Carefreetrip.com :: Travel Blog

Photo by Seeding Chaos

I went to the Football Hall of Fame on a cold Tuesday in early December. As a lifelong Green Bay Packers fan I knew my favorite team would get lots of space in the Canton, Ohio landmark.

There weren’t many other people wandering about, so the security guard let me park it on the very bench Vince Lombardi sat on during the first two Super Bowls.

Sitting on that bench, I met a fellow Packer Backer and we ended up going out for drinks and reminiscences of our teams’ best games.

The love of sport is a great way to meet friendly locals and like-minded travelers. A conversation about the game can lead to more personal revelations and evolve into a mutual friendship.

Here are 6 strategies for using sports to make new friends.

1. Go For Live Action

Whether it’s a sport you’ve followed your whole life or something totally new, like the perplexing world of cricket, go see a live game.

Most towns of any size will have some sort of athletic contest going on. (Hint: Cheer for the home team).

2. Find A Sports Bar

A good second best involves parking yourself in a pub or sports bar. This may be the only option if something on a worldwide scale is going on, like the Rugby or Soccer World Cups.

Sit alone at the bar. Watch with intention. You’ll quickly be adopted by curious fans at the corner table.

3. Dress The Part

Buy a team jersey or t-shirt. Not only will you be recognized as a sincere supporter, you’ll have a cool souvenir to bring back home.

4. Knowledge Is Power

Study the sports pages. Watch the broadcasters on television. If you don’t know the basics of whatever sport you’ve selected, learn them - perhaps with an assist from a friendly local.

Be able to recognize marquee players, win-loss records, and team rivalries. I love learning new things, and I love getting the insider’s perspective.

Once you’ve done your homework, you’ll have multiple topics to banter about with that stranger sitting next to you.

5. Don’t Be Shy

Be subtly voyeuristic. A polite interjection into a sports discussion identifies you as someone who pays attention. Compliments about your grasp of the game and free adult beverages are certain to follow.

6. Don’t Skip The Post-Game

Go to any post-game functions, for either celebration or commiseration. Now is the time to segue into topics and connections of a more personal nature.

Sports With Benefits

The tips I’ve laid out work for meeting locals, but can also be a great way to spark a romantic fling if that’s what you’re looking for.

My natural tomboy affinities have bagged me some great seats and quality dates starting, but not necessarily ending, at a sports venue. If competition leads to chemistry and your new friend is a local, you’ll get the inside skinny on their home town and free accommodation.

If you are both wandering outside your home ranges, who knows, y’all may just end up planning an encore meet-up in South Africa to watch the World Cup in 2010.

What are your tips for meeting locals through sports? Share your advice in the comments!

N. Chrystine Olson

N. Chrystine Olson is an ex-federal government cowgirl who spends as much time with hooved, pawed and winged creatures when she travels as her own species. Home is the skinny part of Idaho, hugging the Canadian border. You can find her and her wildland friends at Wrangling Rhinos.

Photo by Pocket Aces

I play a lot of poker. Too much, actually, but that’s another story.

It was while playing poker at the Amsterdam casino that I met Greg. He was a friendly local, and upon hearing my travel tales, offered to show me around Amsterdam.

We had only known each other for about 5 minutes, but here I was, being offered an intimate tour.

I was a little disarmed by Greg’s exuberance and friendliness. Here was this guy, losing money to me, now suddenly eager to show me the city.

I had only been on the open road for a short time. My American cynicism was still strong. I recalled stories about locals ripping off travelers - and so, with Greg’s Euros sitting on the poker table in front of me, I graciously declined his invitation.

A few days later though, I saw Greg again and we talked. He said he ran a poker club and told me I could come by any time.

Start Of A Friendship

Greg was a regular at the casino and everyone there knew him. People assured me he wasn’t out to rip me off, and I should take him up on his offer of a tour. A few of them were going out later that night for drinks.

Sadly, I was leaving for Spain the next morning and had to rise early for my flight.

“I thought you were here for a while?” he said.

“I was. I was here for a week. That’s a long time in this city!” I replied. “I wish I could stay longer but I have a flight booked. I’ll be back sometime though.”

Greg wished me luck and gave me his card.

As it turned out, before I knew it, I felt the lure of the city call me. In Spain, all I could think about was Amsterdam, so I canceled my Spain plans and returned.

