Why I Don’t “Travel”
Living the Gap Life
I have never considered myself a traveler — instead I have lived my adult life living and working in new contexts including France, Japan and the Federated States of Micronesia. Here I consider why I haven’t “traveled”.
It’s common for young British people to take a gap year before and/or after university studies to explore possibilities, often through travel. Though I couldn’t wait to leave my hometown, I feared I might never return so I decided to complete my studies first. Soon after graduation, I set out to work in a bar in Courchevel in the French Alps and learnt to ski and snowboard. My gap life began.
Work can be a vehicle for discovering seemingly unreachable places. Whereas skiing holidays were well beyond our family budget, working the season allowed 2–6 hours of mountain time, six days a week for four months. Travel, accommodation, food, lift pass and equipment were provided in addition to a little salary. Having fallen in love with a guy, I decided to stay in France where I found the language assistant programme. This led me to teaching English as a foreign language in schools and businesses in Savoie where I continued to enjoy the mountains at weekends — skiing in winter, hiking and canyoning in summer. Four years later this profession allowed me to leap east to Japan, a country I knew next to nothing about which became home for the next eight years. Finally, when I asked the universe for help in 2018, it sent me two job opportunities… I’ve been working in higher education on the island of Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia since January 2019.
Every Day is a Holy Day
What would you like to do on holiday? My perfect day would start by waking my body through movement, dance and stretching. Then I’d meditate and enjoy a quality coffee with a square of dark chocolate, preferably with an incredible view. I’d have time to read and write leisurely. Later, I’d enjoy exploring and moving in beautiful nature and eat some delicious, nutritious food. I’d laugh loads having fun with wonderful inspiring people and dance a little more to loud awesome music. What does your ideal day look like?
Knowing this is my perfect day, I try to live it every day. I am very particular about the environments in which I live, the routines I cultivate and the people I surround myself with. Each of the places I’ve lived has been someone’s dream holiday destination: the exclusive ski slopes of Les Trois Vallées, the cultural contrasts of Tokyo megalopolis, and the outstanding oceans of Micronesia. In my oceanfront “mansion” in Usami, Izu, Japan, I could see the sun rise over the ocean from my bed. I had a bath on the roof to wallow in watching the stars and free use of an onsen (hot spring bath) in the apartment above. All of this less than two hours train from Tokyo and $355 a month. One day I thought I’d travel down the peninsula towards Shimoda beach….. but I decided against it — I already had a perfect private beach in front of me! People travel from all over the world to dive or surf in Micronesia’s famed waters where I now play each weekend. That’s a good 50 Saturdays of tropical ocean adventuring per year. Every day I enjoy my life in an extraordinary location, with two days out of seven less interrupted by work!
Recognising the power of language, I’ve invented a few terms for my personal traveling style.
Urban hiking: In Tokyo I loved getting lost in the rabbit warren of streets — you only have to take a couple of turns off your normal route to be in the unfamiliar. One day I decided to hike south by south west armed with a 100 yen compass, water, and some almonds. I had no goal but knew I would know my destination when I arrived. 17.5km later I was delighted to encounter sunset over the Tamagawa river!
No-plan-plan: In Usami I decided to hike up the hills behind my house until no later than 2pm and then hike down. At one point, a sign (in English?!) said “You are on the right path”. Who could argue with that?! The downside of the no-plan-plan comes when others, with higher expectations than my own, enter into the equation. When I guided two friends more used to well sign-posted hikes, I either lost the way or underestimated the duration. They were less than astounded at the garbage bins which we decided marked the end of our journey. Eager to see Mount Fuji I could understand their disappointment but I love that memorable hike because the no-plan-plan can only ever lead to the unexpected! The simplest way to not get lost is to not know where you are going! Perhaps I am just the world’s worst guide. Or just lazy. Low expectations are key to happiness.
Micro-travelling: I define micro-travelling as Seeing your own locality with fresh eyes. When I first arrived in Japan, I took photos of toilets and vending machines — I am not alone. In Vietnam I photographed the street food vendors, a rusty bike, and random shop fronts. When we are in a new place we see the world with fresh eyes though this quickly turns to familiarity. It’s so easy to lose our curiosity — micro-travelling aims to defy this.
