Feb 23, 2022
Episode webiste: Ordinarysherpa.com/064
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Beginners Guide to Untourism. https://ordinarysherpa.com/untourism/
I recently read this article
from Nomadic Matt and given my reaction I thought it’d be worth
sharing and talking through, as well as sharing ways to explore the
world of travel differently.
https://www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-blogs/travel-change/
“We often believe travel is some sort of panacea for one’s thoughts
about the world and the people in it. Go abroad, get exposed to
different cultures, and then, bam, suddenly you’ll have more
empathy for people around the globe and stop seeing them as some
‘foreign, scary other’ Books upon books about travel expound
on the belief “I went traveling and became a better person with a
deeper appreciation and tolerance for others.”
First as a young American
woman, I naively prescribed to the belief that we were the greatest
country in the world. I was trained to believe that other
places weren’t safe.
I had several experiences to
challenge this paradigm. As a summer camp counselor working
alongside International staff from countries I didn’t know of;
hosting foreign exchange students; my own mini-exchange experience
changed my paradigm about travel.
My definition and understanding
about safety and security continues to evolve today and I rarely
find much value from internet stories about location based
safety. My threshold for safety is based on the network of
people I am with and the relationships I have connected to that
location. I know the mechanism behind internet news and the
lack of context in the creation of stories or the details that get
lost in the game of telephone gossip.
Being from a small town in rural
Wisconsin, I viewed travel as my gateway to new and different
experiences. To meet people with backgrounds different from
my own. To see nature beyond the boundaries of our backyard
or hometown, to understand the expansiveness of the globe,
ecosystems, and environment that contributes to the place and
culture building phenomenon.
Over the years I have witnessed
and experienced different types of travel.
What is the impact of
travel?
Large travel brands impact on small businesses
and the soul of a community.
Travel can change us in
meaningful ways, but it’s not a universal declaration.
- travel changes us when we are outside our
comfort zone
-
deep empathy and in gratitude for those who serve us
Given the way our system of 2
weeks of vacation leads to all inclusive escapes and deluxe resorts
hidden from local people in tropical locations, I don’t know that
travel has any impact on how people see or interact with the
world. It can offer exposure and escape from daily life, but
I don’t know if that leads to change for most
individuals.
Which is why I hesitate to say
that travel is the secret to a fulfilling life. I have chosen
to use the word adventure intentionally to invite you to step to
the margins of your comfort zone. To consider slowing down
and learning about people different from you or places you are
familiar with. WHat if instead of exploring the most popular
places, you began exploring the least popular
place.
If this intrigues you I invite
you to explore travel from a different lens than a traditional
tourism mindset.
- How might we Incorporate generosity into our
adventures?
About 3 years ago it started with
the kids writing thank you note and drawing pictures for the
airline staff. It has extended to looking for ways to support the
locations we go or leading with generosity when meeting a new host,
driver, or stranger on the street. We've had some great life
lessons through these experiences. There are also service-based
experiences that you can search to travel and intentionally engage
in service work. Since I am an Executive for a Private
FOundation and have been working in Philantrhopy for over 10 years
I have some insights about mission trips that I won’t go
into. I will say, you do not need to go to a third world
country to have a generous or service based experience. I
have plans to feature more examples of these experiences in
upcoming podcast episodes.
- How might we explore different means for
travel?
With the car rental shortage we had
experience with apps like Turo over the past 4 years, but even that
was tough. So then we explored car dealerships, and camper rentals.
We ended up finding a local company that had a 1996 conversion van
available for rent. It was a non-traditional way to travel and most
people might turn up their nose to a 1996 van, but it gave us some
serious local cred and allowed us to adventure more comfortably.
After we confirmed the conversion van we decided to camp instead of
reserving formal lodging accommodations. We camped on private
property using the Hipcamp platform. It's like Airbnb but for
camping and allows for tent camping, car camping, and RV camping
(although Hawaii is not suited for RV camping like the
mainland). While hotels offer predictability, I don’t enjoy
hotel accommodations and most time hotels are run by large brands
that may not be closely connected to the community. I prefer
finding solutions that offer triple win to the community - customer
- and business.
