Journal 10: The Ultimate List

Before every family vacation, trip, or weekend getaway every traveler is faced with the same question. This question usually consists of what am I going to bring with me on this trip? or for most, what am I going to wear? My mom has always told me that I pack to much but in my opinion it is better to have more options then to run out of clean clothes, especially if there is no way to do laundry. Whenever I travel by airplane I am greeted with the weight restrictions of my luggage. 

Twain says it best by saying, “Then an inconvenience presented itself which we had not properly appreciated before, namely, that one cannot make a heavy traveling trunk stand for twenty-five pounds of baggage — because it weighs a good deal more. But that was all we could take — twenty-five pounds each” (Twain, p.4). While reading this I had to laugh because it reminded me of the struggles I usually go through when packing for an adventure. 

Luckily, my adventure to Edmond, Oklahoma would be by car and I could pack as much as I could carry. Usually I look at the weather for the week of my excursion to help me plan for what I will need to bring; however, the weather keep changing while I was trying to pack for Oklahoma. To ensure that I was covered for both cold and semi-warm (compared to Ohio) weather I decided to pack both my winter clothes and my fall clothes. 

So what does this look like you ask? Well to me its roughly a pair of pants for each day, a long shirt or sweatshirt for each day, shorts or capris to lats the week, and lastly shirts that I can wear in the summer. Looking back on this list, it is kind of overwhelming since it doesn’t even include the extra pairs of shoes that have to be brought to match outfits. In addition to clothing, I had to include in my list an toiletry items — such as, shampoo, conditioner, soap, toothbrush, toothpaste — that I might need. Now I know that in this day and age there are grocery stores practically everywhere but I simply did not want to spend the money on items I had at home. Since there was no weight restriction on my bag I could essentially pack whatever I wanted and even the things I didn’t (i.e. homework). 

While my packing list, consisting of a little bit of everything, is essentially the same for the trips I take, there tends to be some variety based on where I am going and my mode of transportation. 

Holy cow, Batman! Journal 9

Throughout this semester, we have had the opportunity to read the pieces of many different travel writers. Through Mary Russell we have seen what post-war Bosnia was like, through Twain we were able to encounter a spur of the moment trip across the continental United States, and lastly through Kapuscinski we learned about a pressing desire to travel. While these are not all of the writers that our class has encountered, these are the select few that pop into my head when Friday comes and its time to reflect once again. (*disclaimer, I couldn’t pick just two, so I had to pick three)

For those who are unfamiliar with Mary Russell, she embarked on a trip to Bosnia during one of the first elections. Once arriving she reflects how, “to local people, of course, armored cars and tanks and guns are simply the furnishings of post-war Bosnia and most people are glad they’re there” (Russell, p.127). After the reflects she embarks on a journey to Sarajevo where she will “have to leave the safety of the bus” (Russell, p.135). When most people face situations like this they will run away in fear willing to miss the experiences that will come. Only a select few of writers will embark on journeys to areas that are not the safest or to areas that are still in turmoil. 

Twain’s story differs only slight from Russell. While Twain doesn’t enter a state of post-war, he does begin a journey across the west or at the time, the unknown terrain of the United States. According to Twain, his brother was about to make a “long, strange journey … new world he was going to explore” (Twain, p.1). Twain was so enraptured by the journey his brother was willing to make he jumped at the opportunity to become an assistant and “at the end of an hour or two I was ready for the journey” (Twain, p.2). Unlike Twain, many people are unwilling to join trips that are not thought out or thoroughly planned. 

Lastly, Kapuscinski takes his readers through his journey of crossing a border for the first time. Since Kapuscinski was from a post-Stalin era “the closer one got to a border, the emptier the land and the fewer people one encountered” (Kapuscinski, p.9). Not many people would be willing to leave a country based on the fear that surrounds them, the world that is unknown. He explains how he was taught “to fear the West like fire” (Kapuscinski, p.11).

