Professional Travellers
Examining balance in life among people who have traveled over 130 countries.
When I updated my Couchsurfing profile to accept guests on the remote island of Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia, I didn’t expect many visitors. But I received a steady stream of requests and soon discovered myself among people who are traveling every country on earth. Almost all have traveled to over 130 countries, many aspire to visit them all, and one recently completed her mission. I named them “pro-travellers”.
Despite the contentious definition of a country or fully recognised sovereign state, here I use the UN’s 195 (or so) countries. This article is based on exchanges with nine travellers:
1) Ruben, male, Spanish, 181 countries www.facebook.com/rubenaroundtheworld
2) Peleg, male, Israeli, 150 countries https://www.youtube.com/user/LonelyPeleg
3) Melissa, female, American, 195 countries https://www.instagram.com/mappedbymelissa/?hl=en
4) PG, male, Italian, 177 countries
5) G, male, British, 125 countries
6 & 7) Marti & Justin, both American, 137 / 50 countries respectively
8 & 9) Rach & Marty, Australian / Slovakian, 185 countries https://www.instagram.com/veryhungrynomads/
All connected with me as Couchsurfers requesting to stay for free in my home in Pohnpei, FSM between February 2019 and 2020. Most post on Facebook or Instagram to let their friends, family, or followers know their whereabouts. Some blog, vlog, or have published books. Others keep track of their travels using apps like Been, Mark O’Travel or participate in country-counter networks like nomadmania and travelcenturyclub.
None have been to Greenland.
Inequalities Among Travellers
Social inequalities support or limit a person’s ability to travel. Of the 24 requests I received in one year, 15 are from men, four from women, and five from couples. Of my 25 references, 19 are from men and six from women. Women’s differing concerns for safety necessitate different approaches to travel. Through completing her mission to visit all countries, Melissa hoped to inspire and educate women that global travel is possible for women from all socioeconomic backgrounds. Marty & Rach also contribute to addressing the gender imbalance, trying to prove that the world is not a scary place and is full of good people. But let’s not forget that passports are ranked according to how many countries their holders are permitted to enter without holding a visa. All these pro-travellers hold passports in the top 10 with the exception of Israeli Peleg, still ranked within the top 25 depending on which index you use. Despite their extensive travels and numerous passport stamps, the longest most have been detained at immigration is three hours.
“I’ve been held for 30 minutes — a long time…..for a white person”
Compare this to a Mexican, Indian, or Tunisian just going about their everyday lives; being stopped at borders for three hours, sent back to wait for six months, or absolute rejection is common. We cannot ignore the headwinds or tailwinds that the chance of origin bestows upon us. Hats off to Baderkhan Amer Badran who has shattered misconceptions about his Iraqi passport in 75 countries and counting!
How sustainable are the lifestyles of pro-travellers?
The sustainable self gives attention to the different environments of life, aiming for a long-term dynamic balance. Though strongly focusing on one environment is the fastest way to make progress, letting one area slip too far behind will ultimately hinder our long-term sustainability. Pro-travellers have devoted themselves to their travels — the ways they have chosen to lead their lives may seem extreme to many. Let’s consider how their travels have affected different environments of their lives.
Financial
A common misconception is that extended travels are the preserve of the rich. False. More and more people, especially in developed countries, are realising that travels may be cheaper or about the same as their conventional cost of living. Instead of letting student debt hold them back, the Americans simply incorporated travel costs into their financial plans. Vacating his home allowed Ruben to pay off his mortgage with the rent, though he says he’d be fine cleaning toilets. Marty & Rach sold everything they owned to fund their travels, stopping twice to earn against the high costs in West Africa. PG helped a working guy from Trinidad go on a 3.5-month trip including China, Singapore, India, Egypt and Europe for $1850 (excluding checked luggage, expenses, and accommodation). Since Couchsurfing is free, my sample is necessarily skewed towards frugal travellers. Nevertheless, pro-travellers can look after themselves with or without me, whether they are equipped with a tent, enough cash for a hotel, or simply an acceptance of homelessness. The quickest way to riches is to be satisfied with little.
“I work for 6 months then have 6 months off”
“I didn’t work for 8 years for money, only as a volunteer”
“I keep work and travel separate — I’ll stop working for a period when I travel and vice versa”
“My work has been non-existent for the last 15 years”
Segmenters vs. Integrators
Do pro-travellers take advantage of the potential for combining work and long-term travels? With the exception of Rach and Marty who have integrated their passion with their work in the travel industry, pro-travellers tend to separate work and travel. Digital nomadism is premised on decent wifi and electricity — impossible in places where three hours of electricity charges your phone 37%. Wild firefighter, business analyst, actress, author, speaker and medical testee…they earn money in different roles, rates and rhythms. With fixed term contracts, they live frugally to save hard for their next adventures. Two or three consecutive months off seems to be the minimum for pro-travelling, which seems quite do-able even for people with more conventional lifestyles.
