I came across a statistic the other day that claimed only about ten percent of Americans have traveled outside their country. There is no reason for this. The recession is not an explanation; the survey was taken back when Bear, Sterns was still paying its rent. This is the richest and least-traveled of "developed" nations, and I have a feeling many Americans thank heaven every day that they have never had occasion to leave it.
But this will not be a column boasting about my travels to every continent except Australia and Antarctica, and how as a wee lad I saved up my 75-cent an hour salary and boarded a DC-6 that took me to London by way of Gander, Reykjavík and Aberdeen. No, not even though I just googled Antarctica and this is all I found on the page: "stu is a legend and the good guy has cheap sales." That piece of internet vandalism, no doubt created by a friend of Stu's, was authored (I somehow know) by an American [1] who has never walked three steps outside his own state--of mind. I am enlisting a cyber-posse to track him down and airlift him to the South Pole with a hooded sweatshirt bearing the legend "I'm With Stupid" and an arrow pointing to a penguin. We will leave him with two cans of Ensure and a match.
I digress. I count among my friends the most-traveled man in history, Paul Theroux. Not only has he written many wonderful novels and short stories, but a shelf of travel books. He went by rail from Europe to Japan, and back through Russia. Twice. No, Friend of Stu, the train didn't go on the water. He also traveled from Cairo to Cape Town. From Boston to Argentina. From Peshawar in Pakistan to Chittagong in Bangladesh. He walked entirely around Great Britain. He kayaked around the islands of Oceana. He lived in East Africa, Singapore and London. He and his wife Sheila live in a house on stilts in a forest on the windward side of Oahu, where they raise bees. Of course their summer home is on Cape Cod, less than a 24-hour commute.
Paul Theroux at home for a change
On quiet days he sits on his veranda in the shade, benevolently overlooking his bees and coffee trees, always with a book. He is the most widely-read man I know, and he suffers my company because I have heard of Mrs. Gaskell and Oliver Onions, and I share his opinion that for a book to read on a journey, nobody beats Simenon. I told him one quiet afternoon that with his eyes he had seen more of the surface of the earth at ground level than any other man had, and any other man ever would. He said he had never thought of it that way.
Has travel broadened him? He says not. He is rather notorious for having written, "Extensive traveling induces a feeling of encapsulation; and travel, so broadening at first, contracts the mind." I know in a way what he means. On our honeymoon aboard the Orient Express, Chaz and I met a retired Houston man who had no home and literally lived all the year round on cruise ships and luxury trains. He told us one of the hazards of taking every meal on a ship was that, after dining on land, he often walked away from his table without remembering to pay the check.
Mrs. Gaskell: Our mutual friend
On the evening of the day we arrived in Venice, he took us to dinner at the Hotel Cipriani, where he was greeted by name. A furious thunderstorm ripped outside the windows, and lightning illuminated a vaporetto churning through the waves. Over our meal, at his dictation, we noted down some of his friends we should look up: The doorman at the Imperial in Hong Kong, the maitre 'd at Raffles, a friendly bar man at Claridge's. Encapsulated.
Why then, does Theroux travel? "The greatest justification for travel," he wrote in Dark Star Safari, "is not self-improvement but rather performing a vanishing act, disappearing without a trace. As Huck put it, lighting out for the territory." I have written about this: The bittersweet pleasure of being where nobody knows you, and nobody you know can find you. What do you do? Why, order a cup of coffee and open your book, obviously. When you are in such a place, you experience a sort of nostalgia even while you're still there.
Rijsttafel: Ten bucks and up, even way up
As for the reading, one of the best ways to read is to get yourself right off the map and out of the reach of cell phones and annoying twits. Hemingway traveled without them. So can you. On a trip you can really dig into a longer book. In Venice for the 1972 film festival, I spent long afternoons flat on my back at the Hotel des Bains, unable to stop reading The Golden Bowl. In the evenings I would break loose for a couple of movies. That was a good book.
That may not broaden your mind, but at least it gets you off the map. Obviously, the way you broaden your mind through travel is to stop traveling and stay somewhere. In my mind I have always envisioned a room overlooking the Grand Canal, a bed-sitter in London, a cheap little inn in Japan. Never happened. I did spend a year studying in Cape Town. Never mind what I learned there. The point is, I was there, not here. The United States was away up there overhead to my left somewhere on the map. I internalized the fact that most people live somewhere else, and are perfectly happy doing so.
I suspect some Americans believe there is something wrong with people who don't live here--not that we want them to immigrate, God forbid. If you have a friend who has even once referred to a foreign language as "jabber," travel far away from that friend, whose whole neighborhood is likely to be poisonous. If you are free to travel, do it now. Later may be too late. "Life is what happens while you're busy making other plans."
Your $42.61 room in Amsterdam. You expected maybe a suite?
What do you mean, you can't afford it? Right now, today, you can get on board a 14-day cruise in Miami and sail to Madeira, Portugal, Spain, Le Havre, Dover and Amsterdam, with shore leave at major ports of call. The lowest cost is $46 a night. That includes your bed, meals and entertainment. What's your overhead at home? Tonight, you can find a single room in Amsterdam for $42.61 a night. Meals? For your dinner you want rijsttafel, an Indonesian dish more popular in Amsterdam than anywhere else in the world. This is a mound of rice surrounded by small servings of various meats, veggies and sauces. You mix and match. You can find it under $10, or you can find it for a lot more. There are rijsttafel buffets, but not for $10.
But enough of this. I'm not cloning Arthur Frommer. Maybe you don't even want to go to Amsterdam. Maybe you want to go to Asia. Anywhere. Make your own plans. How do you find cheap prices? You're on the internet right now. Use it. Oh, never sign for a hotel room without asking to see it first: That way they'll show you the best one they have available.
The point is: Get going. Spring is right around the corner. Dip your toe in the world. There's more to see in Amsterdam than at Six Flags. We are lucky to speak English, so we can be understood most places. India has half as many English speakers as America. China is catching up. Mark Twain, who wrote The Innocents Abroad and Following the Equator, advises us: "Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime."¶
Footnote [1]:Actually, I learn from reader Paul H., the IP address of Friend of Stu traces him to New South Wales, Australia.
¶Sammy Davis Jr. sings "Slow Boat to China" for Johnny Carson (after chat)
¶
Venice is more romantic (and cheaper) in the winter.
¶
One-star rooms in five-star hotels
¶
I can't help but be reminded of one of G. K. Chesterton's great one-liners: "They say travel broadens the mind, but you must have the mind."
Ebert: There's the rub.
If the U.S. was divided into countries like Europe, we would have traveled just as much.
Ebert: Not how the Aussies and Kiwis think.
I absolutely LOVE to travel and as a child, I've gone on fantastic road trips AND overseas trips with my family. It's a great way to learn about the world, to re-connect with history and the past, and to meet new people which help broaden your world-view.
I have been astonished when some people in my neighborhood told me they have never even been out of state. Truly pitiful.
I. want. to. go. to. Amsterdam!
'When you are in such a place, you experience a sort of nostalgia even while you're still there.'
I know! Though I couldn't echo the refrains of shooting down 'excuses' more, I do have to contradictorily give one. We really and truly can't afford it right now. When getting married I used whatever combination of pre-marriage living expenses, various jobs, family help to push strive and claw my way at LONDON! It is playing on my computer right now (as it most often does) on the 'streaming' webcam. This sounds incredibly 'precious' and almost depressing, but it's the way i pine for that place. But we found a way to go on our honeymoon and to REALLY go. We blew way too much money. Just pretend that it's in dollars and not in pounds and it doesn't feel so bad. But nonetheless I would've cringed if I though how much money I spent on a few pastries that I hated (mayonnaise and raw (?) fish are not my cup of tea, but tea was my cup of tea!) on the top floor of Fortnum and Mason. But yes, nostalgic before leaving. The minute upon arriving. We took a taxi with a wonderful Indian man who played us some of his favorite music on the way into town. I've recounted my trip on a former blog entry, so I won't do it again. I'll focus on the future.
While I probably invested more on the movie watching side my wife in her post-college years put her soul into travel. Working a year at an architecture firm (RTKL) in London on some sort of a program I can't remember the name of, that allows younger adults a year to spend overseas. She traveled all over Europe and tells me about it often. I've merged my own passions with hers now and since going to London (my first and only venture overseas) am obsessed. I listen to the BBC constantly and can't believe the quality of such a 'public' funded venture. But we will get there again. It will take some time, but it's a daily goal. I found a certain resonation with 'Revolutionary Road'. Maybe Paris will be the place instead of London, but either way I think of it daily. But the nostalgia is the bittersweet reason I would rather just live there somehow (as a student or minister we would be able to live there) than visit. The first day in London we went to a grocery store and this in particular made me think more of living than visiting. I was sad already that I would have to leave. It made it tough to enjoy in any pure sense. But I suppose if we were to actually live there it would provide the opportunity to travel the EU with more freedom, since it's incredibly cheap to go between European countries. This entry will simply ramble in dreams and nostalgia if I let it like on your last 'traveling' post... let me just say you've tapped into a deep part of my soul here.
Ebert: As one who loves London beyond all compare, I would suggest choosing a different city for your second visit to Europe. Paris? Sure. Venice? Sublime. Stockholm doesn't get as much praise as it deserves, and is one of the few European cities with an unbombed medieval core.
I hear you about the cost. Paris and London in particular. You know what I think's gonna happen? The bottom is going to fall out of the luxury market. That will push food and room prices down across the board. No longer a big market for $500 meals plus rare vintages. It's got to happen.
The web discount sites turn up incredible secret bargains. Look at that cruise I found. You're getting room, board, entertainment and transport for less than $50 a day. Sure, it's a small inside room. How much time you gonna spend in it when you're not asleep? You have the same public spaces and meals as the people in the biggest suites.
The argument made earlier that the United States is as big as Europe and that somehow is why so many of us don't leave would hold more water except for two things...
Canada and Mexico.
Throw in the multiple nations of the Caribbean region and Bermuda, which is an overseas territory of the UK, and there is really no excuse for anyone to have not traveled outside of the US. Even a quick trip to Montreal can be an eye-opener.
Ebert: Montreal is a rich discovery. It truly does feel foreign, yet is so familiar in many ways.
I have long desired to travel overseas. Unfortunately, confined between work and school hours and having to save up money for the next semester, doing so won't be feasible for a while. So, it's not for a lack of want. Soon as I have the opportunity, I'm off to elsewhere.
An entire life lived in the person's home country is a depressing thought, indeed. I will escape that fate.
It's easier in Europe where travelling to another country is merely boarding a train and going a hundred miles or so.
It seems to me that one of the chief blockades to real travel in America isn't so much the lack of funds, but rather the current American work week. I know that technically we're at a 40 hour standard week, but the truth is that I don't know many people who only put in a 40 hour week. It's also increasingly difficult to amass large blocks of paid time off with which to take a trip. In most cases, we've traded the concepts of sick time and vacation time in for a more free form "paid time off" and with the pitiful state of health care benefits in this country, I know many people who simply horde their time off in case of illness. Speaking as a relatively young professional (I'm 30), it feels very difficult to get the time away from work necessary to travel well. God knows I wish it weren't so, because I certainly would like to get out of my routine for a bit. In any case - as always, food for thought Roger - thanks!
I have an insatiable desire to travel, but like many people I know, I just don't know where to begin. I studied Japanese as a minor in college and would love to visit there, but the prospect of staying for a month or more seems daunting, to say the least, without having a job there.
I suppose traveling takes a certain amount of courage. An overcoming of the fear of the unknown, which is difficult for some Americans. Especially when, as children, we are inundated with the message, "America is the greatest country in the world." True or not, that makes people think that there is nothing exciting or interesting out there that they can't get here at home.
My boss told me the story of how he saved up as much money as he could and traveled to Europe for a few months. When he ran out of money he got a job as a Busboy, I believe in Germany, at the restaurant chain he worked at in the United States where he had been in management. He called himself the most overqualified Busboy in the history of the company. The story charmed and inspired me. Made me want to save up my money and travel across Europe and end up in Japan, stay a few months then return home with wonderful stories to write and tell.
I want to make that dream a reality, I guess that I, like many just don't know where to start. Where would you start?
Ebert: I might go to Quebec, or go on the web and find the cheapest price to Europe I could find, and go to wherever it's flying. It's a hell of a long way from Europe to Japan, so I'd make those two trips. And if you're in Japan, China is right there...
While I am thankful to have traveled somewhat extensively throughout the US, the only times I've been out of the country have been just across the border into Canada and Mexico. While I would love to travel abroad, even your suggested cruise ship itinerary presents a few problems--namely getting two weeks off work, the fact that I'm still paying the "overhead at home" even while I'm out of the country, the cost of getting to the departure port, and even the cost of passports for my girlfriend and I (as well as the time to procure them. True, where there's a will there's a way, but perhaps you're over-estimating the amount of extra funds the average American has laying around at the moment in order to travel abroad, as even your proposed cost-cutter trip would probably run $1500-$2000 a person.
So while I appreciate your sentiment, as well as your criticism of pervasive American xenophobia and nationalism, I unfortunately cannot take up your call to arms at the moment. Perhaps with the aid of a generous and encouraging benefactor I could set about attempting to break Theroux's record....
Well, for those of us who are not able to travel, a good compromise is to host friends who are traveling. There's no escapism, but it's enlightening to see visitors' perspectives on the city in which you live.
Alas, my entire travel budget is destined to visiting my family back in Brazil during the holidays, but I guess I should not complain about that.
In two months, I'm going with my family to central Europe! I've been reading Kafka (right now, The Castle) to prepare for Prague, and I may get around to The Unbearable Lightness of Being--though I have seen and loved the film adaptation by Philip Kaufman. More importantly (for me), I've been delving into the Czech New Wave. Closely Watched Trains blew me away, but Diamonds of the Night is the real revelation for me so far. It's something like the offspring of Last Year at Marienbad and Ivan's Childhood that was put up for adoption and raised by Werner Herzog. Just thinking about it fills me with wonder. Does anyone have any other great Czech or Hungarian films (besides Tarr, whom I already adore) they'd recommend?
Ebert: Ever heard of "Gloomy Sunday?" German-Hungarian coproduction, filmed largely in Budapest.
The US has deserts, mountains, rainforests, old cities, new cities, plains, swamps, two oceans, giant lakes, beaches of all descriptions, folks of unappreciated variety, all reachable without international airfare or a passport. I've been to ~10 countries, and I treasure the experiences, but I don't begrudge my fellow citizens for favoring this one.
I am always amazed at how many people have their honeymoon at Disney World! The honeymoon is often the only "big" trip some of us ever get to take. For the same money or less one could have a magical, romantic and memorable trip abroad. Save the theme park for the kids!
I very much enjoyed traveling as a younger man. But being married with two small children, financial resources have to get prioritized, which unfortunately leaves travel toward the bottom of the list.
I also think Mr. Ebert fails to appreciate the millions of Americans who truly are living paycheck to paycheck, especially those with kids, who simply cannot afford to jet off to foreign lands for a few weeks. And there are millions of small-town folks who are just plain happy living where they are. I've got a number of relatives from down south who have never traveled abroad and who don't especially care to.
Ebert: I know, and I appreciate. I'm just saying you don't have to be rich, but you do have to be curious.
Heck, I live in Toronto, and Montreal even feels foreign to me. Did the same survey indicate what percentage of Americans had ever traveled outside their own state?
Roger, you once wrote/said in a review that you felt as if they had made a particular film just for you (I'm 99% certain it was Ghost World); I feel you wrote this blog entry just for me, as I sit at home in a state I can't stand on a week-long vacation going nowhere (I work at a state university and we are on spring break, I didn't arbitrarily choose to take the time off to go nowhere). I vow to you now, sir, that I will submit all paperwork this week and get my passport renewed as quickly as my security check will allow. Thank you.
I have had the good pleasure of travelling abroad to Japan, but when I try and talk my wife into travelling overseas, she says that there's too many places here in America she wants to see first. I see her point, but still- I plan to visit Italy when I turn 40.
Ebert: There are too many place everywhere you want to see first. The best plan is to start with a place you want to see second.
"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness"
I can understand why some Americans only go on vacation in the United States of America. It is in fact a rather amazing country, with some marvelous people, and diversifed nature. As a European I have been fortunate to go twice, the West coast and the East coast. The first time I went we stayed at friends mine’s girlfriend in Burbank CA, who was an aspiring actress. As a movie buff it was a blast learning a little bit about the business from an “insider”. We rented a car and went up Highway 1 to San Francisco then Las Vegas and San Diego, loved it. The other time I was in New York and Washington, didn't have time for Philly.
In January I was in Thailand for a month with my girlfriend. Amazing journey, the Thai people are a very lovely people and extremely friendly. And when you get past cultural differences you realize that we are all just human beings trying to get buy. But even though Thailand was amazing one of my fondest memories of the trip was sitting in Dubai Airport and just watching all the people from all over the world. Arab Oil Sheiks, Scandinavian Tourists, North and South Americans, Asians, Africans, the world is truly getting smaller.
When the plane flew over Iran the passenger next to me a German gentleman said to me: “Look at this view! It looks like the Death Valley but without the Cowboys”. An as we admired the mountains of Iran I fully understood that wars and borders are futile.
What do you call a person that speaks only one language?
An American.
I lived in Germany for 6 years while serving in the US Army from 1985-1991. I saw the fall of that terrible Wall. My family joined me and we Volksmarched through France, Austria,and Italy, too. We found that "grunt and point" could get you through any necessary conversation if the need was great enough.
Please, someone find us that wonderful Thorton Wilder line about once in your life you should go where nobody speaks the same language you do.
It is so true.
I have never been out of the United States, but there are certainly a lot of places I would like to see. My first choice would be to visit Italy; please recommend your favorite Italian towns, and I will keep them in mind.
Right now I can do no traveling. I am getting out of graduate school this month, will soon be seeking a career in teaching, and I am basically at one of those transition periods where a lot of things are changing and there is no time to disappear somewhere in Europe.
I will make a promise to you Roger. I will retire at 80 years of age (2055), and I should have enough money and time by then to travel all over the globe and visit your favorite places. I will even travel to Australia and Antarctica. Hopefully, our economy will be better by the time I turn 80.
I am just trying to be realistic here. Education and career come first. Paris coffee houses come last. At least that is the case for many Americans.
Ebert: Well, everyone always says Rome, and of course it is a miraculous place. They say some people love Florence and some people love Venice, but not everybody loves both. Florence is wonderful but Venice, now--Venice! All the movies you've seen are the truth.
Waiting until you're 80 is all very good, if you live to be 80. If I were you, I would hedge my bet: Retire now, travel, and then go back to work until you're 80. Remember, you want to be in good shape. You have to do a lot of walking in Venice, and every few minutes there's a little bridge over a canal. Those steps add up.
“If you read a lot, nothing is as great as you've imagined. Venice is -- Venice is better.” -- Fran Liebowitz.
There are a small number of very simple reasons why most US citizens have not travelled out of the country. They have nothing to do with xenophobia, nationalism, or anything negative.
They are simply this:
1) We are far from other countries, other than Mexico and Canada, and it's expensive to travel across oceans. The expense aspect is one often overlooked by wealthy people who travel a lot, and want to find some nefarious reason why those less well-off don't.
2) The US is huge, and full of interesting places. I can drive 3000 miles west and never leave the country, seeing a great many things worth traveling for. No one in Europe, as an example, can say that. Visiting another country as a European is no different than visiting another state as a US resident.
That's it.
Ebert: Find me a Frenchman who thinks visiting another country "as a European" is no different than visiting another region of France. When you tell your Frenchman that, first let me stand out of the way.
C'est tout.
Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. - Mark Twain
That is a curious point. I mean there are places that may not be ideal to travel to in today's climate due to how American's are perceived to be perceived (the Middle East for instance) but surely some areas of Europe are free of such nonsense. I am a closet travel-hater, so I cannot cast stones. So far the only extra-continental trip I have made has been to Rome. Ever been to Rome? You can drink water right out of the freakin fountains, no lie. Those Romans! Streets are still cobblestone, you can put the cars in your pocket, and the food. My God the food. I'm off point...
Americans are undeniably getting lazy, I think that's a big point. It's easier to stay home. With all this talk about Recession and buckling down, we all still have flat screen tv's in our living rooms so how bad can it be? There are no adventurers any more, or at least far fewer of them. No seekers of glory. 'If I can see it on the Travel Channel why do I need to go?'. maybe I'm wrong, but I'm thinking it's that.
Roger,
Not to undermine a point well made, but I should point out that the Wiki-vandal who authored "stu is a legend and the good guy has cheap sales" has an IP address located in New South Wales, Australia.
Ebert: It will be cheaper to airlift him to the South Pole.
I'm in the process of planning a trip to London this June. I'm incredibly excited to finally be able to travel to Europe. Hopefully I'll be able to take the walk through London you mentioned in a previous journal post. Any other tips on how to enjoy London would be greatly appreciated.
Next February I'll be teaching english in China for a year. Living abroad has always been a dream of mine.
As you can tell this entry really hit home with me. Happy travels to everyone!
Ebert: One thing not many people do: A country walk. Take the train to a country destination, get out, use the public paths, return. Every public path in the country is protected by law, even those cutting through farmer's fields. Bookstores have little "Country Walks" books with maps and instructions like "pass through the turnstile and walk down to the creek." Choose a shorter walk to begin with--cross-country is not like a beach somewhere. Wear the right shoes.
My first trip to a foreign country was a five-week exchange program between my high school in Honolulu and a small high school in Karlsbad, Germany. I'm still friends with my sponsor family, and have gone back to visit them once since that trip in 1981.
I spent over three years on Okinawa, Japan in the Army; where I also made the trip up to Tokyo and Seoul, Korea (eight days before the Olympics).
In 1989 I was assigned the best job in the Army: I worked for Army/Air Force Hometown News. Most people know our work as the "Hi Mom! Merry Christmas!" messages from soldiers and airmen stationed overseas. I was a print journalist/photographer, and I traveled the world to write stories on our men and women serving in the Army and Air Force, although our teams wouldn't turn down Navy/Marines/Coast Guard if they came to our briefings. It was a recruiting tool, but it was also a great morale booster for our troops.
I was able to visit some great places (Germany, Japan), but some war zones as well (Panama, Saudi Arabia). We always needed "background" shots of the area, so I always made an effort to get some local sightseeing done.
However, the best part was going to talk to the young kids whom we were interviewing. You must understand: most of these kids' only contact with home was letters from their folks, and some didn't even get that. We would show up and tell them that we were going to write a story about them for their hometown newspaper, complete with photo, and their faces would light up. That made all of the hardship of the job worthwhile.
Not every paper ran the stories; there was no obligation to do so. In larger cities, it was usually the community papers that used our releases. But in the smaller towns, our stories were front page news. Sometimes, they were the ONLY news on the front page.
These days, except for a few cruises to the Western Caribbean and Mexico, it's been a long time since I did any overseas travel. But I hope to take my wife there someday. My first choice would be England, as the only time I was ever there was five hours in a transit lounge in Heathrow, five days before the Royal Wedding of Charles and Diana. Our teacher refused to let us go out and see any of London, for some reason. Second stop would be Rome, as the only thing I've ever seen there was also the airport transit lounge (on the way back from Saudi).
"I came across a statistic the other day that claimed only about ten percent of Americans have traveled outside their country. There is no reason for this. The recession is not an excuse; the survey was taken back when Bear, Sterns was still paying its rent. This is the richest and least-traveled of "developed" nations, and I have a feeling many Americans thank heaven every day that they have never had occasion to leave it."
In all fairness to us Americans, I think a lot of the reason for this might be the sheer size of America itself - hell, I'm 23 years old and there's well over a dozen cities within the borders of the United States, in all corners of the country, that I would love to visit that I've never had the chance to, from famous landmarks to big cities and so on. By the time someone gets all those places out of the way they might well feel exhausted already.
I have, however, been to England once when I was 12, so I'm thankful to be part of that 10%.
Thanks for this post. It's nice to have a reminder that traveling outside the country is never as expensive as you might think, whereas right now driving across the country is probably much more expensive than you might think. It's all about perspective.
In 2004, I'd finished making a documentary and booked a trip to Rome, Italy for a week after the premiere. After paying for the room and flight online, all I had was my camera, 15 rolls of film, and $75 in my pocket. And it stands to this day as the best vacation I've ever taken because I knew I had to make every moment and every cent count. It was amazing.
I hope a lot of people read your post and, before closing their browser, book themselves a trip. They'll be glad they did.
To those arguing that travel between European nations is the same as travel between US states--totally ridiculous. If you drive from Germany, through France, to Spain, you can almost see the dotted line on the landscape. The architecture changes, hell, the plant life changes, everything changes. You don't even need to see the different language on the street signs to know you have entered a new country.
Great entry as usual. Made me want to go get lost in Heidelberg again.
There's a lot say about this but for now I'll just say that it's good to see Innocents Abroad get a mention. First read it as a kid and it's remained one of my favorites. Funniest book ever? I mainly remember the part where Mark Twain pays a little Egyptian kid a dollar or something to run all the way up and down a pyramid, expecting he'll fall and kill himself. Then the kid gets back and Twain is shocked and disappointed, and pulls out another dollar. I don't remember how long that went on; perhaps a reread is in order.
Ebert: And of course, after being shown a mummy: "Is he...dead?"
I went to Romania a couple of years ago. That place is fascinating. The food was good, the people were mostly friendly, and if you've never been, make sure you stop by Vlad Tempest's castle. There's a lot of graffiti on the lookout tower, but it's still a pretty magnificent place to see.
Oh yeah, and make sure you get to go see the mountains there. I hiked a mountain next to a Gypsy village and saw a 1000 year old monastery at the top. The view from there was breathtaking. Also, the slopes of Praedel are pretty nice for skiing and snowboarding.
Hey Mr. Ebert, who is offering that kind of cruise for $46 a night? Just curious. My wife and I have been on the lookout for an affordable cruise.
Ebert: I don't get a cut:
http://cruises.affordabletours.com/search/itsd/cruises/8358090425/
Sailing April 25. Remember, it's the smallest inside cabins. Or you can go higher. You can probably disembark sooner than Amsterdam. Le Havre (Paris), for example.
Shoot I shouldve added this to the last response, but I just wanted to say that for travel writing, my fave is Aldous Huxley. Other than Twain, I mean. Never read Theroux, but based on this blog and a very strange appearance he once had on Politically Incorrect, I probably should. But do read Huxley's travel essays, if you have time, he brings a wonderful open-mindedness, which is invaluable, but the real treat is his erudition - altho as he says in one essay, he preferred in his travels to not know anything about a place when he visited, and to experience it as he found it - and then afterward at some point, back home, study it till he knew it better than it knew itself. After which point he wrote the essays, each of which is a treasure and an education.
Good Sir,
Quite an excellent read indeed but if I may, I should point out that Peshawar is in the neighbouring Republic of Pakistan.
Although ethnically and geographically it is close enough that many Statesmen make the same assumption. But then I have met a few who appeared to think that Toronto was in the State of New York.
Your fellow countrymen really do need to get out more. "To explore strange new worlds and to seek out new life and new civilisations." At least your Captain Kirk got it right. (Ironically William Shatner is from Montreal).
Ebert: An editor at the NYTimes once assigned me to do a freelance piece in Montreal, on the grounds that it was closer to Chicago than New York.
post scriptum. Oh and Chittagong is in Bangladesh rather than India.
The truth is you will never convince someone to do what they have already made up there mind is not worth doing, but here is my attempt to refute some of the comments you expect after a column like this.
We are too far away.
I live in New Zealand, try getting further away from other destinations than that. Yet most New Zealander are keen travelers and see it as a rite to experience some Overseas Experience (commonly called OE) typically in their 20s before settling down.
I haven't seen all I want to see in my own county.
Typically made by someone who is not even bothering to try and see those things in their own country, but it makes a good excuse.
There is so much variety in my own country why do I need to go somewhere else.
Try it and see how much more interesting it is when cultures and languages are different. Traveling is not just to tick off a list of things seen. Experiencing different ways of life is much more interesting than seeing a building or mountain. Hence why Roger made the comment about living somewhere rather than just visiting. This is a much richer experience, although obviously not easy to do.
I have family, commitments etc.
This is why these sorts of discussions need to be made and with younger people. Once you settle down in life it is much harder and more expensive to travel. But why are less Americans doing it when they are young and free to travel. I lived in London for 2 years and there were some young Americans there, who all loved the experience, but why were there so many more Antipodeans. The main reason was that we thought that travel was a good idea and something that should be done.
I have to admit that I have not done as many things as I would have liked and now I too have the commitments that make it harder. That makes me glad that I did spend 2 years in London and a year in Colorado when I was in my late 20s, but does make me wish that maybe I should have visited more of those harder to get to places.
These discussions are very unlikely to convince an older person that it is a good idea, but well worth it for trying to open the eyes of the younger would be travelers.
Oh, how lovely it would be to go back to Spain for longer than a week! The week prior to the Atrocities of September 11, 2001, I stayed in Alcala de Henares, Spain, the town of Cervantes' birth and passed by his birthplace. I was taken by a friend to an old church where doubtless Cervantes worshipped. What struck me best about the Spanish are their work habits. They work hard for three hours, go home for their siesta, come back and work for three more hours, then go home for the night. If the siesta were introduced into the American way of doing business...well, maybe not yet.
I reference September 11; my Lufthansa plane flew over New York City on September 10. Little, of course, did I know.
For anyone thinking of traveling in the US or abroad, I recommend www.couchsurfing.com. This is a site that connects travelers with people all over the world willing to host them for free. You have to be a bit on the adventurous side, but members can leave references for both guests and hosts so you know that you're not staying with or hosting a thief or con-artist. I have not yet had the opportunity to travel as a couchsurfer, but I have hosted several foreign travelers at my apartment, and participated in several local gatherings. Even if you can't host guests, you can still attend local picnics and other activities, where you can meet people who might be able to give you advice for your travels.
I was one of those people who ended up, with very little actual language skills, living in a dorm in Japan. I traveled by myself to places that didn't interest my fellow students because of my interest in art, specifically ceramics. For this reason, I stayed in youth hostels for the most part and at times was the only American at the hostel.
Travel changed me, making me more independent. I used to write and not speak well, but being forced to speak a foreign language to strangers made speaking English seems easy.
I was also able to study in Taiwan for one month and England for one year.
I would venture that one can isolate oneself when traveling, particularly if one goes in a group and goes only to the places everyone expects tourists to go. I favor spending at least a week in a particular place an exploring by foot or bicycle. I had a great time cycling around France, first just outside of Paris for a week and then a week going from Nice to Marseille. As long as I was willing to attempt speaking French, I found the French to be quite nice.
It has actually been quite a long time since I have been abroad, but having been in England and Japan and Taiwan to study, really changed my world view and made me see how other people see America.
I would love to go again, either to Asia or Europe. I would love to go to Argentina to follow my love for Argentine tango and I would love to re-visit Japan to improve my language skills and France to see how it had changed. I did not love London so much as I did Paris or Tokyo or Kyoto.
My dream has always been to journey by horse and camel and boat from Spain to Italy and across the Western Asia to Japan along the silk road. With the continuing wars in Iran and Iraq, I will likely never see Tehran or Baghdad, so I would love to explore Mongolia.
Americans, and everyone should travel outside their comfort zone. Take a trip to Mexico or Canada. Go where people do not speak English. It shouldn't take a war and the army to get Americans out to a foreign country.
Traveling between states can be like going to a different country. Think of the difference between NYC and Los Angeles or Los Angeles and Provo. Imagine the caffeine-addicted on BYU campus. Spend some time in NYC and no one seems to be complaining about parking and freeways and you have to learn to stop smiling so much because that isn't the custom there.
I recall my first visit to Chicago when I learned that some menu items were considered seasonal and that it rained in the summer and not everyone knew what a burrito was.
There is freedom in new lands and places, freedom from responsibilities and cultural ties and there is a chance to learn. I would love to travel again somewhere some time in the near future.
Ebert: I applaud everything you say, except...we are right at the top of the charts in our knowledge of burritos.
Marrying into an Asian family was one of the most unexpected pleasantries of my recent years. I've traveled to the Far East five times now, each trip more exciting than the last. Most recently, I brought my two small children to meet their grandmother for the first time.
I do have to say that international travel with little ones is both daunting and expensive. On that last trip when leaving the country, the Japanese and Filipino flight attendants bent over backwards to ensure that my family's needs were met. Outbound travel was a delight, though Japanese customs made me sample the baby's breast milk and didn't seem to grasp what Enfamil powder was.
On the return flight, I was confronted by a hostile American flight attendant from NWA who scolded me for having more than one carry-on item. I had a tiny rolling bag (filled with diapers and formula) and two car seats that my children used while seated on the plane. When leaving the plane, I used bungee cables to strap the seats to the bag so I could roll it all out easily. When the flight attendant approached, I thought she was going to offer assistance. Instead, I got a nasty look and a seething comment that I was allowed only one item.
That's when I knew I was back in America. Politely as I could, I responded that it would be difficult for my 6-month old son (for whom I paid a full fare) to carry his own car seat as he couldn't walk yet.
Thanks for the compliments. I've been living in Montreal (but born and raised in Quebec city) for the last 7 years now and it is different compared to any other city in north america.
But if you really want to experience something different don't come here but visit Quebec city instead. gorgeous architecture, french language everywhere, fine dine for under 20$, loads of exciting nightclubs...the list goes on.
There is a Summer Festival going on in mid July and that is the best time to visit the city. The weather is delicious, free outdoor concerts every night, street performers all over the place...simply magical.
What's so great is that the city is only 7-9 hours by car (not even 2 hours with a direct flight) from NYC and most of New England, so a quick week-end getaway is feasible.
Our dollar has considerably dropped in the last months so you get a lot more for your buck.
Philippe
I would so love to travel outside the country. I've been to Canada, but that was when I was about 10. Now I live in Arizona and haven't even visited Meixco yet (though with the current warnings from the State Department, I don't plan to).
Though I've hardly traveled outside the USA at all, I have at least been to many places within our great nation; from Alaska to Yellowstone, from Palm Springs to Louisville. I've found that to be a wonderfully broadening experience and I hope to hit either Vegas or Hawaii later this year (or, if I want to be really exotic, I could go to Guam!).
One day I will travel outside the USA again. Certain legal obstacles have prevented me from doing so in the past, but those are now gone and all that stands in my way now is money. Once I've got some cash saved, and I've seen all the USA that I care to, I'll go elsewhere.
Of course this does mean me having to stop buying so many DVDs... damn you, Criterion!
You are right about traveling. However, our 43rd president didn’t leave the country until he became president and he turned out OK… Right?
But seriously, my first international abroad experience was taking a class in London Derry, Northern Ireland called ‘Peace and Conflicts of Northern Ireland.’ The year was 1997 and the movie Michael Collins came out in theatres and we watched it inside the Derry Walls of the city; the only place safe to actually refer to the city as London Derry. I remember walking out into the streets admiring the same lamp posts used in the back drop of the movie and the Georgian flats that’s crowded each other along the streets. Not too many people will visit or see London Derry, Ulster, but the political presence between the Catholic and Protestant expressionisms merge together as the ultimate juxtaposition that make that part of Ireland unique in an ominous way; especially with the graffiti. The Catholics painted Celtic murals and the Protestants painted the street curbs, lamb posts red, white and blue (homage to William Orange.) The murals would abruptly stop at the Protestant neighborhood and the red, white and blue painted curbs would stop abruptly when it got to the Catholic neighborhood. The infamous message painted on the Derry Walls, “We won’t move an ounce!” rang across the Catholic Bog as confident as the very wall it was sprayed on.
The experience was great talking to both parties from the Sinn Fein to the ROC to listening to the witness’s of Bloody Sunday. I stayed with a lady who was the piano teacher to John Hume’s daughter.
Taking the class on this subject was an experience I’ll never forget from exchanging stories to accents (I’m orignally from Minnesota so they needed to know if people actually talked liked that in the movie Fargo. My answer was fair.)
I had my first child at twenty, putting any hopes of the post college European trek into jeopardy. I had two more by the time I was 25. I love my children, but travelling with young ones, one of them who is handicapped, is a hassle. So I decided that we will all do the Europe trek when they are much older. The plan is the same- my father, a Danish national, insists I should see Copenhagen, and a trip to Ireland, my mother's ancestral home on her father's side, is paramount. We also want to go to East Anglia ( my mother's mother's side), and frankly, Spain and Italy just to eat. France to see the Lourve and to walk the hallowed grounds of Truffaut and Demy. Germany to see the Brandenburg Gate. So much we want to see and do. I've been saving since my eldest was a baby.
Ebert: A dream trip. Sounds more like two trips. :) Your father is right. In Copenhagen, be sure to visit the Danish Film Institute and see Dreyer's models for the set of "The Passion of Joan of Arc."
I managed to travel quite a bit in my late-teens and early-20s, so I know how enriching that can be, and also understand how it can wear you out and seem counterproductive if you do it too much.
I just wanted to add that when people complain that Americans don't travel enough, they need to factor in that Americans don't have the luxury of vacation time of the people in many countries. In America if you're lucky then you get 2-4 weeks vacation (usually it's more like 2). Some of that time has to be spent with family, and some of it has to be spent on basic R&R. That doesn't leave much time for travel.
It's not always that Americans have little intellectual curiosity, or that we don't have the money. As a country, we just work too damn much.
Ironically, Roger, your most recent blog entry accents this one. I didn't want to admit it before, but my thirst for passion amongst my peers in the States has lured me into relationships abroad. God, its like an ocean of gatorade after years in the desert!
as a disabled person who has never been north of, the mason dixon this makes my wunderlust pulsate
'
in 1988 michael palin undertook a daunting challenge from the BBC : do as Jules Vernes' Phileas Fogg did in Around the World in 80 Days and... travel around the world in 80 days, obviously.' it aired on- PBS in 1990. ive been addicted to travel tv since.
my favorite these days is anthony bourdain. he's a 5 star chef who goes off the beaten path
come to think of it, you'd make a great travelogue host. get chaz to do voiceovers
Does that 10% include Canada & Mexico?!
Even I have been to those countries. I must admit though I feel a little envious listening to family, friends & significant others tell me about their worldly travels, when I have barely ventured across our borders.
A good friend just took a job in Brussels & is moving at the end of the summer. Two hour train ride to Paris and an hour and a half to Amsterdam (or is it the other way around?). No matter, I'll find out for myself.
If it weren't for the movies, I'd be pretty sad about my lack of foreign travel experience. I'm a full-time student with two jobs. I have no money, have never had any money, and probably never will (I'm an education major--I'll graduate with ten of thousands of dollars in school loans, and I'll make a measly teacher's salary).
I'd love to travel more than anything. The farthest I've been from home is Minneapolis. And now I look back on that trip and wish I had the money instead to make my next tuition payment. Sad but true. I know, from experience, that the cost of living beats the ability to travel out of some people.
So, like I said, thank God for the movies. Yesterday morning, with Accatone, I got to see a bit of Italy; last week, with Let the Right One In, I was in wintry Sweden. Maybe I'll get the opportunity to teach abroad sometime and really see all the hundreds (thousands, really) of places I dream of seeing. But until then, the closest I'm going to get to being in Bruges is In Bruges.
Ebert: Me too. And we can also travel to places in the past.
I would tell my Orient Express story, but you've told a better one. I am the child of Anglophiles who read too much Christie, so I have been on the O.E. It was like being inside an Hermes handbag.