This time Greg and I became good friends during my extended stay. I saw him often in the poker room and he would always invite me back to his place for late night games.

It was through him that I met many locals and had a “Dutch experience” in Amsterdam. I was introduced to the local bars and restaurants, to Dutch food, and Dutch hangouts.

Greg took me around and showed me the city. I met another close friend through him. Greg opened the city to me and his kindness made my stay in Amsterdam worthwhile.

An Unexpected Turn

Photo by Jimmy Ok

Soon it was time to leave. I went to the casino to say goodbye. Greg hadn’t been answering his phone and I figured I’d find him in the poker room.

Sadly, he wasn’t in the casino that day, and I left without saying goodbye. I told my friends to tell him I’d be back and that “my money was coming back with me!”

Sadly, I wouldn’t get that chance. A few weeks after I left, three men entered Greg’s poker club and, as they robbed his house, shot him.

I only knew Greg for a month but in that time he changed my impressions of people. His friendliness and welcoming attitude were disarming.

On the road, you put your guard up to avoid bad situations, yet at the same time you want to be open and meet the locals. Interacting with locals is a constant struggle to find the right balance.

Open Your Eyes

Greg showed me that there was no reason to always be on your guard - that sometimes people are just being friendly. I take that lesson (and his card) with me wherever I go.

Greg epitomized the idea that travel is about who you meet, not where you go. I could have met him in any city in any country in any time, and he still would have treated me like he had known me for years.

When you meet others who fill your day with excitement and joy, nothing about the place really matters.

That was Greg. Greg was the local we all hope to meet. The person who has the key to the city’s door and is willing to open it and usher you inside.

I’ve met many people like Greg since that time in Amsterdam, and I see a little of Greg in all of them. But it was Greg who showed me it was OK to make that first, trusting step.

I’m not sure where Greg is now, but wherever he went, I know he left an impression on many people. He left one on me.

Have you met that special local who opened their city to you? Share your experiences in the comments!

Matthew Kepnes

Matt Kepnes gave up the rat race to experience the world in 2006. He has been traveling ever since. You can read his daily musings at his blog, Nomadic Matt.

Aussie Boys - Photo by Margaritanitz

Let’s not lie, in a line up of five travelers, you could easily pick out the nationality of each.

Socks and sandals? Hello Scandinavian. Short shorts and a platform flip flop? That would be the American. Moon tan and neatly laced sensible shoes? Let’s see, the Pom?

Painfully stylish with a permanent snooty look on their face? Clearly French. Singlet and board shorts and a pair of weather beaten thongs? That’s the Aussie, me.

We all know the myth of the Aussie. Laid-back, easy-going, perennially tanned, with a beer in hand. We take it easy, mate, have a smile for everyone and although some of us say g’day, none of us drink Fosters.

But we won’t hold it against you if you think we do. We’ll just pull your leg and tell you we ride kangaroos to school.

For a while now, Australians have enjoyed a pristine reputation as travelers.

We smile at New Yorkers on the subway, which really unnerves them. We try and drink the Germans under the table, refusing to admit defeat despite the fact that our livers simply aren’t up to the challenge. We are everybody’s friend.

The Land Down Undah

Somebody hit the lights. There is a new generation of Aussie travelers in town, tarnishing an image our predecessors worked very hard (drank liters of beer and spun millions of tall tales) to carve.

This new Aussie traveler, whilst probably sun damaged, talkative and not at all averse to having a drink with Duncan (Australian joke … anyone?) is most likely between the ages of 18-25, and sporting a long mane in an effort to rebel against the all-too-fresh memory of school rules.

The new Aussie might grin at you in the check-in line, but they’ll also keep you awake till 3am by trawling up and down the hostel corridors alternately repeating the C and F words.

You see, this is a whole new brash, obnoxious Backpacker Generation for whom world travel is more about beer bongs and swapping hostel beds than it is any sort of cultural immersion.

Look, we’re lovely people, for the most part. And we generally enjoy a good reputation.

All I’m saying is we have to be careful. Because at any minute, the tables can turn. Our larrikin persona can, in the blink of an eye, be construed as obnoxious.

The Eyes Of The Other

Photo by Chilling Soul

Of course, it is easy to forget how we are perceived globally, to step outside our own little national bubble and see ourselves through the eyes of the other few billion that are out there.

And that goes for everyone, not just the little brats of the international family. Hot pants can be too hot, comments too presumptuous and arrogance is never welcome.

