My Travels

Perhaps I watched too much Indian Jones as a kid, or maybe I read too many adventure stories growing up. The fact of the matter is. I like to travel. But I HATE being a tourist. Of course, many people have heard of Hostelling, and backpacking Europe and other crazy stunts. Some people are regular world-travellers bouncing from country to country, continent to continent. I haven't QUITE made it there yet, but its my goal. Every country, every continent, before I die. And yeah, that DOES include Antartica(although I would rather get there on better terms that Jon Johanson).

This is a work in progress, and I intend for it to be really cool when I'm done with all my trips, journals, and plans for future trips laid out in nice detail, with my checklist of what to do when travelling.

Oh yeah, Wikitravel is an interesting site that's very new, but putting up travel guides for various places.

Hostelling

Americans don't know what they're missing. Now I wouldn't always recommend staying in a hostel, but they are a lot of fun. Hostels are NOT cheap hotels(a cheap hotel has a certain connotation for Americans, at least me). Hostels are a minimalist hotel. The rooms are almost always barracks or dormitory style, with no less than 4 or 5 people in a room usually. The bathrooms are usually decent and and clean(at least, the ones I've stayed in...). Most of them(in the U.S.) are fairly safe(there are always exceptions), and the people in them tend to be people travelling as cheaply and efficiently as possible. They almost always have a common room for hanging out and getting to know the people you're staying with. Prices vary, but they are almost always cheaper than hotel in the area.

And you do meet some interesting people. I met two sisters from England who had been travelling around the world for 14 months when I ran into them(with another month left). A gaggle of Swedes in Arizona who rearranged travel plans to watch a world cup match. A really neat guy from England... TWICE... hundreds of miles apart and two weeks later :). If you stay in a hostel and don't interact with the people, you've really lost out on part of the experience.

Now this comes as a surprise to people who know what hostels are: We have them in the United States! Seriously, when I backpacked around the U.S. in the summer of 2002 I was usually the only American in the hostels I stayed in.

Some hostelling hints:

• During peak times they can be hard to get in to, so make reserverations, if possible.
• Some hostels do NOT allow reservations(as this can hurt the spontaneous nature of the experience and it can be "more fair" to people.
• Plan for a Hotel instead. IF you don't like the looks of the hostel, or the part of town its in, be prepared to go stay in a nearby hotel.
• Hostels have some standard rules about not allowing sleeping bags, but not all hostels have the same rules. Usually its safer to rely on renting sheets from them or bringing your own.
• Some hostels require the hostellers to do some chores as part of your stay.
• Bring a lock. Hostels almost always provide a locker for your stuff.
• Pack rooms: if you've checked out for the day, but you're not leaving until that evening, many hostels have locked and/or supervised pack rooms where you can leave your stuff while you explore.
• You're all in it together. Anytime you get into a hostel or backpacking situation you will meet MANY people, and most of them can be trusted(if nothing else out of selfish reasons). Remember, you're all in a foreign situation trying to explore strange new and fun locations. In general, you can scope out hostels in your next destination from people at your current location who can give you maps, hints, and opinions about where you're going... and don't forget to return the favour for them :).

Some hostelling links:

• Hostelling International - USA
• Hostelling International

My checklist for travelling

• Journalling. I journalled every few hours. It really gives a freedom to FORGET stuff. If its hard for you, just try and record everything that happened to you, starting at the beginning and continuing until you're finished. I assure you, before any real trip is over, you will have developed your own style and it will get easier.
• Cameras. I would prefer a cheap film camera for any long backpacking/hostelling kind of trip. Digital cameras and expensive cameras are fun, but if you enjoy taking pictures you will want to take a lot, and digital is no fun once that memory card runs out :). Also, number/label your film(not the canisters) directly with a sharpie. Getting the order right when you get back can be a difficult experience. I do recommend taking a LOT of pictures(you will regret taking too many less than taking too few). If you want electronic copies of film pictures you can get them developed on CD as well.
• Weblog. I personally avoided electronics on my first trip, but using a weblog can be cool to record your daily journals(and maybe upload your pictures if you brought that digital camera :). If nothing else, most hostels have internet kiosks, and internet cafes are plentiful in large cities.
• Daily readings. Reading the scripture and some other spiritual works can be rewarding because you are open to things on a long trip that can reward you for years to come. I timed my first trip to be 40 days on purpose after all.
• Cellphones. Multimode cellphones that work internationally are easy to come buy. You can get prepaid Sim cards for these phones that let you use it locally anywhere in the world just aboutit, but make SURE to read whether your phone is "unlocked". Here's one page about the idea.
• Packs. You'll find as many opinions on packs as there are travellers. I got an L.L. Bean backpack based on a friend's recommendation(but I can't find it on their site anymore, it was a good model) that was big enough for a couple of days clothes, and then I carried an army surplus duffel bag. Since I was on Greyhound buses a lot, I took a pillow for the rides as well.
• Flashlight. You should always have a flashlight. I used mine QUITE a bit on my trip... including hiking down a mountain at 1am. I got a decent LED flashlight from Walmart(long battery life, small size, lots of light, and cool).
• Weather. While you can study the kind of weather based on where you're going, I would prepare to be ready for ANYTHING. I got a nice waterproof lightweight jacket so that it could server double duty as a raincoat(which you should always think about unless you're going to a desert :).
• Clothes. Don't take many, buy some as souvenirs. If you're really bad(but travelling light :), you should probably plan on just throwing away what you wore when you get back(because you rotted it out from your extensive use :). Laundry facilities are usually always available. I tend to take a change of "nicer" clothes in case there's something that requires better than blue jeans a t-shirt.

Travel "Literature"

• Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, by Robert Pirsig. Probably the original inspiration for my trip if anything. I read this book my sophomore year in college, and it had a profound effect on my life. How do you define "Quality"?
• Lila, by Robert Pirsig. The sequel to Zen and the Art, this time its a boat trip.
• The Odyssey
• The Aeneid
• Gulliver's Travels
• On the Road, by Jack Kerouac. Superficially the most like my trip, in actuality probably the furthest from it. Kerouac is considered one of the primary members of the "Beatnik" generation. Its an interesting book, but its not my favourite
• Marco Polo I have a heavily footnoted version from the Victorian period. The footnotes are almost as amusing as the story itself. Its a really cool book.
• The Inferno, by Dante. Okay, its not the most pleasant travel book of all time, but it does rank as an interesting journey.
• Kon-Tiki, by Thor Heyerdahl. The guy believed that South Americans had populated the Polynesians. This idea was thought to be impossible, so he built a balsa wood raft and sailed from Peru for the Polynesians. 4300 miles and 101 days later they drifted ashore.
• Heart of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad. Another pleasant travel novel.

U.S. States I have visited(32).

• Tennessee - where I live :)
• North Carolina
• South Carolina
• Georgia
• Florida
• Alabama
• Mississippi
• Louisana
• Texas
• New Mexico
• Arizona
• Utah
• Nevada
• California
• Oregon
• Washington
• Idaho
• Montana
• South Dakota
• Minnesota
• Iowa
• Missiouri
• Illinois
• Michigan
• Indiana
• Kentucky
• Ohio
• West Virginia
• Virginia
• Maryland
• Pennsylvania
• New York

U.S. States I HAVE NOT been to(working on correcting that)(18).

• Colorado
• Kansas
• Oklahoma
• Arkansas
• Nebraska
• Wyoming
• North Dakota(<sigh> which is not on the way to ANYWHERE)
• Wisconsin
• Delaware
• New Jersey
• Massachusetts
• Connecticut
• Rhode Island
• Vermont
• New Hampshire
• Maine
• Alaska
• Hawaii