I apologize for taking a while to post on the blog. Things have been quite busy, but I wanted to let you in on something that has helped me when I’m out on the field. I’ve been keeping a journal with me, and it has helped me tremendously. When I first started using my journal, I would log every set that I opened.

Now, I just log all of the good sets and some facts about each girl I number closed. Trust me it will help! I open between 10-20 sets a day, and sometimes it’s hard to keep track of which girl you met on what day. There were times before when a girl would message me a week or two after meeting her then I would message her back and not know anything about her.

It’s much better to have the background info on her. I like to write down anything that interests me about her. For example, she lived in Italy for two years and speaks Italian. That would be great information to write down. When you meet her next time, you can bring it up. It also shows that you have a good memory.If you are in a foreign country, you can also write new words that you encounter when you are out in the field.

Also, I like to write down notes if she was doing anything when I met her. For example, if she was looking for a gift I would respond in the text message:

Me: Did you find a good gift for your friend? I bet you did…

How is that different from

Me: Hi, it was nice to meet you…

The first message relates to the situation and shows your target that you remembered something about her during the interaction. This message gives you more value and increases her chances of replying back to you.

Tips for the journal:

1. Make sure it’s pocket size- don’t buy a notebook size journal and carry it by hand all day!

2. Use it to your advantage- find certain things that may help you such as a good venue you came across or a systematic method of noting down your best sets of the day.

3. Reflect- after your done sarging for the day, write down something you can reflect on. Maybe you did something differently in set that could help you out next time. Bolo made a comment to me that I shouldn’t continue walking with girls after they walk away. I made sure to correct this and wrote it down in my journal as something to work on.

For the readers, do any of you use a journal in the field? What do you think are the advantages of using one?

LS

We all know opening is just the beginning this video covers it… However, it’s still an important part of game that you need to know. I prefer to go indirect, but it depends on the situation. Savoy makes some interesting comments about different types of openers: functional-which he teaches, harder to transition, lowest risk/lowest reward, direct- high risk (AIA- decision made right away), indirect, opinion- AIA made later

These are just a few more will be covered later. Want to learn more openers? Check out the Love Systems Routines Manual.

**AIA- Am I Attracted decision made by the target

Two weeks ago, I had the party and I made the reservations in advance and managed things much better. Reserved the restaurant and a room at the bar we went too. Next thing, after the bar I should have planned what we were going to do next since some people split up…

Overall, it was a good time. So, next time you throw a social circle event plan it in advance. Trust me!

Take a look at our other social circle articles:

Expand your social circle by becoming a club promoter.

Learn how to expand and manage your social circle.

We took the bus to the border. It was a 4 hour ride from Guayaquil to the border. The bus was packed and there was nothing around us except Plantain plants and little podunk towns. I was thinking about how much it must suck to live in these rinky-dings towns when all of a sudden the bus driver told us to get off and transfer to another bus. Wah? So we dragged out our luggage out and wait with other people in one of these small towns. Soon another bus comes and we get in.

Just our luck. This bus is packed and me and LatinStylez had to separate. I see a little lady walking up the aisle collecting money from the passengers and start to worry. How was I going to communicate that we were kicked off our first bus and had to get on this one? Did we have to pay money? Ahh, the joins of traveling in South America – being scared, tired, and worried.

The lady comes up and I just hand her my bus ticket from the last bus. She looks at me funny and says something in Spanish. Great. I shout to LS and ask for him to translate. And of course everyone on the bus looks at me. LS is in his own little world but another displaced traveler came to my rescue and managed to tell the ticket lady my situation.

Looks like everything is fine and dandy but we still have the border to cross. Every single time we stop, my heart pounds. Is this immigration? Are the police gonna give us a hard time? What happens if we miss it? Luckily, a local told us to get off when we get to Immigration.

Immigration is basically a small building in the middle of nowhere. Surrounding this building are little shops and cab drivers. The paper work was simple and soon we got new stamps in our passports. Immediately, 3 guys came up to LatinStylez and me and insisted taking our luggage. They didn’t insist so much as grab our luggage and say come on. They helped us fill out some paperwork and told us to get into the cab.

Then all 3 of them piled into the cab (Warning #1) and we were off. I had a funny feeling about this whole situation. Why did it take 3 guys to take us to the border? For a second I thought we were going to get kidnapped and I was looking for anyway to be able to escape this situation. Needless to say, it was a nervous 15 minute right to the border town.

Right when we got off the cab, there was a man standing with a roll of money in his hand; my how convenient (Warning #2). We were told that we could exchange money here. I figured they would screw us on the exchange rate so I only handed him $40. Then one of the guys told LatinStylez that Peru had laws about needing to enter the country with at least $150USD because many people go into Peru to find work. So with our luggage in their hands, two of the Ecuadorians led us to an ATM to withdraw cash.

I was reluctant to exchange that much cash. Then we were told that $50USD would be fine (Warning #3). We both got out the money and then passed by the exchange guy again. Is he following us around?(Warning #4) and exchanged the cash.

