Grab any travel guidebook. If you're like me you'll first take a quick glance at the writer's picture on the back, then flip a few pages and read the bio. You probably want to know if the "authority" with the mug on the back cover has a traveling lifestyle compatable with your own. In my case, if I see a picture of a guy chain smoking in front of a McDonalds in the middle of a mediaeval Italian Hill town and he's flicking the ashes into a small mountain of Styrofoam boxes, I not only put the book back in the rack as gingerly as someone who's grabbed a block of nuclear waste by mistake, but I might feel compelled to write the publisher a nasty note about travel priorities as well.
But maybe that's just me.
I suspect if you and I see travel in a different light, you'll still be able to use the various and sundry resources on this site. But maybe you're searching for what makes the wanderlust inside me tick away like a time bomb so you can compare it to your own incendiary urge to travel. Have at it.
Your guide confesses, stripping himself naked for your inspection
I've been traveling to Europe almost every year since 1976. I still use the same suitcase.
I hate the term "tourist." I am a wanderer. I also hate it when people address me in English. Well, outside of England I mean. I like to blend in.
Packing Light -- It's more than suitcases
To me, it's all about packing light. I take 7 shirts, three pairs of light pants. That's pretty much all the summer clothes I own.
My suitcase is an antique Andiamo model. It's the maximum size of a carryon. It's got shoulder straps so I can carry it around and have both hands free. It has no wheels. I do not like wheels on suitcases. Wheels do not like cobblestones. I do.
Packing light is also about leaving your preconceived notions in the waiting room at Kennedy. A wanderer both wanders and wonders.
I've only known one person who packs lighter than I do. She had a single bag the size of a small rabbit (the animal, not the car). She had traveled to every corner of the globe with that bag. Honestly. And she hated every place she went. Said "It was dirty" when you inquired. Maybe the size of your bag isn't the half of it.
(Here's something I discovered that may make shrink your baggage: Clothes Compressors.) I also have compiled some Packing Tips for you.
He likes traveling Europe alone. He likes traveling with others.
OK, contradiction time. It's like this: traveling alone makes you rely on yourself and your ability to communicate in a different language. You don't have the luxury of leaning on your travel mates--and this can help you learn. You can also eat when you're hungry and order what you want at a restaurant. Nobody's gonna be grossed out when the sheep's head you ordered by mistake or by design shows up on a silver platter with an oddly colored sauce you're not sure what to do with. You're also thousands of times more likely to meet others when you're traveling alone.
On the other hand, sharing experiences has its own rewards. Two people fumbling in a language are often more efficient than one. You get to taste a greater variety of food in a restaurant by simply leaning over and driving a fork into your partner's main course. Hotels are cheaper. You'll have someone you trust watch your stuff while you use that spiffy street urinal.
So take your pick.
He likes volunteering while he's there. He'll even pay for the privilege.
Ever considered working in Europe? There's a wealth of stuff to do, even if you've no experience: archaeology, restoration of historic structures, teaching people to read, that sorta thing. You get to live in a house or tent right along with the locals. You can hang out at the local bar after work and people will find you interesting, if only because they think you're nuts for having paid to work in their country.
But it's satisfying to wedge yourself right into the local spirit of things. Your free time can be spent any way you'd like; you don't have to do tourist things. You can shop at the local markets or hang out watching Formula One on the big television they set up in the square on Sunday mornings. It's nice being a part of the scene.
You can be sure I'll keep you up-to-date with volunteer opportunities in Europe.
Go to page two for info on language, food, and flexible travel.
