Travel Tips Learned While Baking

On our current tour of Egypt, some members of our group asked for home-baked cookies. We were sailing up the Nile aboard our private cruise ship, the Afandina, so I asked our chef to take care of it. Since individual requests happen often (everything from raw food to vegetarian to a personalized birthday cake) I was surprised when Chef demurred, explaining that he was no baker. As Julie the Cruise Director, it’s my first job to make all our guests happy, so I ended up baking six dozen cookies. While I was baking, I realized there were valuable lessons that applied to traveling anywhere outside your comfort zone. Enjoy my lessons (one for each dozen cookies) and apply them to your own travel experiences; the recipe and video of the cookie baking are at the bottom.

1. Be ready to jump at an unexpected opportunity

While it wasn’t how I planned to spend an evening, baking cookies on the Nile is something very few people can say they did, and the rewards kept coming as people commented how delicious they were every time they popped another one into their mouths. Whether it’s visiting the home of a local, seeing a site that’s off the beaten path or getting to cook in a foreign kitchen, take a chance and you might be pleasantly surprised at the outcome.

2. Be flexible

Gas marks in Celsius. No measuring spoons or cups. Hazelnuts instead of walnuts. Oversized raisins. No such thing as chocolate chips. The list of the adjustments I had to be willing to make was surprisingly long for such a short cookie recipe! Keeping your sense of humor and remaining flexible is key to traveling, and remembering that you are in a new environment will help you get a handle on your feelings of discomfort. Maybe it’s not what you’re used to, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be flexible and still have a great experience.

3. Make what’s available work

When I first walked into the kitchen of our lovely cruise ship, I expected it to be well-stocked with cooking utensils—since after all, they turn out three gorgeous meals a day. Instead, there wasn’t a single wooden spoon or a bowl large enough to mix my batter in. Plus there was an industrial oven that measured everything in Celsius. What’s a mediocre baker to do? Make it work for you. We used a large stew pot instead of a bowl, and Chef mixed the batter with his hands (picking up tips like combining the batter just until it’s uniform will keep the dough tender). Instead of doing everything myself, I had an array of helpers ready to chop and mix and clean. Perhaps on your journey you thought you would have air conditioning, or clean towels daily, or fresh milk in your coffee, but instead that’s not how they do it where you’re visiting. Be ready to substitute or adjust and you will have a better time of it all the way around!

4. Don’t be afraid to give up control

Chef is the chief of his kitchen. He has an assistant chef, and there were helpers galore who had baked cookies; all had their own ideas of what was best. I had to take several deep breaths and, again, keep my sense of humor. I realized at one point I was on the verge of snapping orders at the guy whose kitchen I was in and backed way off. I love being in control, but sometimes, especially when you travel, you just aren’t. Remember to pick your battles. Whether it’s the flight attendant, the gate agent, the taxi driver, or your own tour leader, be ready to release control and allow someone else to take over.

5. It’s the journey, not the outcome

Whether the cookies had turned out or not, it’s the holiday season and for some of our guests, this was the only baking they were going to get to do this Christmas. We all are in such a rush to get to the finish line we often forget to stop and enjoy the journey along the way. Give yourself permission to live only in the present moment and stop worrying about the outcome and you will have a better travel experience. Each minute is your vacation, and you want more than a few photos to remember it. Slowing down also gives you better retention of your trip.

6. Sometimes “good enough” is perfect

While practically baking without a recipe, at least one with which I was familiar, I wanted my cookies to be perfect. About halfway through, I realized that everyone would appreciate the effort no matter what, even if the result had been rocks. The cookies actually turned out delicious, though the industrial oven made them a little too crisp. You’re on vacation, you’re traveling. Let your hair down and have the experience, have the strange, exotic surprise, and don’t worry if it’s not exactly what you planned or hoped for. It is… what it is. What if you didn’t judge it, but instead allowed it to be “good enough?” That can be enough to make it perfect.
Sailing the Nile Cookies

Preheat oven to 350F, Gas mark 180C

A) 2 c sugar (1/3 kilo)
1 c butter (1/4 kilo)
2 eggs
2 t vanilla
2 T milk

B) Lg pinch of salt
1 t baking powder (OR ½ t baking powder + ½ t baking soda)
4 c flour (2/3 kilo) (OR 2 c flour (1/3 kilo) + 2 c oatmeal (1/3 kilo)

Mix-ins
chocolate chips (or well-chopped chocolate)
raisins (chopped if too large)
coarsely chopped hazelnuts

1) Beat together A ingredients ‘til smooth

2) Mix together B ingredients

3) Add B to A, then divide batter and add different mix-ins, as desired

4) Form rounded spoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet. Mash flat with tines of fork. Bake approx 10-15 min. depending on how many cookie sheets and how well oven holds its temp. Cookies should be lightly brown but still tender to the touch.

Thanks to Zoe Serious and Michelle E. for the base recipe info!!