Rolf Potts's Blog, page 22

Easing In: How to Lessen Culture Shock in new Surroundings

Vagablogging :: Rolf Potts Vagabonding Blog

Wham! After being in transit for so long, that fresh outside air smacks you in the face when you finally step outside of the airport and take that first deep breath of non-circulated stale airplane air. It took forever to get here. After hours and hours you got to the airport, flew on the plane (or for many of us-planes plural), went to more airports, made it through customs, got jostled at baggage claim and finally arrived at your destination. That combination of being completely spent, confused over time changes and excitement for that journey to get underway usually ends in a flop on a bed or a cup of something to pop open those dreary eyelids and jump start the adventure. How do you manage to enjoy your surroundings and embrace the new cultures in front of you without an enormous freak out of culture shock? How do you ease in and lessen the shock to your new surroundings?

Many of us don’t have the time that we’d like to be able to slow travel and take the time we’d want to get fully used to a place and ease in at our own pace. Still, there are things to do to make it easier regardless of time. What if your tour starts the day after you arrive in a country where you do not speak the language? What if you’ve decided to jump in with both feet and take months to immerse yourself in a new land and culture without much research or planning? What if you are not accustomed to huge changes all at once and are starting to feel a bit overwhelmed? Do we find you folded in a ball on the bed or are you ready to attack the day no matter the risk? For those of us who want to greet the day head on and struggle regularly to resist the urge of the fetal position on that bed that is no longer the reclining seat in front of the bathroom in economy class, here are a few tips to make the culture shock as easy as possible.

Take your time: There’s no rush and no deadlines…you can get there at your own pace.
Find your accommodation, grab a business card with address and phone number (in local language/script) in case of emergency and head out for a wander: Let yourself get used to the sights, sounds and scents of your new surroundings…you’ll be amazed at how much better you’ll begin to feel.
Speak to those at reception at your accommodation: They can often help you get started on a path that works for you.
Find a local supermarket, farmers market, street vendors or grocer and take a look at what’s available: The familiar will intertwine with the new and different in a most comforting way.
Grab a snack and a drink and head to a public space to people watch and take in your surroundings: Getting to see life first hand will start to increase your comfort level.
If you can, connect with a local guide who can take you on a tour of his/her home culture and lessen the culture shock you might be feeling: Hearing an individual’s perspective of how they view their own culture will lessen the fears you brought along for the journey; you’ll be surprised at how quickly they start to fade away.
Interact with locals in a place of comfort (food store, hostel, restaurant, park): Remember you don’t even have to speak the language to be able to learn to communicate with others.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help!: Remember this and embrace it along the way.

We’ve all been in the situation at one point or another in our traveler lives. Whether we’ve been the local on the street to help the visitor with a map and directions or the lost soul relying on the kindness of those very strangers we’ve been for others, it’s safe to say that all of us have come out on the other side. Remember, not all places are the same to the ones in which you’ve grown up. I mean, really, if they were, why would you go? Embrace the diversity and keep in mind that we are all more alike than we are different. You will learn as much if not more from the people and place you’re in than they will learn from you. Share what makes us similar and learn about the differences. Take in what the culture has to offer…you’re bound to see the world with new and open eyes IF and when you decide it’s time to leave.

For more of Stacey’s musings, check out her website.

Original article can be found here: Easing In: How to Lessen Culture Shock in new Surroundings

The Future of Travel?

Vagablogging :: Rolf Potts Vagabonding Blog

Google Cardboard

I just spend the last 3 and a half days trying to get from Rapid City to Bangkok. Due to the Polar Vortex (or whatever they’re calling it this year), massive storms blew through RC and Denver, dropping off a foot of snow and plummeting the temperatures. Flights were canceled, delayed and connections were missed. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining or venting. Matter of fact, I’m not upset about it – it’s just an experience that is fresh in my mind.

Then, while browsing through photos my photos from this summer, I came across the one above – of the Google Cardboard contraption. If you don’t know that that is – basically it’s a Oculus Rift headset built from a piece of cardboard, 2 lenses and your smartphone. Don’t know what an Oculus Rift is? It’s an advanced virtual reality headset that creates stereoscopic (3-D) images, extends beyond your field of vision (you can’t see the edges of the screen) and has sensors so everything moves as you move your head around. Do a search on YouTube – it’s amazing and hilarious to watch people wearing it react to their virtual environment (like these). This is the VR we were promised when we were kids.

That’s when it hit me – is this the future of travel? Soon it will be difficult to differentiate between real and virtual environments. Imagine being able to go anywhere and everywhere in seconds. Being able to intereact with people anywhere on the globe – and not being limited to a little Skype window. Co-existing in an environment – being able to look into each other’s eyes – key off of each other’s body language. Sharing the experience of seeing incredible wonders. Avoiding long, uncomfortable flights (not to mention the reduction in carbon footprint).