In one’s own context, so much is permissible and taken for granted – phrases, manners, social norms – that it is easy to forget that it may not be the case elsewhere.

That people who function in the exact same way we do, just a few thousand miles away, may be repulsed by what we find perfectly okay.

Spitting, nose-blowing, touching – fine some places, absolutely not in others. And nor should you, as a traveler, expect what is okay in your own backyard, to be okay everywhere else (ignorance is one of the most reviled traits in travelers).

Of course, many hang ups and reputations are so deeply ingrained they are nearly impossible to reverse; we can only remedy them bit by bit.

Practice Awareness

At the end of the day, Poms look down on Australians (when they’re not roasting their skin beneath its rays) as being a country of their unwanted convicts, just as they look down on Americans for being loud and generally ignorant.

Americans, for their part, are genuinely surprised the rest of the world sees them any other way than how they see themselves, and are equally as surprised crocodiles don’t live in the backyard swimming pools of Australians.

Europeans had it all figured out a long time ago and so look on with the gentle humour of a parent.

And Asian cultures run the gamut from the Japanese, who are obsessed with anything Anglo-kitsch to the Thai (who are probably sick of all things Anglo-Kitsch).

But, it’s worth everyone’s while to just be aware. Everything you do and say in your language, with your accent (and probably your flag stitched on your backpack) is duly noted.

And whilst perhaps not commented on at the time by a polite local, the reputation you build as a result, speaks volumes.

What do you think of your own nationality abroad? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Olivia Hambrett

Olivia Hambrett is a Sydney based freelance writer who loves her country, Vegemite and owns a pair of weather beaten thongs. She just wants to give her fellow Aussies a heads up, that’s all.

Photo by Dave Hogg

Travel is an amazing force because of the opportunities it affords to learn about new places, experience new things and meet new people.

However, travel can also be a tremendous force for healing.

In fact, strapping on a backpack and heading down the open road can be so powerful that I’ve come to call it the Travel Cure.

Everyone has heard a story about how the travel cure has made someone’s life better on some level, whether it be a physical, mental, emotional or spiritual improvement.

Recently, a friend told me about her stepfather who had experienced this phenomenon. Several years ago, he learned he had a degenerative, incurable heart disease, and one year to live.

He and his wife made the decision to sell everything, including their house, and spend his last year backpacking through the parched deserts of India to the towering domes of Russia.

Those who have had a transformative journey of their own know how this story ends: the untold benefits of traveling allowed him a new lease on life.

Without the stress of a demanding job and the day-to-day grind, his health improved to the point that he continues to live a normal, active life. His only worry now is looking for somewhere permanent to live.

Escaping Despair

My own experience of the Travel Cure was much less dramatic, but still testament to how travel can help save our lives.

After a series of events, including reverse culture shock and the death of a close friend, I was plunged into a deep hole of despair.

Soon enough, I was reaching for my backpack, ready for another adventure. This time, however, I wanted it to be more focused. I wanted to try what writer Elizabeth Gilbert terms ‘the physics of a quest.’ According to Gilbert,

“If you really are prepared to see anything that happens to you as an expression of truth that has been offered up for your own benefit and learning – then revelation will not be withheld from you. You will be shown who you are and what it all means.”

Open to expressions of truth, I headed for the gilded Buddha statues and dripping jungles of Thailand.

Finding Purpose

I had no solid travel plans. There was no itinerary, and no one to meet. My only guidebook was Joseph Campbell’s iconic Hero with a Thousand Faces.

I answered the call to adventure by landing in Bangkok in the middle of a dark warm night. On a whim, I headed south to the islands and beaches that have filled so many travel brochures.

One dusky evening, as I lay sleepily on my hotel bed channel surfing, something on the television caught my eye. A documentary came on about a village in Thailand created by a German-Thai couple for children infected with HIV/AIDS.

I was moved to tears as I watched the jolly former-CEO and his petite Thai wife’s venture of creating foster-style homes for these children who had been orphaned or abandoned because of their infection.

As soon as the sun rose, I contacted the German.

Lighting Candles

We arranged to meet in Bangkok, where he lived. He then drove me two hours north to the verdant, snake-riddled rural heartland of Thailand where the village was located.

