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Old 03-23-2009, 06:09 PM   #1
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Default You all are weird

I recently got back from a fairly spontaneous ski trip to Spain after deciding it would be about the same to go out west. I had people who had recently blown twice as much as me on vacations telling me they were amazed I would do this, which made me scratch my head but I think I figured it out.

We are weird and hanging out here has skewed my sense of normalcy.

This was a pretty easy trip. No vaccines, I speak the native language, I have been to the resort and the city before. I know the Madrid transportation system well etc. I was thinking what would someone who had never done anything like that do when presented with that choice? And going solo? Forget about it! As one good friend told me "I don't even like to have dinner alone!"

Going out to Colorado to ski or snorkel in the Bahamas is the normal thing to do even if it is more money. Kind of like when you are on a road trip and you crave some pasta. Sure you could go on the web and get some Italian restaurant reviews. You probably can find a delicious restaurant for a good price but you do the easy, "safe", thing and just pay the local Olive Garden a visit.

It is easy to get used to thinking of a simple London-Paris-Rome trip as being no big deal when you have members like Adam going through Kurdistan down into Somalia, Jeanie's trek in Kashmir, Hwei's general travel insanity, Lizz going through Russia and Ukraine solo, Mike's resume that reads like a United Nations roll call, Tamara backpacking with 2 kids, Laura's volunteer work in Africa and the many dozens of you that contribute to the boards doing your own thing across the planet. It makes it all the more important to realize that when someone dips there toe in the water by keeping their trip "simple", or even planned through an agency that they are doing something pretty out there for them.

I was talking to a friend about his honeymoon plans. Neither of them have been to Europe and it sounds like something they both would want to do. But the fear of a hotel not matching expectations, being lost/bored, or having to figure out where to eat (these were voiced concerns, I kid you not), made a cruise more attractive. While that may not sound very encouraging I have been getting a few questions from him (and others) on how he can plan a future trip when he has a little more time. Our experiences and our stories may very well convince people to share in our way of life--or at least way of travel.

May these forums, continue to inspire others, as they did me, to expand their travel universe and knockdown self imposed obstacles...you wonderful, beautiful, weirdos.

--Joey

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Old 03-23-2009, 06:53 PM   #2
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Well said Joe!

Yeah I think about this quite a bit, my progression from "insanely extremely adventurous" trips through Germany to sporadic trips by bike through Eastern Europe, to Southeast Asia, to simple summers in poverty stricken Nicaragua, and next up: four months in the worst slum in Uganda. Weird, I could have never imagined my travel addiction to turn into humanitarian work and the more adventurous travels I pursue now. I went to Germany over Christmas break just to chill out, visit some friends, and mess up their couches. That's nothing to me now, its a second home, its really not even traveling anymore, but to everyone else that's insane! Really, the majority of my friends, unless their International Relations majors like myself, think I'm absolutely insane, including my family. But I think many of us are in that boat.

I think it's a pretty sweet boat to be in.
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Old 03-24-2009, 10:44 AM   #3
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Amen. Well put, Joe.

Never realized it, but when I look at all the newbies freaking out about their European trip, I forget how big of a deal the first trip really was...
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Old 03-27-2009, 06:56 AM   #4
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I'm...I'm weird...?
Seriously, Joe, that's the best thing about meetups. Its makes us feel like we're NOT weird! There are others out there like us, who can't look at a map without thinking they want to go to virtually everyplace on it...

Good point.

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Old 03-27-2009, 11:34 AM   #5
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no offense to your friends but what a boring honeymoon...going to drag my new hubby across Mongolia where we'll spend our first night of wedded bliss in a yurt...or the jungle of Laos or some crazy shit like that

others can dip your toe, but me I prefer to cannonball right into the pool and make a huge splash
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Old 03-28-2009, 12:37 AM   #6
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Amen, Joey! Shizznizzle...we definitely are a bunch of fricken ballsy backpack'n beautifully maniacal weirdos.

Backpacking trips can definitely be daunting at first.

Building up to that first trip was excruciating and torturous at times for me and for others that have passed through these boards. Mostly, I think, is because you want to do everything and go everywhere, but have no idea the size and scale of what is possible within the parameters of your budget, time, and confidence level.

But I swear, once you get that first trip out of the way, it is just a walk in the park after that.

If planning the first trip was a 10 on a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being the most difficult), then the second one is like a 2...if that, and the only pain you feel is waiting for the departure date.

