The craziest date ever
salon.com
salon.com
I remember driving a BMW from the 7 series into the sunset heading to the atlantic ocean in france. I have the credit card of the car owner next to me (for the toll stations) as he is sleeping and we are listening to his favorite french chansons. He was a banker not much older than me. This connected feeling and trust is priceless and I'm really flabbergasted every time it works. There is a longing in the people you meet on your way and a longing in yourself. Nothing beats someone who stops and offers you ride after you were stuck for 6 hours in a godless place surrounded by refuges who are trying to enter great Britain in the back of trucks that cross the border. And you suddenly realize how important that passport in your pocket is. And how lucky and privileged you are and what desperation does to people. I don't know. It changed my perspective on a lot of things.
If you are careful with your money and avoid tourist areas and research cheap spots before going to big cities (more expensive if you don't know where to live on the cheap) you can travel for 4 weeks for 500 to 1000€ in western europe using only a tent and a small backpack. In eastern europe it is probably cheaper. We also went to restaurants quite often - so we were quite wasteful.
But if I would do it next year again I'd also take a smartphone with me. There is the great hitchwiki.org and Couchsurfing and other internet services would help me save money and time. This was in 2007.
One resource that was invaluable for us was HelpExchange (http://www.helpx.net). Basically the idea is that you exchange helping out someone (usually for about 4 hours a day) in exchange for room and board. On it's own, it's not the greatest deal in the universe, but you can find some really interesting places. During our stay, we did help exchange at:
- A farm in Sweden, where we helped out at the market, got to see some amazing countryside with super friendly people.
- A pub / hostel in a small village in Yorkshire, where our "job" was really just to chat with the locals and pull the occasional pint.
- An absolutely beautiful chateau in Normandy, with 4 other helpx people, including a chef who made the most amazing food ever.
- A camel farm in Austria, where we actually learned to be pretty good horseback riders in 4 weeks (due to dressage lessons every day after we took the camels for a walk)
My hosts in Normandy told us stories about people who travel through Europe just bouncing from HelpX spot to HelpX spot, all they need is money to travel between spots. If you pick your destinations right, you get a built in tour guide.
It's not the same kind of relaxing as laying on a beach somewhere, but if you find a good helpx, it's rewarding, and can be a lot of fun.
http://wikioverland.org has the info on how to do that kind of vehicle-based travel.
Modern marketing machines aside, I think the human condition really lends itself to exploring the world like this. There must be some base instinct which tends to support a high level of empathy and respect for the courageous and peaceful strangers who throw themselves into a foreign culture like this. Obviously some tribes don't invite strangers so easily, but often the people you think would be most hostile are the ones that welcome you the warmest.
One thing I'm mildly curious about, when asked, did they say they were Canadian? ;-)
Kudos to Clara and Jeff, and thanks for sharing your story with us.
EDIT: For those harping on them carrying an iPhone/iPad, let me just say this; feel free to comment about how your own similar experience was further enhanced by also unplugging. In the meantime, I'm impressed with anyone who can take such a large bet on the chivalry of strangers in a foreign land and come out so much better for it. Personally I think carrying an iPhone is orthogonal, because it's a useful planning and safety tool which does little to dampen the experience a trip like this can bring.
Of the two of us, I am clearly the better fit for HN.
Thanks for the laugh, nailed it.
Sometimes I check for trending posts with zero comments where I can post a glowing review, just to mix things up a bit. I'll admit I may have taken it too far :-)
The universality of the human condition is what made me get bored with travelling. I've never done a trip like this one, but I did once pack a suitcase and move to a country where I didn't know anyone and stayed for almost 2 years. Everyone everywhere is fundamentally the same. Human civilization has been slowly building momentum towards the singularity and the current vanguard is our modern first-world urban environments. I already live in one of the best ones and don't like leaving.
I started un-jaded then I came to the same conclusion as you two. I kept going though and I'm changing my mind again - the world is not all the same, and there is plenty of opportunity for adventure. Maybe I'll change my mind again, I don't know everything either, but I hope I don't.
I don't know exactly what you guys did or didn't do, but my advice would be to adjust your strategy for where you spend time, and push yourself to pay closer attention. Maybe learn another language if you haven't already so you can really dive in.
I thought this nothing more than a trite saying, for the longest time. But over time I've come to realize how universal and potently applicable this maxim really is.
What keeps it fresh is the unique aspects of the country/state... language, culture/history, sightseeing, etc. I spent time in Japan recently and was far more influenced by experiencing the rural way of life than Tokyo. I like to take the best parts of a country and integrate those habits/attitudes into my own life.
Traveling around also makes you realize how (generally) blessed we are in the US, at least compared to all the complaining people do.
Traveling is not only about human condition, it's also about doing things you wouldn't have the opportunity to back home.
More related to the topic: Are there flex-passes still sold for flights, trains, etc (like eurail passes)? Or do security issues prevent basically open ended stand-by flying?
months later or weeks later, where are they?