Photo by Image After

I spent two days with the children, who were, for the most part, flourishing against the odds. I felt humbled, imbued with a new found sense of hope, and remembered the Chinese proverb, “It is better to light a single candle than bemoan the darkness.”

Having witnessed how precious and precarious life can be, and how these children embraced each moment, I closed my eyes, counted my many, many blessings and pledged to be optimistic and live in the present, no matter what.

At the village I met an Australian woman who ‘happened’ to be passing through and who had just published her autobiography, much of which centered on her work as a modern day Mother Teresa in Thailand’s most notorious prison, ironically known as the Bangkok Hilton.

Despite all of the pain and suffering she has witnessed and endured, she was one of the most positive people I have ever met. “I live on faith,” she told me. “I don’t have an income, I do God’s work.”

It was another encounter that made me happy I had found the courage to step out of my geographical and psychological comfort zone.

The Healing Power Of Travel

Taking note of the signposts and following them had opened up a whole new world. My understanding of the infinite possibilities became much broader.

Meeting people who had given up lucrative corporate careers to devote themselves to others planted seeds in my own mind and inspired me to do something meaningful.

When traveling, we are given opportunities and experiences that we otherwise would have missed. When we choose to see these experiences as significant, then they are ultimately healing, and help light our path as we step into the future.

I was able to return home with a magic elixir – the new experiences gave me a new perspective.

By changing physical environments, something inside of me had also changed. Just a month earlier, before I stepped off the plane in bustling Bangkok, I had been utterly depressed. Now, I was on my travel buzz, in awe of the people I had met and the beautiful things I had seen.

I was transformed. As Japanese Buddhist priest Shinso said 1000 years ago, “No matter what road I travel, I’m going home.”

What do you think of the healing power of travel? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Tania Campbell

Tania Campbell is a freelance writer based in Seoul, South Korea. Her work as a reporter, teacher and NGO activist has taken her to all corners of the globe. Traveling has always been and continues to be her main source of inspiration and way of understanding the world, which she tries to capture in her writing.

Photo by mcaretaker

You just landed in a foreign country after a 57 1/2 hour flight from Des Moines.

You’re tired. You’re hungry. You’re jet-lagged.

You manage to get through immigration and schlep your bags onto the metro. You emerge from the bowels of the subway into the blinding sunlight…and realize you have no idea where you are.

Sound familiar? Getting lost in a foreign city happens to the best of us, the rest of us, and the most seasoned of travelers.

We all get disoriented sometimes.What do you do when you don’t know where you are?

1. Don’t panic

First of all, you are in a city, not an Amazonian jungle. There is food and shelter (and probably a McDonalds) on every corner. Relax. Everything is going to turn out just fine.

2. Ask the locals

Not only are people almost always willing to help, asking for directions gives you a great excuse to talk to folks if you are feeling lonely.

If you’re female and feeling a bit scared, perhaps ask a local woman. This is a good way to practice your foreign language skills anyway (always learn the most important words: ‘thank you,’ ‘hello’, ‘excuse me’).

Don’t worry about a language barrier. If you are reading this article, you are fortunate enough to know a language that is spoken all over the world, and a smile is universal.

3. Look for big landmarks

In cities like Chicago, New York, and Paris there are some pretty tall, famous buildings usually visible no matter where you stand that can help you get your bearings.

Even the roughest New Yorkers sometimes emerge from the subway and need to find the Empire State Building so that they can orientate themselves and continue to the Carnegie Deli.

4. Pack a compass

Break out your trusty old compass, or go old school and seek out the sun. No matter where you are in the world, the sun will always set in the west (I’m making the assumption you aren’t lost at the North or South Pole).

If you know the general layout of the city, you can walk until you reach a river, park or major avenue.

5. Check out the tourist information office

Even if you’re not lost (yet) drop by this helpful place, if for no other reason than to get a good map. These goldmines of free maps and advice are typically located in airports and in train and bus stations.

6. Prepare in advance

If you are staying at a hotel that was recommended by your guidebook, there is often a city map in the book with the hotels marked on it.

While you are biding your time on the 10 hour train, bus, or airplane ride to your next destination, see where your lodging is on the map in relation to where you are coming into town and make a plan on how you will get from point A to point B.

7. Grab a business card

When you first check into your hostel or hotel, always take a business card (so you have the address and phone number with you at all times—to show taxi drivers, etc.) and also find the hotel on your map and mark it.

