Some Jibber Jabber about Traveling
I find that after traveling a bit, and talking with other solo travellers, you have to be wary of becoming a "bitter and jaded traveller".There are symptoms of this condition and I think if you catch all of them, it´s time to go home:
First, you start to become extremely critical of places and begin to compare one site to another... a mountain, beach, show, museum, etc. and immediately write off a place, saying cynically ¨but it´s better at...¨ You forget to appreciate these places and people for what they, at that moment.
Second, you start to brag about how many countries you´ve seen or how long you´ve been gone. You begin to check off countries like it was some kind of personal list of conquest or it´s a big accomplishment to be away from home for so long. It´s funny to see some travellers who seem to gauge themselves or others on these two things and it´s some kind of weird competition to see who is at the top of the hill.
Third, you begin to have a short attention span. Travelling can be like an addiction, and if you get bored with a place, you just pick up your stuff and go to another city, country or continent. You tend to hit all the sites at once and once you see one thing, you try to see a bigger, better one the next time. As staying in one place cost time and money, there is less opportunity for that sense of exploration and discovery to slowly develope and that being bored is part of life.
Fourth, you start to talk to yourself alot, occasionally having one or two arguments. On the positive side, you always win. On the negative side, you always lose.
Fifth, you find it difficult to form long-term relationships. Since most of time your thoughts are your only company, or you have these short-term and intense friendships which usually last for a few days and as you head one way, your ¨friend¨ heads the other. Traveling is very transitory lifestyle in where you eat, shit and sleep and who you meet.
Sixth, you expect to pay what the locals pay (especially in developing countries). You become extremely frustrated when the locals (who significantly make a lot less than you) pay less and you think it´s unfair that you´re getting ripped off. Guess what, you´re not a local and life isn´t fair. The vendor may determine the price but you determine what you are willing to pay.
Seventh, you travel to avoid going to home and face the ¨real world.¨ Traveling is a very unnatural thing as you are not in a state of rountine and you constantly put yourself or are put in situations, locales, etc. that you would normally not be in at home. In some ways as a traveller, I feel I´m just a vagrant with money.
Eigth, you start to play funny games with yourself like... how many days you can wear the same T-shirt (13 days, how many consecutive meals of gyros I can eat (6) or how long you can fake being Japanese (3 hours).
As I´ve only developed three of these symptoms, I think I can travel a bit more. I'm off to Capetown tomorrow.
First, you start to become extremely critical of places and begin to compare one site to another... a mountain, beach, show, museum, etc. and immediately write off a place, saying cynically ¨but it´s better at...¨ You forget to appreciate these places and people for what they, at that moment.
Second, you start to brag about how many countries you´ve seen or how long you´ve been gone. You begin to check off countries like it was some kind of personal list of conquest or it´s a big accomplishment to be away from home for so long. It´s funny to see some travellers who seem to gauge themselves or others on these two things and it´s some kind of weird competition to see who is at the top of the hill.
Third, you begin to have a short attention span. Travelling can be like an addiction, and if you get bored with a place, you just pick up your stuff and go to another city, country or continent. You tend to hit all the sites at once and once you see one thing, you try to see a bigger, better one the next time. As staying in one place cost time and money, there is less opportunity for that sense of exploration and discovery to slowly develope and that being bored is part of life.
Fourth, you start to talk to yourself alot, occasionally having one or two arguments. On the positive side, you always win. On the negative side, you always lose.
Fifth, you find it difficult to form long-term relationships. Since most of time your thoughts are your only company, or you have these short-term and intense friendships which usually last for a few days and as you head one way, your ¨friend¨ heads the other. Traveling is very transitory lifestyle in where you eat, shit and sleep and who you meet.
Sixth, you expect to pay what the locals pay (especially in developing countries). You become extremely frustrated when the locals (who significantly make a lot less than you) pay less and you think it´s unfair that you´re getting ripped off. Guess what, you´re not a local and life isn´t fair. The vendor may determine the price but you determine what you are willing to pay.
Seventh, you travel to avoid going to home and face the ¨real world.¨ Traveling is a very unnatural thing as you are not in a state of rountine and you constantly put yourself or are put in situations, locales, etc. that you would normally not be in at home. In some ways as a traveller, I feel I´m just a vagrant with money.
Eigth, you start to play funny games with yourself like... how many days you can wear the same T-shirt (13 days, how many consecutive meals of gyros I can eat (6) or how long you can fake being Japanese (3 hours).
As I´ve only developed three of these symptoms, I think I can travel a bit more. I'm off to Capetown tomorrow.
posted by Louis at 9:50 PM
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