Shots with good cameras and lighting and faces don't get instagrammed.
"In this last year, I've got to do more traveling than I ever thought I'd be able to. It's been wonderful. What it has done is it has blown my tiny, (?) mind. I really want to talk about it. But I'm just a bit worried because I am aware that when people go traveling, they can come back with this sort of attitude on them. You know, like, 'Yeah, I've just been traveling … yeah, traveling, no, it's like a holiday, it's just I'm more sensitive than you. Yeah, no, just traveling, mate. Just the people, you know, soooo different! Just, pace of life mainly. Just, poverty, you know. Just the street food, temples, yeah, temples. Just so, just so, really made me realize how intelligent I am.' I thought, I probably am a little bit like that, I don't want to be."
You're not even trying. Why even get out of bed in the morning?
I am somewhat biased though as I am a bitter + twisted undateable who's had bad experiences with online dating. If these people got something positive out of the experience, then awesome :)
It's just an old-timey filter that's hot right now, I don't think it's really particularly associated with online dating.
We had backpacks though... not as hardcore ;)
I met all kinds of travelers, including a young lady that had been on the road for six months, with nothing.
Her passport was in her front pocket, and a credit card and ~$20 in the other. Nothing else.
Her clothes were falling off and covered in duct tape and she couldn't remember the last time she showered. It was repulsive.
The fact she no carried no luggage doesn't seem to be the problem.
2) Looks too much like an okcupid & instagram linkbait than real stuff.
It sounds fantastic to me. I despise travel generally for all of the stuff that goes along with it (fixed plans, fixed times, loads of luggage), so this sounds simply brilliant to me.
And for all of the talk about clothes, note that clothes are something you can buy with ease and little expense anywhere, if the situation demanded.
Having said that, I have used it on Android whilst by a Cornish harbour to ring home, so I get your point!
I could certainly use a map/camera/note taking device on any trip, no matter how minimalist. As she wrote, the point of the trip was not to suffer.
With that body length distance between each other in every picture they don't seem friends at all more like people who happen to be traveling together. What's up with that?
To me it looks like their awkwardly standing there like look where we are.
I detest posed pictures I like them to look as natural as possible.
Best way to get that is to catch people when they don't notice their getting their picture taken.
The best ones i made were all made by an old film point and shoot. Digital is still inferior in some regards.
The only thing that comes close are the Professional DSLR's.
Would that qualify?
One of the biggest factors involved is going to be the quality of the lens. If the lens sucks then chances are you'll get bad pictures. A good film camera with horrible lenses will most likely get you bad photos.
Then, as you say, there's shutter speed to consider. Shutter speed will affect the resulting image based on the environment and situation where you are taking the picture. Most cameras meet the needs of most people, a cheap digital camera will not meet the needs of those who require high shutter speeds. Nor would a film camera. My question is, who cares? If it doesn't meet your needs then get a camera that does. For instance, get one that lets you adjust the f-stop.
Remember cheap, crappy film? That's the equivalent of a crappy digital camera. A cheap image sensor in a digital camera is roughly the equivalent of not only cheap film but a bad development of the film.
In other words, you get what you pay for.
They probably have lots of other pictures taken spontaneously.
Just the thought of sleeping somewhere that isn't my place, then carry all things and walking, and having that fear of getting lost all the time is not something I find enjoyable, and lets not forget airports.
I enjoy going out (and I do it a lot) and meeting strangers and I pretty much live in a tourist trap. So it isn't that I'm antisocial.
I always think: "Do you know the implications of traveling? Not sleeping on your own bed? Bugs? Most people get sick for trying odd foods? (which is something I'm always down)"
The only problem is what to wear while washing stuff, and of course the fact that you need to handle this quite often if you only travel with one set. This is why I always travel with one or two changes in my backpack.
some people sharing transport with you may disagree.
It fullfills all the functions advertised for the towel, but is far better at the critical ones (for earth-confined travel), such as doubling as clothes and a scarf, and it's far better as a rope than a normal towel.
Crazy stuff can happen!
Now if you're flying to visit a place and just squeeze a date in that's different. The goal shouldn't be the date it should be visiting the city.
Maybe you can make her show you around (if she's a local) that way you get something out of it even if it doesn't work out.
They would have to be way past the dating stage before I would consider flying them in even if it's free.
Women are known to go on dates with guys they don't like just because hey they get a free meal. So the best way to find out if she actually is interested in you and not the perks is by not giving them out in the beginning.
If they're a girlfriend or just a friend with benefits that's different.
I would enjoy it.
Would any ladies here like to fly me in? :P
I imagine food would get pretty expensive with this strategy. I think the travel expenses (bus, train, etc) would be less than expected because of the hitchhiking though.
Not HN material though.
Actually, if you're in the backpacking mindset, that is completely standard. Unfortunately that mindset is much less common in the US than in other Western countries.