I love to travel. I mean I fucken love it. If I could, I'd always be on the road. I hate tourists. My *biggest* pet peeves about fellow travelers are:
1. People who do not speak a word of the language. Come on, if you're going to another country, at least *attempt* to speak a few words. Remember: Not everyone speaks English.
2. People who don't leave the tourist traps. If you're going to Japan, don't *just* go to Tokyo and Kyoto. If you go to France, please remember that there is more to that nation than just the Eiffel Tower. If you go to San Francisco, why not wonder across the bay to Oakland and Berkeley? In other words, get your ass off the beaten path!
3. People who rely on Fodors, Frommers, and all of those other "travel guides for rich people." In one of those books, a 'medium range hotel' is the five star Hilton in the center of town. Lonely Planet guides are a much better bet. They are for one, more culturally and enviornmentally sensitive and, two, give the true budget traveler REAL options (not the so-called-budget-hotels that still cost $150 a night!).
4. People who don't support the local economies (especially in developing nations). If you go on a cruise, go on excursions that are NOT run by the ship. if you venture to Africa or Southeast Asia, use local tour operators.
5. People who degrade the local culture. This ties in with the language issue. If you go somewhere, take time to learn about the local people. Don't go on those packaged tours that usher the tourists past the locals. Make contact with the locals. Attend local cultural events. In other words, if you are going to Mexico or the Caribbean, don't spend the entire trip at the beach. Go into town. Get a taste of life as the locals live it.
A cute Koala in AUSTRALIA
Okey dokey, enough of my ranting. But I have just traveled so much and seen so many rich American tourists who are disrespectful that I feel something needed to be said.
Now on to the places I've been.
This is a collection of stories and insights from my travels. IMPORTANT NOTE: These pages are still under construction. Keep trying the links to see if anything comes up.
The Shinkansen -- High Speed Bullet Train Whizzes Past Fujisan (Mt. Fuji) in JAPAN!
Japan: Studied there. Lived there. Traveled all over the country. Love it there.
Europe: Been to France 5 times. Been to Spain, the UK, and Belgium as well.
Australia: Land of bushwalking, snorkling, koala cuddling, and home to the 2000 Olympics. No worries, mate.
Bay Area, California: Soon I will probably be livin' out there. For now, check out Berkeley, Oakland, and San Francisco -- my favorite part of the United States!
The Deep South, USA: What's a 'Yank' like me doing in Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, and Louisana? Find out about my crazy adventure to the land of grits.
Iowa, USA: Kristin and I took a whacked out road trip. Heheh.
Street Scene in FRANCE
Well, I don't have any exciting stories about Colorado, Canada, Mexico, Florida, DC, Boston, Montana or anywhere else I've been. Sorry. Also, maybe one day I'll post stories about my whacky road trips to see the Indigo Girls, but for now, that's all.