8. Retrace your steps

Always make a mental note of landmarks as you pass them, so that you can retrace your steps later if necessary.

9. Find a local pub or bar

Sit down. Take a load off. Have a drink. Repeat. You will start to feel better, I promise. And of course, you can then ask the bartender or friendly local next to you for some help.

10. Stay lost

You’re traveling! You’re in a city! How lost can you really be? Open yourself to serendipity and just wander around, taking in the sights and soaking up the vibe of the new place.

One of the best things about travel is embracing the unexpected, and being ‘lost’ is not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, in most cases losing your bearings leads to a fun adventure.

Imagine you’re a contestant on the Amazing Race, even though there’s no prize money at the end.

Some final thoughts…

Figuring out a new city, its infrastructure, its transportation options, and its layout can sometimes be frustrating, but also quite rewarding once you master the system.

I always feel like entering a new country presents a fun, new challenge and if you can find your way in a place like Hanoi…well, you will feel like you can do just about anything.

Lisa Lubin

Lisa Lubin is a triple-time Emmy-award winning writer/producer who most recently worked for ABC in Chicago. After fifteen years in Television, she took a 'sabbatical' of sorts and just completed of a 17-month solo journey around the world. Check out her site LLWorldTour.

Reading is for nerds.

Admit it - you were wondering which airline has the most comfortable economy seats.

Not sure if this is true or not (being a man and all) but The Frisky explores Why It’s Easier To Meet Men On Vacation.

Robin Esrock dishes up 8 Reasons To Stay In A Hostel (as if you needed convincing).

Our own Tim Patterson wrote a piece for World Hum, exploring the intersection of brand, identity, and place In Patagonia, In Patagonia.

And don’t forget my own piece, The Essential Soundtrack To Southeast Asia.

Think you know all there is to know about volun-tourism? Test your own advice against 10 Tips from a Voluntourism Master.

Some think it’s a fear-based society which now we live, based largely on the idea of terrorist organizations waiting to strike at anytime. Newsweek offers a refreshing perspective in Terrorist Triage, believing Al Qaeda is overrated.

Enjoy what’s left of the weekend!

Ian MacKenzie

Ian MacKenzie is the founder and editor of Brave New Traveler. Aside from writing, he spends his time exploring the fundamental nature of existence and wishing he did more backpacking.

Photo Khin Maung Win/Agence France-Presse

I landed in Yangon, the capital city of Myanmar, a very ignorant young woman.

I traveled there on a whim and, upon arrival, knew nothing about the country. So you can imagine my surprise to learn that the men wore skirts (called longyi), the women have yellow powdered circles on their cheeks (called thannaka), and that the country has no banks and, therefore, no ATM’s.

I only had $350 American dollars in my pocket to last me for three weeks.

Somehow, I survived on $10 a day and, three weeks later, I left Yangon a changed person, with a bigger heart and a desire to see this country’s people rise from their currently powerless situation.

That was one year ago. I departed from Yangon less than one month before the peaceful protest to Shwedagon Paya went wrong. And now this: a cyclone.

This beautiful country with generous (and helpless) people is suffering from one of the worst natural disasters in a decade and all their government closes their borders to aid? I just don’t get it.

Searching For Change

The more I travel, the more I have seen how beautiful this world is. The human spirit is an amazing and resilient thing.

Now in Colombia, I can’t help but think of Myanmar and try to make sense of how desperate a nation can be without proper leadership.

In Colombia, I see a people rising from the ashes of a horrific terrorist regime and finally beginning to reap great rewards (i.e. booming tourism and growing economic stability) thanks to their whole-hearted support of wise President Alvaro Uribe.

Yet in Myanmar, we are witnessing a country dealing with two very different but equally debilitating disasters.

Myanmar’s political crisis is rotting from the inside. Its neighbors — Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, and even Laos — have Western amenities like throne-style toilets, cellular phones, and fairly organized streets.

Myanmar’s major cities of Mandalay and Yangon survive in the dark ages, with each apartment running on self-funded power generators. Toilets and phones are the least of this country’s concerns.

Its oppressive military government continues to suppress its people and their ability to join the wider technological world.

Recent Disaster

On May 3, Cyclone Nargis struck the area surrounding Yangon and has likely killed more than 50,000 people. The government has been reluctant to accept aid even from India and Thailand, who have a vested interest in continuing trade with the country.

This is a country that needs massive worldwide support and attention.