Yeah, it’s far from perfect. Much of the fun and experience of travel is just getting to where you’re going. Learning to deal with the issues you encounter and remaining flexible to overcome them. Plus, I can’t imagine breaking bread with people would be nearly as enjoyable in a digital environment. Unless they figure out some way to replicate smell, taste and texture. It would be like exploring the world via Google Images or YouTube, but totally immersive.

I’ll be clear – I believe I’d prefer “real” travel. Then again, much of my travel is driven by either adventure oriented (seeing if I’m capable of a journey) or breaking bread with friends. I’m less drawn to monuments, sites and structures. I can imagine using it to replace the other travel I do – business trips, collaboration, brainstorming.

I’m excited for where this technology will go – what it will enable. I don’t believe it would be a replacement for “real” experiences. It would leave more time for the travel that we enjoy most. More time to get lost and meander. More time to explore.

What do you think? Is this growing technology going to become a part of your travel experience, or is it blasphemy?

–

Chris Plough writes and podcasts at oznog.com, where he shares stories and advice from his adventures and from the incredible people that he’s met along the way. You can also follow him on twitter: @chrisplough.

Original article can be found here: The Future of Travel?

Bad days and their positive impact

Vagablogging :: Rolf Potts Vagabonding Blog

Travel, for me, has always been an amazing journey into the discovery of what connects us all as human beings. Travel is also hard, exhausting, and seriously trying on the nerves at times. The dichotomy that exists within the experience of traveling is part of what makes it so worthwhile. It’s this dichotomy that forces us to really reflect on Below are my top five worst travel experiences, paired with the the most positive takeaway from each experience. Travel may be difficult, but it is certainly still worth it.

5. The day the car broke down at the amusement park. This one may seem like it wouldn’t be such a big deal but when it’s a group of high schoolers, with no money, who find their car to be utterly incapable of starting after a day riding roller coasters, the scenario looks a little more grim.

After prom (one I did not attend), my friends and I headed to an amusement park to celebrate. We drove two cars and arrived with no incident. Ten hours or so later, we headed back to the parking lot to find one of the ancient vehicles we drove across the state, completely dead. Imagine that. We tried jumping it, we tried starting it, over and over. As it became clear that we were not going anywhere, tempers started to flare and the blame game began. Ten teenagers were standing in the parking lot trying to figure out how to fix this and no one had any good ideas.  After much debating we called two parents to come rescue us and spent the late night ride home complaining and blaming. We would find out later that it was the starter that had gone bad, nothing anyone could really have predicted. That incident would flavor our friendships and conversations for the rest of the school year- a couple of people even stopped talking for a while because of what happened. In fact, it’s still a topic that comes up whenever more than two of us end up in a room together.

Positive take away: Problem solving. Between the ages of 16 and 18, none of us was very skilled at calm, effective problem solving. We did our best to get ourselves out of a sticky situation but the reality is that this became a serious learning experience for all of us. With no adults around, we were left to our own devices to figure out a plan. It was messy, not very nice, and involved a lot of drama. As an adult, I realize how important this process was, even the uncomfortable aftermath of so much blame being thrown around. Kids need space to figure out their own messes as often as possible. We definitely got practice in that area, the day the car broke down at the amusement park.

4. Getting stung by a scorpion in the middle of the night. I rolled over in bed one night and jumped up, screaming. In my half-awake state I had no idea what had happened but my leg was on fire. A quick inspection of the bed uncovered a scorpion and suddenly, the pain made sense. This wouldn’t have even been that bad if getting stung by a scorpion hadn’t been on my list of travel fears and if it hadn’t happened IN MY BED. There is something extra awful about being woken up from a sound sleep by a sharp shooting pain caused by an uninvited guest. The stuff nightmares are made of.

Positive take away: Shake your sheets out before you go to bed. Not exactly philosophical but seriously valuable lesson for any traveler. Oh, and checking your shoes isn’t a bad idea either.

3. The day nothing went right. You may be surprised but this was not one day, it is a “day” that happens over and over the longer I travel. Surprised? I didn’t really think so.

The bus arrives 6 hours late, the air conditioning stops working, I see a dead man on the street (not kidding here, people), I slam my thumb between the boat and the dock so badly my ring is embedded in my finger (and a Mayan man wants to use his teeth to get it off), the vegetarian lunch I ordered to make myself feel better comes topped with bacon, the border control agent is about as far from reasonable as one man can get, my quick run to the local market takes over five hours and I miss the Skype call I have been waiting for, it pours so hard that every bag I was carrying starts to break and shred into very unhelpful pieces, and when I finally arrive back “home”, I find that another hostel guest has eaten the food I was planning on preparing for dinner.

We’ve all had those days. The days where we think there would be nothing better than to be home, in a house we never leave, tucked safely into bed, with a cup of tea, as we watch the rain coming down on the other side of a very handy window. It’s these moments when we might think travel isn’t worth it. Not for this. This sucks.

