No, this is not a reference to the brilliant book by Alain De Botton (Penguin Books 2003), but instead the name I have given to this article that I was asked to write for Ivan’s website. I hope my thoughts on the subject of travelling may be of some use to a few of you reading this.
Firstly, what do I mean by travelling? I often wonder about that myself. Surely anybody who moves from one location to another is travelling? Be that within the British Isles, the numerous Greek and Spanish resorts that cater for those on package holidays, or those who venture further a field to the more ‘adventurous’ locations that you wont find readily advertised or promoted as a tourist destination.
In this article, I am going to talk about travelling in the kind of places that you are unlikely to see advertised in the High Street Travel Agent window. Primarily I will be referring to countries in South and Central America, Africa, the Middle-East, and Asia.
I don’t claim to be an expert on this subject, but have been fortunate enough to have travelled in 33 countries on these continents so far, so hope my thoughts and experiences may be of some use.
People go travelling for many different reasons. Maybe they are a student on a gap year? Perhaps they have just graduated? Possibly they are in between jobs and are having some time off? Chances are that the person in question has reached a stage in their life where they want to escape the routine of everyday life in the stressful modern-day Western world.
Most likely the person will be inspired to go to a country or region outside of the usual list of tourist destinations because of a recommendation from a friend, a magazine article, a long found interest in the history/culture of that area, or an inspirational TV show that highlights the delights that a particular country or region contains. Curiosity of what they don’t know or what they have not seen is a strong pulling factor.
What usually determines that choice of destination is a person’s pre-conception of what that country/region is like. Unfortunately, many people take what image the media portrays of a country/region as indicative of what that continent is like as a whole and DO take the media’s word as gospel. So when we witness harrowing pictures of genocide in Rwanda, or thousands of people starving in Ethiopia, or the fighting warlords in Liberia, many people presume that the whole of Africa is unsafe to visit. Many people I know have this image of Africa as being this corrupt, dirty, disease-ridden, war-prone, unstable, and dangerous continent. In places, they are correct. However, parts of Europe are just the same! When there was fighting in the Balkans in the 1990′s, did it make the rest of Europe unsafe to visit? I think not. When there was an outbreak of SARS in East Asia, did it make the rest of the continent unsafe to visit? No. There is always a risk, yes, but that risk has GOT to be put into perspective.
So, just because we witness pictures of tribal killings in Democratic Republic of Congo, factional warfare in Somalia, political oppression in Zimbabwe, and ethnic cleansing in Darfur, it does not make the rest of Africa an unsafe or dangerous place to visit! Indeed, only Somalia out of those countries is deemed to be completely unsafe to visit (at the present time). The same applies to the Middle-East, Asia, and Central and South America. All these areas have their problems, but such problems are not uniform across the areas in question! How frequently do we see governments being toppled in South and Central America? How often do we see fatal border skirmishes throughout Asia? ALOT more often than the Western news agencies report upon. Yet people continue to go to such places.
I therefore urge you to rid your mind of any pre-conceptions you already have about a country or region. Very few countries are actually considered to be COMPLETELY unsafe to visit as a foreign traveller. A good source of information can be obtained from the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office in order to ascertain the current security situation in a particular country/region.
This is something you need to consider very strongly. I have travelled independently and in groups before so have an idea of the benefits and disadvantages of both.
1. Where are you travelling? Is it relatively safe for independent travel? Especially if you are female, as single female travellers can experience a lot of unwanted attention/hassle. In addition, are you somebody who MUST have an expensive camera, clothes, and sunglasses with them who will therefore attract attention from the opportunistic thief? Common sense and general awareness are VITAL if you decide to travel on your own in many parts of the world. This sounds obvious, but you will be amazed at how UNAWARE certain travellers are. If you leave that camera on the table whilst you go to the toilet, IT WILL DISAPPEAR!
2. What do you want to gain from the experience? Do you want to meet local people and spend time learning about the local way of life? If this is the case, then independent travel is definitely preferable. I say that because it is much more difficult to really get in touch with local people when travelling in a group. Many locals feel intimidated by large groups of Western people turning up in their village carrying all the modern day gadgetry with them and with their noses buried in a copy of the Lonely Planet, so therefore don’t warm to large group’s as they would towards an independent traveller.
3. How are your organisational skills? Are you a punctual person who can stick to a time table? Are you on a tight schedule and short of time? You can guarantee that something will go wrong on your trip. Maybe a border will be closed, an excursion not possible due to some change in price/local conditions, or your proposed means of transportation to the next place cancelled for some unexplained reason. If you are on your own, how will you get around such problems? The importance of forward planning and a solid contingency plan is vital if you are travelling independently. I repeat, you can guarantee that something will go wrong at some stage!