Regardless of whether the Myanmar government chooses to allow aid for this disaster, there are ways to help the helpless.

• Educate yourself on what is happening in these countries. Political news sources like The Economist and Wikipedia are good places to start.
• If you’re feeling generous, donate to a non-profit organization that can go directly toward helping these countries gain a sense of national pride and identity — something Myanmar needs badly right now. The Network for Good blog has a great list of organizations that can help you do just that.
• Most importantly, try not to sit at home wondering why you should care or how you can help. A little seed of hope, a little prayer, or a conversation with someone who doesn’t yet “get it” can go a long way.

Brenda Yun

Brenda Yun is a freelance writer based in Honolulu, Hawaii. When she's not busy spoiling her pug Iris, she's busy missing Iris because she's traveling the globe. Read about her latest whereabouts on her blog Surf Eat Sleep.

Photos by MickcPeck and casey yancey

A long time ago I read an article called “5 Guys To Do Before You Say I Do.”

It was sort of like those 1000 Places to See Before You Die books, only instead of “ride a hot air balloon over the Napa Valley” it was “have sex with the bass player from an indie rock band,” and instead of death, you had, well, marriage.

Until I read that article, at the tender age of 14, it had never occurred to me to make a pre-marital bucket list – marriage wasn’t something I thought of as an end point, exactly.

But thankfully Cosmo opened my eyes, and I realized that there were probably lots of crucial life experiences – besides The Younger Man, The Older Man, The Arm Candy, The Artist, and The Bad Boy – to tick off the master list before getting hitched.

Here, without further ado, are 5 trips to do before you say ‘I do’.

The Party Island

Full-moon parties on Thailand’s infamous Ko Pha Ngan. Cocaine and cutting-edge dance music in the clubs of Ibiza. Getting “screeched in” on George Street in St. Johns, Newfoundland.

Whatever your partying preference, somewhere there is an island seemingly custom-made for you to let loose.

Why are all the best parties found on islands? Only the universe knows. The universe also knows that you’ll have more fun on that custom-made party island if you’re single.

The Spring Break

In days of yore, our ancestors designed rites and trials to mark the passage of young men into adulthood. Today, we have our own rite of passage: Spring Break. And in this post-feminist world, girls get to play, too.

So go ahead. Enter that beer-funneling contest. Flag down that Girls Gone Wild cameraman. Show the staff at Senor Frog’s just exactly what you’re made of.

When you look back in your old age, won’t you regret not drinking that last daiquiri?

The Backpacker Bus

It’s like Spring Break, but on a bus. Do you really want to be that guy who brought his wife Contiki-ing? ‘Nuff said.

The Girlfriend Getaway / Man-cation

We all know that once you put that ball and chain around your finger, longstanding friendships go out the window. It’s the way of the world, right?

Be sure you make time for one last single-sex travel bash before resigning yourself to a lifetime of hotel check-ins as “Mr” and “Mrs”.

There’s a whole industry designed for the ladies, here – spa packages, shopping getaways, and the like – but the demand for mancations is growing fast, too. Go ice-fishing for a weekend, or find some strippers in Vegas. Revel in gender stereotypes while you still can.

(Note: It’s bad form to roll the final friends fling in with the bachelor/bachelorette party. Don’t try to kill two birds with one stone.)

The Solo Quest

The solo quest is the most important trip of all. After all, you can’t find your other half until you’ve found yourself.

A spiritual element is key here, as is setting a specific goal. Seek out a monastery and apprentice yourself to one of the enlightened souls within, preferably somewhere in Asia.

Walk a famous pilgrimage route – bonus points if you shuffle the whole way on your knees.

Plan a long-distance overland trek taking in many physical and political obstacles – Cairo to Cape Town is a good one, if you have the means. Use an odd form of transport: a kayak, or a unicycle.

Pour your heart and soul into the trip, and keep detailed notes. Even if you don’t find yourself – or your mate – en route, you’re likely to find yourself a book deal.

What are your ideas for trips before typing the knot? Share you thoughts in the comments!

Eva Holland

Eva Holland is a historical researcher and freelance writer based in Ottawa, Canada. She is a blogger for World Hum and for Rolf Potts’ Vagablogging, and her travel writing has appeared in The Ottawa Citizen, The Edmonton Journal, and Matador Travel.

Photo by xwhitelie

It’s been 4 years since I graduated from college.