Positive take away: I am stronger than I think I am. Even on the hardest of days, I always get through. It may not go smoothly, but I get through it. Usually I end these days by collapsing into my bed, eating chocolate, or crying until I laugh. But the next day, I am always, up, ready to go again, and once again surprised by my ability to get through the toughest of days. Knowing what I can handle makes me love myself a little more… and that’s never a bad thing.

2. Needing surgery in Nicaragua. I was in El Salvador when a painful boil started to develop and I realized I was going to need medical attention. Since we were moving on soon, I decided to self-treat for a few days, see if it got any better, and go to see a doctor first thing when we arrived in Nicaragua if it didn’t. Well, it didn’t. And after a very uncomfortable boat ride across the border and the longest immigration process I have ever experienced, we found ourselves seeking a hotel that had bathtubs in the bathrooms and a doctor that I felt comfortable taking medial advice from. The first doctor was a no-go and I started to panic that I would not be able to find someone to help me. After a call to our travel insurance company, we decided to seek a second opinion at a hospital in the capital. Further research told me that the hospital we were headed to was “the best in Central America”. Things were looking up. We traveled the distance by cab (a hefty expense on our limited budget) and arrived at the ER. After a brief exam I was told I had staph and needed surgery. Right away. Not exactly my idea of a fun travel experience and certainly the most pain I had been in in a long time.

Positive take away: Health care around the world is not scary. While having surgery in a foreign country doesn’t top my list of things to do, I must admit that my experience was generally a positive one. My doctor was patient, knowledgeable, and kind. The nurses were as well. My surgery went quickly and smoothly and I had no pain afterwards, despite warnings that I would. Not every hospital is as wonderful as the one I was admitted to. Not every person has access to the best care their country has to offer. However, the notion that quality health care does not exist outside of Western borders is a fallacy. Good to know.

1. Getting Robbed in Guatemala. Never have I been so scared as when a man with a machete stopped us on a path in the middle of nowhere and told my husband to hand over his money. I knew instinctively to freeze and remain utterly calm but in the few seconds it took for my husband to hand over his wallet and for the man to run away, I thought of every awful thing that could happen on a secluded path, on a mountain, with a desperate man wielding a machete. Thankfully neither of us was hurt but our nerves and our faith in humanity was shaken that day. Never again do I want to feel that fear.

Positive take away: The ability to recognize the humanity in someone who does wrong by us. After arriving safely in the next town, we realized quickly that the man who had robbed us had taken nothing but money. Our entire backpacks, our camera, and my own wallet were all left untouched. Upon further reflection we also realized that he had never actually pointed the machete at us- we had been scared enough by its presence. As we talked we realized that the man who had robbed us had not been cruel or violent- he was desperate. You see we were robbed at the end of rainy season. None of the locals had been getting much regular work and coffers were drying up. Families were hungry. The man with the machete was also likely a husband and father in a country where social safety nets are not the norm. Suddenly, we could identify and empathize with the man who robbed us. Were we happy we were robbed? No…. and yes. It is a powerful thing to feel empathy for another human being who has wronged you- to see the humanity in your attacker. It was a valuable lesson and one we carry with us.

As an added bonus, we also realized, with utter clarity, that material possessions are absolutely unimportant to us. We would have given up everything we had in a heartbeat if asked. Knowing this to be true with such clarity has been truly freeing.

All travelers have bad days. What’s important is, as much as possible,  to not let the negative overshadow the positive. What have been some of your worst travel experiences? Have you gained any positive insights from those bad days?

Original article can be found here: Bad days and their positive impact

Magic Bus: On the Hippie Trail From Istanbul to India

Vagablogging :: Rolf Potts Vagabonding Blog

This book found me, not the other way around. Tucked between a hat from the Karen region in the north of Thailand, an Indian pashmina and a pile of silk and cotton shawls plucked from market stalls across Indonesia. I pulled a long, tie dyed piece from the depths of the cardboard box, draped it over my shoulder, and gently picked up the book: The Magic Bus: On the Hippie Trail from Istanbul to India The treasures were selections made by my friend Chris on his last winter wander through Southeast Asia. We’d traded stories and laughs late into the night before and in the morning, he appeared with his trove of tangible memories and insisted I choose something as a souvenir of our friendship. I chose the scarf, and the book.

Rory MacLean is a magician. His story weaves past into present in a way that simultaneoulsy makes the reader long for the good ol’ days and celebrate the present journey. If the early days of hippie travel, overland between Istanbul and India sing to your soul, read this book. With an amazingly lucid eye he examines the often romanticized era and ties the strings between those first intrepid journeys into parts of the world that were relatively unexplored by western travelers and the resultant changes, for better or for worse. His stories made me long to camp in the caves near Cappadocia, and renewed my desire to walk, alone, across Iran. If you’re looking for a winter escape, may I suggest hopping on the Magic Bus and reliving a journey that defined a generation of travelers?

Original article can be found here: Magic Bus: On the Hippie Trail From Istanbul to India

Foreign reporting can be depressingly narrow

Vagablogging :: Rolf Potts Vagabonding Blog

“Out in the great wide world, foreign reporting can be depressingly narrow, especially in the post-9/11 climate. Sometimes it seems as if there are only two possible subjects for stories: people we should fear and people we should pity. But those aren’t the individuals I met while living abroad.”