- How might we try local foods?
Roadside food stands. We don't eat out very
often but we are curious about local foods and flavors. We tried
many different local foods and dishes for a fraction of the price
of local restaurants. Our kids are slightly picky eaters so having
the flexibility to try things on our terms and then prepare a back
up plan if they don't like it has always been a better fit for us.
We do require a "no thank you try" (Learn
more about our no thank you try approach in episode
021)
- How might we discover “locals only”
hangouts?
When you build relationships with
locals and come from a place of generosity not expectations, they
will peel back the onion and share some of their favorite often
hidden places that they don't want tourists to know about. We had
at least 4 different experiences with some "local secrets" from the
best beaches, to a quiet cove where a rare breed of shells are
found, a hike unknown to many tourists, a cliff jump location that
was perfect for kids and what time of day to go for the best
experience. As with any relationship, the more they trust you the
more they are willing to share and let you into their tribe. BUT
this must be authentic!
- How might we experience pristine and untouched
landscapes?
You have to go off the beaten path
for these experiences and they will challenge you and your family.
We drove nearly 1 mile off any main road and had a pristine camping
location on the side of the ocean. It is the only place where we
saw the sunrise and sunset from the same spot in my life. It has
forever changed our definition of an "ocean
view."
- How might we recreate an experience we hear or
see about?
We found an Airbnb experience that
seemed intriguing but out of our price range, so we did a little
extra research and DIY'd the experience on our terms. The
experience was to swim in the hidden warm pools, where the fresh
water natural pools are heated by lava beneath the surface of the
earth. It was definitely a memorable experience for all of us. We
didn't pay for a single tour in our 3 weeks in Hawaii. Again,
much like I stated in my comments about hotels. I am not
opposed to tours, my point is to be intentional about what you want
to get out of the tour experience. I have a friend in
Nashville who runs a food tour company and is on a mission to
invest $1M into the local restaurant industry, she is very
particular about the restaurants she chooses and the food must be
made from scratch. There is a mutual benefit to that tour. I
have purchased tours and later didn’t feel great about what my
money was supporting. Like the Holleywood Homes tour- why did
I really need to know where a bunch of famous people lived? A
dolphin cruise or whale watching experience, it’s neat to see but I
have heard stories from the locals that left me questioning if that
tour’s intentions are good for the community.
- How might we connect with local
families?
One
of our accommodations was a stay with a host family. When you find
people around the world who have similar likes and interests and
you nurture relationships with, you have different options. I grew
up staying with family members when we traveled. I know that isn't
easy to expect when we travel as a family of 5 so we have built a
network of other families who are open to hosting and experiencing
adventure.
- How might we learn what is unique about the
culture of the location you are visiting?
Bringing a curious mindset to our adventures
allowed us to meet and interact with locals and ended up with a
little ukulele lesson. A ukulele is now an item on my son's
birthday list. I can't imagine it would be on the list without this
experience.
- How might we learning a new skill?
While ukulele offered a mini skill building
experience, my oldest son had a deep desire to surf. This was our
second time connecting with locals, using their equipment and
building the skill of surfing. Our first was in Florida where we
met up with the Family we bought our RV from and the second was
from our host family in Hawaii. My oldest is very eager to keep
perfecting the skill of surfing (which is going to be tricky living
in Wisconsin). When we learn from someone else, we give them the
opportunity to share their passions. One of my favorite
things I did for myself was on a horse ranch in Tucson, a local
couple would come in and teach glass art. I took an afternoon
class (without kids) and made a glass pendant. It was the
best investment in learning a skill, supporting a local, and having
a souvenir to remember that experience by.
Does travel change us? I
think that is up to you to decide. As with many things in
life Envy can be the root of deception and entice people to more
luxurious, more remote, epic views. The impact of travel
comes back to purpose. What is the purpose of travel in your
life?
Beginners Guide to Untourism. https://ordinarysherpa.com/untourism/