My immigrant family had envisioned that I would now have an established career, a house and plan on settling down within the next few years.

Instead, I have spent my post-college years pursuing international travel, funded by short-term employment, while maintaining residence at chez les parents.

It’s hardly the life that I, much less my family, envisioned when I left home for college.

My parents, both UC Berkeley graduates in engineering who grew up in Hong Kong, had high hopes for me, their firstborn child, to follow in their footsteps.

In fact, it was assumed that I could accomplish much more because I grew up in middle-class America, as opposed to the tenements of Kowloon City, Hong Kong.

But while most of my relatives have made comfortable lives for themselves and their families despite their humble beginnings, I have yet to settle into a full-time job and have no concrete plans for the future - aside from more traveling.

A Lifelong Passion

I was groomed to be a global citizen from the time I was a child. I began to develop a keen ear for languages at family gatherings, where I was exposed to Cantonese, various regional Cantonese dialects, Mandarin and English.

My parents enrolled me in Chinese classes, though reading and writing the language was a challenge I never mastered. I also picked up Spanish on Sesame Street and in school.

I remember staring at the world map in our hallway, wondering if I would ever journey to those distant lands.

I heard about the exotic travels of friends and relatives, but was told that I could not pursue such adventures unless I had a well-paying job.

I was always aware that my parents’ childhood in Kowloon City, Hong Kong’s equivalent of Brooklyn, was one without the opportunities that my sister and I had. For them, a ferry ride across the harbor to Hong Kong Island was a big deal.

Even my older cousins consider foreign travel to be extravagant, something they could not have fathomed during their childhoods or as young adults. It wasn’t until after they finished college and worked for many years that they began to dream of exotic journeys.

International Awareness

I documented my grand plans for international travel in a Spanish essay in high school.

Photo by Kevin

It was wishful thinking at the time, but I knew that I wanted to fulfill those plans sooner rather than later. Other people may have been content staying at home and not traveling until they were in their 40s, but I could not fathom such a long wait.

For college, I wound up at Eleanor Roosevelt College of UC San Diego, which emphasized international awareness and strongly encouraged its students to study abroad. In the summer after my third year, I participated in an internship program in London.

Even before I returned to San Diego for my final year of college, all I could think about was going abroad again. What I valued most while in Europe was the close proximity to other countries, each with their own distinct languages, cultures and customs.

Growing up in the United States, I could travel across the continent without encountering vast differences as I would have in Europe or Asia.

It became increasingly apparent that the world was a fascinating place, and I wanted to acquaint myself with the myriad of cultures inhabiting the earth.

The Value of Travel

Travel teaches me many things I will never learn in a classroom. I am forced to tackle challenges such as adjusting to new languages and customs, orienting myself to new cities and transportation systems, and appreciating different cuisines.

I have also learned to make sense of the historical, political, and cultural complexities other countries. I do not want to possess an outdated or ignorant perspective on the world like many of my countrymen, and travel is the best way to prevent that from happening.

Though it sounds boastful, such experiences are an accomplishment unmatched by previous generations of my family.

Yes, I’ve been given lectures about how I need to get serious and forget about traveling. I should get a real job that pays well and provides benefits, they say, and think more about the future.

But the bottom line is that I am happiest while traveling, and my dream job is to be a travel writer, just as the dream job of many of my relatives was to become engineers.

A Generation Gap

Like many members of my generation, I am putting off the commitment to a regular job and taking the time to find my passion and enjoy life before I have to settle down.

I have also encountered individuals who are unhappy with their jobs and envy the freedom I have to escape a monotonous day-to-day routine and travel the world for extended periods of time.

My coworkers encourage my pursuits, knowing that there is much to be gained from these experiences. My parents, who initially found it difficult to accept my choice, now support me because I am doing what makes me happy.

In the end, life is about the choices we make.

Some people dream of owning a luxury car or the latest electronic gadgets. Others would rather save for a house and family.

I am choosing to take the time to learn about the many cultures and peoples inhabiting the earth, and am happy to put the rest of my life on hold to do so.

Have you also shunned the career in favour of travel? Share your experiences in the comments!

Valerie Ng

Valerie Ng is a freelance writer based in Berkeley, CA. When she's not traveling, she looks for ways to experience foreign culture in her backyard. Her writing has appeared in World Hum, The Travel Channel, The Dallas Morning News, Not For Tourists, and TangoDiva.