–Peter Hessler, Strange Stones: Dispatches from East and West (2013)

Original article can be found here: Foreign reporting can be depressingly narrow

Review of new Grayl Quest cup

Vagablogging :: Rolf Potts Vagabonding Blog

What if you could filter water in 15 seconds or less by simply pressing down? What if that motion also purified your water so it was delicious enough to drink?

Water’s a big deal when you’re traveling. In a matter of a few gulps, you could jeopardize your health. That’s why purifying water on the road is so important. But shaking, pumping, waiting, squeezing to purify your water can take a while.

Especially when you’re so thirsty even mud-water looks yummy.

What’s why Grayl cup was invented. It purifies water like working a French press. Push down. Clean water rises up in the inner cup. What’s even better? A clear, plastic cup that purifies your water, switches filters easily, and works like a mug so you can drink your freshly-pressed clean water.

Enter the new Grayl Quest cup.

Disclaimer: the nice folks at Grayl were generous enough to send me their newly launched Grayl Quest cup with some filters to test out.

What’s different in the new Quest cup?

Unlike it’s predecessor — the Legend — the Quest comes with a clear outside cup. So now you can fill up the outer cup with water and easily see the water line. The Legend is a hybrid design of stainless steel inner cup with a hard-plastic outer cup.

Plus, the Legend was all stainless steel and almost 4.5 ounces heavier than Quest. Fill that stainless steel up with water, and suddenly your cup adds some substantial weight to your bag.

With the Quest, that heavy-duty plastic takes weight off where it matters.

Three types of filters

Not only did Grayl add another cup to their line, but they also added another filter. Now you have three filters to choose from:

tap;
trail;
travel.

Each one is designed for different uses.

Tap filter

The tap filter is designed for urban uses. It removes many chemicals and heavy metals that may affect flavor, odor and health. Filters water in 7 seconds. Best used for traveling in developed countries where the water doesn’t taste as lovely as bottled.

Trail filter

Hitting the back woods? Take this filter with. It’s crafted to fight the protozoan cysts and waterborne bacteria found in mountain streams. It removed 99.99% of bacteria like salmonella. Filters water in 15 seconds.

Travel filter

Specially suited for the uncertainty found in traveling the world. It removed 99.99% of viruses like Hepatitis A, bacteria and protozoan cysts like salmonella and Giardia. And the filter is derived from coconut husks to filter and absorb odors and flavors from the water. Filters water in 30 seconds. Call it your best friend in times of need.

What I like about Grayl Quest

Rubber-ribbed bottom: when the motion to filter water is repeatedly pushing down, the last thing you need is your cup sliding across a slick counter. Not with this cup. A well-portioned rubber lip lines the bottom of the cup. It didn’t budge when I put it down on a wet spot and pushed down — hard! — to filter.
Mug-like drinking capability: I’m not a fan of sucking on straws. I like a coffee mug with a slot in the top. Now my water filterer has that slot.
Flip-lock lid: a little button clicks the drinking spot closed. Flip the cup upside down and the water inside doesn’t spill. Or leak out. Or do anything. It stays inside the cup like it should.
Dishwasher safe: self-explanatory.
How quickly it filters: I filtered about three rounds of water, one right after the other. Total time: 3 minutes tops. Longest part was filling the outer cup with water.
Drink or pour out: fill up a Nalgene, a Platypus SoftBottle, or your neighbor’s empty glass. Or guzzle the clean water and fill it immediately back up.
Interchangeable filters: travel filter fits both Quest and Legend cups. And you can swap filters in less than 5 seconds — if you’re in that type of scenario where you need to.
Feels sturdy: my gear needs to withstand the rigors of the road — prolonged exposure to me. The hard plastic outer cup feels like it could take a beating and still look good. The whole cup feels durable. I like that.
Delicious-tasting water: self-explanatory.

What I don’t like about Grayl Quest

Fill-to water line on plastic is faint: it’s a light etching in the plastic. It’s a little hard to see unless you hold it up to the light.

The time to come clean.

There’s nothing big I don’t like about Grayl Quest.

Nothing that would prevent me from buying Grayl. Nothing that makes me hesitate. Even the prices and expected life (about 3 months) for the filters seem reasonable. In fact, I wish I had this cup while backpacking through Europe. It would have saved me hundreds of dollars on bottled water and filled up dozens of Nalgenes.

I can’t wait to take it on my next trip — whether it’s to a city, mountain, or misty lands far beyond. Well done, Grayl.

Laura blogs at Waiting To Be Read where she talks about why thinking is a dying sport, gives you new awesome books to read, and how pursuing perfection damages you.

