Archive: January 2011

Since my last post, I have not abandoned Tawantinsuyo, or, more precisely, what was once an empire — or country — before the Spanish conquistadors got hold of it. During this time, I have traversed jungles, deserts, volcanoes, canyons, ruins, cities, villages and native communities. I spent Christmas and the onset of the New Year in Peru, and even though these weren’t my first holidays in the southern hemisphere, I’m still amazed that two hemispheres utilize the same Christmas ornaments, despite the fact that it is winter in one and summer in the other.

My advice today has a nutritional slant to it. So, here I go: it is fundamental to eat as many nutritionally-balanced meals as possible to conserve all your strength and energy in order to do what you want and avoid becoming ill. On long bus rides, you normally eat whatever you can (bags of potato chips, sweet cookies, salted crackers). Regardless of how tempting a restaurant menu may seem, my suggestion is you focus on what’s nutritionally wisest, try something you normally don’t eat and or that which is most difficult for you to prepare on your own. Mind you: my suggestion is not absolute. If local culinary dishes are available, I try to order them. I believe it’s a way to sample the local fare. Another suggestion might be to cook your own food at the local hostel. Sometimes, it’s better for your pocket as well as your body to eat something you are familiar with and know how to prepare.

Since I visited northern Argentina, I’ve come to realize how much I love contrasts in cultures. Comparing customs, traditions, beliefs, politics, history and economy  and learning from them, I feel is the best wasy to open your mind. That’s why I’ve been excited to discover new things about life during the Incan Empire and confirm that this culture remains very much live today.

Xabier Albeniz

“The trip of a lifetime” is a dream that many of us share but few of us dare to undertake. What’s the reason? Many times it’s not possible to do – in the best of circumstances – during the month we have off from work. Why? Well, if it were, most of us would have done it already.

When we speak of the trip of our dreams, we imagine surroundings and a routine very different from that which we live daily. It is an exercise which requires, above all, time.

In western society, we believe the biggest obstacle to taking “the trip of our dreams” is “breaking” with our daily lives – work, social relations, etc. Let’s not kid ourselves. Most of us would kill to break with our existing lives. Ten hours of a low-paying job, a 2-hour traffic jam, a  sandwich-on-the-run just to return to a 1.000-euro, heat-less studio where we’ll just gripe to our flat mate that things are going “same-ol’-same-ol’”.

In my opinion, the greatest hindrance to leaving is the fear of coming back. We’re overwhelmed with the scary idea that our “re-insertion in society or at our first job interview we’ll find ourselves facing the following query:

-”I don’t see what you’ve been doing for the last year (or two or three) anywhere on your c.v, could you explain that?”

Unfortunately, many companies won’t find any of the following replies valid:

-”I was exploring an infinity of unexplored corners of the world”; “I was breaking stereotypes”; “I was checking out realities diametrically opposed to mine”; “I was learning to reason things without defining them by the dictates of any one society”. (I’ think that’s important).

Painful as it may seem, this is reality. To come to terms with it, let me propose a solution: try to make your trip be significantly co-related with your profession. Naturally, this will only be possible if your profession is also your favorite pastime. If it isn’t, don’t go and mess up your trip.

Following are some examples to help inspire you:

Iosu López: Journalist by profession, this 29-year-old quit his job to embark on a trip that would take him from Alaska to Ushuaia. His premise was to travel only by land to complete his Panamerican journey and to record the many adventures of his trip on his blog. Upon his return, with all the material collected during his 11-month odyssey, he produced a documentary that caught the attention of Fnac. Today, he is a special envoy for the biggest Spanish media agency in New Delhi.

Kepa Acero: Surfer. He travelled around the world living by the slogan: 5 waves, 5 continents. For five months he spanned the globe searching for the perfect wave on each continent, an adventure which he shared with readers of his blog. When he got back, the Basque Television Network ETB dedicated a program to his trip. He has also published an article in the well-known magazine, Surfer Rule.

Lara Dunston and Terence Carter have been travelling since the late eighties. Together they have visited over 60 countries. It’s an adventure which has allowed them, among other things, to work for Lonely Planet. Their last project, Grantourismo, is a trip around the world which during 12 months will take them to 24 countries. The cool thing about this project is that it came about thanks to collaboration with Home Away Holiday-Rentals, which offered them lodging at the apartments the chain has around the world. In exchange, the couple writes about their travel experiences in their blog,and mentions the apartments they stay at.

As you can see, Internet can be a great ally for making that dream trip of yours not only a memorable travelling experience but one valuable for your professional career as well.