Relationships
Single, couple, single, couple, single, single, married to backpack for 13 years — none have kids. A sample of nine is too small to draw a conclusion. Couples are able to relive their adventures together while singles treasure their experiences solo or with people scattered across the planet. Deep connections can be formed in hours with people you may never see again — this doesn’t make the relationship any less meaningful. About half have been propositioned for marriage multiple times on their travels while others haven’t been asked for their phone number. Traveling as a couple prevents neither propositions for massage nor marriage. Solo travels can lead to loneliness but don’t have to — loneliness is not a product of who you are with or without. You can be with a loved one and still feel lonely, or spend time alone overflowing with love. Having experiences in someone else’s country of origin — especially smaller ones — is an excellent starting point for forming connection. Pro-travellers have developed diverse networks of relationships across the globe.
Body and Mind Health
“I lose weight while traveling and I’m much more active so I became super strong, but when I got a stomach disease I feel weak. I get less sick when traveling than at home.”
All pro-travellers lead active lifestyles with what appears to be a positive outlook on life. They make good use of their legs…walking, hiking… but due to safety concerns, women run less. Budget travels can encourage healthy eating but availability of vegetables is limited in certain regions. Some people steer clear of salad-stuffs where the water is dodgy. Constantly on the go, they think less about snacks and most lose weight on their travels. With less control over their diets, regular gym-goers may lose strength. Many local foods aren’t available to vegan Peleg but he’s got used to his life choice happily. On the flip-side, multi-leg 56-hour flights, numerous nights spent in airports, and being squished in public buses for days on end do no favours for the only body you’ll ever call home. Combine this with not knowing where you will lay your head tomorrow, the high cost of a poor decision, and the stress of never-ending bureaucracy, it’s unsurprising that pro-travellers report mental fatigue towards the end of a travel stint. Nevertheless, the overall positive energy shone brightly in all nine pro-travellers.
“As a positive person seeing the good stuff in things makes life easier and less stressed”
Does pro-travelling fuel the development of the different dimensions of curiosity? Lured by the unknown, pro-travellers started opening their minds through discovery of new places, peoples and principles. This corresponds to the first of Kashdan’s five dimensions of curiosity which he calls “joyous exploration”. Through travels, our recognition of the unknown expands. Social curiosity can be divided into two: an overt interest in other people’s thoughts and feelings (trying to step into their shoes) and covert curiosity, which is similar to being nosey. Stress tolerance is another important dimension of curiosity. Extensive travels take away much of the control which our daily routines seek to establish, forcing us to cope with anxieties repeatedly. “Deprivation sensitivity” relates to the discomfort and anxiety experienced when we recognise what we do not know. To remove this discomfort, we can either succumb to the stress response and retreat to the familiar, or move to make the unknown known.
“Knowledge is like a sphere; the greater its volume, the larger its contact with the unknown”— Blaise Pascal
Repeated exposure to the discomfort of the unknown can lead to a shift from fear to attraction. Pro-travellers didn’t initially set out to see all countries, but somewhere along the way — I guesstimate at 60–70 countries– the anxieties of the unknown seem to become precisely what heightens its attraction. This corresponds to the thrill seeking dimension of curiosity, when people willingly take financial, social, or legal risks. Tropical diseases, unemployment, and dangerous or illegal border crossings are familiar territories for pro-travellers. When these stressful circumstances are normalised, remaining in a familiar place of certainty too long can result in restlessness — anxiety of the known.
With an increasing body of research connecting curiosity and happiness, pro-travellers’ outlooks on life indeed look positive. Strongly purpose-driven, they appear to be doing equally well or better than those leading more conventional lifestyles, across the different environments of life. When I ask working people “why do you work?” I am commonly left unanswered. By contrast, pro-travellers were consistently able to describe their mission and philosophies of life. All demonstrate high levels of curiosity and stress tolerance. The lifestyles of pro-travellers appear to be one way of living the sustainable self.
Though extended travels are not limited to the super-rich, they are limited by the place you were born and context in which you were raised. In 2019, The Guardian reported on authorities in South East Asia clamping down on the trend of “begpackers” — western backpackers who beg for the charity of local people; the sense of entitlement here is gross. While I believe that these pro-travellers will warmly welcome travellers from all socioeconomic backgrounds, I wonder….. is that enough? Besides visa rights, in many contexts, the cultural obligations to family or community are so strong that extended travels are impossible. Whichever environments of life you choose to prioritise requires the sacrifice of others — and surely the level of sacrifice we are prepared to make is proportional to the safety nets underneath us? Whereas western travellers may suffer some social backlash from their unconventional life choices, most still have a place to return to if they really lose it all. Sustainability comes from the French, “sous” and “tenir” — to hold from below. Do not forget the importance of your foundations — try to build strong ones for those who come next.
My personal mission is to massively broaden meaningful learning opportunities for hard-working people. Up until now I have largely focused on formal education and scholarships. In my existing working context and through researching and writing this article, I’ve realised I must include purposeful travel too. Now I am considering using one of these country-counter apps to help track the origins of people I have helped reach their own meaningful learning opportunities.
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