Travel Bums

A dear friend of mine has something against travelers. "They're leeches!" he says, "bums!"

I agree to some extent. Traveling for extended periods of time has left me at times jaded and mortified at the behaviour of my Western comrades. In fact, the whole issue of travel; that is, the fact that we can, sometimes wreaks havoc with my ethical self. But that's for another post.

I've seen my fair share of dread-headed trustafarians waxing on about having 'done' this place or that. And there are an abundance of people using countries as party venues. Did you know you can book a "mystery destination" through Club Med?

On the other hand, the idea of bumming around the world is kind of appealing, in a totally self-indulgent kind of way. Jumping in a car and driving into the sunset, stopping at greasy truck stops along the way, or stuffing a bag and buying a plane ticket to somewhere where nobody knows my name, let alone speaks my language, is the stuff of my fantasies.

So how do you deal with this dilemma?

In my experience, and from the discussions I've had with other travelers, there are a few things everyone who wants to travel with a conscience can do, and everyone who travels without one should. These may be perfectly obvious to you, especially if you've done any traveling before, but they bear being listed out just in case.

First, and most perfectly obvious, study up on where you're going. Learn about the history and current political economy of the country/region you're going to visit (Wikipedia is a good place to start). Learn what tourism is doing to the economy, environment, and people there. Talk to nationals if you can, or at least people who have spent some time there. At least learn the name of the head of state. A brilliant way to do this that doesn't seem like studying, and is also a fantastic way to get inspired on where to go is by reading fiction. Google "fiction" + the country you're thinking of going to, or see the links on this blog.

Second, if they don't speak English there, learn the basics. Hello, Goodbye, Please and Thank you are all a good start. This will not only make things easier for you but more importantly shows that you give a shit about where you are. Expect to be laughed at at first, but in a nice way. If you're really serious about learning the language, take a class before you go, or even better, once you get there.

Third, get the hell off the tourist trail. Meet the locals (this is much easier if you do the step above). But don't just gawk, engage in conversation. Share stories about your country. Better yet, volunteer. You don't have to arrange this beforehand, by the way. Just get over there, get over yourself and swallow your timidity, and ask someone what you can do to help. There's always something to do in every country around the world. Keep asking until you find it. There's nothing inherently wrong with meeting other travelers, and it can certainly be a highlight of your trip, but nothing beats meeting the people who are so generously offering up their homeland for you to bum around in.

But really, just traveling in the first place will teach you all of this. So get the hell outta dodge.

Could I? (Or more importantly, Would I?)

This is where the excuses and or truth happen. If you really want to know if you could take this trip, you need to do two things:

1. Take out a piece of paper. Draw a line down the middle. Write down all the things that are preventing you from leaving tomorrow on the left hand side. Leave space between each item. Your list might look like this, without the bits in parentheses:
1. Job (have one)
2. Money (don't have any)
3. Kids (er, would miss the wee buggers)
2. On the right hand side, write down things that would relieve you of these responsibilities. It doesn't matter if you would/could/should do them, just write them out, and picture, realistically, what would happen with each scenario. For example:
1. Job
• Quit (Could you? What would happen if you did? Would the company fold without you? Would you freak out being unemployed for awhile? Would this mean you could never get a job again? Would the gaps on your resume improve or hurt your future job prospects? Would you miss it? Could you quit now? In a year? In 6 months? 3 months?)
• Take a sabbatical/ask for a leave of absence
• Get a job in a foreign country
• Ask for a transfer
  
2. Money
• Save (Could you save up $3000? $5000? $10,000? How long would it take you? What could you do without in order to save? How much do you need to pay to debts vs. pay to your travel savings?)
• Spend existing savings
• Borrow (Note: this is one thing I strongly discourage. If you can only borrow from a bank or other professional lender I downright prohibit it. Plus, if you have to pay a loan back anyway, why not make payments to yourself before you go, i.e. save? That being said, if you have a loaded Aunt Nelly who is happy to share, and are having trouble prioritizing saving for travel but have always been diligent with paying people back, you could possibly consider this option, especially if all other signs point to 'gotta go right now' - e.g. you have no other hindrances like a job/school/house/family)
3. Kids
• Take them with you (kids make fantastic traveling companions; they are the spoonful of sugar that eases every cultural hiccup. Expect many offers of free accommodation, babysitting and meals. I've seen families of all sizes, from a single mom with a seven year old to a full family of five with a pregnant mom)
• Leave some or all of them at home (okay, this sounds cruel, but write down every option - it will help you decide what you won't do too)
  
• Send them to summer camp
• Move or do a work exchange to another country, and bring them.

What you're going to get out of this exercise is, hopefully, a way (or a few ways) where you could actually make this work. Circle the options you could do. Write them out if you like. And there you go, that is how you could do it. Of course, you may not like what you've put down. Which leads us to...

Would I?

This is really what it comes down to. People who want to travel, travel. They prioritize traveling above all else. This may not be you, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with this! If you completed the exercise above and came out with a way to travel but feel terrible about it (lose my beloved job! leave little Sally at home! Break up with Bob!), then traveling, right now, might not be for you. Or it might, on a toned down level for now. What I want to emphasize is that it's almost never about Could I, but Would I.

If you're having trouble with the Would I bit, go back and really visualize yourself having already completed each of the items in column 2. Do they feel good? Do they feel horrible? It might be time to reevaluate your dream of traveling long term. Or it might be time to just do it.