I envy anyone who honeymooned there. I don't know much about trains other than that one, but my other goal is to take that train that takes you to Machu Picchu. I hear that it's nice.
A good book on a long trip. "The Golden Notebook" was part of the truck library on a six-month trip through Africa. Both were mesmerizing. I could read a bit and lift my head and watch a beautiful continent move slowly past me. Also, long Indian train trips, second-class, and "A Fine Balance" by Rohinton Mistry. And, frequent stops mean frequent cups of chai to go along with the reading and the scenery!
Ebert: My mistake. I read "The Golden Notebook" in Cape Town. Meant to write "The Golden Bowl." Another great novel.Three great novels.
"The bittersweet pleasure of being where nobody knows you, and nobody you know can find you. What do you do? Why, order a cup of coffee and open your book, obviously......Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime."
What a timely and educative article for me when I may be on the verge of my first not all too enthusiastic journey abroad since it is of necessity. Above quote express both schools of thought which apply equally to me .Thank You. I'm surely going to read this many times since in any case I have to travel quite a lot in India.
It seems music(caught in passing} you hear "on the way" accidently is more moving . This maybe applies to travel too, rather than going as a traveller or a "tourist".
Having worked at the Mark Twain House and Museum, I always enjoy seeing quotes by Twain in other people's writings, though I have yet to read the Innocents Abroad. Not that I'm wanting in materials to read, mind you.
For people who worry about the cost of travel, why not work in a foreign country? Especially if you want to visit Asia, where many countries hire native English speakers in order to teach conversational English to their citizens. Besides paying you, they'll provide you with a place to stay, or help you find one within your budget. At most, you'll need an ESL certificate, and many companies only require a college degree. That's how I spent three years in Japan, with two different companies (one placed me with students of all ages, while the other one placed me in elementary and junior high schools). If you do, I guarantee that you'll never look at the U.S. the same way again.
And while I have been to Australia, that only makes three continents that I've traveled to outside of North America (I've also been to Europe on several occasions). So, Mr. Ebert, you beat me there...for now.
P.S. I only knew about ten words of Japanese when I went to Japan--and didn't start taking proper lessons until about four months in. By the time I left, I had taken--and passed--the Level 3 Japanese Proficiency Test (conversational Japanese: 300 kanji, 1500 words, everyday grammar). So, if you decide to live in a foreign country for a time, it's worth learning as much of the language as you can, but don't let not knowing the language stop you from going in the first place.
About 25 years ago I spent three weeks in Ireland. I only needed to stay in a hotel the first night (the one across the car park from Shannon Airport); after that it was B-n-B all the way. The system was great. Every city had a Bord Fáilte office. Go there first day in a new town, look over the brochures on the wall to see what's happening somewhere else (the Pan-Celtic Music Festival is in Tralee this weekend? Yes!), and ask the clerk to call ahead and book a room. That's it. In 1985 it would cost about $15 a night, and the breakfasts were magnificent. Hot black tea, brown soda bread, eggs, potatoes, Proper Irish Bacon (not those wrinkled strips of salted pork fat you get here)... You really don't need more than a breakfast like that to get through the day unless you have a really active day. Then in the evening stop by a pub for a pint and a sandwich or some fish and chips. Heaven. On. Earth. I didn't drive, either. Just took trains and buses. And rented a bike for a day trip on Inis Mór. I had no goals, no itinerary. I just went where I went and saw what I saw. And that's the sum of it.
Ebert: I've done that. Make up your itinerary as you go along. B&Bs let you meet the locals. Tralee! Over the hill from where "Ryan's Daughter" was filmed.
In Seattle we had three days of snowfall this winter that made it impossible for me to get to work. That nearly crushed me, financially. A friend gave me the money I needed to get to my next paycheck.
About once a month, when I can't suppress it anymore, I face the fact that I really may be unable to afford to go to Cairns and Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia, for the total solar eclipse on November 13, 2012. I'm 55 years old.
It breaks my heart. Be a little gentle, will ya?
Ebert: I think what I was trying to do, a little, was some playful dream-creation. I certainly know everyone can't afford to pack up and go. For a lot of people, that is prevented by time and family responsibilities rather than money. For a long time I had little money, and did some of my best traveling, staying in rooms that looked uncannily like the one in the blog photo, except you really could visit "Europe on $5 a Day," as Frommer promised. That covered your room and dinner. Breakfast was included with the room. Of course, $5 bought something then.
While teaching in Japan, one of my students, knowing that I loved movies, casually mentioned that his junior-high school friend was Akira Kurosawa's art director for many years, and would I like to have a private tour of the Old Master's studio?
And so, a few days later, in a suburb of Tokyo, I found myself staring down at the slippers Kurosawa-san wore as he edited his movies. I stepped into his private screening room. I saw the old moviola on which he edited SEVEN SAMURAI. A Canadian kid who loved movies and who, the year previously, had been unemployed in Toronto, was now having lunch with Kurosawa's art director, flipping through the photo-album he took during the shoot, casually marvelling at shots of Scorsese-as-Van-Gogh revealed through polaroids.
It's the people you meet.
Ten years ago this May I packed up and left Canada and headed for Asia. I knew nothing about Japan, or Cambodia, or the Philippines, the three countries I've lived in for the past decade. I learned as I went. I read as I went. I asked questions, dumb questions, and kind people pointed the way.
The amazing thing about travel is the people you meet, the people who are so outside of yourself, and yet are revealed to be more mysteriously close to your inner thoughts than you could have possibly imagined.
It's not where will you go, but who you will meet. The world is large, and scary, and brutal. No one's arguing that But people can also be revelatory: kind beyond belief, beyond reason.
Ebert: Oh, yes. Once in Venice, during one of my fits of vegetarianism, I ate in an almost empty little vegetarian restaurant at noon. The other diner was an American, Italian-born, a jeweler in New Jersey, who was visiting Venezia to see relatives, and invited us to come Sunday and view the regatta from the balcony of their palazzo on the Canale Grande!
Yeah, I'd love to see other parts of the world. I've been to parts of Europe, and grew up on the U.S./Canada border, and went to that wonderful country around 19 to get my first drink ahead of other Americans. I also had the privilege of living in New Brunswick for two years.
But I love traveling America. As a person abroad, I can never get over the feeling of being a tourist, someone who doesn't belong. Here though, I feel at home no matter where I go (well, there are a few places I fear to tread). Here, when I travel, I feel like I can get to know my country more deeply. It's like zeroing in on a corner in a fine painting. You've always known what was there, but never been able to truly appreciate it's finer features. In turn, you are more able to appreciate the whole.
It's nothing against the rest of the world. My wife and I are in the midst of planning our trip for our 5 year anniversary, and I'm looking forward to it. We are divided between Greece, Spain, and Argentina.
Recently I was speaking with a friend, and we got onto the subject of what country we might like to visit the most. I thought for a few minuets and decided that Japan, France and Italy were my top three. She responded that it might have something to do with movies, and when I considered this I found she was right. Outside of America, I believe that those three countries have the richest film histories (in that order). Maybe this desire stems from the fact that I have a concept of those countries from their films, and want to see if that concept comes close to the reality.
As an American living in Cambodia, I definitely appreciate this post. I was fortunate enough to travel in Asia as a kid, and have always felt that far too many Americans just don't get out to see this great big world of ours.
I've heard all the arguments as to why Americans might not leave, but particularly after living in Cambodia I can't help but see narrow-mindedness or lack of curiosity as ultimately being the reason. Every day I run into Australians, Kiwis, French, Brits, Germans, Swedes, etc. but it is almost shocking to encounter an American on the streets of Phnom Penh. If we want to talk cost and distance as factors, I can't help but notice that one is far more likely to meet Canadians around here than Americans.
It's a pity, as a place like this is far too beautiful, outlandish, terrible, and wonderful to be ignored. Incidentally, Kep, Cambodia, might be the best place on earth to read some Hemingway and look at the sunset.
Heh. So the title of this blog could have been: "Move. I don't want to move. Move."
I'm moving. I've had plans to go to Denmark this year, and I thought an impending layoff put paid to that. But maybe it hasn't-?
I had a real yearning to travel when I was a teenager. There was one missed opportunity to travel by ship to Australia. But the main object of my desire was China. I loved the idea of traveling to China for a long time. However, the road diverged within the wood and I took the one most traveled by. I got a job pumping gas. I moved away from home. I got a roommate and an apartment. I started a career. The years went by and that was that. The desire to travel never left me but I couldn't get over the fear of it. I needed allies in my adventures and none could be found, though I confess I should have looked harder.
That was then and this is now. In my 30's, I've been able to overcome some personal hurdles and I've run out of excuses. By the way, 'I don't have the money' is exactly that, an excuse. I should know, I used it often enough. But a few years ago I was on a ship called the Picton Castle. I met a guy in his 60's that had already been around the world twice and he did it the hard way, on the tops of trains and not in them, on the backs of donkeys and not cars. His possessions were the cloths on his back and a big bag of rice. Well he made it fine and hardly ever needed money. I have a friend right here in Winnipeg that has an adventurous spirit, he's never been afraid to try something new. Right now he's www.couchsurfing.com somewhere in Europe. I'm greatly inspired by those kinds of people. I usually meet them in books such as "There be no Dragons" by Reese Palley. Roger I encourage you to read the introduction and the first chapter online. You can find it at Amazon if you google it.
Or click http://books.google.ca/books?id=i8QcEhSuE-EC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Reese+Palley#PPR5,M1
A sample; " ...On the great Oceans of the world I found the opportunity to take measure of myself. Old, fat and unprepared, I did pretty good. So will you. Your dream is no different than mine. We all drink from the same cup, the trick is to find the well...."
So now I travel more and more and gradually go farther a field. I enjoyed your other articles on travel and I've made mental notes on some of the places you suggest. I'm pretty sure I'll do your favourite London walk at least once in my lifetime. Just this January I fled the frozen streets of My Winnipeg and went to Central America. I have yet to sample Europe, but I will get there soon. What I like about travel is it cures nationalism. I've found people from the other side of the world that I have more in common with than some of my life long acquaintances here at home. Yes our cultures and languages are different, but there are certain basic types of people everywhere and it's interesting to meet someone just like you, or just like one of your friends but who happens to be from Europe or Asia. The same but with a different perspective. It allows you to look at yourself from a different angle. And that other person is looking at you in the same light, here is someone from a far away land yet still my countryman.
That is so true about working too much - you all have heard that Americans get much less vacation time than Europeans right?
But I would love to travel again - as soon as I can pay down the credit card debt I incurred from spending a week in London/Edinburgh in 2007. If I can hang onto my job.
I'm sorry but it's too easy for the well-to-do to offer such advice to the rest of us. Why don't you tell us which delicious cakes we should be eating too?
Ebert: Pancakes!
I began traveling late- didn't leave the country until I was 34 or so. Only been to Japan, Denmark, Germany, Ireland so far but look forward to much more. They were all wonderful trips, done with a travel guide in hand and yes, a cel phone, a tiny bit of planning and never a tour company. It's so much more fun just to land there, perhaps with a B&B or hotel room booked in advance, perhaps not.
Not to beat the Bush dead horse now that he's out, but I was constantly asked if I voted for "that idiot" (sic). And they'd say they never met anyone who admitted to it. I responded that I thought fewer people who voted for him were the type to see other countries, especially ones that might impress them. Better to travel to the third world, where home will seem more advanced and civilized. I love my country and it will always be home, but it's nice to know that we're not the best at everything, when it's disappointing how we do some things, like vacation time. I'd gladly take a cut in pay for more time off, but we still have a Puritan disdain for it, I think.
For spring break my brother and I are going to Beijing for two weeks to visit a friend there who's studying abroad (and we thought it would be a little more interesting than Florida). We're also going to try to make it to Shanghai and Hong Kong during the trip. We've been on family trips to London (although we may have been a bit too young to totally enjoy it), Rome, and Barcelona (my personal favorite) and I am so grateful to my parents that they've worked so much to afford us these opportunities, but I'm looking forward to China more than any other place I've been. Crossing that West/East boundary is going to be incredible and the whole trip is sure to be totally unlike any place I've yet been. On the subject of China, I highly suggest seeing Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles, a Zhang Yimou film (totally unlike Hero or House of Flying Daggers). I'm assuming you've seen it, but I would love to see your review of it; it was a pretty incredible film.
Also I agree that Americans don't get out of America as much as they should (and are often curiously proud of this fact, especially those born and raised New York City), although I wouldn't be too quick to discount the current economic crisis. While our room and board (and pretty much everything else) are essentially dirt cheap, the airfare was a pretty big monetary blow. I think a lot of people don't even know that they can spend relatively few dollars on a vacation because the airfare scares them out of it before they get the chance to find out.
I don't think people need to travel to find enlightenment or to reveal a deeper understanding of the inner life. I just feel it is the least of the world's problems, and probably the least of the many antidotes that exist out there. Understanding and respect can blossom on the path that leads from your doorstep to your yard, under a Bolivian moon, or in frost bitten fields. I'd rather see us sit and reflect, enjoy that which surrounds us, and take the time to acknowledge life wherever we may find it. Then, and whether by horse, train, or your wicker rocking chair, extend this courtesy to others.
As a life-long viewer of your works I must tell you not to be so hard in your views. Some of us never had the money or time to 'see what's out there'.
So we take care of basic needs, and if lucky, go to the movies.
Ebert: But you can dream? Life is long and brings many opportunities.
It is possible to travel abroad, even with limited funds and limited time, you just have to make it a priority, make plans, and take advantage of opportunities that come your way. Solve the time dilema by taking shorter trips and telling yourself that you can always return to see the things that you don't have time to see on this trip. Concentrate on just one region of a country, or even just one city, and get to know it. I just returned from a 4 day trip to Barcelona (including travel time). I went with a friend who is a flight attendent who was working on the flight and had a 2 day layover. I used one of her airline "buddy passes" and flew standby at a very discounted rate. We had a great time. Don't have a friend who works for an airline? - check your newspaper's travel page, or look online, and there are almost always deals on trips to Europe, especially in the off season. You may not find a discount traveling to Europe in July, but it's still there in February. And cheaper. And a lot less crowded. Wear a coat. If you keep giving yourself reasons not to go, you won't go.
Great article! My mom got me into travel early on. Eventually, I joined the military and was able to live overseas for three years, which was one of the best experiences of my life. I still travel every so often, but now life happens, lol.
I leave you with a funny tidbit I once read; "travel expands the mind, and loosens the bowels" Don't forget the bottled water,smile.
Dear ER,
Your vision reminds me of Tagore's, once again. As we know, he visited Russia,Japan,Europe and Chicago too, amongst other places in and around India.
Just was wondering on the line ..."Chittagong in India". No doubt Chittagong (Cox's Bazar in Chittagong is one of my favourite places because of the co-existence of Bay of Bengal and mountain alongside the picturesque longest sea beach in the world!) If one can swim a bit, it will take him to Myanmar too. I would love to go there for a second time, as you said. But it is not in India anymore. First, it was in East Pakistan after partition. Then since 1971 it is in Bangladesh, and still is.
Ebert: Tagore lived and studied in my home town, Urbana.
I would also love to travel more after I my wonderful experience in Prague studying film for a semester a few years back. I am now just scared, being a young, nubile American, that hostile (or hostel) people will carve me up. Any safety advice for those brave enough to still travel in the world after seeing so many tourist-killing movies?
Roger, ever traveled extensively in Sweden? I wanted to study abroad there (or Copenhagen, which is close enough), but unfortunately studying abroad is still pricey. From what I hear, Sweden is mighty expensive all around, but the language is maybe the most beautiful I've ever heard and the scenery looks magical.
*I have to personally thank Ingmar Bergman for allowing me to listen to Bibi Andersson and Ingrid Thulin speak to me on film. I'm sure you will agree with me here.
Ebert: I've been to Stockholm four times. I'd go again in a second. A great city. Almost everyone in Sweden seemed to speak English. They even showed non-subtitled English films on TV.
Reading this, now I understand how Paul's son Louis got to be such a curious, broad-minded student of humanity. My girlfriend and I have been talking about traveling overseas later this year, possibly to Greece. We'd love to see the birthplace of democracy.
Every other day I yearn to travel: do JET and return to Japan, save a few thousand dollars and backpack through Europe, or hell, hop in my car and go see Canada. But what my family made look easy in my student years now seems impossible as I confront adult life. Auditions half the time, rehearsals a quarter, coffee served the remainder: wherein do I find the week (because you need at least a week) to head off to enjoy the Caribbean? Then again, it was even worse in my cubicle days; at least a part time Starbucks gig allows you to request time off, and an agency lets you book out. Maybe I should look into that cruise you talk about.
Paris in '07 was one of the most moving experiences of my life. I visited galleries, the ballet and took a South Korean lover for a night and a day. Living out of pre-booked hostels I managed to survive within budget. I ate one large meal at a restaurant around midday. I'd get up at 6am in the morning and fall to sleep around 9pm, after spending the whole day walking. I lost weight and felt wonderful.
I noted that in certain places you could buy a pair of shoes for 1 or 2 Euros.
I'm saving up to go overseas again but I've yet to settle on a destination, perhaps Russia, as I've always loved Russian history and literature. I might just go back to France again and become more acquainted with a country I love.
As a child my Mother took me across the pacific - Fiji, New Caledonia, Indonesia. The fashion amongst the travelling classes in Aus is for Asia rather than Europe, so I've actually broken with tradition.
Traveling is a necessity for human kind.
A great man passed away a week ago at age 76. My father in law. Now here was a man that spent his first 60 years farming within a mile of his birthplace and never went anywhere but church, school, and the hog barn (nearly literally). He had chores to do. With remarkable foresight he decided upon retiring to travel at least yearly to some place he'd never been. Knowing nothing of the world it was all new to him. Several of his trips with his wife were to visit me and my wife as we were in the military. Being his "tour guide" was interesting. He had an insane habit of wanting to know how people truly lived. For instance one time in Florida we took the back roads through the everglades just so he could stop the farmers in the fields and ask how they grew sugar. They were fortunate to travel abroad too. He even had the foresight to have a huge celebration including a band with the community on their 40th wedding anniversary instead of their 50th "just in case I can't enjoy my 50th". Two weeks before his scheduled heart operation they returned from traveling to Mexico and the Caribbean. Asked if he had any regrets or goals he hadn't met yet he simply responded no. Well unfortunately he had a stroke a couple days after the surgery. Perhaps being "from" somewhere rather than being a rolling stone makes the travel that much more enjoyable.
But Roger, the comments about the working person getting the time off are very true. I know numerous people who couldn't put the time together if their life depended on it to get to a place like Japan. In my father in law's extreme case I don't believe he ever took a day off until retirement.
I live in South Africa, and I've long (and unsuccessfully) planned a trip to the United States. I haven't been abroad a lot, though I've spent three marvelous weeks in London (where I read much of Susanna Clarke's Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrel on the London Underground - a surprisingly fitting read) where I spent the first few days getting lost (literally) in its narrow, tight streets and inadvertently discovering sights and shops I would not have known to look for if the streets did not confuse me. It strikes me that the best way to truly discover the soul of any city is to get lost in it. I wanted to follow it up with a trip of the U.S, but the credit crunch killed that for now.
The strangest thing however about planning the US tour is the sense of disbelief I get from my on-line acquaintances residing in the US, many who voice in various ways something that could be summed up as this: "you can go anywhere in the world, why the hell would you want to come here?"
Naturally I can think various reasons, from the usual post-card sights as well as the more off-beat places that you occasionally hear about in strange ways (Kurt Vonnegut called such suggestions "dancing lessons from God"), but my vaguely wide-eyed fascination is not something all of these acquaintances are able to relate to. For me New York, Chicago, Memphis and Philadelphia hold as much fascination than St Petersburg, Venice, Prague and Munich, places I also would like to visit someday; these are all in some ways borderline mythical places and visiting them is not just an experience but an honour in some way.
