On "Travelling"

(I wrote this in transit from Swaziland to Maputo, Mozambique. ~December 19, 2009)

Now that I'm back on the backpackers trail, I can see quite a bit more clearly how artificial it can be. Nothing has really changed since my first big trip in 2001 for 9 months in the South Pacific. Big pack on back, small pack and valuables on front, food in a plastic bag. You waddle the shortest distances you can manage and dread climbing into crammed buses where everyone on board hates you. The Lonely Planet drops words like "charming" so you choose that hostel over "dated". Of course, everyone else does too. Your hostel will gladly book any activity you desire, while you peruse the wall of posters advertising white water rafting, safari camping, "authentic" village tours and of course, more hostels. Inevitably one bus company caters to the backpackers, offering door to door service (hostel to hostel) at exorbitant prices, but for those fresh off the boat (or plane in this case), it's convenient and safe.

Higher end tourists basically do the same thing; they go from hotel to hotel and venture out on hotel-prescribed activities.

Now please don't get the wrong idea. I'm not knocking this in the slightest. SOME travel is better than NO travel. But if you want to scratch the surface on anything "real", you really have to make an effort, because it's just too easy to fall into the groove of the beaten path.

Volunteering for a couple of weeks is a fantastic way to start to see a place and its people. I know it's gaining in popularity, "voluntourism" I think it's called.

Taking public transportation is also a good idea, though it is usually really uncomfortable and annoying. And, if you're feeling brave, take public transport out of the city and just get off somewhere random. Maybe strike up a conversation with someone on the bus and see where they are going. Bring a bag of sugar or some other cheap but useful commodity as a gift and see what happens.

Matt asked how "authentic" his experience will be. With our limited time and both of us being in need of a vacation, we're not getting too far off the proverbial beaten path. I'm really glad I talked him out of flying roundtrip to Vic Falls. While it's beautiful and will always be a definite highlight of my time outside of Namibia, it is a manufactured bubble. In Swaziland we got a good mix of upscale (safari lodge), activity (quad-biking) and real (combis!) In Mozambique though, I'm getting my long-time-coming by-the-sea vacation!