Given that we’re nearing the eve of thanksgiving in the United States, and just a couple weeks past Thanksgiving in Canada, I wanted to stop for a minute and reflect on the world of travel and share 5 important things I am thankful for.

Safety

Although the world is in economic turmoil, the earthquakes seem to be mounting, and civil unrest pervades certain areas of the world, we are relatively safe and secure.  Sure, bad things happen every day, but they could be a lot worse.  And for that, I am very thankful.

The Internet

The Internet has made travel informative cheap and accessible.  It’s encouraged people to travel, it’s allowed people to gather in like-minded communities (like this one), and it’s changed world commerce.  As a travel business and a traveler pretty reliant on it, I’m glad it’s around, and I hope it sticks around!

Food

I love to eat, and judging by the fact that our food travel articles are the most popular part of this magazine, I think everyone else does too. I’m thankful that I have enough to eat, and that I’ve had the opportunity to go around the world and eat in many amazing places.

People

I have met SO MANY amazing, interest, fabulous, fantastic people in my travels.  From my gals pictured above – my SXSW crew I meet at least once each year in Austin – to my Portland, Oregon crew, to the famous artists, the survivors of the tortures of war, the architects, the scientists, to the hospitality professions whose job it is to make a welcoming experience for myself and others… even as a more solo traveler, I’m so glad to have met them all.

Opportunity

Like a blank page, the world has so many possibilities and room for so much opportunity in the future – so many countries are now accessible to travelers, so many cool tours and experiences to be had.  It’s almost hard to choose, but I’m thankful for the choices.

As we near the end of 2011, what are YOU thankful for?  Share with everyone in the comments.

After I had been on about a half dozen international humanitarian aid trips, I found myself with the amazing opportunity to prepare my mother, who had never been out of the country, to spend a month in India visiting a missionary friend. But how to explain to someone how to deal with culture shock? I opened an empty notebook and began writing my mother a little textbook of sorts, explaining how to cope when traveling internationally. But no matter how hard I tried to prepare her, there were some things that she just couldn’t be prepared for.

After she returned and was telling me about her trip, she said, “Sarah, when we walked out of the airport and all of the foreign smells hit me, I realized how far away from home I was. I realized that I was stuck here for a month. For the entire thirty-minute taxi ride to the guest house—the first taxi ride of my life!—I panicked.”

Culture Shock. It happens.

That is culture shock. I think that all international travelers have experienced it, to some degree, though I’m sure that the degree and severity of the culture shock would vary based on how different the culture you are exposed to is from the culture where you live.

In these dismal economic times it’s easy to argue that luxury has no place in the world of the thoughtful traveler. Who but Gordon Gekko could possibly contend that business-class flights or grand hotels should ever figure into an ordinary person’s vacation plans?

Of course luxury travel isn’t essential. You can see the world wonderfully on a budget, and many of the very best experiences, like meeting local people and wandering foreign streets, are free.  (This community even has a whole guide to finding first class experiences on an economy budget.)  But if it’s possible to take a luxury trip, you should strongly consider doing so.

For my fiftieth birthday my husband and I distilled a couple of years’ worth of long meetings and late nights at our respective jobs into two business class tickets from Vancouver to Hong Kong on Cathay Pacific, and stays at two high-end resorts on Bali. Although it was nerve-wracking to hit “send” on the authorization to our travel agent just as the economy was crumbling around us like the buildings in the movie “Inception,” we don’t for a moment regret it.

Practical Considerations

Fourteen hours is a long time for bodies that are in their fifties or nearly so to be folded into a pretzel in Economy. We estimated that the Business Class transpacific tickets added a full day to our sightseeing time in Hong Kong, as we recovered from jet lag much faster after a full night’s sleep.

This being our first trip to Asia and a milestone occasion as well, we wanted to stay in places with plenty of services available and where we could reasonably expect things to go smoothly. I never like to use the term “trip of a lifetime” because I’m always optimistic that future opportunities for luxury travel might arise, but this holiday was extremely important and we wanted to do everything possible to minimize the likelihood of losing precious days to illness, accidents or other problems.