With these three travel writers there are many similarities and differences. First, Russell and Kapuscinski both explain post-war states; however, it differs because Kapuscinski grew up through one and Russell willingly travels to one. All three writers are similar since they are all traveling to places where it is not entirely known what they will encounter and all pre-conceived notions will be put to the test. I believe the biggest difference between these three writers is not only their destination but their reasoning as to why they traveled. Russell was traveling for a political election, Kapuscinski was traveling because he wanted to simply cross a border, and Twain jumped at the opportunity to see a new place. 

All three of these writers have taught me to grasp every opportunity that is presented to me and to not run in fear or “become a soft first-world traveler,” as Steve’s says, if a country is not exactly like the area I am familiar with. 

Borders, Journal #8

While traveling I know I will adventure across many different borders including physical borders, political, and spiritual. I personally believe that the border I was cross the most is physical, I am unable to pick just one border that I will cross without talking about all three of these borders. 

For instance, while traveling to countries in the Caribbean I not only crossed a physical border of the ocean but I also crossed a political border since there are differing forms of government present. Russell describes, “To local people, of course, armored cars and tanks and guns are simply the furnishings of post-war Bosnia and most people are glad they’re there” (p. 124). This perfectly describes the scene of entering a third world country in the Caribbean. I remember traveling to the Dominican Republic and witnessing guards and military with guns. To me this was not normal and almost slightly frightening but to the people who lived in the Dominican Republic this was everyday life and a form of protection. Having a scene like this presented to me while traveling not only made me humble and appreciative to what I have in America, but it allowed me to understand the political platform of the government in place. I also gained an understanding of why the country was the way it was. 

Like both Kapuscinski and Twain who have crossed physical borders, I feel this is the border that will come into play the most. Twain crossed state borders while crossing the United States to go to Nevada while Kapuscinski crossed a country’s border to travel to India. I think physical borders are the easiest to cross because we cross physical borders everyday. We do this either on our way to class, driving to another state, or even driving across a county line. Without even realizing it any physical item can become a physical border to cross. 

Lastly, and perhaps the hardest border I will encounter is a spiritual border. I believe this is the hardest border I will cross because in order to do so I will have to let my mind roam free. I will need to leave all preconceived notions behind and accept the experience that is laid at my feet. For me, the crossing of a spiritual border comes after I complete my journey during the time in which I begin a reflection of how much I have grown. In the end, “what is (was) important is (was) the destination, the goal, the end, but the most mystical and transcendent act” (p. 10).

Journal #7; competition

Heck yeah! I think competition is a force for good in many cases. For me, competition has always forced me to work harder than I have ever worked before. When I was little I was involved in competition dancing and soccer. While I knew winning wasn’t everything, it still felt amazing when I won. Whenever I was beat, I took a step back analyzed what went wrong and worked harder in the studio. I personally believe that competition allows a person to be the best they can be without them realizing it. Some of my greatest accomplishments have come out of being competitive. For instance, in school I work hard and study with friends but in my mind I play a little game when it comes to tests or papers. Its fun and a slight adrenaline rush to see who did better.

In travel writing competing for the best trip can help writers and travelers find unknown areas. These areas could be the coast of Ireland or the Australian reef. For travel writers, competition can help to push a writer past their comfort zone. Competition can also force writers to experience new things without a second glimpse. I think travel writers may feel the same adrenaline rush when it comes down to the moment when they find out who led the better adventure. While its challenging to decide which location is a better place, I think the competition can come from who left their comfort zone and tried more things. 

Competition is also good for business. With present legislation there is restrictions on monopolies in the United States. This helps to create competition within businesses because every company needs to be successful and profitable to remain open. Each business has to fight to retain and receive new customers. This ‘fight’ is supported by consumers jumping from store to store in search of a better bargain. With all that being said competition is ultimately the reason why our economy thrives the way it does. 

Based on these three points; I think competition in travel writing is essential. Competition forces a writer to think of new ways to travel or new places to explore. I think competition in travel writing also fosters innovation because some of the areas a traveler will explore have been touched by a scarce amount of people requiring a traveler to develop new ways to trek across the area.