Original article can be found here: Review of new Grayl Quest cup

Signs of Confusion

Vagablogging :: Rolf Potts Vagabonding Blog

One afternoon late last year, I went out for lunch at a restaurant not far from the south Thailand guesthouse where I’d been staying. My landlady ran the place, and on this day she seemed particularly pleased to see me. “We have new English menu!” she exclaimed, presenting me with a glossy list of entrees.

I took a seat and scanned the menu, which listed the kinds of dishes I’d always eaten there—red curry, paad thai, tom yam. Then, amidst the standard delicacies, I noticed a dish I’d never before sampled in this part of the world: FRIED RICE WITH CRAP.

Concerned, I took the menu over to my landlady. “I think this dish is a mistake,” I told her.

“Oh, no!” she replied brightly. “We make seafood for you!  Fresh from water!”

I gave my landlady a skeptical look. “But surely ‘crap’ is not what you meant to write.”

“Yes, crap! Very delicious!”

I considered this. “Do you by chance mean ‘carp’?”

“No!” she laughed. “Crap!” She splayed her hands and mimicked the scuttling movement of a crustacean.

“Oh, you mean crab. C-R-A-B. Not C-R-A-P.”

“Yes!” she said, handing the menu back to me. “Crab. Both sound same to me.” Then, almost as an afterthought, she asked: “What means ‘crap’?”

This was not the first time I’d chanced into such an awkwardly comical situation in Thailand. At the central market in Ranong, one could buy packets of “COCK CONDITIONING PILLS” (which I very much hope are for roosters), and the local supermarket did fast trade in a brand of toilet paper called “Sit and Smile.” Perhaps most notably, however, a toy vendor along the main street sold packs of tiny plastic animals that came with a sober warning for parents: “BE CAREFUL OF BEING EATEN BY SMALL CHILDREN.”

To be sure, Thailand holds no monopoly on poorly translated English. Some years ago, a series of forwarded e-mails made the rounds, describing bizarre signs posted in Kenyan restaurants (“Customers who find our waitresses rude ought to see the manager”), Norwegian cocktail lounges (“Ladies are requested not to have children in the bar”), and Russian monasteries (“You are welcome to visit the cemetery where famous Russian artists and writers are buried daily except Thursday”). A similar round of emails celebrated the linguistic gaffes that resulted when American corporations introduced new slogans into foreign markets. In Mexico, for example, “Got Milk?” translated into the decidedly un-hip slogan, “Are You Lactating?”

No doubt this tradition of global mistranslation goes back to the days when Greek and Roman tourists frequented the sights of Anatolia and Egypt (one can imagine shaky Latin letters scrawled onto papyrus outside an Alexandria dry-cleaner: “Let us put happiness in your toga!”), but the modern practice of publicly butchering English can be traced back to the American occupation of post-war Japan in the 1940s and ‘50s. There,  amidst the sudden rush to emulate all things Western, G.I.‘s were able to buy tubes of “Snot” brand toothpaste, and the Japanese brass band that played at General MacArthur’s election reputedly commissioned a banner that read: “We pray for General MacArthur’s erection.” To this day, Japan still leads the world in mistranslated English (see Engrish.com for a splendid collection).

Other societies are rapidly catching up to the Japanese example, however, mainly in proportion to how fast they modernize. Korea, where I lived for two years as an English teacher in the late ‘90s (“Praise the Load!” read posters for my school’s Bible club), boasts a fine tradition of mangling the English language. Indeed, as both a Koreaphile and a former EFL educator, I didn’t know whether to be inspired or horrified in 2002, when the red-clad South Korean World Cup team stormed into the semifinals, and (according to news reports) 5 million soccer-crazed Koreans went out and bought T-shirts that exulted: “BE THE REDS!”

If there is a growth market in dodgy English, however, look no further than China, where one billion increasingly globalized citizens will soon start translating area signage into English in anticipation of the 2008 Olympics. Brian Baker, a fellow Kansas émigré who spent a year teaching English in China, once found the following tourist information posted in a Wuhan statue park:

1. The tourists must care for the statues, consciously avoid carving,  writing, climbing, and damnification. Trying to be a civilized citizen.

2. The tourists climbing the statues must be fined from 5-50 yuan.

3. The tourists carving or scratching the statues must be fined from 50-500 yuan.

4. The tourists making a breakage for the statues’ instruments must be fined 1000-5000 yuan.

5. The tourists making a breakage for the second half of the statue must be fined 2000-8000 yuan.

6. The tourists making a breakage for the first half of the statue (without the face) must be charged 3000-10000 yuan.

One can imagine tourists sizing up such vandalism options with the kind of anticipation usually reserved for fine wine lists (“Ooh look, honey, let’s make a breakage for the statues’ instruments—it’s totally within our price range!”).

Brian’s most vivid experience with Chinese English, however, came in a provincial grocery store. “There,” he reports, “between the Natural Powdered Jellyfish and the Yak Ham, I saw what looked, to my hungry eyes,  to be a package of sliced turkey. Imagine my surprise when, upon closer inspection, the label clearly read: ‘CHOICE AROMATIC LION BUTT.’ I still can’t imagine what Chinese-English dictionary yielded that monstrosity of translation.”

