Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 1
How to Travel as a Political Act
If this topic is a trip featuring seven exciting destinations, this i rst chapter is
the l ight 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-l ight 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 about 9/12, 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 subjects. h e court jester's job was
to mix it up with people that the king would never meet. h e jester would
play in the gutter with the rif raf . h en, having i ngered 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. h ey are of ended
by the queen's parties. h e pope has more inl uence than you. Everybody is
reading the heretics' pamphlets. Your stutter is the butt of many rude jokes.”
h e 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 own communities. Whether visiting El Sal-
vador (where people
don't
dream of having two cars in every garage), Denmark
(where they pay high taxes with high expectations and are satisi ed), or Iran
(where many willingly compromised their freedom to be ruled by clerics out