Subsequently the perceived apathy is a strange view for me to consider, actually, and I can't help but wonder where it comes from. It is just that some people are so used to their home-country in such a way that nothing in it amazes them anymore, or is it maybe that they just can't see a place like Chicago or Houston as an exotic location on par with Phuket or Tokyo? Who knows. These bursts of apathy will not stop me from still wanting to experience the U.S. first hand because ultimately I've never been there and that is motivation enough to go.
Ebert: I think the U.S. is a great place to visit, and for a while there the dollar was cheap against other currencies.
You been here, you been there, you been a bunch of anywheres. I think you've even been to the Texas burg of Abilene, which you once called the prettiest little town you've ever seen.
But I ask: Have you ever been to Denton, Texas? Dr. Phil spent some time here, you know. By God, so did Paul Shaffer.
Ebert: Been there? No, but I grew up in Dr. Denton's.
Except that Peshawar is in Pakistan. Not Afghanistan.
Roger, thank you for this article. I believe there is a nasty underbelly to this sort of thinking - one that I've experienced first-hand, having left the US about 5 years ago to do a postgraduate degree with other international students in Australia (magnificent place to live and work, by the way). I'm tempted to use the tired word "elitism" here. I'll try to explain:
There is undeniable merit to the basic idea that travelling abroad forces the traveller to adapt, adjust, learn and understand in a way he not only wouldn't, but couldn't, have at home. The thing is, the vast majority of young people I've talked to and observed don't see these jaunts overseas as personal challenges. They see them as compliance with fashion - or worse, an instant elevation of status among friends. Been to England? I backpacked through France. Been to France? I spent a month in New Zealand. What is done, learned or gained in that time isn't so much the issue; it's the number of tickmarks a person has on life's giant checklist, and whether he's got more than the next guy.
It's not a major point - I'd just urge people not be the guy who says "I can't believe so-and-so doesn't have a passport", or "You have to go to Venice." Travelling in and of itself isn't something to brag about - it's the experiences that are of interest.
And Chittagong is in Bangladesh, not India.
I hope and pray some day America will lose the mentality that spawned such classics songs Louvin Brother songs as "Broad minded is spelled S-I-N."
I just got back from spring break in Toronto. While most people at my school were getting drunk off of cheap, awful beer, I stayed in a $28 a night hostel room with $200 to spend and a few baseball games on the agenda.
Queen Street was incredible. The underground tunnel system was amazing. Steven Temple Books (I caught them open) might just be better than The Strand for all it's out of print rare books that I can't imagine affording in 100 years.
I consider myself fortunate to leave the midwest every now and again. Does Chicago count as the midwest? It's an escape from Cincinnati and Detroit. New York is a frequent stop.
Trains are nice. I've read Pynchon, Burroughs, Kerouac, and Lessing on trains, their short, single serving novels. The Golden Notebook I read on subways and late at night in my cramped little room.
Does it count as vanishing if I use my cell phone as an alarm clock? Can't afford international rates, wouldn't want to call anybody if I could.
Lack of funds is a perfectly acceptable excuse for some of us. I was *this close* to six months in London, but I couldn't come up with $15,000 in two weeks. I was hitting the Coinstar machine hard to come up with the $200 I had in Toronto. Had to bum money to get back to school. I'd go again the same way if I could.
A great article, as usual!
We Germans are probably the people who travel most (even though I have to admit many people just go on to their annual binge-and-relax-in-the-sun-trip to Mallorca) so it is natural that I agree with you.
I would like to point out another way of getting to know another culture: Make your kid an exchange-student! I have been an exchange-student in the United States in the 90s and to this day I say it was the experience that has had the biggest influence on my life. And I don't say this, because the US of A is such a great country, but because I had to adapt to a different culture. I had the assistance of my host-family and the representatives of my exchange organization, of course, but still, I had to get along in a different country all on my own and I had to figure out this strange foreign culture myself.
I have done voluntary work for my exchange organisation ever since, because I think it is such an important experience that I wish everyone could have. Sure, not everybody is suited to become an exchange student, but I am always astonished that so many people in the United States agree to become a host-family for a foreign exchange student, but only few consider sending their kids abroad as well.
It does not have to be expensive. For example, between the German and the U.S government, full scholarships are handed out to one person per electoral district a year. Many Americans do not even know about this and often we get American exchange students who received the scholarship and were the only candidate!
I can only advise Americans parents and also American kids to think about these options. It is not a lost year, it will broaden your horizon, get you to appreciate other countries and different cultures more, you will make friends with people from another country for a lifetime, you will get to learn another language fluently along the way and it will influence your entire life!
Ebert: Let me repeat that:
"It does not have to be expensive. For example, between the German and the U.S government, full scholarships are handed out to one person per electoral district a year. Many Americans do not even know about this and often we get American exchange students who received the scholarship and were the only candidate!"
Someone will be going to Germany next year because of that paragraph.
Isn't it a truism that half of all Americans live within 50 miles of where they were born?
I think Theroux's comment ("Extensive traveling induces a feeling of encapsulation; and travel, so broadening at first, contracts the mind.") indicates that it is not travel that broadens the mind, but rather exposing the mind to something different. If all you do is travel, eventually that becomes normal and non-broadening.
I just Googled "travel quotes" and received this as the first result:
The 50 Most Inspiring Travel Quotes of All Time
The first quote is the one you mentioned by Twain, and there are a couple on there by Theroux, including this one that I liked:
"Tourists don’t know where they’ve been, travelers don’t know where they’re going."
Some other good ones on the list: 2, 3, 7, 13, 19, 25, 27, 30, 37, and 45. And, while we're on the subject of quotes, I'll assume you're familiar with Anthony Bourdain. While watching his show a few years back, I heard him say a phrase that goes something like, "the more I travel, the more I see, the less I know." I have a feeling this wasn't original to him, but I like the idea being expressed: there is so much out there that, as we gain more knowledge of other places and things, we realize how much more there still is to find out. Sorry, that got a bit long-winded. Anyways, I have been meaning to reply to an entry of yours from a while ago called "All by ourselves alone." I really enjoyed that entry, but I'll just reply to this one.
I find it sad that only 10% of Americans have been to a foreign country, but not unbelievable. If that number is significantly higher in other countries, then it has to be in part because they benefit from the close proximity. By my count, I've been to 23 countries in my 23 years so far on this earth (a pace I certainly hope I can keep up for a while). Some of those were quick day trips, whereas I was in Argentina for 6 months (long enough to read the entire Old Testament, as well as "Crime and Punishment"). In fact, my two friends and I made it from Panama to Guatemala, and every country in between, in just over a week. In the US, I don't even think the distance we traveled would get us from Nebraska to any foreign border, yet we hit 6 countries. If each of the 50 states were a country, no doubt the percentage would be higher. But I suppose that's not the point, and others have already mentioned the economics of it.
It certainly does take a certain desire to travel, something I know for myself I will always have. Right now I don't really have the means to travel big (still paying off the honeymoon trip to Italy), but we are splurging a bit over her Spring Break, thanks to a nice tax refund, to visit a friend in Oregon (which is halfway across the country). Regardless of country of origin, there will always be people who end up taking advantage of their desire to travel more than others. I know a guy who just traveled from Alaska to the southern tip of Argentina. Also, when in Argentina, I met several people from Europe/Australia who described their travels from Columbia to Argentina as the last leg of their trip, which can only mean the entire thing was enormous.
While I doubt I'll ever have (or, make?) the time for anything like that, I do hope to be able taking advantage of any opportunity that may present itself. With all this talk about Venice, I can't help but get the urge to make a third trip to Italy. My sister speaks highly of India, though, so I think eastern Asia is probably the next trip I'd really like to try to make happen. But I suppose this article is less about "where" one has been, and more about simply going.
I'd like to think that Americans aren't completely opposed to the idea of travel, but people you mentioned who describe a foreign language as "jabber" certainly do make you wonder. I can't speak for every other country in the world, but of those I have been to long enough to have watched their news reports, most are much more aware of foreign affairs than we are here in the US. Whenever I find myself encountering someone who hears a foreign language and calls it "jabber," or sees a Hispanic person and instantly assumes they are from Mexico, I just want to scream. Try as I may, though, I can't force others to change, so I just have to worry about myself. For me, that involves accepting and embracing people from other countries, and doing my best to understand where they are coming from. Even with all the book learning in the world, there's no better way to learn something new than to experience it first hand.
Thinking about the topic over the past few hours, I think the desire to travel is one reason that I truly enjoy foreign films. Even in times when I'm not able to travel as freely, I can put in "Tokyo Story" and go to Japan, watch "City of God" and visit Portugal, or revisit "La dolce vita" and be reminded of my all-too-short time in Italy. While these and many others are great as films alone, regardless of their language, they have that special element that we can't entirely experience from a couch in the US. But anyways, I'm going on too much...sorry. Thanks again for another great entry...even if it did keep my up until 3:00am! (Which, by the way, if any of this is incoherent, that's my excuse).
P.S., I watched "Cleo From 5 To 7" on Sunday, finally. Wow. Probably couldn't have enjoyed it more.
After 5 years at an Indian software firm, I was thrilled to be able to leave the country and study abroad. I spent a year in Singapore and in Fontainebleau in France.
Part of my internal business program involved discussing with my batchmates about stereotypes we'd heard about our home country or countrymen that was true and those that were false and that we most hated / disliked. That was one hell of an eye-opener.
Even more than the visits I was able to make to Cambodia, Malaysia or most of Continental Europe, I think it was interacting with the various people I met that I'll most remember.
Nothing quite opens the eyes and destroyes stereotypes like travel.
I lived in The Netherlands for a year (from 2007-2008 as an Au Pair), in a small village right outside of Amsterdam. I kept encouraging my parents to come visit while I was there, because they had never left the country and I knew they had the money to do so. I went out of my way to research all of the local hotels, trying to find the best deal for them. I even told my Mother that I would plan a trip for them to Paris because she's always talked about wanting to go there.
I've traveled quite a bit through Europe and I believe that Holland is one of the greatest places for a new traveler to start with. In my experience Dutch people are friendly people who are proud of their culture and would love to share it with you (and drink a beer with you, while debating many things in one of the many languages they are proficient in). Amsterdam in particular is an easy enough city to get around. It's incredibly accessible, the people are welcoming, there are parks, markets, multiple museums, historical sites, etc. There are many hidden treasures to be found in that city, and that is why I hold it so near and dear to my heart. All you have to do is just get there, and then you can walk around. I guarantee you'll stumble on to something beautiful, or something bizarre, or something interesting. And nothing beats lazily biking or walking around at night over the lit up canals.
My parents looked up flights and found some great deals in the month of March. Reasonably priced flights, a daughter to speak Dutch for you and lead you around to show you the sights (though really, you don't need to know Dutch to get around Amsterdam)...a very low stress travel environment, no?
In the end they didn't come. They decided they wanted to save money to put toward a new home. I don't know if it was fear of the unknown, or what, but a year has quickly passed and they're still living in the same home, with no real sign of leaving.
And I am sitting here missing Amsterdam.
(Just to add some stuff in regards to travel: If you are independent and adventurous enough but strapped for cash, consider couchsurfing.com. It's a great way to meet new people and learn a new city from the perspective of a local, and it saves you money...I did it in Cologne, Germany to see the Christmas Markets and visit the Käthe Kollwitz museum. You don't have to stay with strangers, you could just arrange to meet locals for drinks or dinner if you're more comfortable with that).
The wonder of new places which I may have missed in younger days is poignantly brought out for me in Vito Corleone, the Godfather as a boy as his ship sails into the Statue of Liberty.....and the unforgettabe wistfullness of the last few paragraphs of the Great Gatsby, which I just read for the first time:
"And as the moon rose higher the inessential houses began to melt away until gradually I became aware of the old island here that flowered once for Dutch sailors' eyes - a fresh, green breast of the new world......... Its vanished trees, the trees that had made way for Gatsby's house, had once pandered in whispers to the last and greatest of all human dreams; for a transitory enchanted moment man must have held his breath in the presence of this continent, compelled into an aesthetic contemplation he neither understood nor desired, face to face for the last time in history with something commensurate to his capacity for wonder........ Gatsby believed in...... the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us...... So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past."
.....thanks for connecting me to this book in one of your best entries Concert of Words......Herzog's seem to be the best "travelogues".....I was particularly taken by Cobra Verde and those dances and singing around the mad king....I was recently in the pilgrimage town Haridwar on the temple studded bank of the Ganges for the bone immersion ceremony of an aged relative who coincidently expired on the same day as your dear Gene Siskel ten years earlier (Feb 19 2009)...Indian pilgrimage spots have such a perrenial festivity...its a sight the many hued multitude clustering the banks to the accompaniment of blared music and much business activity...
Not too sound too European or anything, but it's funny that the people that equal travelling across the US with travelling the same 3,000 km anywhere else are always, coincidence of coincidences, American. If at the end of that journey you find people that speak your same language, watch the same TV channels, vote for the same politicians and buy the same products... I'm not sure how satisfying that would be.
I think of trying to apply the same argument to myself: not wanting to travel outside Europe until I've seen all of it. It is true that I still have lots of things to see over here, in countries with the added bonus of having different languages and histories and cultures as well, and the US are very far away... and yet, I've been there multiple times and enjoyed each one immensely, as I have South America and can't wait to visit Australia, Japan, India... Because they're there, and I never want to think I live in the best place in the world.
Roger, thanks for the post and for trying to broaden people's horizons. I may be biased, but I think the logical next step is a post on languages!
As an Army Brat who grew up in Europe, then as someone who spent 33 years in the Army, travel has been a constant factor in my life. Indeed, as I write this I am currently deployed to Kuwait for the second time. I have yet to get to the Antarctic, New Zealand, Russia, Guam or --get this! -- South Dakota, but I have managed to get to most of the other corners of the world.
Growing up in Europe during the years following WW2, my family did not hole up on "Little America," but got out and about with the Germans who worked for my Dad. It was much the same wherever we went, we took the time to stop and stare and then stay as long as possible.
I have found that living here in the Middle East is different than "being" here in the Gulf. I am able to get out and about and see things and meet people. It makes a difference. You get a different perspective on things.
Last year I returned to Monaco for the first time in 48 years. It was as the guest of a friend of mine. It was a great experience, one that I will always remember and enjoy that memory. This summer, I will make a trip back to the UK to see friends of mine. Alas, it will be fairly short and I will not be in London very long, but the best way to see that city is to do a walking tour. I have done it several times and loved it.
I love Canada. My wife loves Finland and Estonia. I love Italy. As you mention, Venice -- Venezia -- is THE place to go. There are other great and wonderful places, but if you have to pick one, start with Venezia. And Southern France, well, I have fallen in love with it.
At any rate, growing up in a foreign country as an American and then continuing to travel, I do appreciate and enjoy the United States, but I also have that urge to see Ghent again or finally visit Berlin or return to Heidelberg in Spring, it being one of the two places I love most at that time of year, the other being Charleston....
I was born in London, England and I have been very lucky to have had the opportunity to travel to most countries in Europe. I have also had a chance to visit some African countries, some Asian, some Scandanavian, and my current residence... the USA (which I have explored extensively).
I love Paris more than any other city.
I love Italy more than any other country.
The only places I dislike are Alburquerque (bad experience), Iowa (life ceases to exist in Iowa), and my home town, your beloved London (I suppose the grass is always greener).
To quote you, "Limiting ourselves to the familiar is a crime against out minds."
Ebert: Now, now. Iowa is one of our most educated and progressive states.
People who don't want to travel abroad, whether for valid or invalid reasons, don't know what they're missing. Not only does it broaden your mind, it can deepen your soul.
I've been living in a relatively small town in southern Japan for the last three and a half years (I came right after graduating college), and the experience has been life-changing. You don't have to live here to know that Japanese social mores and ways of thinking are very different from those in America, but living here and being so...well, foreign, every day really makes you feel it.
Those differences, however, have made me a much better person. Without going into too much self-analysis, there are several aspects of Japanese social interaction that were very much at odds with my personality. When I first arrived, I must have blown myself up a thousand times (though I was rarely if ever told I had done so; that's Japan for you). It's been a steep learning curve, but I learned, and I feel like I'm so much wiser and smarter and grown up than I was when I first came. Thanks to the more healthy Japanese lifestyle (healthier food and a strong emphasis on exercise and appearance), I'm even doing better physically. I shudder to think what I'd be like now, emotionally and physically, if I had never left the United States.
Of course, I've done some traveling within Japan. I've been to Kyoto multiple times, and my first time there, though it was only for a few hours in the evening, was one of the most magical, mysterious, transfixing experiences of my life. I was walking the streets of the preserved Gion district and the surrounding temples, places that were hundreds and hundreds of years old - the kind of experience you most certainly cannot get in America, to poke a hole in the "America is so big and you can do and see everything without leaving the country" argument. I was reminded of Eddie Izzard's cracks about America's relative lack of history. I was in such awe to be in touch with something so old. The experience almost brought me to tears.
With the economy the way it is, it's perfectly understandable if some people can't travel. But if it's within your means and you still don't do it, you're cheating yourself more than you can ever know.
In my opinion, travelling properly requires you to not even have a 9 to 5 at all. There's no way I could ever have concieved of travelling when I was a worker bee with my nose to the grindstone. It wasn't until I felt my soul being crushed, one day at a time, in order to make other people I'd never meet rich, that I decided to take back control of my life and quit my job and get out and see the world. I landed in China, fell in love with the place, and stayed here ever since. I don't make tons of money, but I make more than enough to enjoy my life and do the things I love doing, which is a heck of a lot more than I could say for my office job in Canada. I often compare myself to my friends back in Canada. A few of them now have their own houses, congrats to them, but they have not had more than 14 days off in a row in the five years since I left. Some of them had their savings wiped out in the financial sh!tstorm. None of them have the freedom and the memories and the experiences that I have now, and, I fear, some of them never will.
To all of you bemoaning the fact that your jobs are keeping you from living the life you want to have and doing the things you want to do; quit! No salary is worth sacrificing the best years of your life to enable someone else to fulfill their dreams.
As the children of a father who had a hard scrabble childhood and became an upper middle class self made man one of his dreams was to take his famikly and do all the traveling he couldn't do as a child so we all had wonderful childhood trips all over this country, Europe (we even traveled by transatlantic ship from Naples to New York) and South America. My husband travled in europe as a teenager too. Unfortunately now he has an elderly mother and he doesn;t like to sleep anywhere but his own bed any more. I miss traveling (our only trips now are in New England where we live so we aren't away from home too long) and am saddened by the fact that I may never travel out of the country again so I encourage anyone who wants to go to just go. Dont Put It Off! A quote from Kurt Vonnegut reminds me of my life without travel now I think it goes like this "People go through life looking through their own peepholes some people's peepholes get larger (through travel)but some never change the size of their peepholes" I am sorry its not an exact quote but I hope you get my point.
After years of wanting to travel outside the US, and not having time or money to do so (not to mention too much real life in the way), I finally took the plunge and went to London for 11 days. I fell in love, and want to go back. Eleven days was not enough, and as suggested above, I want to get out into the countryside next time as well. Expensive? Air fare was, but I managed to find a charming, small place to sleep and leave my bags for no more than it would cost to stay in a hotel here (without sharing a bathroom), went where my whims and my friends led me, avoided guided tours, hung out, and had a wonderful time.
If a shy, middle-aged woman with a crummy job can do it, so can you. My hope is to see both the US and the world a bit at a time, for as long as possible.
Ebert: You're sort of the person I wrote the blog entry about.
I have traveled a lot through South America, but never to Europe. One thing I have found is that staying in the nicest hotels, resorts, is the worst way to travel. Sure the bathrooms often have marble and a large tub. The smells are familiar and the food is delicious, but it is impossible to get to know the country that way.