We were also careful to spend our hard-earned dollars on only the luxuries that would be truly meaningful and memorable to us. For example, we’re just not spa people. Especially in Bali there were plenty of establishments clamoring for our attention, but we knew we’d spend the entire session squirming to escape the seaweed wrap, so we politely declined. We are foodies and are happy to pay for a fancy meal when we want one, but we also love beer and street food. If we’re lucky enough to find a hotel like the Lanson Place in Hong Kong that has a kitchenette, we’ll find a local supermarket and try “home” cooking.

A “Real” Experience

I reject the notion that luxury travel is somehow “inauthentic.” Sure, there are lots of glossy lookalike hotels around the world. But many luxury properties are an essential part of the fabric of their communities and are as important to the locals as they are to guests. No one would argue that staying in Seattle’s historic Olympic Hotel means removing oneself from what’s important about that city; it’s where for decades Northwesterners have celebrated life’s big moments and small pleasures. Similarly, the Oberoi in Bali, where we spent an absolutely spectacular week, has been a landmark in Indonesia for forty years. Generations of local people have worked there in all capacities, and their pride in being part of such a historic place showed in everything from the handwritten welcoming note from the manager to the complimentary birthday cake the kitchen baked for me.

At Ubud’s Villa Semana, the expat owner has lived in Bali since the 70s and knows everyone from Mick Jagger to members of the Suharto family. Dinner conversation with him in the hotel’s open-air restaurant, with fireflies flashing through to the moonlit ricefields outside, was nothing short of astonishing. He employs a large percentage of the local village. His close ties to the community and fluent Bahasa Indonesia allowed us to attend a temple ceremony (complete with Balinese royalty carried through the village on golden litters) that no other tourists knew about.

A Destination in Itself

Finally, luxury can be a destination in its own right. How often can a traveler say that a long plane flight was one of the highlights of a trip? I have flown many thousands of miles over the last fifty years, but I’ll remember eating dim sum chased with Champagne, watching two chopsockey movies in a row, and drifting off to sleep under a down comforter 30,000 feet over Kamchatka to the day I die.

At the end of the day, what’s most important is that you know what’s meaningful to you before you spend your travel dollars, because they are all ultimately converted into the same currency: Memories.

Last week, I went on a short guided hike with Dave Nissen, owner of Bend, Oregon-based Wanderlust Tours. It might have been a short and simple hike, but one thing that Dave reminded our group was something I found quite profound:

Dave mentioned that almost all species tend to use and rely on one dominant sense – dogs, for example, use their nose, while us humans tend to focus on our eyesight (if we still have it).

Just take that photo above. It’s a photo of some beautiful flowerboxes on a ridge on the edge of a town called Seefeld, in between Innsbruck Austria and Munich Germany.

You probably see the vivid blue sky and the creamy yellow of the blooms.

But did you smell the waft of fresh bread from and hot coffee from the cafe just behind the hill?

Did you hear the woosh of the athletes on their training skis preparing for the cross-country skiing? Or the children laughing in a nearby playground?

Pick up a blade of that grass. Isn’t it funny how it feels so different than the kind in your yard at home?

Can you feel the crisp chill in the air – a breeze that’s drifted straight down from snow-capped mountains?

Using Your Senses Makes It More Memorable

This such a simple tip, and while it may seem a bit of a “woo woo” recommendation, try it. You don’t have to hum out loud or anything weird, just be present. So many travelers are in a rush to tick items off their list, that they miss actually being there.

This is also a great way to organize your thoughts in your travel journal. I may try this on my next trip, actually.

Recently on our Facebook wall (you’re a fan, right?), I posed the following pithy question:

What do you prioritize whenever you travel?

Our good friends at ExOfficio responded with a very good answer that left me pondering. Still.

Taking a little extra time to sleep so a fully-rested me can completely appreciate my travels.

No Sleep Syndrome: The Perfect Storm?

Travel seems to be designed to engineered as the perfect storm for a lack of sleep.

• Before You Go:  You’re busy trying to take care of things so they’ll remain self sufficient while you’re gone.  You’re packing, buying extra gadgets and gear, researching your trip, etc.  And of course, that damned night-before-you-go-cant-sleep thing. (What is up with that?)
• On the Go:  Early starts to see the sunrises and catching all day tours.  Not eating properly, exposed to new germs and bacteria.  Uncomfortable beds.  Minutes of shut eye stolen on planes and trains that may help, but probably hinder.

It’s no wonder we’re not all bleary-eyed zombies on every trip.