4. Are you a confident person who will be able to handle the stress that independent travel will throw in your way? Rarely do things go according to plan in the developing world, so you must face this reality. What will you do if you have all your possession’s stolen? Who will look after you if you are susceptible to falling ill? Do you speak enough of a certain non-English language that might help you through a particular area? Remember that locals off the well-trodden tourist paths don’t always speak English! Hand gestures and grunting will get you so far, but are not always useful whilst trying to pass through a remote border when you do not have the correct documentation!
5. If you decide to travel in a group, most likely it will be with a Western-owned overland company. How sociable a person are you? Do you want to stick to a fairly rigid itinerary and have to spend long days with people who you may not get along with? Overall, are you happy letting others lead a trip for you with only a small amount of flexibility? Are you willing to chip in with trip duties like cooking for a large group or putting up tents and cleaning the vehicle on a frequent basis?
6. However, I feel the advantages of group travel are clear and easily outweigh the disadvantages. It is much more secure than going around on your own. All the hassle of getting through borders and arranging excursions are, for the most part, taken care of for you. There is also the fact that you will most likely meet people on the same trip who you will gel with very well and remain friends with for life. You will travel in a modern, safe, fairly spacious vehicle that SHOULD be maintained to Western standards, with Western crew who DO NOT, generally, drive like maniacs! In addition, these vehicles are adapted to go off-road to take you to see many places that are not accessible by public transport in that particular country. Knowing that you have a team in the UK behind you in case anything goes wrong adds to the security factor. In addition, there is always the chance to go off on your own for certain lengths of time and re-join the trip at a later date.
That is not to say that group travel is better than independent travel. On a personal level I have found that independent travel is much more rewarding and satisfying. But you should consider some of the points outlined in this article before you make the decision between group or independent travel.
To get a better idea of what Overlanding entails, visit any of the following websites:
There are so many factors you need to consider before you pay out for a plane ticket or an overland trip.
1. What time of year are you intending to go? Remember, seasonal weather conditions can make trips almost impossible/unbearable at certain times of the year. From the Monsoons in Asia, to the bitter cold winters of Southern South America, to the burning heat of the Mid-East and North Africa, this is a primary consideration.
2. How long do visas’ take to obtain for certain destinations? How many visas can you obtain on the road via neighbouring countries embassies/consulates, and how many must you obtain in advance from embassies based in your home country? Some embassies require a letter of invitation from a resident of that particular country before accepting your visa application! Some visas are very expensive, others quite cheap. If on a long trip and you need to obtain a number of visas in advance from your home country, remember that most visas are only valid for a short period of time (quite often only 1-3 months). Will that visa have expired by the time you arrive in that particular country? A lot of embassies/consulates will not forward date your visa applications.
Added to which, embassies and consulates nearly always throw obstacles in your path, as do immigration checks at borders. Many officials are grossly underpaid if even receiving a wage at all! Some are hideously corrupt and will snipe at the slightest detail in order to obtain a bribe from you before allowing you to proceed with a visa application or border crossing. Thankfully, this seems to be becoming less of a problem, but does still happen in some of the more beaurocratic and/or less-wealthy nations.
3. Have you been vaccinated against all the necessary diseases you could contract in your choice of destination? Some of these vaccinations are expensive, whilst others require a series of jabs with certain lengths of time in between each jab. What about malaria precautions? Medical advice will differ, but it is not advisable to take anti-malarials over a long period of time. So if you are spending over 6 months in a malarial zone, you MUST be aware of the necessary precautions to take in order to avoid contracting malaria. Different doctors will deem certain jabs completely necessary, but some vaccinations are essential to stop you falling seriously ill. It is mandatory in some countries to produce vaccination certificates (for example, countries on the Yellow Fever zone often require a certificate of vaccination if you want to enter that country).
4. Have you obtained a comprehensive insurance policy? It is a truly unwise person who travels in such areas without some form of insurance. You can guarantee that you will be ill at some stage when travelling. From diorreah to malaria, you can quickly become very ill. Often you might be far from hospitals that could cater for your condition effectively and you may need to be flown to a large city to be treated. Who will pay for such costs and the resulting medical bill if you are not insured?
1. One gripe I have with other travellers is with what many people call THE TRAVELLERS BIBLE, otherwise known as The Lonely Planet. Please, do not take what The Lonely Planet says as gospel. Without a doubt, it is by far the most comprehensive text for any traveller and extremely useful. However, many travellers ONLY go by what The Lonely Planet recommends for that particular country/region. But to ONLY do what the text recommends is to severely limit yourself. Remember, this is a book primarily composed and based upon what other travellers have told the authors or what the author has experienced themselves. Just because one reader had a terrible experience of a certain hotel, restaurant, or local tour operator does not mean that one thousand others before them did not have a positive experience!
Added to which, if you always have your nose buried in a copy of The Lonely Planet, you will miss so much of the country!! Go with the flow, use it as a point of reference, but do not treat it as the be all and end all to travelling in that country/region. I remember travellers in Vietnam were particularly terrible at walking around with their copies of the Lonely Planet and ONLY going by what was written in there. You will miss an awful lot if that is your attitude.