I spent four weeks working in Mexico once and they put us up in an all-inclusive resort, but what I remember most fondly from the four weeks is eating barbecued white corn slathered in chile and limon around a small fire next to the cotton fields with the field crew. (I must admit though my wife adored the hotel and waxes nastalgic about it to this day, hey free babysitting and lemonade at the beach.)
Mexico is right next door and feels like a world away as soon as you cross the border. The border towns are a little scary but the rest of the country is pretty safe, the people are kind, the food delicious, and the sights are unforgettable. I stayed at a little hotel in Mexico city once where my room overlooked an archeological dig next to the Zocolo for 35 dollars a night. It was a 2 peso subway trip to almost anywhere and a 200 dollar plane ride from home.
I dropped my wallet once at a gas station with 250 dollars in it in cash and the attendant flagged down a police officer who chased me down. A few miles later when the police lights were in my rear mirror all of the horror stories about Los Federales flashed through my mind, but he handed me might wallet and then gave me directions to my next destination.
I could go on all day.
Being lucky enough to have had a grandmother who sent me off on a five week tour of Europe when I was nineteen, almost thirty years ago now, I was very, very lucky to get out of Tulsa at such an impressionable age. The trip started in Paris, worked its way down to Rome, via Florence to Venice, up to Munich and on to Cologne and Amsterdam and then the boat over to London before flying home. At the time, of course, what made the deepest impressions on me were the physical sensations of making love with someone the first time after being picked up on the Giardini Ex Reali in Venice or falling in love for the first time in Munich during the sextet that ends the first scene of the third act of Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg at the Munich Opera House. And as magnificent and life-affirming as these sensations were, there was a specific moment that, in hindsight, literally blew my mind and turned me, if anything else was still needed at this point, from an Okie into a world traveler. We had arrived in Cologne and were left off by the river just upstream from the Cathedral and had to walk what seemed to be a bit of a ways uphill carrying our heavy luggage to get to our pensione. On arriving, and being confronted by a very long, very worn set of stairs, I asked the proprietress (not yet having seen Frederick Henry Evans' photograph The Sea of Steps) why they never bothered to fix them. She turned to me and said something like: 'This is a relatively new hotel; it was built in 1492 and there is no need to repair them yet.' To look up at this well worn wood, knowing that it had been utilized since America had been 'discovered' was my wake up call to a journey that continues to this day.
In a consumer society the familiar is most important. Brand loyalty. I don't think most people feel comfortable outside their skin. Why do the contestants on the Amazing Race always speak Spanish to their taxi drivers in Krasnoyarsk or Lesotho?
Great post. Reading and travel - and unbeatable combination. Throw in a film and I'm all set.
I am now resolved to use my passport again within the next 12 months.
I think that both things are true:
There is so much to see in America alone. It's taken me a lifetime to see it well. I've been in 45 states, 5 more to go. I spent 4 years in Alaska with the military (which is why I "get" Sarah Palin!)- that's like living in a foreign country by itself.
Also true that you really have to experience foreign travel to be well rounded.
I tried, as I travelled for business, to try to learn and use the language. I like "Learn in your Car" language CD's. I have memorable experiences from that:
- negotiating gift shop purchases in Lou Yang entirely in Madarin Chinese. The ladies behind the counter were tickled.
- having a Turkish Muslim cabdriver chastise me in German, at 130 MPH, about the Iraq War (Nicht Republicans!)- and being able to keep up with him. Then he wanted me to teach him English!
I'm working on Brazilian Portugese right now...
I love travelling abroad. It helps that I live in Greece. Small country, in half an hour you're already in another country. I think that we Europeans are more likely to travel to another country because 1) Our countries are smaller and 2) (no offence to Canada and Mexico) in Europe there are many interesting things to see in any country near you (and save Icelad, practically everything is near).
If I was American, I might just visit other states and be satisfied by doing just that. But I'm not and I'm happy to say that I've been to Italy, France, UK, Germany and soon, Spain (Barcelona). My mother (I always travel with her) wanted Tunisia but I couldn't stand the thought of it (Again, no offence. I'm just too young and shallow too be interested in Tunisia's beauty).
Having been to a lot of places, I urge everyone to visit a foreign country not only because it's a new place but because it's another world. There is always something interesting to learn by watching how people of another culture behave.
PS: I'm sure some of the readers live in New York. I'm going to visit you some day!!!
Mr Ebert, being from Oz. I wonder what has stopped coming down under for fun in the sun. I come from one of the most isolated capital cities and the peace and simplicity are just grand. No real "big" attractions apart from the immense coastline and dazzling beaches and first-cass wineries. And it was 4th in Economists World's Most Livable Cities.
I encourage to try Oz or at least Antartica. That would be interesting.I sadly have only been on a plane once but i'm still young, so who knows. I love to at least visit 5 continents like yourself. Although, by travelling, you xperience the extroadinary sensation of wanting to be home, far away from all the "big" attractions just to sleep comfortably in your own bed.
By Jarrod, "It seems to me that one of the chief blockades to real travel in America isn't so much the lack of funds, but rather the current American work week." (And two-three weeks vacation.)
By Jim, "But what my family made look easy in my student years now seems impossible as I confront adult life."
You can partially travel by becoming acquainted with foreigners who live and work within your circle of life, or foreign tourists you might encounter. I imagine most would be glad to talk of their homeland; the customs of their culture and beauties of their landscapes.
I have travelled some, by plane, boat, train, automobile and bicycle. By far my very best journey was by bicycle. My route took me from London to Athens over 3 months. The best part of travelling by bicycle, in retrospect, was how accessible I was to the locals. A bicycle tourist is welcome everywhere, in my experience. I was constantly chatted up all through Europe, north and south. The independence of a bicycle, complete with tent and sleeping bag, gives a wonderful latitude to all your plans. The world is your oyster, complete with shell. But beware, northern Europe can rain buckets in summer and be prepared for at least one summer cold. Also be ready for some culture shock when you arrive home to a faster paced life. It wears off only too soon. But the memory of pure freedom remains.
Postscript - I miss Robert of Taoyuan City, Taiwan.
I love a good bout of America-bashing as much as the next guy, but you have to admit that never having travelled outside your country's borders means something very different to an American than it does to, say, a Nederlander (which my father is) or even a Canadian (which I am). I can visit another country by driving twenty minutes.
America is not only a big place, but it's filled to the brim with places worth visiting, places bound to be more tempting to people on a budget. And I think it's a bit naive of you to dismiss cost just because a two week cruise is only about 50 dollars a night. What percentage of Americans would you estimate have two weeks and 700 dollars to spare? Even assuming they do, these low-cost holidays don't offer much in the way of mind-broadening travel anyway. Real travel costs a fortune. Cheap travel gets you Touristville, Americaland. What exactly does a cruise ship offer that you can't get at home? Hell, even backpacking doesn't get you much except the company of other backpackers.
I hope one day to ride a motorcycle around the world. It's a goal that will take me years to prepare for and finance. Don't be too quick to scoff at the people who find it harder than you do to head out and see the world.
Ebert: I'm not a scoffer. I think of this entry more as an inspirer.
Thank you for your subtle nudge. I have never been out of this country but long to take a trip. Unfortunately, the funds are not here for this struggling (lower?)middle-class family, regardless of how many bargains are to be found. In addition, I have just found out I have breast cancer so I will be staying close to home for the next few months. Once I beat this maybe the husband I can take that slow boat and let the world wrap it's self around us. For now, I will be a "mental traveler" as Karen Blixen said in Out of Africa. Where shall I go today...?
A friend of mine back in grad school, a medievalist, received a Rotary Scholarship to study abroad for a year. Well, first London was offered, then fell apart, then Australia, then Hong Kong. He balked: What was a medievalist going to do in Hong Kong? But we pressed him, and he pressed himself, and off he went. He began the trip by bicycling from Indiana U. in Bloomington to his oarents' home in Dubuque. Even at the beginning, then, he had travel stories whose character would come back to me about twenty years later watching The Straight Story. Anyway, he went to Hong Kong.
And of course, it remains one of the great experiences of his life. When the year was up, Tom--like the fellow at the end of Fritz Leiber's "Gonna Roll the Bones"--took the long way home, around the world--overland across Eurasia, ending in London, and home again, jiggedy-jig.
Pre-Geezer's Advice to Students: Travel now, and you'll travel best.
p.s. Oliver Onions, Roger? Once more you tempt me to the library, you beckoning fair one, you.
Ebert: That's how I studied in Cape Town--a Rotary Fellowship.
What a wonderful blog. Paul Theroux has been my favorite writer for a number of years. The first book of his I read was "Dark Star Safari" and I've been hooked ever since. In fact, I just finished his "Pillars of Hercules."
I'm lucky enough to have traveled extensively, but there are so many more places to go. Tomorrow I leave for several weeks to the Caribbean, hoping to the find the real islands beyond the all-inclusive resorts. My goal is to do it as inexpensively as possible and it looks like it can be done. You're blog and Theroux's writing have put me in the right frame of mind for my big adventure.
Whenever I manage to book time off work, I'm gone. I always ask myself "where have I not yet traveled to?", and that's where I go. Travel is by far my life's greatest impulse. I've learned so much more by traveling than I have with my undergraduate degree.
My sentiment echoes with that of Mr. Ebert: everyone who can travel should travel...forget pristine beaches and all-inclusive resorts, for once. Get dirty. Exercise that innate sense of discovery.
As an American, I was never interested in traveling abroad. I was forced to spend a summer in Europe as part of my graduate studies. Now I have to travel abroad for work, and I've been to a lot of places. And yes, if you speak English, you can get around almost anywhere.
In Uruguay, as part of the curriculum for studying architecture, they have a mandatory year abroad, where they literally circumnavigate the world. Two weeks in Hong Kong, three weeks in New York, Moscow, Cairo, Tokyo, on and on. It's not terribly structured, so they can stay longer in one place or another if they so choose. I think that's a pretty good system. You realize that there's more than one way to do some things, and that other things are pretty universal to human experience.
If I could give one piece of advice to rookie world-travellers it would be when in Rome, do as the Romans do. Years ago I went to Thailand, and I took the trouble to learn the etiquette and as much of the language as I could grasp, and I didn't balk at staying in cheap places with crude accommodations (by American standards). I was often mistaken (favorably) for an ex-pat, since I didn't dress, talk or act like the other farang tourists, and the family that ran the guest house in Chiang Mai invited me to eat with them instead of with the other guests-- I wouldn't trade those few meals for a month on a luxury cruise ship.
Years later in Africa, in the marvellous city of Djenne, I turned a corner and almost bumped into an old man who appeared to be dressed in his Sunday best (although it's hard to tell-- so many people there go around dressed to the nines). Brown skin, white beard, blue and white robes and turban and a staff in his hand. I bowed and stepped into the gutter, out of his way. He smiled, held up his hand and said something in a language that was definitely not French. I noticed that the way he was holding his hand framed his face, so I hesitantly held up my hand the same way. He beamed and spoke some more. I have no idea what he said, and maybe I looked like a buffoon, but again, I wouldn't trade that moment for a day on a guided tour. (In fairness I should mention that on that trip respecting local custom meant that I couldn't take photos of people without their permission, even covertly, even when I was standing in the middle of a scene from the Arabian Nights-- gah!)
I could also tell you of the American I ran across in Tokyo who did not subscribe to this approach, but why spoil a beautiful reminiscence?
Go soon, go cheap, learn how to say "thank you" and "excuse me" and as much else as you can stuff into your brain, go as native as you dare, keep your sense of humor and don't sweat the little inconveniences.
Years ago I had relatives who were native Chicagoans. While visiting I realized that they had never seen the Picasso, been to the Sears Tower or Field Museum or Shedd Aquarium, taken a boat ride on the Chicago River, seen a stage play, gone to an art gallery, or done pretty much anything. Maybe a few Bears games. When I asked them why, they just shrugged and said, "It's always there." *sigh* How can you live in such a great city and not be an explorer?
I've been lucky to travel to Europe, but money keeps me close to home these days. If anyone has the same problem I recommend just walking. Drive a bit from your home, park, and start walking around. You'll be amazed at what you find. One day I had to get groceries, and instead of driving to my Safeway I decided to walk the half mile. In the shopping plaza I'd been to hundreds of times was a family run Italian restaurant I never new existed.
Roger, have you ever "hiked" Chicago? What were your discoveries? Maybe that's your next blog.
I want to suggest that there are several reasons for Americans not traveling abroad as much as other people in the world. And when we say people from other countries travel more than Americans aren't we mostly referring to Europeans? Do we really want to fool ourselves into believing that more Ugandans or Mongolians spend time traveling abroad than Americans?
Many of the comments above have already touched on the points I want to make. Josh, Jeff, Tim and Thanny above all refer to the vastness and great differences that the US has to offer. I happen to agree that that may be a large part of why Americans don't often leave their own country. It is a huge country with a lot to see and there are many cultural differences within it.
Jarrod cites the long working hours and little vacation time Americans take. I also agree with that.
Traveling abroad from the US typically involves long and expensive flights. Some have mentioned that Mexico and Canada are close by. But honestly, most of Canada is really not all that different to the US and much of Mexico is not exactly such a nice place for a vacation. Going to a tourist resort at Cancun is not really traveling abroad in terms of soaking up cultural differences. Ditto the tourist resorts of Caribbean islands.
Chris Goodger of New Zealand, above, as well as Roger Ebert, note that many Aussies and Kiwis travel abroad despite the vastness of Australia and their great distance from everything. In response to Chris's arguments I would offer several points: Aussies and Kiwis very often take a gap year between high school and university specifically to travel; Australia doesn't exhibit the same diversity as the US. I think the gap year is fantastic and I would encourage all Americans in high school to consider it. I believe a year away from academics before starting college would have benefited me greatly.
No, the differences from region to region in the US are not equivalent to the differences between European countries. But they are differences. And besides, traveling doesn't generally give you a cultural impression of anything. A one week visit to Paris isn't going to leave you with an inkling of what being Parisian is about.
Take it from someone who has traveled extensively and who has just begun his 4th year living abroad that the two experiences are completely different. For all the 23 countries I've been to, the only ones I can so I understand remotely are the 3 where I've lived. And of those 3, I would classify England and Spain as having provided me with only surface knowledge. I only truly understand the US, where I was born and raised.
For anyone considering traveling abroad and looking for advice on places to visit. I have been to more than 180 cities, towns and villages in the world (including the US). Many people will focus on the big cities when giving recommendations. Yes, I love Paris and London and Rome. Of all the big cities I have to say Berlin is my favorite. The rich history of that city, the ways it has changed since before WWII, the rapidity with which it changes from year to year - just incredible.
Pay attention Christopher Zeidel because you wanted advice on Italy. The Amalfi Coast south of Naples is magical. A series of villages built into the sides of steep mountains with dramatic dropoffs toward the Gulf of Sorrento. Positano and Amalfi are amazing. The Isle of Capri is nearby. Food is some of the best Mediterranian cuisine you'll find.
I also loved Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina; Dubrovnik, Croatia; Conil de la Frontera, Spain; any place in the Alsace wine region of France; Bruges, Belgium; Luzern, Switzerland.
18 years old, I've been to 15 countries, mostly in Europe and the Middle East. Now that I'm back in the United States after two years in Abu Dhabi, your blog is a fresh breath of nostalgia. I swear, the picture you've posted of the hotel room in Amsterdam is the exact same one I rented in Istanbul! Those 46$ tickets you speak of must surely be the same I purchased in Dublin, headed for Edinborough! The exotic dishes you refer to can't be different from the same plate of scorpions I ordered in Beijing! I'm happy we can relate.
It's true when they say that no traveller can return home, and it's been difficult to reassimilate myself within the States. If only more people travelled, from which they would gain understanding of the importance of travel, and I may find someone to talk to.
I'm itching to get back out there.
"The US has deserts, mountains, rainforests, old cities, new cities, plains, swamps, two oceans, giant lakes, beaches of all descriptions, folks of unappreciated variety, all reachable without international airfare or a passport. I've been to ~10 countries, and I treasure the experiences, but I don't begrudge my fellow citizens for favoring this one."
I agree with all points except one. The US is a big, diverse country with many an interesting sight, especially the grand nature.
But then, all the folks of unappreciated variety tend to speak the same language. You have not really traveled if you did not face the language barrier, I think.
But the point I disagree with is 'old cities'. No, you don't have those, sorry. While I was in Chicago (which is a glorious city as far as I can tell from scratching the surface - and it can even boast Roger Ebert!) I walked by one (of two, I was told) buildings older than 100 years. Those are old, right?
I drive by town with a big church which will celebrate it's millenium in twenty years. My university is housed in a castle older than the United States. And, mind you, that is a really, really *new* castle; they basically stopped making them afterwards.
But never mind that fancy new one, we do have a genuine, quite well known one right across the valley, which was unfortuntely destroyed roughly sixty years after the Mayflower landed near Cape Cod. It was built some twohunderedfifty years before Columbus set sail.
And in the town to it's feet, there is a hotel more than a thousand years old (beds are newer, though). With a univerity with more than sixhundered years on the venerable back.
And this is just in Germany. Go to Rome, Athens, the Greek isles.
As I said, you do have valid points which I readily agree to, but old cities you have not.
Ebert: Come ON ! Who told you we had only two buildings older than 100 years? We have thousands. This is the birthplace of modern architecture. Louis Sullivan, Burnham and Root, Frank Lloyd Wright. The world's first skyscraper. The "Chicago window."
Isn't it a truism that half of all Americans live within 50 miles of where they were born?
I do think a comment like this smacks of the elitism an earlier poster mentioned. Henry David Thoreau traveled a great deal in Concord - and with the exception of an excursion or two to Maine, and one to NYC (which disgusted him) - very little anyplace else. Yet he was as deep-seeing and unprejudiced (against foreign people and ways, anyway) a figure as we've had in American lit. On the other hand, for all his eloquence and romance, and all his globetrotting, Scott Fitzgerald still seemed provincial and prejudiced against some other nationalities, whom he was depicting very unfairly as late as Tender Is the Night
The broadening of one's horizons is as likely to occur at home as abroad for one who is naturally gifted in broadening his horizons. And a mind ever so slightly shut will remain so, whether it stays here or embarks for Thailand with its owner.
I also think wide (and deep) reading will destroy many of the prejudices, and open up many of the narrownesses, generally ascribed to Americans. And I think the lack of literature here preceded, and helped cause, the lack of travel.
I suppose this is a long way of saying, If you haven't gotten what there is to be gotten from where youre from, and those who live there - and few travelers have, before traveling - why not do that first? Instead many seem to opt for breadth of experience over depth. Which is not to criticize traveling or travelers, just an observation.
Also the earlier poster who mentioned seeing Greece, as it's the birthplace of democracy, made me think how little I would enjoy Greece on account of that. Presumably what made Greece Greece were the Greeks of that time, all of whom are dead. The ruins of places worthy people lived a long time ago have never held much interest for me in themselves - and I think the Spartans had it right in building a very ephemeral city, whose paltry leftovers belied what a power the people were in their time. Egypt, though, I would like to see - but not for any historical importance that place may have, simply for the grandeur and the spirit of the monuments, some of which are thousands of years older than the ruins of Greece or Rome, yet are not ruins themselves. Pre- or proto-civilization is always so much more impressive in what it leaves behind. They thought big.
I am all for travel as an experience that broadens the mind. But, it is a mistake to think you must travel far away to get that experience.
Where I live in Philadelphia, within a days drive you can experience everything from Cape Cod, Boston, New York, Washington DC, Pittsburgh, Johnstown, The Chesapeake Bay, Norfolk, Richmond, Baltimore not to mention the peculiar culture and delicious food (softshell crabs!) of Maryland's Eastern Shore and the Amish of the Lancaster Pennsylvania area.
I have taken trips to all of these areas and I have also been to Europe, the Carribbean and French Canada. But almost any place in America is within a days easy travel to some place wonderful, full of interesting people, customs and food.