The Consequences of a Lack of Sleep

When you don’t get enough sleep, the consequences are obvious.

• You’re more likely to get sick. And ill on the road is the only thing worse than being ill in general.
• You’re unable to be “in the moment.” I hate to get all woo-woo, but you know what I mean – if you’re dead tired, then no matter how magnificent the worlds most famous _________________ is, you just want to go to bed.
• You’re more likely to get into arguments with your traveling companions.  As if that wasn’t likely in the first place.
• You’re more likely to never travel again if this is how bad it’s gonna be. Uh huh.  I hear you.

Feeling tired can feel normal after a short time. Researchers who deliberately deprived test cases of sleep for research initially noticed greatly the effects on their alertness, mood and physical performance, but the awareness dropped off after the first few days. After five nights of partial sleep deprivation, three drinks will have the same effect on your body as six would when you’ve slept enough.

Tips for Getting More Sleep on your Next Trip

I’m as guilty as the next vacationer for not getting proper sleep on my travels.  But I do try, and here are some personal suggestions as to how I try to stay a little more refreshed when faced with long days:

• Pump up on Vitamins:  I always take a regimen of vitamins when I travel, always.  I suggest that whatever you choose includes a daily dose of 1000MG of Vitamin C, as well as as many B vitamins as you can get in there, as these give you a bit of an energy jump.  I’m not a doctor, so you assume all responsibility for taking this advice.
• Bring your Creature Comforts:  I don’t travel with much travel gear, but I’m not opposed to anything that relates to getting a good night’s sleep.  That includes travel pillows, teddy bears, aromatherapy, bath salts, eye shades, ear plugs… whatever you might need, bring it!
• Book a Sleep In Day:  Honestly, what is more fun than sleeping in under those comfy hotel sheets, having some room service, listening to music, reading, just having some quiet time.  You don’t have to stay in bed all day (unless you want to!), but a quiet and relaxed morning without all the sightseeing might be the most memorable part of your trip.  I know it is hard to resist the siren call of sightseeing, but trust me, and try it.  (You could also have a night-in at the hotel… or both!)
• Last, but most important: Know Your Body.  If napping on trains and planes helps you, do it.  If it doesn’t, hit the barista bar.  If you really must have 8 hours to function, then skip that sunrise photo as it will ruin the rest of the day – or skip the night out on the town the night before.  Only you know your body, so trust your instincts.

Photo by DirtyS, suzette

Happy “Everything You Think is Wrong Day” dear reader! This unusually named event doesn’t seem to have much ‘official’ descriptions, but the common descriptions seem to be “a day when nothing goes right.” So to celebrate, I thought I’d share some “worst case scenario” travel disasters and traveling mishaps, and how to deal with them. 99% of the time, none of these things will happen to you. But how would you handle it if it did?

Something’s Wrong with Your Reservations – and the Staff are Less than Helpful

Ugh, we’ve all been there – that sinking feeling of dread when you come to the realization that something is very, very wrong with your travel reservations.  It’s never good and it can totally wreck your travel plans, not matter whether it was your screw up or the airline/hotel/tour operator.  A few sage words of advice for when this a-little-too-common type of disaster strikes:

• Always Take the High Road.  Being a total jerk doesn’t do anybody any favours, and usually works against you.  Remember, it isn’t usually the employee you’re dealing with who caused the issue (and even if it was, still…).  Be firm and friendly.
• Get on the Phone.  If you’re stuck in long queues (esp at the airport), get on the phone as sometimes a phone agent can be easier to reach and can get you a manager to authorize off-policy changes.  It is better to deal with someone in person though, so use the phone option as a backup.
• Accept what you can’t change.  When the weather or mistakes or whatever means that you just aren’t going to get home on time, or you’re going to miss out on something special, try to find the inner peace to accept it.  Yeah, it sucks, but if you let that negative energy fester it can spoil your entire vacation.

You’re sick while away from home.  Really sick.