Journal #6; to use humor, or not to use humor

To me humor is not a necessity in travel writing, or any writing in general. I think it is exceptionally hard to portray humor while writing because a writer can never truly know their audience. In Cahill’s Pecked to death by Ducks he uses sarcasm to show a sense of self-deprication and humor. For example on pg. 316 his character asks “‘Is it fun, yet.’” Ironically, this a line I would typically use if I was in a situation where I was supposed to have fun but instead I was bored out of my mind. While minor sarcastic remarks were used throughout Cahill’s piece, I do not feel any value was added to the overall story. I think the overall message of the story would have been the same even if there was no humor used.

Then there are Twain who uses hardly any humor in his piece Roughing It. Throughout this piece there is a large attention to detail that allows a reader to transport themselves into the work and experience what Twain experienced. By substituting detail for humor Twain is able to explain what his journey was like without adding any fluff to make a more enjoyable piece of work to read. Another piece that complicates the humor puzzle would be that not all travels are exciting and humorous. As Russell demonstrated throughout Mirror Images sometimes people travel to places that are not necessarily safe or a typical tourist” destination such as a post-war Bosnia. With this being said Russell is very serious and straight to the point with her experiences and the various things she encountered while traveling place to place in Bosnia. 

Ultimately I believe Pico Iyer says it best by saying “We travel, initially, to lose ourselves; and we travel, next, to find ourselves” (p.1). The journey of finding yourself and ultimately who you are is not always pleasant, but sometimes the best way to describe how you got to where you are is through straight details and experiences. Since it is often difficult to convey humor in writing, I don’t feel it is a crucial aspect of travel writing. Since a travel writing piece can use intense details to explain how a character or person is feeling during a specific moment, the use of humor would only make the subject lighter and sometimes easier to read and possibly digest. Everyone will have a different take on using humor but to me its easier to be sarcastic in person than in writing.

Crossing Borders

While both Kapuscinski and Russell discuss different subjects, both travel writers discuss a sense of crossing borders.

Kapuscinski describes crossing political borders as well as physical. On page eight, Kapuscinski says that “the atmosphere became more relaxed, people breathed more freely.” This feeling of moving freely came just two years after Stalin’s death with a change in the political status of the country. Kapuscinski also describes crossing physical borders on page ten by saying, “it made no difference which one, because what was important was the destination, the goal, the end, but the most mystical and transcendent act.” Kapuscinski felt that the act of crossing into another country held a sort of mystery and if he was able to “achieve the unachievable" (p.17) he would fill a hole within himself. 

Russell describes her travels through the country of Bosnia after the war. Like Kapuscinski, I think Russell has crossed a political border. “To local people, of course, armored cars and tanks and guns are simply the furnishings of post-war Bosnia and most people are glad they’re there” (p. 124). This is a political border because it has been put in place after the war in Bosnia to ensure control and peace among the citizens. Another border that Russell has crossed is not necessarily a spiritual border but more of a sacred, intangible border. Russell allows herself to be vulnerable in Bosnia in order to truly understand the events that unfolded during and after the war. Russell says she’ll “have to leave the safety of the bus” (p. 135), without prior knowledge of where she will spend the night. 

While crossing a political border is not an essential need for me, I think it gives a fundamental understanding of why a culture is the way it is and how things operate in a given country. I think seeing areas with differing political views allows a person to appreciate the culture where they come from since not every country experiences the freedoms that Americans have. 

For some people crossing physical borders is important because it represents not only a new experience, but the entrance to a world that is unknown. For many American’s this comes from crossing into Canada or Mexico. Last semester I brought my friend into Canada for the first time and I got to walk side by side with him across the peace bridge. In the middle we were faced with two flags, the American flag and the Canadian. For this standpoint we knew could tell some of the differences between the two countries.

Lastly, sacred and intangible borders are important on many different levels. For me these borders are what allow us to fully experience traveling. Last night, I crossed the state borders in route to Oklahoma which was an intriguing experience to me. Since I have never traveled past the Mississippi River, I felt excited to experience somewhere new. While the Mississippi River is tangible, the ability to surround myself with a calming yet exciting feeling as I traveled further into the western states became sacred to me. Out of all three borders, I believe this to be the most importance because it is what allows me to open my eyes to see the world with news eyes and bring back a new perspective.