Foreign travel is fine, but I wish more Americans got familiar with America. They would see we are far more diverse than you see on TV.
I've travelled to Canada, England, Ireland, France, Germany, Austria, The Netherlands, India, Japan, and New Zealand all before the 30th birthday.
This past November, I went to China.
One month later, I participated in the Plymouth-Dakar challenge. I drove a very old Jeep from England to Western Africa. Along the way, I crossed Spain, Gibraltar, Morocoo, Western Sahara, Mauritania, Senegal, and The Gambia off the my list. Terrifying? At times. Unforgettable? Definitely.
Of the dozens of teams competing in the 2008/09 Plymouth-Dakar challenge, my team, Team Everyday Journeymen were the only Americans. My two teammates had never left America prior to their trip. Both were over a quarter-century old.
Friends and family often ask me "why do I travel so much?" My answer, "why not?"
In a little over 30 days, the road and I will again start our love affair. A thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail. 2,175 miles. Roughly 6 months. I'm already planning my next great journey for December.
The Everyday Journeyman
I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel's sake. The great affair is to move. ~ Robert Louis Stevenson
Excellent post. I'm finishing up my final year in college but, because I'm too impatient in my quest to escape US soil, I'm planning a six week backpacking trip through Central America for this summer. My girlfriend and I will be flying into Belize and backpacking all the way to Panama. Between hostels and couchsurfing.com, the entire trip should cost just under $2000 each (including airfare, vaccinations, and traveler's insurance).
Brilliance!
Two opinions from someone who has been "all over" and lived in England for a year...
One: If you really want to travel, you'll find a way. It's not something I find I can ignore.
Two: Best first destination is Ireland. A Dublin cab driver once told me "An Irishman will help anyone but himself."
As a Brit now living in Toronto, and having travelled through most of Europe, South Africa and across much of the US, I think its worth mentioning that the majority of the US isn't really all that amazing.
Don't get me wrong, I love New York, I think Chicago is amazing, and the drive down the coast from San Francisco is breathtaking. That said, there are endless interminable places like Columbus, Cleveland, Atlanta and other faceless cities with the same strip malls and the same people.
My opinion is not meant to anger the wonderful people of the US - I genuinely enjoy my time there.
But when you put this into context of the global culture and geography that is available to us, it's like spending your entire lifetime watching TV in the living room, without ever checking out the party that's going on in the kitchen. That's usually where the best time is too...
Ironically, my goals are now to discover more about North America and experience the natural wonders from the Grand Canyon, to Hudson's Bay. But I'll do that with the knowledge of what Table Mountain looks like from Camps Bay, and how cool the road up to Alp D'Huez is, and what it's like to stroll near Windermere on a springtime morning and think of Wordsworth.
All this travel probably makes me a dull person to talk to, but at least I know I'm probably dull. Ignorance is not bliss.
A little off topic if you can handle that…
This is exactly why Americans turning to community colleges is troubling. They get an education but they never get away from what they know. They never are adrift and left to adjust as a freshman to an unknown world. Education "is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness…" but only if it challenges us in more ways than the curriculum. For that matter, similar problems arise any time the curriculum is so focused that a wider educational experience can't challenge existing worldview. Our beloved U of I is seriously in danger of this in its business and engineering schools.
Make the hoodie for the penguin, pointing to Stu's pal, and I'll sign up. (And quit insulting penguins, damn it!)
That cruise is a great deal, but realize that price does not include one huge expense -- the return flight from Amsterdam.
Ebert: I was hoping to get you over there before you spotted the loophole.
I suspect that most people are afflicted with a distaste for, and possibly a fear of, the strange and unfamiliar. My wife's intellectual curiosity wages war with her fear of travel -- a primal and fairly irrational feeling that she will get lost somewhere, and never find her way back home.
World travel is best done around this time of year, avoiding the crowds and the horrible expense of the summer season. England in May is gloriously beautiful and relatively uncrowded. I have, bit by bit over the years, walked about 50 miles of the coast path in south Devon and Dorset. I'd love to take the plunge and to a longer-term walking tour someday.
But I don't think you need to insist upon world travel -- having an explorer's mentality also serves one well on smaller scales. I've been to every county in 49 states, missing only a few western Alaska districts that cannot be driven to. The USA is diverse enough to broaden one's perspective considerably.
And, on a yet smaller, day-to-day scale, I've walked over 95% of my county -- streets, alleys, country roads, railroad tracks, wooded trails, and lake shoreline, out to a radius of about 15 miles from my house. I've noticed thousands of little things that I would otherwise never have seen or thought about.
Be an explorer. Cherish the things you've never seen before, be they near or far from home.
Postscript - I miss Robert of Taoyuan City, Taiwan.
Hear, hear. Where is he?
OK, Roger, you did it.
I'm going to travel again--how and when, not sure, but I'm determined. Funny thing--perhaps serendipity--but I recently discussed with two of my friends how much fun it would be to go to England with them. Thanks to you, I'm going to go back--and see more. And then, off to France, and Italy. And then someday, a trip to Russia and to the Ukraine, to eastern Africa and southern Africa, and to Marrakesh. And to Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Viet Nam.
The best moments of that trip to England were NOT "seeing the sights" but rather hanging out in local coffee and tea shops and talking with people. I made a set of friends that way. I saw more of "real England" than I would have trying to see 5 castles in 2 days...
Thank you Roger--I'm going to strike out and travel. Everywhere I can.
A few words about Iowa and London. First, I was born and raised in Iowa. Second, I moved to London, and have lived there for nearly two years now.
I am of the opposite opinion of TC, who remarks above that life ceases to exist in Iowa. TC is wrong in more ways then I have time to write, but let's just take a couple.
I think an argument can be made that life begins in Iowa, which is one of the largest producers of food to the world. Many Iowan farmers are currently developing environmentally sound and sustainable farming methods.
Iowa, a state consisting of well over a 90% white population, played an important role in electing President Obama, our first black president.
Has TC ever heard of the World Food Prize? Take a look: www.worldfoodprize.org
This prize began in Iowa and has a mission to help feed the world.
Does TC know how many major movies shoot in Iowa? Check it out. It would surprise him/her.
Anyway, this is not a defense of Iowa. The point I would like to make is that having lived in London, and having traveled to many places in the world, you see that life does not cease to exist anywhere. It's quite the opposite. Life is going on all over this Earth in many different forms and colors. I believe that by having experienced other cultures, and as Ebert says, actually stay there a while, a person will better appreciate not only those other cultures, but where they came from. Iowa may not be as exciting as London, but I'm lucky to have seen them both. They both have value, and they both are teeming with life.
Roger, some of my best memories are of Germany and England when my dad was stationed there in the Air Force.
Germany in the late 50's was Hog Heaven for a 10-year-old boy. They made the best toys in the world! My Marklin train set still works!
We went to England in 1959 and stayed for a year. I remember seeing the first Jaguar XK-E prototype at the Watford Auto Show. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. Well, after Michaelangelo's David. Maybe.
We were finally able to send our son over to France on a photography trip for college last year, and he had a blast. We would get phone calls from a very jolly Josh telling us how good the wine was over there! He was 20. Hey, close enough. He spent about a week in Paris, and a few days in a 10th century manor house, and got to see the reenactors at Normandy Beach on June 6th.
Someday, he'll write to someone about those memories.
Now, well, you write bestsellers and I punch a clock. I would love to travel more, but like one of the previous posters said, airfare is just too expensive. We don't even fly to Vegas anymore, we drive. A cruise? I am entitled to 20 work days off a year, that's a month, but I find myself needing to take a day here, a few days there, and pretty soon, I don't have 2 weeks left.
Maybe when I retire we'll travel more, but for now, I can only dream.
My point with all this rambling, is TRAVEL WHEN YOU'RE YOUNG. As hard as it is then, it will never get any easier.
-Ralphie
Heh. So the title of this blog could have been: "Move. I don't want to move. Move."
Brilliant. Absolutely briliant.
I live and work in Istanbul: the city's beauty is blinding; its sense of isolation in the crossroads of the East and the West, the North and the South, palpable; and the passions – at times uplifting, other times not, but mostly both – explosive. It is borne out of the very heart of the city and its people – you can’t go anywhere without being confronted by emotions most extreme that will haunt your memories.
I hear some of you ask: why is he pimping his own city?
Well, that's nobody's business but the Turk's.
Ebert: Been meaning to ask you:
Why did Constantinople get the works?
One more thing. This may have been covered earlier, but I haven't read all the posts.
I have travelled to Germany, Italy, France, England, Mexico, Canada, Viet Nam, and The Bahamas.
In the first 4 places and the last, I was a tourist. In Mexico and Canada, I was working. In 'Nam, I was a combatant.
All of these places had one thing in common. Their citizens were proud of them. I learned from talking to the locals that they were uniformly proud of the nation that had given them birth. Even if they were poor, even if they didn't necessarily like their leaders, they were proud of their homeland. We may have thought of some of them as "third world", but they didn't.
We need to remember this as we travel, and stop being so arrogant as to think native peoples will welcome us with open arms, just because we are Americans. Quite often in fact, the opposite is true. My advice: Learn the language, or at least a few phrases, and be nice to the strangers you meet. You will have a much better time.
-Ralphie
Dear Mr. Ebert,
I had been hesitant to leave a note on your blog before, but now, having read your latest post, I must write, and must thank you. My wife and I are leaving next week for a seven-night vacation in Zurich. She lived there for nine years before we met; I have never been to Europe. After reading your post, I wish we could we were scheduled for departure tonight.
I recently completed a manuscript for a book, a non-fiction narrative, that is scheduled to be published in September. There were many nights over the last six months when the words would not come easily, and at those moments, I often clicked on your blog (particularly "Perform a concert in words" and "I think I'm musing my mind") and read and re-read what you had written, and afterward, my mind seemed fresh again. You were, in your own way, a huge help to me.
So thanks again, and keep up the wonderful work.
P.S. I've been lucky enough to count Bill Lyon as a mentor and friend, too, as have a few of us in the Philadelphia sportswriting community. A great writer. A better man.
A Fine Balance! Thanks again for that one, Roger, your Amazon quid pro quo to me for A Prayer for Owen Meany. :D One of these days, I'll have to get around to more Mistry, and Naipaul, and...
PS All this golden chatter reminds me: Ever get to The Golden Compass, book 1 in Pullman's trilogy in that omnibus volume? Just curious...
I'm fortunate to have travelled half way around the world and back before I was fourty. Yep. I joined the Navy and although I didn't see the whole world, I saw lots of it. I travelled even more as a contractor doing IT work. And all of this was on someone else's dime.
One of the most fascinating places I ever visited was Mombasa, Kenya. I rented an apartment for the night. For anyone wanting to experience Africa, Mombasa is a good place to start. It has contrasts both fascinating and heartbreaking; five star resorts surrounded by people living in the great outdoors permanently. In Mombasa, I had lunch at an outdoor cafe while blue-faced monkeys, calm and curious, climbed around like domestic cats.
I went to high school with people who have to this day never left the Oklahoma county they were born in. Tragic. I have not seen mentioned one thing preventing many Americans from travelling. That would be the fear of foreign bathrooms. Or worse. No bathrooms!
Ja, sehr gut! Viele dank!
Hi Roger...and everyone. I am a 40 year old single mom who does love to travel, and wish I could do more. I have been to Italy, Ireland and just recently had an opportunity to visit my dream country, Greece...took a tour for 12 days back in November. There are a lot of us who do want to travel abroad, but in my instance, it is not even money that is the real issue, but the time. Someone did bring up a good point in that we are so very far away from other countries, many times just getting to whatever point we are would require 12-20 hours travel time on a plane. When I watch movies or read books about someone taking a boat across the Atlantic, I think to myself, "It must have been nice to take six months off and travel Europe, taking six weeks to get there on a boat" The issue, for me at least, is not being able to take more than a week or 10 days off in a row from work, so I am constrained by that factor. I remember in Greece, talking to some Austrailian travelers about traveling places, and when I mentioned wanting my next trip (in a couple years) to visit Eastern Europe (Germany, Prague, Vienna), they said automatically, "Yes, that is a wonderful trip, we spent a month cruising the Rhine..." my reply was, "How can you be away from work that long without losing your job?" True, they did point out that Australia is so far away from everywhere that no one would travel if they weren't given the time off by law. America hasn't figured out a way to make a 10 month work year mandatory. The Australians said, "Now during those ten months, we are working around 14 hours a day six days a week... but then we are required to take two months off."
I save the money for traveling, as that is what I do love to do... but it sure would be easier if I could take the TIME to really enjoy visiting other countries. I'd also love to be able to afford to bring my son along too... I miss him so much when I do go. I would like him to enjoy traveling like I do when he is older. But for now, I think I will be financially constrained to keeping him in these borders and taking smaller trips.
I'd considered traveling to Europe last June (pre-economic Armageddon) to see Radiohead in Barcelona, Nîmes, and Milan over the space of a week, but the cost, and the time constraints (to secure my passport) after the tour announcement, proved to be insuperable obstacles. Instead, I saw them at Lollapalooza, and 5 times in California (which is much bigger to drive than it looks on a map). One of these days...
Travel, alas, is overrated. The French who travel abroad -- at least the ones I've met -- are as obnoxious as they are at home. Germans abroad are much worse. Americans abroad veer wildly from stubborn resistance to the unfamiliar, to a puritanically dogged determination to immerse themselves in a "foreign culture." (Ebert's original post falls squarely on the puritan end, of course.) In the end, if what one craves is an expanded awareness of the world, one should probably lay off travel, and try reading.
Reading Gatsby, followed by the 1974 film and your all comprehensive review of the latter was a feast and a pavement for a looked forward to second reading. I wonder whether making movies of books like this or Lolita serves more to distort than to distil-much is lost and little is added. Perhaps useful as a crutch for something like term papers.
This summer, I'm traveling to Paris through my University's study abroad program. My first, relatively, unassisted trip outside the U.S. and I don't know what to expect. Which is a good thing, as expectation seems to ruin things.
Some friends and I are planning a side trip via train to Amsterdam. Admittedly, the reason is to exploit the lax marijuana laws, but, after reading your entry, I have a feeling we will be experiencing much more than that. Also, as college students we would not at all mind splitting a single room amongst two or three people.
George Bailey always wanted to travel, too....desired a big steamer trunk with labels from all the places around the world he visited, like Samarkand.....must have been fun to have been Harry Bailey, eh?
Really, only 10% of us have ever left the country? Astounding, but I guess not so surprising. I will second (3rd, 4th) your suggestion to go sooner rather than later. My dad died at 58, and partially due to his untimely demise, I have travelled when I can, my first trip out of the country was to Ecuador, Peru and Argentina when I was 21. There are many ways to travel cheaply, one is to stay in hostels, do a house trade, go in the off season. I've never regretted one trip, and what you see, feel, experience while travelling at 30 is different from what you'd see at 70. Go now, if you can.
Forget to say I read Theroux's Riding the Iron Rooster after a trip to China and reading it made me feel like I was there all over again. I was lucky enough to ride several trains in China, although none with a steam engine (although I did see one go by). This was in 1998. Its a great book, and I'd say, if you can't go, at least do a bit of armchair travel with Paul.
I've been to Canada and Mexico, but never outside North America, although I desperately want to go. Hearing these stories of people who made it there with minimal money and had amazing times makes me want to go even more. I'm thinking about doing the generic thing that everyone does and taking a tour of Europe when I'm done with college, as a present to myself. I really want to go to London and Paris and Venice and Amsterdam, and anywhere else that I might find off the beaten path in Europe. Then I want to spend a week in Tokyo.
I may be young but dammit, I have goals, and one of them is to see this planet.
I've been lucky enough to travel all over the world and I've seen two types of Americans there - the tourists, who compare everything they see to where they come from and tell you why it's not as good, and the travellers and expats, who immerse themselves as much as possible in the local culture and are better for it. I fear that too many Americans would choose to go to Paris in Las Vegas over Paris in France.
I've found that people all over are mostly friendly and welcoming, but I think the friendliest people in the world are in Brazil.
I would like to go on vacation to places outside of North America. Unfortunately, I do not have the time or the money right now. Also, when I was a kid, taking vacations with my family was never much fun. My dad was so obsessed with scheduling the vacations, he took all the fun out of them. If we were a running a nanosecond behind, he would go berserk and throw a tantrum (which was often). On the other hand, my sister would always get sick. Going on vacation with her is like going on vacation with Woody Allen.
I love traveling by cruise ship. I love it because it is not traveling so much as it is simply moving. Anyone who takes a cruise these days to get somewhere is missing the point. The destinations - Jamaica, etc - are the gravy. The cruise is the roast.
I think the reason a cruise is so relaxing is because it strips from you the feeling of needing to progress in life, to hurry. It does this because the boat itself is making progress for you, moving, going somewhere, not important where... but the feeling one has of needing to accomplish "x" amount of things on a particular day is vanquished by that slow, steady forward motion.
Once, during a rocky moment in a great love affair, I took a cruise (thanks, Grandma) and read THE END OF THE AFFAIR on the boat deck, often breaking from my tome to wander in khaki shorts and a blue button-down shirt, down to the spot where only I could see the ocean.
I cut quite a dashing figure let me tell you. Painfully self-consciously so, but who ever dashed that wasn't?
Montreal has, for a while, been my back up for this year if the economic climate/euro exchange had not improved, so I think I'm sold now. I've been eyeing Prague/Budapest/Vienna for about a year and a half now. Then Greece... Then Vietnam/Cambodia... Then back to Paris... Then Morocco...
I guess the only question now is where I'm going to get the money and vacation days!
I went, for the first time, to Venice, Rome and Florence two years ago. I think Venice is one of the world's most unique cities. As always, enjoyed the blog entry.
Forgive the metathinking here, but one of the things I love about your blog, Roger, is that you illustrate to what extent normal, everyday fears, feelings, and impulses belong in the kind of life I hope to live.
Thank you, sir!
I'm glad my parents loved to travel when I was young. I lived in Singapore for two years growing up, and remember traveling all over the Asian Pacific Rim. I remember the lush jungles of Thailand, the Sydney Opera House (which my birthday shared their anniversary and the 10,000 issue of the Sydney times. I still have that issue of the Times, but I've never read it), staying in Hong Kong and being able to see where they signed the treaty to turn over Hong Kong to China... I have a lifetime of memories from those two years. I'm also lucky in that I was young enough to have an open mind and to appreciate all the sights and sounds, even if my taste buds were still stuck as an adolescent. My secret goal is to find work in another country after I leave school, to be able to plant myself in different regions and spaces and just live through the land.
I was hoping to be able to travel as a journalist on a newspaper's dime, but that hope has been dashed with the state of newspapers these days. Now all I hope for is a month out of every year going to somewhere and just being. I've always held travel as the highest existential ideal.
How nice to read about Paul Theroux! There's an article about him in this month's National Geographic Traveler, too. I have enjoyed his travel books immensely. I've always thought that his firsthand experience of the world is unparalleled; it's nice to see that confirmed by you. I can't wait to read his newest book, Ghost Train to the Eastern Star: On the Tracks of the Great Railway Bazaar, which traces the journey he took 30 years ago.
Thanks for another interesting essay. I've vacationed in Hawaii a dozen times, but I've never been out of the country. It's time.
By the way, both you and Paul Theroux are on my list of "12 Celebrities I Would Invite to Dinner."
Minor correction to your article: Chittagong is in Bangladesh not India. This makes a diffence to us Bengalis, as we take inordinate amount of pride in the fact that Chittagong has the world's longest uninterrupted beach (80 miles long). There are not many things in Bangladesh that we have bragging rights on. Love your writing b.t.w.
The sharing, giving and affirming spirit behind your ongoing entries evokes positive resonances not that common in our cynical times. You have probably by natural endowment and circumstance lead a full life and one really learns many new things from your individual point of vantage and wisdom and experience garnered with years.