I hate being sick, and I just recently got smacked with a nasty bout of the flu while on a trip.  It’s no fun, even if the sheets at the hotel are high threadcount.  Here’s my advice, which worked pretty well last month

• Prevention is Better than the Cure.  I always take multivitamins, including a Vitamin C booster, before I leave home and during my trip.  Airplanes, airports, trains and buses are all bug havens, esp. if you’re in a foreign land where every bacteria is a strange threat to your body.  Take the vitamin boosters all during your trip.
• Sometimes you need to lose a day.  If you’re really feeling it, sometimes it might be worth it to just call it a sick day, sleep and stay in bed, in order to recover enough to enjoy the rest of the trip – otherwise it could just drag out and make you miserable the whole time.

Something Happens Back at Home.

It can happen any time – a massive water leak in your house, or death.  And some times, damn the luck, it can happen while you’re away.  Sometimes far, far away.  My thoughts on this issue, which has happened to me once (I travel a lot so statistically….)

• Get ahold of your local contacts for damage control.  You can’t do everything on the phone, so figure out who can be your contact on the ground to do damage control and figure out what arrangements need to be handled immediately.
• Decide where’s the line for when you have to cut it short and head home. Obviously this depends on the scenario, but you need to decide what is the criteria for when you just stay and finish the vacation and when you will have to make a break and head home.
• Try not to let it ruin your vacation. Not to be insensitive because clearly certain issues can be very emotionally damaging, but if you’re going to stay, try to enjoy what’s left of the trip.  That’s why I suggest you pass off responsibility to someone back home so they can be on point, and you check in each day to see what’s up.

Riots or Civil War breaks out where you are visiting.

This seems like an unlikely scenario, but in the past year perhaps we’ve been reminded that some parts of the world just aren’t as stable as they are back home.  Getting information when in these situations can be difficult, and often the most easy-to-access resource – TV – isn’t the most accurate.  I was just talking about this in our travel newsletter, and my suggestion is to get multiple pieces of advice, and then go with your gut.  Your hotelier, tour operator, or local guide should be able to provide practical recommendations on what you need to do.  Your safety is of utmost importance, so ask your gut:  are we safe?  It can be hard to know for sure, but I always say your gut has very good instincts.

You get lost.  Really Lost.

With smartphones and the tentacles of tourism reaching out into far away lands, I find it hard to believe that people could get lost anymore.  But it does happen – particularly when you’re going off the grid where phones won’t work.  Some recommendations:

• Have someone expecting you if you’re going off the grid.  For example if you’re planning on going hiking for the day and it’s snowing, you’d be best telling the hotel or someone to check on you by dark to ensure your safe return.  If nobody knows you’re missing, nobody will go looking.
• Bring phone numbers and addresses with you – in the foreign language. This is a good tip esp if you’re traveling somewhere like Russia or China – just print off the hotel’s details and slip them into your bag.  Hotels in large cities or off the beaten path will often have business cards with directions in the local language exactly for this purpose – to give to a taxi driver to get you safely home.

You are personally threatened with violence.

Violence, whether it be knives or guns or anything in between, can happen at home just as likely as it can on the road.  The problem comes on the road when you aren’t familiar with the territory and don’t have a good sense for where is safe and where isn’t safe.

My advice for when faced with violence abroad is to remember the two most important things that you have: your life and your personal documents.  Everything else can be replaced (and yes, documents can be replaced to, but not as easily), so if giving up some cash to save the other two things is an option, take it.

I know I talk a lot about gut feelings, but if you try to look past the overwhelming fear and adrenaline rush and ask your gut to decide what is the most practical reaction here, your gut will know the answer.

Happy Everything You Think is Wrong Day!  Travel safe!

Have you deal with mishaps and disaster abroad? How’d you cope?

Photo Credits: RachelH_, the italian voice, dh, effervescing elephant, pinguino,muir.ceardach

Enjoy Everything You Think is Wrong Day with these posts from the Travel Blog Mob, a group of expert, independent travelers who converge monthly on a single topic.  The list will be updated as posts are published, so check back and be sure to enjoy what all the “mob-sters” have to say.

• From Wandering Educators:  Everything You Think You Know about Travel is Wrong
• From Ciao Bambio:  Everything You Think You Know About Family Travel … Is Wrong
• From Boots n All:  Everything You Think You Know About Travel Writers is Wrong
• From Wanderlust & Lipstick:  Opting Out of Full Body Scanners
• From Spot Cool Stuff:  3 Obviously True Travel Facts that are Wrong
• From Nerd’s Eye View:  Getting it Wrong
• From The Vacation Gals:  Los Angeles Facts & Myths
• From Traveling with MJ: Travelers Beware: Everything You Think You Know is Wrong

One question I seem to be getting a lot these days: Where Should I Go in 2011? It is a fair question – especially after we challenged you to go out and celebrate something this year. Many travel magazines and publications printed their “120 Places to go in 2011.” Those are fun, but we opted out of that meme this year, just because it felt a little tired and cliched. But since you asked, I do have some other ideas on how to find a place to go in the new year.

