The Romance and Reality of Traveling
Everything’s ready. Your ticket’s booked, your suitcase is packed and you’re ready to go. You’re set to be the star of your own American in Paris or bask in The Beach’s exotic locale. You’re hungry for pasta in the Eternal City and keen to live out the adventures of Vicky and Cristina in Barcelona. You’re ready for the romance of travelling.
But what happens when an ugly apartment block ruins the Parisian skyline or you find more McDonald’s than quaint cafes? What happens when your idea of a place clashes with its reality?
Too Old for Hostels?
Travel is the great equalizer between ages. Maybe you can’t teach old dog new tricks, but you can teach it to pick a point on a map and go there. Just think how many people use retirement as their starting point for travel. Travelling is open to people of all age because it’s only as comfortable or hectic as you make it. You can find travellers in strollers or in wheelchairs.
So if you’re never too old to travel, is it possible that you can ever be too old for hostels?
You’re Still A Tourist
You’re Not a Local Unless You Are
How long does it take to really get to know a place? How long before you can confidentially say you’ve “been there”? Does a layover in an airport count as having visited a place? Does it take an overnight stay? A week? A month?
African taxis: friend or foe?
South Africa doesn’t need roller coasters for thrills. It doesn’t need video games or ping ball machines. It has taxis. For just over three rand (about 40 cents) you get not only transportation but also an…experience.
How to Sniff Out the Crazy
Whether you’re at home or overseas it’s important that you take your vitamins, put on sunscreen and, of course, Beware of the Crazies (or BOTC, as a tribute to my last post, TIA). Perhaps you’ve managed to surround yourself with semi-normals and are unaware of, or have simply forgotten the workings of the Crazies. Fortunately for you, I encounter Crazies both in travels and in my hometown, and am well versed in their antics.
The most important thing to remember about Crazies is that they make terrible travel companions. Sure, they might seem tons-of-fun at first and get you to “push your limits” by riding zebras bareback or getting a traditional (read: painful) Thai tattoo. But once the initial adrenaline (and tequila) wears off you’ll be left with one over hyped ball of nuts.
What might be "fun" on day 1 becomes "crazy" by day 5
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