Thanks for a great post. So many times I have heard people say they want to see America "first." You're never going to see it all.
I love the U.S., especially the deserts of the West, but when I had a chance to visit Japan for two weeks last year, I took it, and it was the most fun I've ever had. I daydream about it almost daily, running through each day in my head... the people I spoke with, the cities and mountains I saw, the food I ate. I took more than 1,000 photos but there are so many things I regret not capturing with my camera, still.
Now I'm just excited for the next time I can leave the country (I also spent two weeks in Honduras during college... a whole different kind of experience). Europe and Canada's Atlantic provinces are next on the list.
I just sent my passport in for renewal not twenty minutes ago. If everything goes according to plan, I should be in the southern hemisphere in one and a half, to two months.
@Brandon re Prague, etc.
With respect to another more recent Czech film, Beauty in Trouble is worth a viewing. Like other Czech movies, Prague is its main setting.
Mr. Ebert's suggestion of the German-Hungarian co-production Gloomy Sunday is a winner. It is set in Budapest and centers around a restaurant and a song which gives the film its title. Very interesting history to the song; I'll say no more. The restaurant in question is still in operation.
Budapest is not Prague, but a very interesting eastern European capital as well and has a split personality: Buda-Pest. Like many visitors, my wife and I stayed close to the Danube and the famous Chain Bridge where there's lots of action. Try it.
Then, of course, if you're out that way there's always Vienna.
Enjoy!
It's nice that so many people can pick up and go travel across Asia or travel on the Orient Express...but some of us just can't pick up and go. Not even planning it for years could I ever go to one of these exotic locals. I'm pretty much stuck where I am and can only experience them through other people's eyes.
Yes, cost has a lot to do with it for some of us. When you have to decide between paying for your natural gas or electricity for the month, cutting out luxuries such as cable TV and the internet...thinking about taking off on a cruise is the last thing on your mind. Seriously, for many we're on the brink of living in a tent, so to hear things like "there's no excuse" is kind of infuriating.
I'm sure these troubled times won't last and hopefully they will get better some day for me and my family, but until then I guess reading about them in books is the closest I'll ever get. And this is not a "poor me" kind of thing. People around the world have lived their whole lives without traveling extensively and people will continue to do that.
Ebert: There's no excuse for not dreaming of travel.
Roger,
This post reminds me of Paul Bowles's distinction between tourists and travelers in his great novel "The Sheltering Sky". (Bertolucci's movie was good, but the book is one of the classics of 20th-century American literature. It deserves to be read.) Bowles writes: "Whereas the tourist generally hurries back home at the end of a few weeks or months, the traveler, belonging no more to one place than to the next, moves slowly, over periods of years, from one part of the earth to another."
Both of America's literary Pauls, Bowles and Theroux, are true travelers. (You probably remember the chapter in Theroux's "Pillars of Hercules" where he visits Bowles in Tangier.) More to the point of this blog, Bowles further writes: "...another important difference between tourist and traveler is that the former accepts his own civilization without question; not so the traveler, who compares it with the others, and rejects those elements he finds not to his liking." It seems to me that even most Americans who do travel are "tourists" rather than "travelers" in Bowles's sense of the words.
Now, although I've just spilled a bit of electronic ink quoting Bowles's distinction, I don't entirely agree with it. I think it's missing an important element, namely the motive for travelling. A tourist, to my mind, is anyone who travels with a specific, concrete goal in mind. All business "travelers" are really tourists. People who go the Paris to cross the Mona Lisa off their list and choke down a horrendously overpriced dinner at the horrendously overpriced Moulin Rouge (and see a floorshow that stopped being risque in about 1897) are tourists. All those people lined up outside Madame Toussaud's in London? Yeah, you guessed it, tourists.
Travelers go abroad with a much deeper and more amorphous goal: to change their lives. To immerse themselves in a foreign place, a foreign language, foreign foods, etc., and to experience the feeling of being a "foreigner". It can be a life-altering realisation to wake up in Paris one morning and think, "Oh my God, I'M the foreigner now!" Once you've had this experience, you'll never be the same. And that's just one small way travel can change you, if you let it. (If, however, you'd rather not, then you can buy a package tour and travel through Europe on a bus full of other Americans. It'll seem like you never left home...And you will have wasted a great opportunity.) So I guess my point, Roger, (and I do have one in here somewhere) is that HOW a person travels is as important as the fact that he/she travels. Yes, travel as far and as often as you can. But build your own trips, stay away from corporate package tours and guided tours. Discover the world for yourself, and by the end of the trip, you might discover yourself.
To shift gears slightly, this blog also reminds me of another great literary traveler/emigre/exile, the German writer W.G. Sebald. If you want to read an imcomparable literary travel book, pick up Sebald's "The Rings of Saturn", an account of a walking tour along the East Anglian coast that digresses, as Sebald is wont do, into topics as far afield as the biography of A.C. Swinburne, the career of Irish nationalist Roger Casement, and the Yugoslav wars. In some ways, the book is like a Herzog documentary. And this may not be accidental; Sebald was probably influenced by some of Werner's movies, among much else. (Sebald's other three books are also nothing less than brilliant. The titles are: "Vertigo" [nothing to do with Hitch], "Austerlitz", and "The Emigrants". I encourage all readers of this blog to check out Sebald...And Bowles...And Theroux)
Ebert: Sebald is hauntingly good. I was mesmerized by "Austerlitz."
Now I think of it, "In Bruges" was about a tourist and a traveler.
I traveled alone in Europe for six weeks. I hope to travel alone for six months sometime in the future. From talking to many people here about it my overall impression from them was not that they didn't think it was worth it to travel (on the contrary they were all jealous, every one) but that they were afraid to. I think Ali Arikan above had it right, that the number one thing stopping Americans from going abroad is fear. If we had a culturally accepted year abroad for students like the Aussies do, there would be a critical mass of stories of ordinary people returning safely and a lot more people would choose to go.
My biggest lesson from traveling was the discovery of the basic goodness of people all across the world (well, Europe and Mexico, so far). I think that people here whose main knowledge of foreigners comes from movies might not really understand that, since the more interesting story to make a movie out of is someone who got killed when abroad, not someone who went and had a nice time and maybe got Montezuma's revenge.
But then I do think many Americans are too fearful in general, judging by our willingness to submit to many ridiculous safety laws. Maybe this also could be cured by travel.
Ebert: My guess is that the election of Obama may have made it more pleasant to be a Yankee abroad.
The flipside of this is the people who never stop traveling. There are people who do plenty of international travel, and a few of them are even Americans. These folks always have an up-to-date passport, they usually only need one suitcase, and they always figure out quickly how to move about like a local. Call them internationalists.
There is a small segment of this internationalist community that forgets to go home. I've met a few of these types, and the results are less romantic than you'd think. I have a coworker here in Afghanistan who boasted that he hasn't lived in America in over twenty years. I knew another fellow who married a Thai woman, relocated to Pattaya, and refused to ever see the UK again. The first man is as provincial, closed-minded and unlettered as we'd imagine Stu's friend to be. The other fellow was a basket-case, slowly going mad from the foreign culture that surrounded him. Both these people have performed Theroux's disappearing act, but they failed to follow through and they've stayed disappeared.
It is vital to go back home once in a while. Traveling is very good, but forgetting where you are from is a disaster. You've made similar remarks about film crticism; you have your own idiosyncratic likes, dislikes, and prejudices, and those don't go away while you watch a film. Nor should they. "You're clearly a liberal..." one of your readers once complained, to which you responded "Well I'm glad I was CLEAR..." In travel, as with movies, we have to remember who we are and where we came from.
Thank you for yet another inspiring blog entry mr. Ebert!
Concerning the 'rijstafel': it is actually spelled 'rijsttafel', which is Dutch for rice table. The dish originates from the colonial period, when Indonesia was a Dutch colony. The colonists wanted to try all the local food, so as an evening course they'd have a 'rijsttafel', i.e. a lot of small samples of Indonesian food. That is why rijsttafel is mainly popular in The Netherlands.
Ebert: You are correct. And I was so proud of remembering the "j."
i believe this proves your point
http://www.canada.com/sports/story.html?id=1398932
the Atlanta Braves star third baseman wasn’t exactly selling the town as a tourist destination this week while attending the World Baseball Classic as a member of Team USA.
“Just way too many days off,” he said to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “We stayed in Toronto for a week and played three games. I don’t know if you ever stayed in Toronto, but it’s not exactly Las Vegas. To say that we were plucking our eyebrows out one at a time would be an understatement.”
Ebert: Toronto, is not exactly Las Vegas? Chipper Jones is one man who should definitely not travel.
My fiance and I were going to do Cairo and Rabat in June for our honeymoon, 4 weeks. We spent 8 months learning Arabic at night. Last week I was laid off. Now we're going to San Francisco for the weekend.
It's really not as easy as you think.
Ebert: Damn.
Hi Roger,
I enjoyed the article. If I may, I’d like to share an experience I had when I was younger man. It concerns something that goes very well with Travel...Romance.
In my late twenties I was employed by a firm that required me to travel to Europe every month. At first, it seemed great. I had studied at Oxford in my teens and early twenties and never missed an opportunity to take the over-night ferry to Paris or Amsterdam for the weekend. I couldn’t get enough of it. So, naturally, when I landed in the real world I found myself lucky enough to merge both business and travel. But it soon got old. Maybe it was the lines at the airport, or the accommodations, or the grueling set of meetings, or even the jet lag. There’s one thing traveling for pleasure when you want to go. It’s quite another...when you have to go. Traveling while on business gets to be kind of a chore.
And it just seemed to be getting worse.
Anyway, this was my state of mind when I boarded my Aer Lingus flight one May evening for a two week trip through Ireland & The UK. Mid-flight, I found myself in a conversation with a flight attendant- Susanne. She was Irish, smart and had what seemed an abundance of personality and energy. And she was a knock out. And...oh yeah, she also had a boyfriend. Of course. But this fact didn’t deter us from having a great flight. We talked for hours. About travel, music and all those things that late twenty somethings talk about. Then she showed me a CD she really liked (I had never heard of it) and told me to buy it - That it would change my life. We maybe even flirted a little bit. It was wonderful.
The next day, when we landed, we both went our separate ways. And the last image I had of her as I passed through Customs was a sweet little smile pointed in my direction.
Two days later and meetings accomplished, I coaxed my business associate to show me a bit of the Emerald Island. We drove from our last meeting down to the Rings of Kerry and spent some hours walking along the rugged coast. It was like something out of “Ryan’s Daughter”. While driving back, it started to get late so we stopped at a random Pub for a bite to eat. It was literally in the middle of nowhere. And inside, after a few sips of my Guinness I looked around the room and guess who I saw? That’s right - Susanne. And oh yeah - her boyfriend. She introduced me as that “Yank” she had met on the flight. My God. She had mentioned me to her boyfriend. He shook my hand nonchalantly, as I was no doubt the embodiment of all the travel stories she had shared with him. Anyway, later on, we found ourselves alone at the bar - the only two people in the world recognizing what had just occurred between us.
“Following me Jeff?” she asked. I just smiled and said “I was about to ask you the same thing.”
Then I nodded over in the direction of her BF and asked “Serious?” She looked into my eyes “Maybe”. Then it got late and we all left, not exchanging any contact info at all. This was before the days of email, text and cell phones. I’m not quite sure why we didn’t. Maybe we just both thought it would have been rude. Things were different back then. We were different. My associate told me that if it was meant to be, I’d see her again. By the time I arrived Dublin that night, I had started regretting that decision.
For the next week or so in the UK I had many meetings and went from one end of England to the other. By the time I hit London I was wasted. Walking to my hotel that night I passed a music store and saw the CD Susanne had mentioned in the window. I bought it and fell asleep that night to one of the best pieces of music I had ever heard. The next day, I called my boss in the States and told him I needed some time off – I was beat. My week off approved, I walked next door and asked a travel agent where an American like me could go and get some sun and have fun. Her one word answer? Greece.
Five hours later and I was at Gatwick boarding an Olympic Airways flight to Athens. The Charter flight was very cheap, as promised, and I soon found myself listening to that CD and staring out the window as we flew over the Alps. Once landed, I found a cheap place to spend the night, for it was only a few hours until I was Greek Island bound: To Ios. So, next day, I took the ferry from Parius. On board, I met some great people from Canada, Australia, The UK, Austria and Sweden. We formed a group and ended up renting a villa together once we arrived. For the next few days we had a blast. It was still the time of the Drachma so things were incredibly cheap. We drank, ate and had some of the best bonding experiences of my life for under a hundred bucks. But I couldn’t shake the thought of Susanne. I told them all what happened. The girls thought it was romantic. The guys, well, you know what guys think.
It was now the 3rd day of my trip and I was lying on the beach, thinking how lucky I was. One of my housemates looked out at the surf and commented on a girl that was giving haircuts to tourist while wading in the shallows. He said I should get one, noticing that my hair was getting long. I agreed and went in for a dip. While waiting my turn, the girl came up from behind me and whispered in my ear “Following me, Jeff?” I turned around and you guessed it: It was Susanne.
I was stunned. Here I was in the middle of the Aegean Sea and we had somehow found each other again. As she cut my hair (explaining she cuts all her friends hair and that it had just caught on that day) she told me she needed some time off so her and friends came down to Greece to get away.
So here we were. On the most beautiful Island, on the most beautiful day one can imagine, looking into each other’s eyes. Then we both heard the music coming from onshore. It was the CD she recommended. My housemates were playing it for us. Whatya know. It did change my life. Of all the Islands, in all the world and she comes to mine. It was like a movie, I thought. Only better.
It was real.
“Still serious?” I asked. “No, Over” she replied.
We spent the next week, well, as we both coined – BWOF: Best Week Of Life.
And it was.
So I say to all those reading this: Travel. Go do it. You just may have the adventure of a lifetime. And you might even fall in love.
And that, is never a chore.
Ebert: Your beautiful story leaves unanswered two obvious questions.
As far a broadening the mind - nothing broadens the mind except the mind itself. In other words - you gotta wanna. I met a man who was in the merchant marines for 30 years and had been to foreign ports in countries that no longer exist, whose travels make Theroux sound like a homebody, but who couldn't tell you one damn thing about anyplace he'd been other than the closest bar and best brothel. Still, it was a good try, Roger. Maybe someone will get the lesson behind the message.
Thank you for pointing out the distinction between "traveling" and actually settling down in a different country and getting to know the culture.
My friends have all had rushed, backpacking extravaganzas where they spend a day (!) in Paris, a couple of days drinking in Berlin, a day glancing at Amsterdam...I never understood the appeal of racing through dozens of cities in a month.
Although I have still never been to Asia or many European countries, I had the chance to spend two years studying music in France. I got to learn the language, date a Frenchwoman (an excellent way to learn the language), and meet some fantastic people who were extremely far removed from our image of the arrogant, escargot eating Frenchman.
I'll take the first chance I get to drop everything and move to another country again.
Wow, and I was just thinking today that I would love to take a gap year to go abroad, either to India or Morocco. It's not really a possibility though, because my parents are completely against it. I guess I'll just have to wait for my junior year abroad!
Damn! Should have written "This shower of golden title allusions..."
Roger,
Where did you come across this statistic? I have seen various numbers floating out on the Internet about the % of Americans with passports; one of them matched the 10% number you gave, although I understand that having a passport does not indicate that one has traveled outside the country.
The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that in 2003, 11.7% of the U.S. population was foreign-born. This includes illegal immigrants, but does not include any foreign-born incarcerated criminals.
http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/foreign/reports.html
After the 9/11 bombings, it became necessary to have a passport to travel from the U.S. to Mexico, Canada, Bermuda, and the Caribbean.
http://travel.state.gov/travel/cbpmc/cbpmc_2223.html
I assume that prior to 9/11, many Americans without passports traveled to these areas, since they are relatively close by. Are they counted in the statistic you quoted?
This link claims that 61.8 million Americans traveled outside the country in 2004.
http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/update-the-10-most-popular-countries/
If true, that represents about 20% of the U.S. in the year 2004 alone, assuming it takes into account Americans who traveled multiple times that year.
If you look at the breakdown of countries visited in the last link I provided, it is true that fewer Americans travel to Europe or Asia. Intercontinental travel is not popular among Americans, I presume due to cost and discomfort. Is an American traveling to Quebec more provincial and ignorant than a fellow countryman traveling to Germany? Are some foreign countries more conducive to mind-broadening than others?
The next link suggests that, in fact, the 10% statistic is a myth.
http://www.columbiamissourian.com/stories/2008/10/20/debunking-passport-myth/
I agree with Katy Steinmetz's opinions about why this "10%" figure is propagated. It's a wonderful way for Europeans and those Americans who prefer the European Way of Life to have a laugh at backward, ignorant American bumpkins. If only Americans traveled (to Europe, mind you), they would see how U.S. policies have made them hated, and thus enlightened, would vote in accordance with all forward-thinking citizens of the world: Guns Bad, Gays Good, U.N. Good, Israel Bad, Christianity Bad, Islam Good (because if we say or print what we really think about Islam, those crazy Muslims will chop our heads off, so let's pay them lip service and hope that we can "modernize" them with drugs and prostitutes).
Ebert: I don't even know anymore where I found it. It served its purpose, which was to inspire the entry. Old-time newspaper guys used to say, "Never check a great quote twice."
Of course I'm jealous of you and your extensive travels. Count me among the Americans who've never set foot outside of the country. But I can assure you it has nothing to do with ignorance, jingoism, hatred of foreigners, or thinking we're better than everyone else. (And frankly I rather resent that implication.) I have in fact planned several such trips but in the words of Paul Henreid in 'Casablanca,' "I meant to, but something always held me up." It sounds like a lame excuse but it's true. My latest almost-trip abroad was to be to England. My passport is still burning a hole in whatever box it's in. Sometimes it was money (or lack of), sometimes it was business, sometimes it was a relationship. In the end, I always decided the trip wouldn't be worth the 'cost,' if you know what I mean. And sometimes I regret it... but I'm not dead yet, and I still hope to visit a few places abroad before I'm done.
Ebert: That's the spirit.
I certainly did not mean to give the impression that not having been outside the U.S. involves "ignorance, jingoism, hatred of foreigners, or thinking we're better than everyone else." All I intended was an amusing little essay to maybe nudge a few folks with my elbow.
I once sat in Florence looking at the Statue Of David for about an hour. I think that if Michelangelo had made the statue female, I'd still be sitting there.
Hi Roger,
I just noticed I made a Typo: It should have read BWOL : Best Week Of Life. Not BWOF (not sure what that would even mean).
And to answer your point of the two omissions:
The first, I believe concerns the music. The CD is Watermark by Enya. The song we made our own (before it became popular I might add) was “Orinoco Flow”. She is Irish, after all.
And I would imagine the second is, what happened to us?
Well, we had a whirlwind (or we called it world-wind) romance. Literally. But alas, even great romances that have amazing beginnings have to yield to realities. I lived in the U.S. and she, in Ireland. And after years of back and forth with some side travels around the globe, we ended up apart.
And yes I am an idiot. I never should have let her go. My mother does her best to remind of that from time to time. And on St. Patrick’s Day, I am more than a bit sad.
But we’ll always have Greece.
PS Back then, I suspected that this might turn into a special trip. I have a very Irish last name which is obviously on my U.S. Passport. And while going through Irish customs, the agent looked at my name, smiled and said…
Welcome home, Jeff.
Amazing.
Ebert: On March 17, I am inspired to say that the Irish are one of the friendliest peoples on earth.
Paddy: "If I won the lottery, I'd take a trip to the states."
Sheamus: "It's a great vast land, Paddy. You'd get lost!"
Paddy: "With a million punts in me pocket, somebody'd be sure to find me."
This is not a joke. It is a conversation actually overheard by my friend McHugh and myself, in a pub down by the docks in Sligo.