Photo by Mark Brecke

A photographer is a witness. Witnessing war is one of the ultimate human tragedies.

But what if you held a camera and not a gun? What would you see? What would you choose to shoot?

But perhaps, more importantly, what would happen to you after you took the shot? How would the experience change your view of humanity? How would it change your view of yourself?

War photographers are accused of being adrenaline junkies. Continually on the hunt for the next war, the next picture, they shove their lenses into the faces of their traumatized victims.

They are portrayed as voyeurs of suffering, and scavengers of the worst that humanity has to offer - mere human robots snapping pictures in the theater of war.

But there is a price to be paid for viewing all of this suffering.

Haunting Memories

According to a study published in the Columbia Journalism Review, war journalists had significantly more post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and psychological distress than their domestic counterparts.

The war group also experienced a rate of PTSD over the course of their lives that far exceeded that of firefighters and police officers. In fact, war journalists approximated the PTSD rate recorded in combat veterans.

The photographers in the study all spoke of filming scenes of such grotesqueness that they knew the photos would never be published. Yet, even in the light of public squeamishness or editorial sensitivities, they felt compelled to record a visual testament.

Although the images never went further then the vaults of their mind, the collective weight of their memory would often intrude on their waking consciousness and nightly dreams.

With all the invasion of privacy, with all the peril, there is still this sense of mission.

Bearing Witness

World famous war photographer James Nachtwey has traveled everywhere wars and atrocities have been committed in the last decades: Iraq, Israel, Lebanon, Afghanistan, Indonesia, Kosovo, Chechnya, Rwanda, Bosnia, Sudan, Somalia, and many other countries.

Nachtwey believes his photography serves a purpose beyond visual remembrance.

He knows the gripping effect his photographs will have on people, and he has never stopped hoping that this effect will serve to stop the war, the hunger, and the poverty that is portrayed in his work:

“It’s more difficult to get publications to focus on issues that are more critical, that do not provide people with an escape from reality but attempt to get them deeper into reality. To be concerned about something much greater than themselves. And I think people are concerned. I think quite often, publishers don’t give their audience enough credit for that.

In fact, at the end of the day, I believe people do want to know when there’s some major tragedy going on; when there’s some unacceptable situation happening in this world. And they want something done about it. That’s what I believe. We must look at it. We’re required to look at it. We’re requited to do what we can about it. If we don’t, who will?”

There must be a reconciliation of the opposites of viewing the ugliest of humanity versus the beautiful good that humanity can create.

Shifting Morality

Photo by Christian Frei Film Productions

After 20 years of being a war photographer, Don McCullin wondered, “…these moral questions, later on, they came to haunt me.”

He speaks of a time when he was in the Congo, where the government soldiers had rounded up some young rebels fighting for Patrice Lumumba, and they were stripped, and the soldiers were goading them with rifles.

The young rebels looked at Mr. McCullin, pleading with him, with their eyes – to save them. There was nothing he could do. The government soldiers would have shot him.

As a witness, he took the picture, recognizing that he could be castigated for doing so. The photo, and the moment, will not be forgotten.

“I don’t approach these people as places as current events,” says Mark Brecke, a war photographer who travels light, and alone. “That’s not why I do this.”

Finding The Spirit

Brecke speaks of the people he has encountered, of stripping it all to the bare bones. He says, “It’s as if, in the face of it, stripped of everything else, they find the center, something spiritual – that thing that is most human.”

Even so, there is only so much humanity a human can take. “The day after a Congo grenade attack, I paid a guide to take me into the mountains to photograph the silverback gorillas,” says Brecke. “I’d had enough of people for a while.”

Perhaps this is why Don McCullin retired to Somerset, land of Arthurian legend, where he now gardens and advocates for the preservation of the English countryside.

Mixed within the fruits and berries of his garden pictures are Indian Gods and Goddesses. “I think I’m allowed to use this as a kind of herbal medicine for my mind,” McCullin says. “To love the environment where I live.”

Community Connection

Check out The Face Of War in A Child, a profile of Mark Brecke published last year in Traverse magazine.

What do you think of war photographers? Crucial service or crass opportunism? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Ellen Wilson

Ellen Wilson is a freelance writer/photographer based in Michigan. She has taught English and biology in the US and the UK, and is constantly on the lookout for opportunities to educate and inspire others through her writing and photography.