Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Overcome Fear
The American Dream, Bulgarian Dream, Sri Lankan Dream: Celebrate
Them All
Gimme that Old-Time Religion…with an International Spin
Get Beyond Your Comfort Zone—Choose to Be Challenged
See the Rich/Poor Gap for Yourself
Okay, Let's Travel…
If this topic is a trip featuring exciting destinations, this first chapter is the flight over—a
great time to mentally prepare for a trip. To get the most value out of your travels, plan
to get out of your comfort zone, meet the people, and view other cultures—as well as our
own—with an open mind. Here's how I do it. (I'll try to make it worth missing the in-flight
movie.)
Travel like a Medieval Jester
I'm a travel writer. According to conventional wisdom, injecting politics into your travel
writing is not good for business. Isn't travel, after all, a form of recreational escapism?
Yes…but it can be much more.
For me, since September 12, 2001, the role of a travel writer has changed. I see the
travel writer of the 21st century like the court jester of the Middle Ages. While thought
of as a jokester, the jester was in a unique position to tell truth to power without being
punished. Back then, kings were absolute rulers—detached from the lives of their sub-
jects. The court jester's job was to mix it up with people that the king would never meet.
The jester would play in the gutter with the riffraff. Then, having fingered the gritty pulse
of society, he'd come back into the court and tell the king the truth. “Your Highness, the
people are angered by the cost of mead. They are offended by the queen's parties. The
pope has more influence than you. Everybody is reading the heretics' pamphlets. Your
stutter is the butt of many rude jokes.” The king didn't kill the jester. In order to rule more
wisely, the king needed the jester's insights.
Many of today's elected leaders have no better connection with real people (especially
outside their borders) than those “divinely ordained” kings did centuries ago. And while
I'm fortunate to have a built-in platform, I believe that any traveler can play jester to their
Search WWH ::




Custom Search