With our luggage still in hand, the two guys led us near the border where another man greeted us and took our bags. The original two Ecuadorians wanted a tip so I took out some Pesos and gave it to the guy who carried my bag. He looked at me and said it was too little. I reached into my pocket and just gave him the rest of my change.

Later I learned that this is a common technique used when scamming people off. The scammer wants the victim to feel like a douchebag. After all, they’ve been so nice to you. They filled out your forms and took your luggage. What are you? A cheap, fucking asshole? Are all [people from your country like this? God, your momma didn’t teach you no manners.

If there’s anything I learned in my time, it’s that people who want money from you will try to make you feel guilty. That’s when you have to learn to stand up for yourself and tell people to fuck off.

Anyways, the new guy takes LatinStylez bag and leads us to a car where a driver is waiting and like sheep, we follow him. He puts our bags in the car and gets in. Hmm…why do we need so many guys to ride with us? This new guy talks to LatinStylez in Spanish and bullshits around. He asks LS how he liked Ecuador and about the women. I just stare outside and have a million scenarios going through my mind.

We get to Peru immigration and the Ecuadorians get out. Latinstylez and I are hesitant to leave the car because all our luggage is in there. The driver noticed our hesitation and gave LS the keys as a show of good faith (LOL). Immigration is a breeze and before we know it we’re in Peru.

Soon the new guy starts talking to LS about money. He says we owe him $45USD. There’s a tiny problem: neither of us have any American money on us. The new guy starts ranting and raving about us needing American cash. LatinStylez starts shouting at the guy to chill out. Stylez says we have the Peru money we just exchanged and we could pay him in that. The guy says that he’ll only accept American dollars (Warning #32890290138891230) Then I realized that I did have some 20s in my hidden pants pocket. I take out $40USD and hand them to the guy. He looks at them and said that this money was no good. What the hell? Turns out that the dollars need to be notarized by a bank since there’s so much counterfeiting around.

The guys drive us to an ATM and I get out and draw out some USD and Soles. I pay the guy and FINALLY we get to the bus station and get our tickets. We were exhausted and just ready to get this whole ordeal behind us. 6 hours later we arrive in Huaquillas at 4AM. Once off the bus we were surrounded by taxi drivers. Suspicious of everyone, we got a cab and asked the taxi driver where a hotel was. This taxi driver was more honest than the previous guys we met and charged us a fair price.

We got to the hotel and just crashed. The next morning we go to pay for our hotel bill. I took out 100 Soles to pay. The owners puts the money under a blue light and tells us that it’s no good. In fact all the money we exchanged at the border is bad. Comically bad. These soles were on the wrong kind of paper and when you held them to the light you couldn’t see the face that appears. We got ripped off.

Tips for crossing the Equator/Peru border:
1) These con artist talk fast and don’t give you even a second to protest. Grab your bags and take a few minutes to get yourself together. You’re tired and scared and it’s common for mistakes and misjudgments to happen. Discuss the price BEFORE you get into the cab. Have a Lonely Planet with you and POINT the price out to them if they argue with you.
2) Scratch that. DON’T TAKE A TAXI! Lonely Planet recommends that you keep your bus ticket and wait for another bus to cross the border.
3) We willing to say NO! These guys are trying to hussle you. They’re counting on you to not know what’s going on so they can take advantage of you. If they take you to a cash machine then be very very suspicious.
4) Get money at the ATM. Most of the ATMS have an option to get American dollars and Peruvian soles.

This website will help you out.

http://www.onebag.com/

2.Make sure you documents are in order- Your documents will be your life line.

a)Make sure your passport is not about to expire- Obvious isn’t it? Still you’d be surprised by the number of people who forget to do this. One time my friend and I were going to travel to China and what do you know? His passport had already expired. When did we find out about this? AT THE AIRPORT! Needless to say I wasn’t a happy camper.

Some countries check if your passport is about to expire in 30-60 days. Make sure you do not fall in this category. If you do,make sure to apply for a passport as soon as possible prior to your departure.

b)Look into the visa for your country – Different places require different visas. Sometimes a visa can take months to get. You don’t want your travel plans interrupted because of this. Call the local embassy for more information.

c) Scan and email to yourself all important documents – It’s smart to make copies of your passport, insurance, dipolma, drivers license, etc. It’s even smarter to scan them and then e-mail them to yourself. So even if you lose everything, as long as you can access the internet,you’ll have access to all your relevant documents.

Now you may ask why you should scan your college diploma? Well, you never know if you’ll fall in love with a country and want to live there for an extended period of time. Having a copy of your diploma saves you the hassle of having to get someone email it to you. This goes double for any and all documents that you may need on your travels.

3. Research where you are going- If you plan to do a lot of traveling, research the areas you will be traveling to. Make sure to have a good bit of information on where you are going. If they speak a different language and customs, try to learn as much about them prior to
departure.

Recently, a friend traveled to Venezuela without doing his research. Turns out the current president, Hugo Chavez had changed the official currency exchange rate, meaning that my friend got ripped off every time he drew money out of an ATM. If he had done his research, he would have known to take US dollars with him and to exchange it in the black market.

a)Making calls – Can you take the cell phone you already have and just buy a SIM card? Or do you have to buy a new phone? You may consider getting a phone that works in many countries then make calls using Wifi.