One reason I enjoy hosting Couchsurfers is that I can repeatedly share the experience of beginner’s mind in my familiar surroundings. With my visitors in Japan, I lost track of the first times I encountered the mikan orchards, the Red Fish train with seats facing out to sea, and the incredible sashimi next door.
Meditation (not my invented word): I went on a meditation retreat in August 2018 — the travels I went through were epic. Through my bodily experience, I learnt that one way to love myself is to give attention to every part of my body, piece by piece, part by part. I also learnt that my mind is like a baby monkey. And once, my body dissolved into vibrating energy buzzing with the universe….Yes I actually felt this. These days, my 65-minute sessions are frequently transformative — I travel the universe without leaving the cushion. For those people who, for whatever reason, feel prohibited from traveling to new physical places, I recommend sitting still to explore ever-changing unknown worlds within.
Does it all boil down to definitions? I consider that I have lived in the UK, France, Japan and Micronesia. By contrast, six weeks in Vietnam (between Japanese work contracts) were “travels”. How long do you have to stay in a place to not be traveler but a resident? Do you have to work? Do you have to stay in the same place or rent a home? For how long? What is the difference between a traveler and a tourist?
Some characteristics of tourism I dislike are the must-sees, must-dos and accompanying queues. I felt akin to being spat on when people remarked “Six years in Japan and you’ve never been to Kyoto?!” Live and let live folks — who is anyone to tell anyone where we should or should not be visiting? I can’t help but feel a sense of loss of wonder at world heritage sites like those in Kyoto and Nikko when I find myself lost in a heaving crowd. I profoundly dislike being herded around the tourist track like cattle. My family and I once traveled down to Hakone hot springs for a day trip. We were so put off by the crowds queuing to go up to the geysers we instead sat in the park and ate ice cream. Believe me, I’d love to see sunrise at the Taj Mahal, Angkor Wat, or the Bagan temples in Myanmar but I know that what I’d really like to experience is the energy of these places largely undisturbed. Perhaps this explains why I content myself with the no-plan-plan which can lead to nowhere and no one but me and my friend curiosity.
In what ways do you contribute and how do you consume? Part of the conclusion to my undergraduate thesis was that the spirit of Glastonbury festival is what you make it; to the extent that tourists travel to consume an energy or a spirit, there is that much less being created. So much of tourism is simply displaced consumerism — eat here, buy this, photo that, welcome to capitalism in a culture you didn’t yet know. By contrast, I try to make a positive contribution wherever I am, whether that’s through doing a headstand, hula-hooping, or writing a poem.
The obvious reason I haven’t traveled yet is that I haven’t set out to. Some people use travel as an escape but we cannot outrun our selves, no matter how far we go. I long considered myself a burden on those around me — fiercely independent I’ve consistently set up the next step of work or studies before leaving the last. With a lot of hard work, I’ve come to learn that I am allowed to exist and take up a little space in this world. Now in a better head space, it’s unsurprising to me that I lack confidence meeting new people in unfamiliar contexts, that I’m guarded about being my true self with people I’ve just met. Recognising this, perhaps the time is approaching when, with the simple goal of learning to be myself more freely, I might venture out for some voyaging of my own.
The country I’d most like to travel around is the United Kingdom of Great Britain. I have never been to Scotland nor Ireland and only once set foot over the Welsh border. There is so much to learn in the only culture I can really call my own. When I was asked to name as many of the 14 British Overseas Territories as I could, I was horrified by my lack of knowledge of geography and colonial history. Most British people are not taught these things at school whereas the French at least include their territories on the weather report. One cool thing is that travels in Great Britain could start right here in the Pacific — in Pitcairn Island (they’ll give you free land if you’d like to live there). Beyond the UK, many of the places I’m keen to see are the result of meeting someone wonderful from there — hello Namibia and Jordan! Also I’d like to visit the home countries of Couchsurfers who have become dear friends: Tunisia, Italy, Spain, Argentina. Finally, the place that shot immediately to number-1 must-visit on earth is….
Caroline Island! Lying just inside the date line, this uninhabited island in Kiribati is the first land mass on earth to see daylight. When I get there, I’ll truly know that I have indeed “traveled”.
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