All Travelers are Created Equal
I was looking over my interview with Rolf Potts and thinking about how he talks about the false distinction travelers make among themselves. How we compete to prove who’s a better traveler or how we aren’t like “the tourists.” And it got me thinking. In what is only a make believe competition, you see many travelers on the road trying to prove their status and superiority by talking about how much longer they’ve been on the road, where they’ve been, or by emphasizing the number of local buses they have taken. But let me tell you another travel secret- all travelers are created equal.
While I’d rather take advice from someone who has been traveling for 10 years over someone who left yesterday, the older traveler (and Rolf would probably agree) is no “better” a traveler than the younger traveler. You are not a better traveler simply because:
“You’ve been traveling for over a two years!” Really? Wow! That is truly impressive but do you want a cookie for it? I rarely answer this question at hostels because few people can say they have been traveling longer than me and I hate the “Wow! that’s awesome” response. But Uncornered Market is the King and Queen of long term travel and put me to shame. So does Rolf Potts. So do a million other people I have met on the road. We are all beginners at one point and there’s always someone who has been out longer than you.
“You’ve been to over X countries.” Travel is not about quantity, it’s about quality. In my three years backpacking, I’ve only been to about twenty five or so different countries. There are many people who have been to a lot more in a lot shorter of a time. But traveling slow is a much better way to learn about the places you visit. I’ve lived in three countries since I have been gone. I’ve spent extended time in England and Australia. Anyone can visit a lot of countries but not everyone can actually see a lot of countries.
“You don’t go there- it’s too touristy.” There’s a reason why people go to Bali, Paris, hike the Inca Trail, or head to Vegas- these places are fun. They may be commercial, overpriced, and full of “tourists” but they are still great places to go visit. The number of small local villages you have under your belt is not proportional to how great of a traveler you are. I think people should get off the tourist trail as often as possible. Explore the unexplored. Wander into local neighborhoods to see the rhythm of local life. Find a map, pick a random place, and go there. Some of my best travel memories are when I went to random cities. But I also have great memories from places like the Gold Coast, Amsterdam, Khao San Rd, and Barcelona. A good traveler sees a mix of both and understands that neither is perfect.
“You only do what the locals do.” If you really want to live like a local, buy an apartment and get a job. The world may be filled with different cultures and foods but the more you travel, the more you realize people are essentially the same. It doesn’t matter if you live in Egypt, Mongolia, America or France, everyone gets up, goes to work, wants to be happy, live well, and hope their children have a better life. You can eat at all the local restaurants you want and take as many local buses as you can but that doesn’t mean you know the local life. If you really want to live like the locals and learn the culture, don’t spend three days in a place- spend three months. Then maybe you’ll be a local.
“You don’t do tours. You’re better than that” People who say this often forget that the boat ride they took in Phuket or that trip to Fraser Island in Australia was also a tour. Not all tours are big double decker buses filled with sandal wearing tourists. They can be little backpacker tours too. Most tours aren’t inherently bad. I’ve taken quite a few and enjoy them. It all depends on the tour group and the company you go with. Taking trash about tour group travelers doesn’t make you better than them, it just makes you an ass.
Travel is a highly individualistic experience. Everyone takes their own path around the world. No two journeys are a like and therefore no two journeys can be compared. Travel is about opening your mind up to new experiences and people. The competition mindset simply closes you off to that. If you are a “real” traveler, you know that all travelers are equal and these false mindsets don’t matter. Remember that there is always someone out there who has been to more places, seen more things, and spent more time on the road then you.
The Weekly Photo: Taipei
Taipei, Taiwan taken from the top of Taipei 101
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Airline Review: Eva Air
Eva Air is the national carrier for Taiwan. They fly all over Asia and to points on the west coast of North America. I had the pleasure of flying them a few times from while I was living in Taiwan and I highly recommend them! They are a great airline to fly.
One of the things I like most about flying Asian airlines is the level of service they offer. Their western counterparts keep slashing services and raising fees while the Asian carriers keep making your experience more enjoyable. Even the budget airlines like Air Asia offer better service than carriers like US Air, Air Canada, Ryanair, or American. On my six hour return flight to Boston from London with AA, I had a crappy meal, a surly attendant, and no personal viewing screen. On my three hour flight to Taipei from Bangkok, I got a delicious meal, a free beer, two ultra friendly attendants, and my own viewing screen. It’s not hard to decide which is better.
It’s because of service like that that I always try to fly non-western carriers whenever I can. I’m part of the Oneworld alliance because my AA frequent flier miles work with Eva Air, Cathay, and Japan Airlines. Eva Air was simply exceptional. For starters, the seats, even in coach, are plenty big and very comfortable. I had more room than I knew what to do with. While I’m not a big guy and usually have plenty of room, I found I had slightly more room than normal in these seats.
The food on the flight was delicious. You get a choice between two meals and I choice the chicken and rice. I had a nice Taiwan beer with my meal too. Overall, it was one of the most delicious airline meals I’ve ever had. Usually, I never finish my meal because, by about halfway, I tend to get ill from the taste (I’m looking at you Air Canada!) but I devoured all of this.