Find a Special Event

Why not make a plan to attend some crazy-cool event you want to go to

• Concerts of bands you love
• Once-in-a-lifetime events like the upcoming Royal Wedding
• A conference or seminar you’ve always wanted to go to, and then stay afterwards to hangout and relax (just make sure work and business are separate)
• Events that happen annually, like marathons or sporting events

The only downside of special events is that it squashes most of your opportunities for a good deal or discount, so be prepared to pay for the opportunity. But, if it is going to be an experience, it might well be worth paying for.

Find a Photo

I admit to having actually just found a photo of a viewpoint that made me decide that I wanted to go to a certain place – much of our Scottish Highlands road trip was chosen based on pictures of places (with a double-check on the stories afterwards to make sure). Whether you like hiking the outdoors to get a good photo, to relaxing with a cocktail overlooking a city skyline, views can make a good vacation awesome-tastic.

First port of call for this is our regular photo essay feature. Great photographs are guaranteed to get that suitcase packed! You might also want to checkout Flickr’s Explore page – it’s a little busy with tons of crazy stuff going on, but it’s perfect to just click around and look for ideas.

Throw Darts at a Map

Stop laughing, I’m SERIOUS! At one of my old jobs, a bunch of us decided to do this and I had the honor of throwing the dart (blindfolded, naturally). What did Lady Luck have for me? Oklahoma City. Yup. After some laugher, we agreed that we had all decided the darts would decide, and off we went. It was amazing – delicious food, really nice people, and we saw one of the most beautiful trees around the world. I’m kicking myself for not having written up a proper trip report about it.

Regardless, you have to roll with whatever the darts say here. Unless it hits ocean, you have an obligation to go and check out the place the dart landed. You never know….

Ask (Y)our Community for Ideas

Over on our Facebook page, there’s always a friendly face willing to help. You could also just Tweet or post something on Your own Facebook wall to see if anyone has some ideas. We also have a free travel recommendation tool, or you could always just see what our latest specials are.

Not knowing where to go on vacation isn’t an excuse. It’s a problem easily solved – just explore some ideas, pick out the two or three things that resonate with you the most, check prices / rank priority, then BOOK IT AND GO BABY. Safe travels.

Photo Credits: tetraconz, McD22, boghdan suditu, emjay davies.

Other Articles Related to This You Might Enjoy:

• Nerd’s Eye View: Back to Austria in 2011
• BootsnAll: Where to Travel Next
• The Vacation Gals: Zip Lining in a Costa Rica Rainforest
• Traveling with MJ: New Year, New Place, New List
• Wandering Educators: The Quirky Traveler Top 10 Travel Destinations 2011
• CiaoBambino: Africa with Kids
• Wanderlust and Lipstick: Best Destinations for Women Travelers
• Travel to Southern Sudan: The World’s Newest Country by Spot Cool Stuff: Travel

Right about this time last year, our superhero lifestyle-guru friend Alex Fayle wrote an article titled “Make 2010 a Travel More Year.” Did you? (Travel More, that is.)

Specifically, though, Alex did not just tell you to go out and book a flight just because. That’s not the spirit of travel more – it’s about great tourism experiences, not just travel for the sake of it. Here’s part of Alex’s article that I’d like you to join me in taking just a minute to reflect on:

As we come up to the New Year, many people start thinking about resolutions, like losing weight, travelling more, or chasing other dreams. Others reject resolutions, saying that they just set up unreal expectations and that the change in the calendar means nothing other than the advancing of time.

Whatever your attitude it, resolutions or no resolutions, I think you should have some fun this coming year.

Did you Have Fun in 2010?

Did you have fun in 2010, or did you let something get in your way?

• Not enough money
• Not enough time
• I’m afraid
• Insert excuse <here>

I don’t judge.  I won’t judge.  But I will say that I really hope you did have an awesome year.  And if you’re reading this, then of course, THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart for joining us here at STE for the ride.  It has been awesome.