2. Plan ahead. Remember, public holidays will be different to what you are used to at home, meaning borders may be shut or embassies and sites of interest closed. Always do your research with regards the visa requirements. Though time consuming, there is nothing worse than having to back track through places you have already seen in order to obtain the correct visa. Stock up with essentials when you get the chance in the bigger towns. It is not always easy to obtain suntan cream, toothpaste, or tampons in the middle of the Sahara desert or high up in the Andes!
3. Don’t be rude to people who approach you. After a while you will learn who are the traders and the hard-sellers who want to strike a deal with you for something you have no interest in buying! A firm but polite no will suffice (except in Egypt perhaps where the traders are particularly persistent!). The number of times I have seen Western people being downright abusive to local people because they haven’t quite taken the hint that they are not interested is terrible. Many local people will be desperately poor in comparison to yourself and are only trying to earn an honest living. An abusive or downright rude response will only create a bad impression of yourself and your nation to those people, especially if you are in the more remote areas where locals don’t often have contact with foreign travellers.
If you do decide to buy something, bargaining is essential! But don’t insult the seller by offering a ridiculously low sum of money because you think they are desperate for a sale. You quickly become accustomed to how much goods should cost, so bargaining becomes easier. Most important to remember is that if you pay a lesser sum of money for an item than somebody else has paid, it does not mean you have been ripped off! So many travellers compare prices, and you can often hear “ah, that guy is a con man!”. In many countries most items have no fixed value at all. It is down to your negotiation and bargaining skills. If you were happy to part with that sum of money in the first place then you only have yourself to blame if you feel you paid too much.
Do not be intimidated by the bargaining process. Traders will sense that you are intimidated and exploit that fact. Be confident, maintain eye contact, a casual posture, and show as little interest in the item you want as possible. Return to the product every now and then, but maintain an indifferent attitude to the items on show. Offer the trader a cigarette and strike up a conversation about something other than the bargaining in hand. Take your time. I remember spending over 90 minutes with one trader in Ghana trying to bargain for a hand made chess set. We exhausted conversations on politics and international affairs, smoked a 10 pack of cigarettes between us, and drunk about 3 cups of tea. By the end of the process I had been invited to dinner with his family that evening and secured the chess board for about a quarter of his original asking price. Tough bargaining, but effective, and great fun!!
4. Respect the environment around you. Even if locals treat the streets like open land-fill sites, do not follow their lead. Carry your rubbish with you until you find a suitable place for disposal. Food waste can often be offered to local herdsmen who will appreciate the scraps for their livestock. If in the towns, remember that sewage systems often can not cope with toilet paper. If in the countryside and nature calls, then do burn your toilet paper, do not just bury it!
5. Do not be afraid to eat at food stalls in the street because the cooking conditions look primitive. Seeing food cooked in front of you is preferable compared to food being cooked away from your watchful eye in a restaurant. At least you know it is freshly cooked. In a restaurant, the owners could easily be warming up some old food that has been sitting in the open-air for ages. As far as restaurants go, do not just go to the places that travellers frequent. As long as the restaurant has people in there eating then this is a generally a good indication that it is safe place to eat. Questions should be asked when a restaurant is empty despite other restaurants in the local area being busy.
6.SNAP HAPPY! By this, I mean people who INSIST upon taking photos or video footage of literally everything. Some travellers can be downright offensive to local people by doing this. ASK PERMISSION FIRST! Some travellers are so intrusive into local lives and just turn up and start photographing people like they are animals in a zoo. I can think of few other acts that are likely to cause offence and create a bad impression. THINK BEFORE YOU POINT THAT CAMERA!
7. Learn about local customs and traditions, especially if the region is particularly religious. Serious offence can be caused by doing something that is deemed highly inappropriate in a particular area. In Thailand for example, it is very rude to sit on a pillow as it is the head that should rest upon the pillow and the head is considered to be the most important part of the body. Likewise, in much of the developing world, it is VERY RUDE to use your left hand to greet people or to eat with. In such countries the left hand is reserved for sanitary habits! If travelling in particularly remote areas, it is always a good idea to bring a small offering with you when entering a village as a gesture of good will. In Dogon country in Mali for example, Kola nuts are favoured by the Dogon people and much appreciated.
In a very simple and straight forward conclusion, GO OUT THERE AND HAVE FUN! Travel has never been as easy and simple as it is now. Landscapes are altering, cultures being diluted, traditions fading out as the modern world expands, wildlife becoming endangered, and ancient sites and buildings becoming harder to get access to. Look back on your life in 20, 30, 40, even 50 years and remember the memories.
It WILL alter the way you look at the world and the many different people that inhabit it. Have fun!
Written by David Oades
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