Moreover, you get a wide range selections on the viewing screen. There were about five movies, a few games, a handful of Taiwanese, Australian, and American T.V. shows, and plenty of movie channels. The staff is very friendly and they smile. That may not seem like a big deal but I can’t remember the last time I actually saw an attendant smile. The Eva Air people really seemed to care that I was comfortable and having a good time.
Overall, I really enjoyed my time flying with Eva. It is an airline that I would fly again and recommend to anyone. If you are in the Oneworld network, Eva is a code share partner with most of the alliance members. Additionally, Eva Air is usually a cheaper option to fly too, though you often have to connect via Taipei. I would definitely consider flying them the next time you fly in Asia.
Free Things to Do in Washington, D.C.
Last week I was in Washington D.C. to visit the city, meet a few bloggers, and go to the wedding of a friend of mine. Since I was down there for a wedding, I turned it into a mini-holiday. I’ve been to Washington D.C. many times and I really love the city. There are people from all over the world, making the city very eclectic, diverse, and a culinary delight. Yet there’s one really big downside to the city: cost. Washington D.C. is not a cheap city. Meals, hotels, transportation, parking- it is a lot of money. Luckily, there are many great things to do in the city that are free:
Visit the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court is free to enter and there are 40 minute lectures in the main hall for free.
Visit the Capital Building. The Capital offers free tours throughout the day. Tickets are available at 8:30am on a first come first serve basis.
Visit the Smithsonian Museums. All the museums are free and they even have free wi-fi. Two of the museums offer IMAX movies and if you save your stub, you can get a second movie for four dollars.
Visit the Monuments. All the monuments are around the National Mall are free and the better part of a day can be spent seeing them. I’m a big fan of the FDR monument- it’s not that well known, relaxing, and not very crowded.
Visit the National Zoo. As part of the Smithsonian, this zoo is also free.
Take in happy hours. After a long day of walking and sightseeing, you could probably use a nice drink and a meal. Luckily, D.C. is awash with happy hour specials. Head over to Georgetown or DuPont Circle and enjoy great food at a great discount.
Washington D.C. is not always cheap but many of the city’s great activities are free. These activities will keep you busy for a few days, allowing you to see a lot of D.C. and take in the country’s history.
The Culture Shock of Coming Home
I’ve been back in America for about a week and a half now and it’s been a weird transition. Though this is my second time coming back home and it is no less strange. When I first came home after 18 months away, I found America to be a very strange place but more than that I found the concept of “being back” even stranger.
To me, the biggest shock of coming home wasn’t cultural, it was simply the shock of being home. After my first trip, I found it hard to adjust to driving everywhere, to the cost of things, and the quick pace of life here. This time around those things are still an adjustment but so is ordering a small soda the size of my hand, the meals big enough to feed a family of four, the huge cars, the lack of intelligent news networks, and “big box” Wal-Mart stores. I would say my biggest cultural adjustment moment came when it took me a few moments to remember what the value of the coins were.
Yet all that has always paled in comparison to the simple shock of just “being home.” And when travelers talk about adjusting to coming home, we most always are talking about this- for this is the hardest part. When I came home last year, I didn’t really want to see anyone. I was finding it difficult to adjust from such an “on the move” lifestyle to such a sedentary one. Yes, I wanted to see my friends and family but here I had just gotten used to the travel lifestyle, and even though it wasn’t always perfect, it was amazing and then all of sudden with one plane ride, it suddenly stopped. The brakes had been suddenly slammed and that was not easy to deal with.
To quote Benjamin Button about coming home: “It’s a funny thing about comin’ home. Looks the same, smells the same, feels the same. You’ll realize what’s changed is you.” While in D.C., I went and visited the James family from The Wide Wide World and we were talking about this. In the movie “A Map for Saturday,” they discuss this. And when other long term travelers talk to each other, they talk about this. And everyone’s conclusion is eerily the same: Home is wonderful but it feels very different and, in some ways, no longer home and when you try to express that to your friends, they simply can’t relate and don’t understand.
When you tell your friends about your trip, they’re interested but the more detail you give, the more their eyes glaze over. They just want an easy answer. Because the more you go on, the more you just make them a) a bit jealous, b) think they haven’t done as much, though they’ve done different and exciting things, and c) a bored. Any long term traveler who has come home and talked about his trip can testify to eyes glazing over after five minutes. And so when you have this angst about being home, it’s hard for anyone but other travelers to understand. Because it’s a feeling without any words. “Weird” or “surreal” or “unstimulating” are usually the best that we can use to describe it but never fully conveys our thoughts. When you talk to another traveler though, you don’t need words. They just understand. They’ve been through it too.
So the real cultural shock of being is just simply being able to cope with being home. Adjusting back to your culture doesn’t take long. Within a short time, you’ll get back into your groove and remembing the little things you loved. But dealing with leaving the travel lifestyle can take much, much longer and is much, much harder.