The potential flip side to all this, of course, lies in the recent Western vogue for Chinese characters on clothing and skin art. As a case in point, I once bought a T-shirt that, according to the vendor, featured the Chinese symbol for “Lucky.” It wasn’t until months later that a Hong Kong friend informed me that it wasn’t even close to “Lucky”—that it really meant “Super.” Had it read “Dork,” or “Kick Me,” I would have been none the wiser. Similarly, all the hipsters who went out and got Chinese ideogram tattoos over the past decade could be in for a nasty surprise if they ever travel to China. After all, a “Crouching Tiger” buttock tattoo purchased in good faith in Seattle might eventually be revealed as provincial slang for “Impotent,” and a Melbourne tattoo artist who designs stylized “Freedom” ideograms might accidentally miss a stroke and send his clients off with a symbol that means, say, “Adult Diapers.”

Beneath the dangers of dabbling in other languages, of course, lies an optimistic truth: that, regardless of syntactic differences, the basic human meanings behind our languages remain the same. After all, “Sit and Smile” is indeed a desirable activity after having used toilet paper, and even the most diabolical of restauranteurs wouldn’t literally serve you fried rice with crap.

To be on the safe side, however, I think I’ll stick to the red curry and tom yam

 

Originally published by World Hum, Dec. 3 2004

Original article can be found here: Signs of Confusion

Vagabonding Case Study: Jonathan Look, Jr.

Vagablogging :: Rolf Potts Vagabonding Blog

Jonathan Look, Jr.

lifepart2.com

Age: 53

Hometown: Conroe, Texas

Quote:  Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. – Mark Twain

(It is on my business card)

How did you find out about Vagabonding, and how did you find it useful before and during the trip?

I was already planning my retirement adventure when I came across Rolf’s book. It was so beautifully written and elegant that I couldn’t put it down. It acted as confirmation that I was on the right track, that the world is indeed waiting and that I wasn’t alone in my desire to be part of something bigger.

How long were you on the road? In 2011 I took early retirement, sold all of my belongings, and began my travels. My plan is to base in new locations, a year at a time, and explore from my base. Since retirement I have lived in Mexico, Cambodia and I am currently living in Thailand. Since I began this adventure I have since visited about 15 countries. Besides the three places I have based and the ones I have only briefly visited, I have spent fairly long periods of time in Burma, Indonesia, Laos and even Bhutan. Currently I am and intend to continue moving and traveling

Where did you go? Before I retired, because of the limited amount of time that I (like most Americans) received, I only vacationed a week or maybe two at a time. I mostly went to Europe, Mexico and Australia a few times. Overall I have been to almost 50 countries but I never really knew any of them until I started long term “Vagabonding”.

What was your job or source of travel funding for this journey? I was an air traffic controller for 25 years. Even though it is somewhat reduced I consider myself to be lucky to be among the few people that get a pension anymore.

Did you work or volunteer on the road? Since I began my travels I have been working hard to improve my photography and writing skills. It is getting to the point to where sometimes I actually make some money from that. I have also volunteered helping to build schools in Mexico and I helped teach social media skills to kids in Cambodia.

Of all the places you visited, which was your favorite?

Not be non-committal but I can’t really say I have a favorite. Everyplace has its charms and its challenges. My favorite types of places to base are ones that haven’t really hit the “big time” as far as being on the tourist RADAR but still offer at least a fundamental amount of infrastructure and interest. As travelling to a place I love it all, and want to see it all. I enjoy staying in nice hotels but I have spent more than my share of nights in train stations and on night busses. To me, eating street food with a banana leaf as a plate is as enjoyable as fancy dining in a five star restaurant. The best part is being able to move between these different spheres and be at ease in any of them.

Was there a place that was your least favorite, or most disappointing, or most challenging?

Not really. Places are what they are and disappointment only comes when you put unrealistic expectations on them.

Which travel gear proved most useful?  Least useful?

The more I travel the more I find that, there are things that make travel easier but, there really are few necessities. To make things easier I always take a Cambodian cotton kroma (scarf) or a sarong with me. They don’t take much room and come in handy for everything from wiping away sweat, as a head covering, as a small ground covering, cleaning my camera lenses and many more things. I take a few carabineers not only to attach things to my luggage or backpack, but to attach my things to something more solid when I am in places that require a little vigilance to ensure they don’t “walk off”. If I can, depending on whether I am flying with check bags or not, I carry a Swiss Army Knife. A smartphone is always handy for everything from looking at maps, checking for accommodation and restaurants, checking emails or even as a torch (flashlight).

The least useful things are usually ones that are bulky and only have one purpose. A huge neck pillow is one thing that comes to mind. Nice while you are on a bus or an airplane but pretty useless otherwise.

What are the rewards of the vagabonding lifestyle?

