So Why Travel Anyway?

So you're going on a trip. You've got your flight, an itinerary, maybe even planning what you'll bring. In the midst of all the anticipation, take a moment to ask yourself one very important question: why are you going travelling in the first place?

Your answer might be "I need a vacation" or "I want to relax and have fun." Okay, but let's think about it a little more. You've chosen a destination. Why there? And what do you hope to get out of your experience? Most importantly, what impression do you want to leave on that place?

I suppose this might sound a little dull and ultra-responsible. After all, its your vacation, isn't it? Humour me. There's another point of view.

The other day, I listened as two Italian women ranted at a Thai restaurant owner for not making their cappuccino correctly. They didn't want to pay. This restaurant happened to be nestled on an isolated beach, had no electricity, and made wonderful home-cooked Thai food. The Italian women stomped off, refusing to pay, and left the restaurant owner to fume, hate Italians, and tourists in general. I've witnessed similar confrontations when hamburgers, spaghetti, pizza, and bangers and mash were not to the customer's expectations.

I find it quite incredible that restaurants throughout Asia are making food to suit the palates of visiting tourists in order to make them feel at home. It is a gracious, generous gesture. What is shocking, to me, is the number of tourists who travel without ever eating the food of the country they are visiting.

This goes further: in large tourist centres throughout Asia, the restaurants, hotels, and other amenities cater to every western whim. They allow a tourist to visit another country without ever experiencing a different culture; tourists eat western food, speak their own language, and only know they're away from home because there is a tropical beach outside.

So what, you might ask. I spend my money, I should be able to eat the way I like. Maybe. But do you really want to help make today's tropical paradise into a place just like your Western home, a place that only tourists can afford to live, a ghettoized tourist trap where you are surrounded not by another culture but by the very people you went on vacation to escape?

To return to my original question: why are you going travelling in the first place? Is it to be surrounded by people from your own country as you drink, party, and relax on a beach? If so, I suggest you can save a lot of money by staying at home. Do you expect to eat your local favourites while abroad, avoiding the local food at all cost? Why don't you spend your money at nice restaurants at home and avoid the disappointment of eating Western food in another country? In short, if you expect all the comforts of home, maybe travelling just isn't for you.

The most successful traveller will, in my view, come to terms with some basic facts:

First, you are visiting a foreign place with different customs. Make an effort to learn what those customs are. Respect them as you would expect a visitor to your home to respect your customs and wishes. You do not need to agree with them in order to follow them. You may not be Muslim, but wearing shorts and tank tops in their home is upsetting and disrespectful. It may be completely acceptable for women to suntan topless where you live, but in many places it is not; just the opposite, it is shocking, insulting to local customs, and signals that you are sexually promiscuous. It's not hard to learn about the traditions and culture of the country you're visiting. Guidebooks and websites make it quite clear. If you're the sort of person who just doesn't care what the traditions may be, realize too how disrespectful and rude you are being. Then consider that many people where you are visiting would likely prefer you stayed at home. The way you act at home may not be acceptable elsewhere.

Your actions influence how people view your country. Those Italian women have changed how that restaurateur views Italians. Be gracious and respectful and your country will be remembered in a positive light.

Everything you do has an impact on the place you visit. The things you eat and purchase, the places you visit, the tour companies you select, all tell local people what tourists value. If you choose the cheapest tour company that offers trips that happen to damage coral reefs or rainforests, then more of those companies will appear in the future. Doing a little research to learn about the companies you use can make a big difference. Choosing an environmentally sensitive company sends a message that that is important to tourists and there is money to be made at it. Your actions -- perhaps more when you're on vacation than any other time -- really DO matter. This is also true of other behaviours such as drug and alcohol abuse. Young people in the countries you travel to may look up to tourists, seeing them as the world's most wealthy and privileged elite (which, by the way, you are). If they see those same tourists using illegal drugs or abusing alcohol, it is that much more likely they will do so as well. The destruction that such "drug economies" have had in some countries is large and widespread. If you are looking to abuse drugs and alcohol, stay at home so the social problems you create are your responsibility, not those of an already poor developing country.

Lastly, there is one important fact that all travellers would do well to spend some time considering: your ability to get a passport, buy a plane ticket, and enjoy yourself in a foreign country is a privilege that the vast majority of the world doesn't have. Most do not even have a vacation as we know it, let alone be able to travel abroad. With such an incredible privilege comes responsibilities, whether we like it or not.

Failure to show respect to the people and cultures we visit, to those who will never have the privilege to travel as we have, and who open their homes for us, is not only insulting: it confirms we are not worthy of travelling in the first place.

So before your next vacation, I ask you to give some thought to why you are travelling ... and what sort of traveller you want to be when the trip is over.