How do I want to travel?

When I think of how I want to travel I immediately think of being free in the sense that I’m free to explore a new place and I have limited responsibilities. I think of having the ability to become a sponge and absorb up anything related to the place I am in, to not only remind me of where I have been but the knowledge and experience that I have gained. While seeing my self travel in the future as well as the past, I always think it is better to travel with friends or other people. I think essentially Rick Steve’s and Mark Twain hit the nail on the head on how I want to travel. 

Firstly, Steve’s describes a soft first world traveler that is easily bothered by things that are different than what we may be used to at home. While traveling, I want to have the ability to go to third world countries and explore the lives of people who live there. This will not only allow me to become more grounded but also provided me with an appreciation of the things that I tend to take advantage of like a cell phone, computer, or even clean running water. I don’t want to be scared off from traveling to places like India because of the fast paced hustle and bustle of the city or the garbage on the streets. To me seeing places like this allows me to focus more on my basic needs of food, clothing, and shelter instead of the next phone I want to purchase. Lastly, Rick Steve’s says “You have to be present somewhere to have your perception change.” When traveling, I don’t want to come home the same person because if I do, then I really am no better off from the experience. I want to come home and hear people say ‘wow you’ve changed but in a good way’ because my experiences have truly made me a better person. 

Through Twains Roughing It piece, he explains his experience while traveling with the secretary to Nevada. Twain describes how they “jumped into the stage, the driver cracked his whip, and they (we) bowled away and left ‘the States’ behind them (us)” (p. 6). Twain and the secretary are traveling into the unknown and are unafraid of what lays ahead of them. When I travel, I can only hope to be like this so then I can truly enjoy the experience. Since Twain only had stereotypes of what was in Nevada, he essentially had an open mind. The one piece that stays with me the most from Twain’s experience, is that he traveled with the Secretary the whole way to Nevada. With this he was able to share his experiences with someone else. To me this represents a need to find the right traveling partners to ensure that you can get everything you hope for out of a trip. If you have the wrong group of people some may be more accustomed to the first world traveling as Steve’s describes and not as willing to dig deeper into unexplored areas and leave everything that they are familiar with at home. 

As a traveler, I hope I can do the things that Steve’s and Twain talk about because traveling can open my eyes to what the world has to offer. 

Travel v. tourism: What's the difference?

Is there a difference between being a tourist and simply traveling? My answer would be yes, yes there is definitely a difference between the two. As Iyer mentions, someone who travels is someone who can leave all judgements and assumptions at home to clearly immerse ourselves into a new and foreign culture. Iyer also says that a tourist is someone who is constantly complaining about their surroundings. Traveling “whirls you around and turns you upside down” (Iyer, p.1). From personal experience, I would call myself a traveler based on Iyer’s definition since I am excited to go to the unknown and learn about the culture and find things that differ from my home country but are similar to other countries or places I’ve seen.

Rick Steve’s discusses that travel brings people closer together, while providing a greater appreciation for America and what America has to offer. I have had the opportunity to see this first hand by traveling to the Dominican Republic, Aruba, and various other places in the Caribbean and witnessing the country in areas that are not built around tourism. By witnessing how people live and the first world necessities, such as protection and my safe housing that I am accustomed to, but that are not present in these countries, I instantly felt gratification for the opportunities present in America. Rick Steve also discusses the idea of ‘soft first world travelers’ who would be bothered by a developing country since everything is wild and up close and personal. The ability to immerse yourself into a developing country is what makes someone a traveler opposed to a tourist in my opinion. 

While I think there is a definite difference between being a traveler and a tourists I think both aspects hold a sense of adventure and a yearning for the discovery of the unknown. Once reading that represents this idea is Mark Twain’s Roughing It since he starts off by discussing the “long-strange journey he was going to make, and the curious new world he was going to explore” (p.1). Throughout the piece I think Twain starts as a tourist because he only planned to stay for three months and to see as many marvels as he could see while he had the chance. As the story I think Twain becomes a traveler since he immerses himself in what is happening while in the end staying in Nevada longer than the initial three months as planned.