Getting to know the world is very important and I think everyone should make the effort to make it happen, but the biggest reward is getting to know yourself. You gain confidence by overcoming challenges. You find the edges of your comfort zones and expand them. You learn that your problems, no matter how big they are, don’t make you unique or special. You learn patience, equanimity and compassion. You also get to know a lot of people face to face, not as some obscure abstract constructed by the media or our imagination.

What are the challenges and sacrifices of the vagabonding lifestyle?

Living in different cultures can sometimes be a bit disorienting and on occasion frustrating. There are a 1,000 different ways to do many things and the one that we happened to learn is not necessarily the best. The biggest challenge is learning flexible ways of thinking and letting go of preconceptions and biases. Sure there are roadblocks and frustrations, but life becomes a lot easier when you let go of the frustrations, find ways around the roadblocks and quit fretting about it.

I am not sure I see many sacrifices. You make your best choices and move forward from there. Seeing anything as a “sacrifice” implies that you are grasping to something that isn’t in your immediate reach and that is suffering. I don’t like to suffer.

What lessons did you learn on the road?

Wisdom and education are two different things.  The biggest difference between people and their position in life is opportunity. Hard work and luck certainly makes a difference, but without the opportunity for success and knowing that hard work will likely be rewarded, the chances for success are greatly limited.

I also learned that while I am special, I am no more special or better than anyone else. We are all special and everyone, especially those that have lived vastly different lives, can teach us a lot about ourselves.

How did your personal definition of “vagabonding” develop over the course of the trip?

To me vagabonding is about living in the moment, free from the trap of expectations and living the life you discover to the fullest. As I like to say, I don’t want to sip life from a straw, I want to gulp it from a fire hose.

If there was one thing you could have told yourself before the trip, what would it be?

Get rid of excess baggage. Everyone operates better, both physically and mentally, when their burden is light.

Any advice or tips for someone hoping to embark on a similar adventure?

Life goes on while you are making plans. Do it as soon as you can. There is no perfect moment to begin. Beginning is the important part.

When and where do you think you’ll take your next long-term journey?

I am not ready to leave Asia permanently at this point but it is getting to be time to find a new base. I am considering moving to Laos early next year. Over the next several months I have plans to travel to Nepal, India, China, Vietnam and many other places in the region. I have signed up for the London Marathon next spring and as an adjunct to that hope to spend some time getting to know Europe better.  I am also planning another USA road trip of a few months next year. I like to plan a little but nothing is off the table and you never know when serendipity will offer up something new.

Read more about Jonathan on his blog, Lifepart2.com , or follow him on Facebook and Twitter

Website: Lifepart2
Twitter: @LifePartII




 

Are you a Vagabonding reader planning, in the middle of, or returning from a journey? Would you like your travel blog or website to be featured on Vagabonding Case Studies? If so, drop us a line at casestudies@vagabonding.net and tell us a little about yourself.

Original article can be found here: Vagabonding Case Study: Jonathan Look, Jr.

5 ways in which working travel is very different from the “gap year”

Vagablogging :: Rolf Potts Vagabonding Blog

The other day a reader told me she had saved up for a gap-year of travel. She said that she hadn’t yet decided whether or not to do some remote contract work while traveling or not.

In my opinion, she was right to think decisively about the matter, because there are two very different types of travel she can experience. Traveling with a goal to work as you go is very different than taking a year off to collect incredible travel experiences.

Don’t get me wrong; one is not better and one is not worse…just different. Let’s look at how.

5 ways working-as-you-go travel is different than a gap year:

1.) You can move more quickly during a gap-year.

When you’re trying to work as you go, it’s very much like anyone else’s work life in that you’ll have work-days and off-days. Luckily, you can schedule the work days and off days according to your travel whims, but it often means doubling or even tripling the amount of time you would have ordinarily spent in a place, or just adopting a slow travel pattern in general. You don’t have to see less with the work-as-you-go travel pattern, but you will have to fit the sites into off-days, evenings, lunch-breaks, etc.

With a gap-year, you can let other travel preferences dictate how long you stay in any given destination. You can stay as long as it will take you to see all the sites you had your heart set to see, then move along!

2.) You need to pack more intentionally when working as you go.

When working as you go, you may need more technical supplies than a gap-year person might. If you’re working digitally, you’ll need a reliable laptop, possibly hard-drives. Perhaps you need a better or safer file-storage system. Not to mention if you appear for conference calls or Skype sessions, you may need work-appropriate attire.

For a gap-year, you might still want some sort of internet device, but it could be as simple as an iPod touch or an iPad. Not to mention your wardrobe will be more dictated by the weather than it is by professional expectations.

3.) Traveling with others is harder when you’re working as you go. 

When working as you go, the need to spend time working can be hard for other travelers to understand. I can’t count how many times we’ve heard others say to us, “How often are you in [fill in the blank destination]? Just take the day off today and site-see with me!” It’s hard for other travelers to understand that working while you travel mostly requires as many, and sometimes more working hours as a stationary job would. Or it is hard for them to understand that your travel is sustained by the hours spent not site-seeing. So by saying no to the activities of the day, you are actually making it possible to say yes to the activities of another day.

