sometimes helps them
speak more eloquently. It is not wise to depend upon the chance
passer-by for information. The person whose business it is to inform
you is not likely to tell you what is untrue. Of him you have a right
to expect something. Of others you have a right to expect nothing, and
you may come in for less than the value of your expectations.
* * * * *
[Sidenote: ON BOARD A BOAT]
The general etiquette of steamboat travel does not differ from that
on board a train. Boat travel is of a more leisurely sort and begets
somewhat less formality as relates to one’s fellow travelers. Otherwise
the rules of behavior are the same.
* * * * *
As a parting injunction to the traveler, let me say,—don’t look
worried, cross and over-careful even if you feel that way. Courtesy
to subordinates will win you attention and service, will straighten
out your difficulties more quickly than any other method. If you take
the ills of traveling with some sense of humor, with a give-and-take
spirit, you will get more than the benefit of the money your journey
may cost you. If you do not carry an elastic spirit with you, the
finest trip that ever was planned will bring you little return.
[Sidenote: CHAPERONS IN EUROPE]
A woman who travels abroad must remember that the rules of chaperonage
are much stricter in Europe than they are in this country, and that
she is expected to have a companion or a maid. If she wishes to
dispense with these, she must reconcile herself to foregoing social
invitations. If she makes inquiry she can always learn of particularly
desirable pensions where she may count on finding among the guests a
congenial person to accompany her on many of her short excursions.
On board the steamship the luckiest passengers in the dining-salon are
those who are fortunate enough to be allotted seats at the captain’s
table.