My Call to Action:  Find a Reason to Celebrate

So, Alex asked you to have a little fun in 2010.  I’m going to encourage you to find a reason to celebrate in 2011.

• Maybe that means taking a daytrip from your hometown to enjoy your birthday.
• Maybe that means buying a surprise trip away for someone you love.
• Maybe that means finally telling yourself that you are worth it and booking that dream trip.

You don’t have to use our booking tools or our travel services.  You don’t even have to travel.  But please, find a reason to celebrate something in 2011.

In true Ellen Degeneres style, I’d like to end the year in style.  So, stand up – yes, right now – and DANCE.  CELEBRATE.

Next year is going to be your year to discover something truly amazing, so DANCE.  CELEBRATE.

Photo by Matteo Mazzoni

P.S. – No fanfare  here, just a small note to let you know in 2011 we’ll no longer be publishing daily.  We’re embracing serendipity and giving Sharing Travel Experiences some breathing room.   “If you love it, set it free.”

Recently, an interviewer asked me the following question:

Now that you’re in the tourism business, how has your view of travel changed?

I understood where the question was going, but perhaps what I think the reviewer failed to appreciate is that my travel lifestyle has undergone a number of metamorphoses over the past 33 years (Yes, I am 33 as of right now). The idea hadn’t really crossed my mind, but I’ve been pondering it the last few days and I thought I’d share with you those thoughts.

SQUEEE: Childhood

As a child, we did travel. But not every often. And not very far. With little money and little time off, it just wasn’t in the cards. I learned to embrace it, which meant savouring every experience and even the most mundane of trips became an adventure. Haven’t you ever been somewhere new and just wanted to SQUEEE at the newness and surreal-ness of it. That’s what Travel More feels like, smells like, looks like, tastes like.

The First Taste of Adventure

It wasn’t until halfway through university that I really had my first outrageous travel adventure. I talked above it during my interview with Jeremy – it was a trip to Aruba, but we didn’t have much cash, so we pulled together this strange itinerary of unsavoury airlines, bargain deal accommodations, and had the time of our lives. I was hooked. Travel More was in my veins.

Too Much Travel Almost Killed Me

Bet that subheading made you look. But it’s true. When I got out of University, my job was in software – consulting on various types of tech “stuff.” But that wasn’t a desk job – it was a client facing job. One of those ones where you are on the road every week. Every week. Sometimes I would fly three times a week.

This was all very novel at first – it was at 30 thousand feet and 300 thousand miles a year that I got . I learned all of the secrets that Chris Guillebeau put into his Frequent Flyer Mastermind kit (good read – that’s why we are an affiliate). I knew every trick in the book for arriving at an airport with 30 minutes to spare and still making the flight. I knew where to find decent food and I mastered the ability to fall asleep on the airplane before the aircraft door was shut, and waking only when we touched down on the other end.

The novelty soon faded, as we all know what the traveling public is like. Security got really messy after 9/11, passengers got grumpier, airlines got rid of more legroom. It all got too much, and I ended up moving into another company but same job where the travel was a bit more manageable (more for fun, less for business).

Travel as a Travel Writer

Now, I’m sometimes paid to travel, or when I’m travelling I’m working. It’s not the idyllic paradise one might think – there’s a balance that must be struck between seeing things I personally am interested in as well as experiences that you, my lovely lovely readers might also enjoy (these two things don’t always overlap). There’s that tricky editorial policy we have, which means I tell the truth about what I see and experience – and sometimes that isn’t easy.

But, most of all, I travel because I’ve chosen to do so. And I’ve seen it all. I know what it’s like to be scared and afraid and feeling out of balance all at once. I learned all of the tricks the hard way and found out what rules you can break and what ones you can’t (shouldn’t). I travelled to the point of exhaustion, and returned from the brink to tell the story.

And that, my friend, is the long answer to, how has my view of travel changed. If you’re new to travel, trust me, your view will change too – mostly for the good. You’ll find out what experiences you love, things that you hate, and an appreciation for the good and bad of the world of travel.