This site will give you more info:

http://www.lifenomadic.com/2008/how-to-be-an-international-phone-nomad.html

b)Electric outlets – Make sure you have the right plug for electrical outlets. Also, look into the voltages. I blew up a $200 electric tooth brush because I’m a moron. Turns out that Korea uses 220 volts instead of 110.

c)Do you need a return ticket? – some countries will not allow you to enter without a return ticket.Make sure to have a return ticket. Google is your friend for finding out this information.

d)Also, Lonely Planet travel guides will help you. I’m the type who likes to go to a new destination with no real plan and just play it by ear. Regardless, travel guides will save you alot of headaches by telling you where to stay and what to do.

4. Budget your trip- Budget your expenses and how much you will be spending on your trip. It is good to do a budget so you don’t over extend yourself. Be careful when traveling with others. Getting into arguments about money leads to everyone being pissed. Be sure to discuss how you will share the expenses. Keep track of the money split and write it down.

5. Speak the language- Even a couple of phrases will help. Some places you’ll find an abundant amount of English speakers, usually the younger people around universities. Other times, you’ll be completely screwed.

6. Renew all your cards- If you plan to travel for an extended period of time, then try to renew all your credit cards, licenses, etc. Most credit card companies won’t deliver your card internationally. So you’ll have to get a friend to mail your new credit card to your new address (if you’re there long enough). That means you’ll be dealing with other countries mail service. And believe me, this can be a real pain.

7. Travel Insurance- This one is going to be a personal choice. I’ve heard nightmare stories about travelers getting into accidents and having no way to pay for it. Personally, I’ve never traveled with insurance and have had no problems…so far…Make your own decision. This is a good place to look up information about travel insurance.

http://letmegooglethatforyou.com/?q=travel+insurance

8. Be safe- It pays to be secure. Invest in money belts, mini locks, travelers checks, and exomesh.

a)Money belts – When I first arrived in Colombia, one of the locals told me not to take out my  wallet. Smart idea. Another smart idea is to buy a money belt, then put your important documents and the majority of your money into it. If someone robs you at gun point then you can just hand them whatever is in your pockets. Hopefully they won’t tell you to get buck nekkid.

b)Mini locks – Use these to lock your zippers shut. If you’re traveling on a budget then chances are you’ll be sharing rooms with other travelers. Most travelers you meet will be cool. Others you’ll want to kick in the junk. And then there’s the SOBs who will take your stuff. The mini lock is the first line of defense against this. This way you’ll know no one rooted through your bags.

c)Exomesh – Your back pack ain’t going nowhere with the exomesh deployed. Exomesh is basically a wire net that you wrap around your luggage and secure it to something that does move. If someone wants to steel my back pack then they gotta saw through the radiator first.

http://www.pacsafe.com/www/index.php is a great place to buy an exomesh and secure travel gear in general.

d)Travelers checks – Travelers check can be your emergency back up if you should happen to lose all your money and credit cards. If you’re staying in one place for some time, then keep your travelers checks stashed there. The beauty about travelers checks is even if you lose them, you can call up the bank that issued them and get them replaced.

Further travel tips:

http://travel.state.gov/travel/tips/tips_1232.html

1. Clubs and Bars- these are considered the easiest. I don’t recommend that you go out there and get drunk and then try to meet girls at the club or a bar. Instead, grab a friend of yours and hit up the nearest hot spot in your town. Ask people “Hey, do you know any good areas around town?” Or better yet ask a cute girl when your out around the town again.

2. Bookstores and Coffee Shops- Clubs aren’t the only places to meet women. Bookstores and coffee shops are usually full of attractive women. Many think meeting a woman during the day time is harder then night because one is “expected” to be approached in a club. Nothing could be further from the truth. Many women are on the defensive in the club. They aren’t as guarded during the day. In fact, many women fantasize about meeting a guy during the day. Look at any romantic movie, does the heroine meet Prince Charming in the club? Nope. It’s all during the day time in a “neutral” location.

I like to ask an opinion like “What’s better the Cafe Latte or the Cafe Mocha?” Feel free to come up with your own question. You would be surprised at the reaction you get, which is generally positive. At the bookstore, you can ask about interesting books she has read.

3. Street- meeting people on the street can be more difficult. This is because people are usually in a hurry. So, when meeting women on the street make sure to ask them a question about helping you find an area, because you might be lost. There’s some others you can use when meeting girls on the street.

4. Social Circles- This is usually the most easiest way to meet women, because people are warmer when they know mutual people. Good examples of this would be: girls you know at work and through friends.

5. Internet- don’t worry you don’t have to use pay sites. There’s free sites like facebook and myspace that make it very easy to meet people. You can join social groups in your area and attend parties with people you are friends with.

6. Gym- the gym is a great place to meet women. I have a friend who loves going to gyms to meet girls. I mean why not at least you know the girl you are talking to likes to stay in shape. When at the gym, ask her for a spot.