So for all you lurkers, first timers, and potential backpacking candidates, be weird with us. Be wackily spontaneous like us. Brave the world outside of your cubicle and your soul shall not just grow, but flourish and thrive. It is life altering, I promise you.

Fuggedaboutit...
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Old 03-31-2009, 04:29 AM   #7
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Where's the fun in being "normal"?
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Old 03-31-2009, 08:42 AM   #8
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...and Joe, that's FIVE kids we're raising to be weirdos!

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Old 04-01-2009, 11:44 PM   #9
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I have a half-brother (who I never lived with) who will not take a bus to the next town by himself. I also have a sister who cannot speak to someone she doesn't know on the phone (i.e. a call centre), and will only drive on the motorway if someone she knows is fallowing in a car behind.

I don't know where my adventurous gene came from.
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Old 04-02-2009, 01:39 AM   #10
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I agree I mean lets face it we are weird or at least I am. I mean, some people are happy living in one place living a safe life never needing to worry about speaking a new language enough to find directions, getting lost in a foreign country, sleeping in a rail station and all the other risks-or joys that come with what we do. I however. cannot be happy with that, just can't.
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Old 04-02-2009, 01:25 PM   #11
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I still hate eating dinner alone. Haha. But I love travelling alone!! I find all the things like sleeping in train stations, getting lost etc... very thrilling. So I am weird to!!

I havnt even done any 'out there' trips and my friends think im crazy. Sleeping in hostels is an insane idea to them. I always think they are the weird ones not realizing what they are missing out on.
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Old 04-02-2009, 03:46 PM   #12
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Hey, sleeping in hostels is weird when you think about it-you're sleeping in a room with people you don't know and may never see again-pretty darn weird but man, I don't regret it ditto with sleeper trains.
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Old 04-02-2009, 09:40 PM   #13
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Quote:
Sleeping in hostels is an insane idea to them.
hahaha Every time I mention how cheap it can actually be to take a trip abroad and begin my schpiel I have people's attention until I get to the Hostel part. There face just turns completely sour like it's the most abominable thing they have ever heard. "Sleeping in a room with strangers? WHAT?? " hah it's hilarious. I think I am doomed to be a solo traveller for a looong time as I have yet to convince a friend of the beauty in backpacking.
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Old 04-03-2009, 09:41 AM   #14
 
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Great thread! Makes me feel better about my first trip! Somehow one side of my family got the travel bug....wanderlust...my grandma was/still is always up and moving, she has been everywhere and back..she was fearless and just wanted to explore. My mom is the same way, and so am I. I feel restless and I just want to experience what the entire world has to offer..

I'm amazed at how scared some people are to travel, period. My dad once told me he wouldn't go to SAN DIEGO because "we'd get shot". Yeah. He wants me to implant a GPS device on my body before I go to Central America..LOL!

I'm excited to go on this first trip and get the ball rolling..and soon will be in the ranks of some of you who have been around the block many, many times
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Old 04-05-2009, 05:40 AM   #15
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Yeah, I was just talking to a friend, yesterday. He said he usually picks up a part time job on his vacations, or does yard work or something. He NEVER goes anywhere -- not even with his wife and kids. Doesn't want to bother finding a hotel, places to go...it's amazing. I looked at him and said, "So, what you're saying is we're complete opposites...?"

So many people are worried about how difficult it will be to find a place to stay, a way to get around, where to eat, etc. Then they are terrified about "getting shot" in a foreign country. I just watched the news, and in little old Columbus, Ohio, there were 5 shootings last night. Multiply that by the number of cities across the country, and you say you're worried about getting shot "over there"...? Rest assured, you have equal or greater chance of being killed in your own home town than you do while traveling.

For folks who worry about terrorist attacks, I have this stock response: You are taking a bigger risk NOT going, and staying home and driving on the freeways. Want proof? Do you know anyone who's been killed in a terrorist attack? (They answer no). Do you know anyone who's been killed in a car accident? (They answer yes). Well, there you go...you are living proof that driving on the interstates is more dangerous than travel...!

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Old 04-11-2009, 02:25 PM   #16
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great response Mike, I'm gonna have to use that one myself!
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Old 04-11-2009, 04:12 PM   #17
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all the old people in my family still think 'hostel' means 'homeless shelter'... I have to explain to them that there are hostels just for travellers now! haha...
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