Also the pace of a vacationer is different than the pace of a work-as-you-go-traveler, as mentioned in the first point. So when we have traveled with friends on their vacation time, we’ve gone at a faster pace than we’re used to and thus, we have needed to skip things. On our own time, we may spend 7 days in an area so that we can work for 5 of them and site-see for two. But with vacationing friends who only have so many vacation days, we may spend 3 days in a place, requiring us to fit site-seeing into evenings or lunch-breaks.

During a gap year, it is much easier to be flexible with your pace or site-seeing preferences. Therefore, it’s easier to travel with others and accommodate whatever pace they’re after. That is one of my favorite parts of gap-year styled travel. You can say yes to any excursion that suits your fancy or your budget without any kind of thought towards whether or not you should be working instead.

4.) How you choose a hotel changes.

When working as you go, your hotel decisions might need to include stricter preferences than gap-year travel. For instance we’ve talked about digital work a lot. Indeed, you may need to assure you’ve got a strong internet connection, free or affordable internet, and a space in which you can spend 8 hours working. Unfortunately this sometimes eliminates hostels as an option.

During a gap-year, you may be much more flexible when it comes to accommodation. In our gap-year travel we spent many more nights in hostels and homes-stays than we do now. We tried to find ways to access internet maybe once a week or so, but it was not something we felt we needed every day. Now, we fall behind in our work-load if we go more than a day without internet.

5.) During a gap-year that has a defined end, you may feel less pressure to stay connected with friends and family from home.

Working as you go often means that there is not necessarily an end in sight. For instance my husband and I are full-time travelers so there is no set-time for when we’ll “go back home.” Because of this, I feel a greater need to connect with home on a regular basis. I try to stay in touch with my family members ever week or two.

During our gap-year on the other hand, I had an idea of when we would be returning to our friends and family. This made me feel a little less discouraged by long gaps without communication. At that time Skype was our only option for calling home for free, but we rarely had strong enough internet connection for a good Skype call. But I was reassured by the thought that I could tell my family and friends all about my travel when we returned home at the end of the year.

Now we’ve discussed 5 ways in which gap-year travel and work-as-you-go travel are very different. But in the end, either style of travel is going to require money. Either money you’ve saved, or money you make as you go. How much money depends on how you want to travel and is going to be a little bit different for everyone. But if you want a ball-park figure of what your travel budget can be using miles and points to help buffer that cost, I recommend jumping over to my stats page to see exactly how much it costs for us to live nomadically.

Original article can be found here: 5 ways in which working travel is very different from the “gap year”

Vagabonding Field Report: Children’s Museum — San Jose, Costa Rica

Vagablogging :: Rolf Potts Vagabonding Blog

Cost/day: $2 for adults, $1 for children

What’s the most exciting thing that’s happened lately?

We recently had our sixth child, at home, here in Costa Rica.

Today was our first outing since she’s been born. We went with grandma and grandpa to the Children’s Museum (Museo de los Ninos) in San Jose.

Describe a typical day:

We’re staying in the mountains of the Central Valley, with a gorgeous view of the ocean waaaay off in the distance. Grandma and grandpa have come to visit, for the birth of our sixth child.

Before she was born, we took a trip to the chocolate farm.

It’s been a couple of weeks since Saige Journee was born, so we’re ready for another (little) adventure — the Children’s Museum in San Jose, about 45 minutes away.

What do you like about where you are? Dislike?

Like: This is our second time living in Costa Rica. It’s a beautiful country with beautiful, friendly people, idealized in their most common saying, ‘Pura vida’ (pure life).

It’s a country with a lot to offer — mountains, beaches, cities, country. Living in the mountains, we’re not too far from all the conveniences of a major city.

The museum was wonderful. So much to see and do, and lots of learning — chemistry, biology, natural history and tons more. An old helicopter to explore, a ‘banana plantation’ to work, a big mouth with teeth chairs… a great time was had by all.

Dislike: The mountain roads from the house down to the city are windy… I feel a little nauseous.

Describe a challenge you faced:

There was some confusion about how to get to the museum, but after asking directions a couple of times, we found our way.

And we should have gone earlier in the day… we didn’t have enough time to see everything before the museum was closing up!

What new lesson did you learn?

Sometimes we put labels on countries — first world versus third world. But all countries have cities, towns and ‘states’ that are in varyied levels of development.

Culture, refinement and fantastic infrastructure can be found in many countries that are labeled ‘third world’.

And the worst internet we’ve found in our travels (so far) was in Homer, Alaska, USA — a ‘first world’ country.

Don’t be too quick to judge.

Where next?

Staying put in Costa Rica, but we’re having a humble lunch at the home of a Nicaraguan friend.

Learn more about Worldschooling, Education and Funding Travel here.

You can also connect with me on Facebook: DiscoverShareInspire and WorldschoolFamily

Original article can be found here: Vagabonding Field Report: Children’s Museum — San Jose, Costa Rica