While there can be a clear and simple divide between being a traveler and a tourist, I do not think that one person is either a traveler or a tourist but never both. I believe that under different circumstances one can be a traveler and under other circumstances that the same person is a tourist. Every experience is what you make of it, and in order to truly enjoy the experience we should always remember to approach a trip with new eyes and a yearning to explore the unknown. (This unknown can be a new state, or a completely new country, it is all in what you make of it!)

Journal #2

Before I can accurately answer if the article Roughing It represents a pre-interstate treatment of sacred space, I need to create a clear definition as to what a sacred space means to me. For some a sacred space involves a religious aspect while for others it is simply a place of solitude. Another definition of sacred space is through the way one appreciates the different areas that they are passing through. Primeau discusses how many “Americans have treated the highway as sacred space” for many years.

Twain represents this feeling by saying “I coveted his distinction and his distinction and his financial splendor, but particularly and especially the long, strange journey he was going to make, and the curious new world he was going to explore” (Twain, p.1). I think this represents a pre-interstate treatment because Twain talks about the strange journey that lays before him. I agree with this as being a sacred space since Twain is discussing the journey of traveling to the unknown. I think that even though traveling to the unknown can be scary to some people, others can find peace in the journey that is unknown. 

Another aspect that Twain discusses is the fact that he and the Secretary carried guns; “The Secretary had a small-sized Colt’s revolver strapped around him for protection against the Indians, and to guard against accidents he carried it uncapped.” With this description Twain provides an image that in order to be comfortable within a sacred space one needs to have a sense that they are protected from the wilderness or the great unknown. Twain also discusses how there was nothing for miles on this trial but every once in a while there was “a low hut or two in the distance.” This statement provides a sense that traveling to the west there was nothing to see except for the hills and plains so the silence of the passengers, conductor, and stage-driver provided a quiet serenity. 

I think Roughing It provides a good example of a pre-interstate of sacred space. This can be said because the different scenes presented by Twain shown what makes a place sacred, such as the absence of people, buildings, or even life in general. While living in a world with interstates now, we so often forget the importance of appreciating the things around us and instead trying to accomplish different tasks as fast as possible. I think that Twain also shows the importance of having a sacred place that can help keep people grounded in life.

Why do we read Gaudium et Spes?

I believe that we read Gaudium et Spes in a travel writing course because the document brings up critical points centered around the importance of traveling. The first point that is discussed through paragraph 60 is about the need to work diligently when making fundamental decisions. I believe that this is important to continuously think about because many economic and political decisions affect not only the person or people who are making the decision but also the people within the different political regions involved within a deal. 

Another reason why we read Gaudium et Spes in a travel writing course is to make students aware of their right to culture. While growing up people have the responsibility to develop themselves culturally while also helping others. We can help others through community service, mission trips, or even simple tasks such as unloading their cart at a grocery store. I personally believe that making ourselves more culturally aware will help us to make more conscious decisions while making us realize the benefits of growing up in a first world country rather than a third world country. By reading Gaudium et Spes we can be reminded of our duty to not only develop culturally as well as our duty to be servant leaders. 

A third reason as to why we read Gaudium et Spes is to show students different ways to use our leisure time. According to paragraph 61, the leisure time of most people has increased over time. Gaudium et Spes states that while it is important to use leisure time to relax, one can use leisure time to refine their character and become a tourist. Although Gaudium et Spes also states that leisure time can be used to preserve a communities spirit through sports and to bring people of different races and nations together. By reading this document in a travel writing class, students can learn about ways to spend their leisure time as well as how one can become more culturally developed.

Lastly, Gaudium et Spes demonstrates how important it is to walk away from an experience with a new meaning of culture. I think reading Gaudium et Spes helps give an understanding as to the deeper meaning of life and what can come about from immersing yourself in a new culture. This document also makes us realize how our decisions can affect those around us.