Photo Credit: vastateparkstaff, Creativity103,John Cohen

These days, I’m spending a lot of time working my way through journals, notes, and old blogs, trying to sum up four months of rough travel in South America to see what I might have to say to the world in another book. My main take on foreign countries is that they are basically safe places, filled with people who have the same needs and aspirations as we in America do. You also know that these countries might not be as comfortable as home, and you’ve heard people grumble about temperature, toilets, local food, broken sidewalks… and who knows what all?

But, my bottom line is that if I, at the age of seventy-one, can hack backpacking and hosteling for long periods of time, all by myself, with limited cash…..then, something about our common fears concerning foreign countries is simply groundless. You all know what “common fears” I’m talking about: every one  of those nameless, faceless terrors, summed up in the one word – Danger - all of which come to mind when we contemplate placing ourselves in the midst of any society that is different from our own.

Well, where do these fears come from, I ask?  I’ll tell you where!

It’s All About Storytelling

They originate with our fellow American travelers who return from an “exotic” place without much of a story. Frankly, nothing really happened to them to whomp up a good audience at the dinner table or the watercooler. Or, worse yet, they have nothing much to write an exciting column about once they return to their newspaper desk and the expectant editor who allowed them three weeks off to visit friends in Bolivia, for instance.

The St. Petersburg Times (Florida) carried one of these idea-inseminating sort of articles, which plant new terror in the heart of a reader, or confirm an already-existing terror about a poor, innocent country that is really not all that bad.

It’s a cheap shot! I know exactly how it feels to sit at my desk, back home, wanting to write something fantastic about my trip. Wanting to wow an audience. Wanting to sell my book. Wanting to cash in on the faulty currency of misinformation about the state of the world, so that I will look brave for staring it down. But, I would be selling my soul to add one more lie to the commonly-held myth that the world is, essentially, this terrible and dangerous place.

I, too, am always glad to get back home! Things do look better here. But, it’s very likely that Bolivians are also glad to return to their hometown, as well, after roaming countries strange to them. We all like our own beds, our own kitchens, our own habits. Not all foreigners live on the streets.

Here’s an example of the type of article I’m talking about, headlined: “On travel, terror and living to tell the tale“. This is a form of terrorism that we usually don’t think of as terrorism. But, it does destroy something necessary to the spread of peace among human beings. It reinforces the suspicion that poorer countries are places of lurking danger; that we might be mugged, or attacked for our differences; and that their smelly public toilets really place them in a less-than-human condition. 

The worst part of it is, that I have a strong suspicion that these were not this writer’s honest opinions. I believe the actual case is, that he had a mildly good time during this trip and that he probably enjoyed this visit to old friends, but he needed to beef up his story upon return. Have you never been in that situation yourself?  I’m in it right now.  But, if I can’t find any more to say about my four-month, South American explorations, then shame on me.

(Later: as things turned out, I didn’t have enough material for the book I was planning. To beef, or not to beef? Not I! I wrote my next book about something else. Someday, I’ll continue the Southern Hemisphere adventures.)

Is it Really that Bad? No.

My gosh, Maxwell makes such a deal out of being momentarily separated, at a La Paz parade, from his host family; out of his lack of the Spanish language; of how his gray hair and height sets him apart from the short, dark-haired people. This man is a world traveler, with many countries under his belt, so I suspect he was sensationalizing here, and reaching for pretty thin material, at that.

Plus, every traveler has to talk about the toilets. So many places offer this pungent shock value. But, they do the best they can with what they’ve got, and it’s so widespread that we “materialized ones,” with our taken-for-granted flush power, had better just take it in stride, rather than trying to wait to use only our host’s, or our hotel’s, facilities.

What gets me is that everything he said in his column applied to me all of the time. Not just in Bolivia, but throughout the whole continent of South America. I didn’t have a local family to run interference or to serve as translators, either. But, this was merely background for my everyday experiences. Yes, I might have fussed about being cold a lot and not particularly liking some of the food, but I didn’t couch the whole business as if it were a danger. I truly believe that it wasn’t personally perceived as a danger to him as well. until he needed to make a big deal out of his Big Adventure for the folks back home. Plus, satisfy an expectant editor.

As a culture, we Americans focus way too much on the negative for my tastes. Let’s take a reality check here. There are tour guides and well established operators, tourist attractions even, in nearly ever country in the world, including those impoverished and war torn. The world just is not as dangerous as we would like it to be.