Go Hard, or Go Home
Posted Tuesday, June 17, 2008, 7:17 PM by Lonely Planet
Should travel involve challenges? Perhaps going from business class to hotel transfer, up to the King Farouk suite, down to the buffet and out to the pool bar sounds like paradise, but is it really in the spirit of things?
Travel should involve just a little struggle, a few annoyances, a bit of frustration.
Queuing for overcrowded buses, sleeping in smelly dorms, spending hours guarding packs on cold railway platforms.These are all part of the complex mix of excitement, boredom and hassle that makes seeing the world such a joy.
Of course, the more challenging the experience, the more satisfying the memory and, most importantly, the more imposing the travel anecdote.
No one ever got any street cred by complaining about the unsatisfactory complimentary massage they received while staying at the LuxuryLand, or the lack of quality single malts in the mini-bar. But explain that you only made it to your destination after 40 hours of non-air conditioned, third-class train travel, with no one but drunken soldiers and consumptive old-timers for company, and three cigarettes, a flask of raki and a day old borek for sustenance, and you have a tale worth telling.
Throwing yourself into confusing and confronting situations and seeing how you cope is what makes life, and travel worth experiencing.
When did you truly rise to the challenge, or when was the easy way, the only way?
Larry O'Leary
Join the Discussion:
13 Comments:
I definitely agree, although it can gets tiring and frustrating, you can’t beat recalling the situations you get into that you would never have happened if you weren’t travelling as the locals do.
"But explain that you only made it to your destination after 40 hours of non-air conditioned, third-class..."
Haha, do you speak from experience here? Sounds like quite the trip. I found a list of top places people would like to travel. You should check it out!
MakeFive Top Travel Destinations
Thanks for the article!
Why my idea of travelling is just like the original post described in para 2 is because from airport to cab to suite to pool to spa to buffet leaves no room for experiencing what the distinct town/place has to offer. Every town is definitely distinct, and experiencing this distinction from your hometown is the reason your left the comforts of your home in the first place. Roughing it out throughout the day gives you a sense of satisfaction when you lie down on your dorm/ashram mattress at the end of the day.
Moreover, it is travelling hard and rough and coping with the unforeseeable and extremely tough situations you get pushed into that is the reason for the saying "Well travelled people are intelligent people".
I agree with the article. All these various experiences is what makes traveling an exciting and memorable experience.
It reminds me of my younger days when I used to listen to my grand father who was a traveler during the colonial days. His stories were amazing and would keep us hooked the whole evening as he narrates how he coped in different destinations in Africa.
I wanna travel the world too, Honestly speaking I have only been around Asia and Africa. Now that I have been living in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia for 5 years, I wonder how back packing is like in Europe, America and the rest of the world.
Clement's Kuala Lumpur Malaysia - The Only Food Haven City in the Asia Pacific
It took me awhile to figure out how I like to travel: alone. The worst is going with a big tour group of fellow Americans.
My first trip out of the country was by myself to Italy, and I remember trying to figure out the train system from Rome to Florence. Nobody in the info booths spoke English and either they gave me wrong info or it got lost in the translation. I boarded the wrong train to Germany but luckily got off before it left! Then I sat in front of the electronic arrival/departure board and just studied it w/ my dictionary until I figured out what platform and time my train was. It had been delayed and the platform changed, which threw me off. I know it sounds dumb but when you aren't fluent in the language even the simplest things like this can be challenging. Also hard was buying a bus ticket from a grumpy clerk.
I live in Maui and it's quite a flight anywhere from the middle of the Pacific. I totally bypass the USA and love going to foreign countries. It really opens up my mind and I enjoy the challenges. I mix up my trip with hostels, b&bs and hotels. Usually I just book the lodging and leave my itinerary pretty open. When I arrive I arrange activities or plan the details, which can be affected by weather. Everything is booked via internet, so sometimes it's a surprise when you actually get there. But so far it's worked out fine. Even if flights get changed, so what, it's not life and death.
When you travel alone you are forced to figure out things on your own and immerse yourself more into the culture and interact with the people.
When i travel i always like to challenge myself, don't make a hostel reservation, don't make any arrangement in advance :)
It's the way i like.
It definitely is a great feeling of mixed emotions when you get such unprecedented experience while travelling.
While travelling alone or with a good friend, its exciting to await for the unexpected. But when travelling with family including kids and elderly people, the travelling comes down to the point of sight seeing and not of cultural understanding.
So it is all case dependent..atleast thats what I think of..
Of course, go hard, immerse yourself in the culture of wherever you are and get to know the true beauty and charm of some wonderful places. But every now and again do have a splurge though. Bearded, wild eyed, unkempt and somewhat musty smelling people adorned with a backpack, when heading home, on an underground station leaving heathrow do attract glances when otherwise people do not make eye contact
No, no, no, no...been there done that and there is absolutely no way I will sleep on rocks again or share the toilet with 100 different people that leave their pubes there. I'm not saying go for the easiest way, but I must have good company, comfy bed and my own toilet.
I couldnt agree more. Such experiences make travel a memorable one, even though hectic at that particular point of time.
I'm with Angela. I love traveling by myself! I'm actually a solo business traveler (35, 40 cities in a year?), and it's made me realize that Americans build worlds for ouselves in which we have to hear the word "no" as infrequently as possible. I've become a much more patient person as a result of my travel. I blog my challenges/successes (katemalay.com) and I love having a record of all of it!
I agree. Travel should lead to challenges which allow the experience to be rewarding.
My husband and I are leaving on September 30th 2008 to go backpack and explore the world for a year or so. I know that we will face interesting situations and challenges. We can't wait!
Follow us through the planning process and as we travel the world as nomad backpackers.
www.nomadbackpackers.com
Post a Comment
« Read more on the blog homepage