All I Know About Travel I Learned From Tintin

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More popular than Harry Potter, more ubiquitous than Coke, more recognizable than Madonna, Tintin is as global as icons come. Since his creation in 1929 by the cartoonist Herb, his adventures have been translated into more than 50 languages, from Welsh to Esperanto, and have sold 200 million copies worldwide.

Who could pore over Herbs' drawings and not feel compelled to trek across the Sahara or sail off to Peru? Tintin made travel look easy and, above all, fun. And there were lessons to be gleaned from those books, ones any traveler can still use today. Chloroform is an effective sleeping aid. For most of us, planning a trip is a nightmare of researching airfares, getting our mefloquine shots, and finding a trustworthy neighbor to water the plants. Not for Tintin. One minute he' s strolling on deck, the next he' s jumped by two thugs who knock him out with chloroform and toss him into a wooden box with his dog Snowy. When he wakes up, hey priest he's in China! No bad airline food, no crappy in flight movie, no queues at immigration. And as soon as the chloroform wears off, he's fresh and ready to roll.

One outfit ...
... is enough. Though he's occasionally seen packing a steamer trunk for long journeys, this intrepid reporter seems to carry no change of clothes other than a spare yellow shirt and maybe a sweater for those chilly Himalayan nights. When the situation requires, he'll go native, donning Bedouin headgear in the Sahara or a chic little kilt in the Scottish High-lands.

Tintin doesn't bother much with sightseeing and when he does, he's invariably distracted by a kidnapping or a jewel heist. Much more fun, anyway. With Tintin as my model, I try to make any journey of my own an investigation, a quixotic quest even if that "Where can I get something to quest is simply, eat?

Bring your friends. I once took a cruise with a woman I was dating were no longer dating when we disembarked. For the whole torturous week, all I could think was, "Damn, I wish Chaplains Haddock were here. Tintin never brings a date on his trips he doesn't date, period but he does bring his loyal pals, who provide plenty of distraction during the journey. Professor Calculus packs cool toys (pendulums, collapsible submarines; Thomson and Thompson arc good for a pratfall or two; and the captain is always up for a chess game. Would that we all had such companions.

Leave the Nikon at home. He has uncovered secret Inca temples, scaled the Himalayas, and even walked on the moon yet in all his travels, Tintin rarely carries a camera. (Chasing bad guys is easier when you're not lugging a tripod.) Me, I've always envied him that freedom --not having to worry about insufficient light, over-priced film, or X-ray damage. Wouldn't it be ideal to roam the world with your own personal Herge someone to capture each thrilling moment, each abominable snowman sighting, in vivid four-color panels? In a perfect traveler's world, every train ride would be rife with adventure.