I love to watch the world skim across a train's window or that feeling of encapsulation as I walk through the peculiar silence of noisy feet upon cobble streets. Natural beauty which is no respecter of national borders can be found anywhere. I spent a summer working in the Grand Canyon and I had some many, countless, moments of elation and elevation. It is that awe that creeps from your throat into your neck quieting all the internal racket and noise. I have had similar feelings in the calm dew of an alfalfa field close to my childhood home.
I remember when I got back from spending a semester in England the one very noticeable change was that I began to enjoy the wonders of the natural world around my home more. I biked further on the country roads and explored more nooks and crannies of the nearby city. I took more frequent trips to Lake Michigan. I found used book stores, and places that made there own ice cream, and lovely bike rides, and communities of intellectuals. There is something about travel that inspires you to pay mind, to give attention...you might not pass this way again.... so, be in this space as well as you can....
Roger,
I admire your spirit of adventure; hell; I possess a bit of it myself. But your post really is obnoxious. I have family members who work seven days a week for food and shelter. Should they sacrifice their well-being for a trip to Amsterdam? You've lived a charmed life, which I note with envy.
As soon as I get the money I'm going to take my dream vacation to Tokyo to see lots of temples and capsule hotels and Akihabara, the nerd paradise. After that, I want to go to London. But, again, that's when I get the money.
Plus, I've never been to California or NYC either, but I still want to see Tokyo more than those two places.
This may be the only time I have disagreed most with RE.
I am afraid that a statement such as this is indicative of the fact that you are truly not a person of this world, but instead living comfortably in the atmosphere which you have worked so hard to have earned and which affords you the opportunity to delve into that which you implore others to partake in which most of the population are unable t do for the simple reason that most of us find it difficult to do as such without sacrificing our family's lifestyle and our children's education.
Your average American would LOVE, LOVE,LOVE to see the world. But does one make that a priority over putting food on the table for their child? Or putting away savings in preparation for the time when that day will come?
I hate, hate, hate, the voices of Fox News but when they use terms like "Media elite", they are referring to attitudes like this which chastise the working folk for not wanting to travel the world when they are messing around with things like paying their mortgage.
I'll put it another way --- my Dad is roughly the same age as Abbie Hoffman. I happen to be an Abbie Hoffman disciple. His ability to manipulate the media, his sense of humor and his relentless pursuit of justice which involved both, make him a hero, in my book.
My Dad hates him.
Because when Abbie was smoking weed, dropping acid and getting arrested in Chicago, my Dad was working as a superintendent for construction sites, trying to support a family and make a living.
The analogy is that the majority of Americans can't travel the world, not by choice, but because one does have to make a choice about what's neccesary and what's a possibility. Who's to say which lifestyle choice was preferable over the other? One was influencing an entire generation of youth regarding their attitudes of a corrupt government fighting a corrupt war, and the other was fighting his own battle to protect the sanctity of the American family, which s arguably the strongest brick the foundation of this country is made of.
I make no judgement as to whether Abbie's path or my Dad's path was the right one to take. I argue they both were.
Passing judgement on the millions of Americans who don't happen to be employed in a profession which allows them the opportunity to travel is just plain wrong and you ought to be ashamed of yourself.
Ebert: I think I failed to make my intention clear. I did not intend to pass judgment. I know most people lack the freedom or funds to travel. I was born into a working class family and worked full time from the age of 15. But I always yearned to travel. One's yearnings have value. It is my bias that it is better to yearn to travel than to yearn to stay at home. Our yearnings define us as much as our realities.
I booked a three-week stay in Venice at the end of May after reading this. Not so much from being persuaded, but from being suddenly reminded that as to the question 'what are you waiting for?' I never got around to bullshitting an answer. Thank you :)
Ebert: Three weeks! That is ever so much better than moving round. You will explore and sink in a little. Take the vaporetto to outlying islands. And meet Lino at the Trattoria Rivetta, described here:
http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2009/01/theres_a_small_cafe.html
Many years ago I was watching a movie you had reviewed on your show. One of the dialogues in the film went something like:
"Are you a tourist?".
'No, I'm a traveler'.
"What's the distinction"?
'A tourist goes home, a traveler may never go home..'.
I'm what I suppose I'd call a driver. I have a morbid fear of flying directly linked to my even more morbid fear of death. I'm not afraid of heights either. I'm afraid of people on the ground hearing the vacuum implosions of air as my plain breaks the sound barrier as it plummets to earth. That last remark is not intended to be funny. That actually happened to real people a decade or so ago somewhere out west.
I love driving in the mountains and desert. There is something spiritual being in an environment which in and of itself is hostile to a human. Gasping for air and measuring one's gait at 14,000 feet is a truly interesting thing, especially if one is alone. I find peace in the prospect of death out in the wild, with not one person to NOT recognize me. Just the animals, trees, and wild winds. I had a wolf walk past me, barely a yard away when he passed.
He didn't know me, but he didn't give me the 'death' stare. He gave me the "you're in this craphole too, huh?" look. I realized that his time in what I considered paradise was different from my time. I could go home. A different, safe home. He was home and I was a tourist, out of place, but not out of the moment.
I take that moment with that wolf, and every other moment such as that, with me every day of my life. I generally don't give a rip about what people think of me. I try to be nice to everyone, and sometimes it's not appreciated. But I know a wolf somewhere, and God willing he is still stalking the treeline in the Rockies, I'll bet he still knows me.
For some it's being anonymous in Italy sipping stiff coffee and reading the newspaper. For me, it's being with my wife and dog out in the wild, all of us missing the big pile of moose poop that lays somewhere waiting to be stepped-in.
And...I finally got to a Steak and Shake. Had to drive out of state to get to it (sounds illegal doesn't it?). It was really good and really hit the spot. You are right. The meat is cooked perfectly. The fries are really nice too. So is the real glass glass of Coke.
Ebert: Comments like these are why I love the opportunity of this blog. A man so far into the wild that a wolf passes him by, and the same man driving out of state to visit Steak n Shake. And it's only 9 a.m.
Roger I am a guatemalan who lived for six years in the San Francisco bay, and now I am back home for college, but I have to say that spending time in another culture is so eye opening because not only do you learn about their culture but you become curious about your own and why things are different and how that came to pass, anyways ever since I came back I have been planning a big trip, to Spain this time, though I am only going for a month next year in May ( i hope to get tickets for the ucl final in Madrid) but I also want to visit my grandfather's village outside Zaragosa, and just get to know as much as I can about the country, maybe go to portugal and france, but the reason I'm writing this is to know if you have ever been to Spain, and if so, what places you recommend I visit? Also just wanted to thank you for your journals, essays, and reviews, which are always so perfectly written.
Ebert: With a girl friend, I went to Barcelona, rented a car, and drove through the mountains, staying at the paradores, or guest hotels, maintained by the government. The journey included a stay at the monastery of the St. Bernard dogs, and another at the Cathedral of the Black Madonna. One of the paradores was a former castle. Moderately priced but not cheap. At each stop, we asked the concierge to recommend our next one, and he phoned ahead to make our reservation. In Barcelona, we loved the open air dining in public areas late at night. I think 11 p.m. must have been the dinner hour.
PS Back then, I suspected that this might turn into a special trip. I have a very Irish last name which is obviously on my U.S. Passport. And while going through Irish customs, the agent looked at my name, smiled and said…
Welcome home, Jeff.
That's a great, great anecdote.
Hello Roger,
this might sound strange to you, but just knowing that you would read my post gave me a strange feeling. And when I saw that you had even commented on it, that really made my day!
I just wanted to add one piece of information about the student exchange program I mentioned in my earlier post if people might be interested in that. In the United States it is called the "Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange Program" (CBYX).
This is a link to their website:
http://www.cbyx.net
Ebert: There is a young person right now bookmarking that link, who had never given a moment's thought to being an exchange student. Years from now, that person will tell the story of how an unexpected link on the web led to a year in Germany. You have changed a life.
Roger,
A lot of the comments raised by some Americans in response to your blog entry on this subject are valid. There is definitely the question of time, cost, fear and purpose that necessitate the rationale of eschewing travel in the first place. But these very considerations that are thought to be impediments can act as the facilitating factors especially in the case of Americans. Cost too high? get out and hit the road in Asia, Africa or Latin America and see just how far a dollar goes. “They hate us there”, really? I have travelled out quite a bit, and often in the company of some American friends, and once the usual obligatory and cursory political banter is done with my friends were often amazed by how often America is idolized for its ideas on freedom, individuality, tolerance (yes I said it, tolerance!), idealisms that may seem trivialized in America today but are still highly regarded and associated with America. In a recent poll that was conducted in China, when asked who they thought was the greatest man that ever lived, the top slot went to Mao Ze Dong. What was surprising was in a very close second place was Michael Jordan of the “Chicago Red Oxen”.
And as for purpose, if ever there was a time when Americans really need to travel, now is the time.
As an Indian Muslim, born and raised in Kenya, I hail from an indigent country with a pedestrian economy, brought up and (oftentimes feeling hopelessly trapped) in the sensitivities of a conservative culture, blessed with an eyebrow-raising middle name of “Ahmed”, and in the proud possession of a shitty third world passport.
Oh the number of times I have been “randomly” selected for security screenings at airports, sat on a hard bench at border crossing for hours on end as they “process” my application, while in the meantime my three American friends - one look at the eagle crest on their passports, get a big hallo, followed by a big flurry of excited stamping on their papers and a friendly salute as they exit the visa control office in three minutes flat. Meanwhile, they are still waiting for my urine sample to get back and subjecting my equally regal looking blue passport through rigorous microscopic testing. (In one instance, one of the officials actually brought out a map and asked me to point out where I came from).
There may be many reasons why traveling abroad has not been a possibility. Being American, is not one of them.
Nothing shatters your perceptions like travel does. Whether we be mental travelers transported to another place through the medium of film or books, or physical travelers freed of our attachments to the familiar; packing that bag and getting out there is probably the best way of knowing what really is in you. Every outward journey is an inward journey.
We all talk about getting out there, visiting all these far away places but few of us act upon it. Two weeks after I graduated from college I did what all of us in my small gathering of friends said we would always do. I packed my bags and set off. None of my other friends saw the logic in this and they put off their plans for a later time. Five years later, they still talk about their travel plans but with each successive year the impulse to go is diminished with the ever increasing demands to properly establish themselves in life.
Traveling and seeing other places has been an immensely enjoyable experience for me. In my travels I learnt that you can get some of the best Indian curry in England, Rednecks are actually nice people and very sociable… Some of my memorable experiences include: meeting a loin clothed clad Omar Shariff on the sets of “Mountains of the Moon” off the coast of Lamu island, Watching a World Cup soccer match with a Kazakh family in their yurt on the steppe plains of Xinjiang, hanging out with a nomadic Samburu herdsman and hearing his tales of how he served in World War II as an engineer on a British submarine and now here he was herding goats in the arid regions of northern Kenya,... and currently teaching in China, where I have the opportunity of running a film club in the school. (So far this semester we have watched movies as diverse as “Papillion”, “El Norte”, and “The Third Man”.)
As strange and fascinating as some of these experiences may appear, I have heard equally fascinating stories from most other travelers. The experience is not unique to just a select few, so get out there, see the world, let the world change you and then you can change the world.
PS. Though not a travel writer in the same mold as Paul Theroux, I have often found V.S. Naipaul to be one of the most interesting writers with a deep understanding of the immigrant experience - which is in itself a kind of travel experience, albeit one that is extended in perpetuity. What I do find fascinating about both these writers is that Theroux often comes across as cynical in his interpretations while Naipaul’s observations are often dour and pessimistic. Any thoughts?
PPS; Life does not “cease to exist in Iowa”. Iowa is a very progressive and wonderful state. Two alumni members of Grinnel College in Iowa went on to start Silicon Valley. Vedic City in Jefferson county is the first city in the modern world to be completely designed and built according to shtapatya veda the ancient Indian system of orientation, The first center named after Stephen Sondheim was built in Iowa, and Iowa is also home to the only consciousness based educational institution in the world…..to name a few.
Ebert: What a life travel has given you! How did "The Third Man" play in China? And "El Norte?"
I agree with you about Iowa. An educated, enlightened, progressive state. So it's flat? I grew up in central Illinois. You are talking about the richest farmland in the world. It's hard to cultivate soybeans on hillsides. It may appear there's nothing happening on those vast fields--except the world is being fed. Iowa, in a way, gave us Barack Obama.
As a teacher, I find remarkable narrow-mindedness. Teenagers will not watch foreign films, or black and white films, or even films over five years old, feeling they are somehow "beneath them." One student refused to see foreign or older films saying "If they're any good, they'll remake them."
This attitude, I find, applies to culture and nations as well. They see no need to travel, because they feel every other culture is inferior to their own. When presented with portrayals or artifacts of other cultures, they usually find them laughable, because they are so very diferent, and therefore so very wrong.
I think the most important thing to pack when you travel is a sense of curiosity. And before you can take it with you, that it needs to cultivated at home. Otherwise, you’ll take “too” much of yourself with you and it just gets in the way, making it a moot point to have left in the first place.
Right now in Chicago, there’s a current exhibition I wish I could see!
“Becoming Edvard Munch: Influence, Anxiety, and Myth”
February 14–April 26, 2009
http://www.artic.edu/aic/collections/exhibitions/Munch/index
“Edvard Munch’s work has been frequently connected to his emotional pain and instability, as his iconic work The Scream suggests. However, when his art is considered in light of his personal diaries and letters and the writings of contemporary critics, a very different picture of the artist emerges. Contrary to the prevailing view, recent scholarship demonstrates that Munch was very much in control of his professional career, a savvy businessman keenly aware of how to manipulate the art market and shape popular opinion. Moreover, he built his art on specifically Norwegian pictorial traditions.
This rich exhibition brings together approximately 150 works, including 75 paintings and 75 works on paper by Munch and his peers, many rarely seen in the United States. It is organized around the following themes: loneliness and solitude, the street, anxiety, love and sexuality, death and dying, the bather, and nature.” – The Art Institute of Chicago
And I mention this because I’ve always envied Americans their ability to travel without ever leaving home. You can see the world in your backyard because it so often comes to visit you! Your museums able to rival anything overseas when it comes to expanding ones horizons. It’s all there, ready and waiting to challenge preconceived notions and long held assumptions, to expose you to another way of seeing yourself and world you live in. For some of the greatest works of art have graced your shores. And I’ve learned now of one of the Art Institute’s best-kept secrets – there’s a standing exhibit in the basement where you’ll find a mini version of everything from a simple country farmhouse to a stunning cathedral complete with beautiful stained glass windows.
I’ve traveled several times and each time it’s the same – plane lands, and it’s to the MUSEUM! Not that it’s all I do, but it’s a big part of it; art books never able to really capture the colors as you see them in real life. And I can only shake my heads at those who spend their time shopping. Or dragging themselves from one touted tourist spot to another; and essentially for the bragging of having been there, done that and all of it dutifully recorded but not necessarily understood or appreciated.
But when you go with a sense of curiosity… everything becomes an adventure! Even getting to the Art Institute can be an adventure – I understand it’s on South Michigan Avenue, where majestic stone lions live beneath the watchful gaze of soaring architecture and I’m convinced Batman actually does patrol the city at night from its rooftops. And this likely his view and lit up like a giant sparkling jewel… can you imagine taking a helicopter ride over THAT?
http://srika.com/img/chicago_hdr/chicago_hdr_night04.jpg
Or take a Jazz tour through the city to that old speak-easy The Green Mill Cocktail Lounge and knock back some Dutch courage and foolishly enter a poetry slam! Seriously, what are you waiting for, permission? Where’s the fun in that?
I think if Americans would only open themselves up to what I’m already living vicariously through via pictures on the internet, you’d develop the very thing needed to get you overseas more often – an eagerness to see even more now! Explore where you live and it’ll plant a seed. What else is out there a question burning a hole in your pocket now in the form of curiosity you can cash.
Not that anyone’s asked course, I’m just a Canadian and you guys know what we’re like. :)
Ebert: And across Michigan Avenue and a little north, where better for Batman to lurk but on on the battlements of that skyscraping Gothic wonderment, the University Club?
http://www.chicagoarchitecture.info/Building/1287/The_University_Club.php
The slideshow: http://www.ucco.com/
Basic requirement for membership: University graduation.
May I mention, that there are cheaper and (in my opinion) vastly more interesting ways to travel than cruises and resorts? My suggestion - especially for the young and able-bodied - would be to visit idealist.org (or similar) and find oneself either a paid or volunteer internship in another country. You get to explore another part of the world, contribute to the local economy, and learn a great deal.
My partner and I were somewhat mismatched in terms of travel (I was bitten by the bug at a very young age), so a couple years ago we decided to take an international trip together. We were both recent grads, no money, no careers. We spent three months working on an organic fruit farm in Costa Rica - the whole thing, airfare included, cost maybe $1000 each, plus we got robbed. It was amazing. I highly recommend that kind of travel to anyone.
Ebert: I'm going to repeat that link, too:
...visit idealist.org (or similar) and find oneself either a paid or volunteer internship in another country.
Maybe one day I'll win the lottery and be able to travel abroad. I so long to.
But as someone who lives paycheck to paycheck and has done so for what feels like eons, it's always seemed like the ultimate fever dream.
Maybe one day...
Ebert: You will. If you think "maybe one day" instead of "never," you will.
I joined the Air Force with travel in mind. I'm from Kansas. My first base was in Okinawa, Japan. While I was there i visited Thailand, Alaska, Hawaii, and mainland Japan. Every ignorant remark I hear about "for'ners" comes from someone who hasn't left their state, or country. You find that although customs differ, people are the same everywhere.
I think it's at least as shameful that so many Americans who have both the means and the desire to travel have never visited the Grand Canyon, Williamsburg, Gettysburg, Big Sur, Block Island, New Orleans, the Cascades, and on and on. Add continental foreign locations (i.e., Canada and Mexico) to the list, as well.
I'm also reminded of a few lines from The Inner Light, by George Harrison (which, I think, were borrowed from a Hindu poem): "Without going out of your door, You can know all things on earth; without looking out of your window,you can know the ways of heaven. The farther one travels the less one knows."
It's not the distance, but (as noted in a previous post in this thread) the mind you take wherever you go.
Thanks to the generous and restless spirit of another, I have traveled more in the last twelve years than all previous others. Growing up for me meant vacations to visit family in the same state. Loved them but didn't know any better.
I have been to Italy twice now. The first time we spent four days in Rome and Four in Florence. The night before we left Roma I stood at the park marking the spot where Julius Caesar was assassinated. I dragged him into the Keats Shelley museum at foot of Spanish steps. When he asked why I explained that if it were not for the Romantics we wouldn't care about going to Italy.
We left for Florence via fast train on the Ides of March. The second time we drove from Rome airport to a little Tuscan village and spent a week in a penthouse apartment (53 steps, stone, very tedious after a while but still wonderful). We would venture out to various hill towns during the day and dine at one of the three restaurants within view from our windows at night. Too hot to cook in. Siestas spent reading with windows thrown open for cross ventilation. I finished what I brought early and discovered bookshelves upstairs with books left behind by others. Lovely, simply lovely.
Loved the Coop for shopping for snacks and fruit. Locals were gracious. On the walking tour of the Forum in Rome first trip, I cupped my hand and drank water from the spring just like so many before me. To know that you are there and touching a spot ancient and yet vibrant is for me the essence of the experience.
I was not a good passenger in the Fiat on Tuscan roads, too much vertigo, but loved walking around when parked the vehicle. Fortunately we could jump on and off a small superstrada most of the time. But, on the curvy road between San Donato and Castellina there is a restaurant Osteria Alla Piazza right in a curve. Wonderful place and gorgeous setting.
Thank you for the post, Roger.
But I always yearned to travel. One's yearnings have value.
To dream, to hope, to yearn against odds is an act of daring. It was either Alexander or Napoleon who said a leader is a merchant of dreams. It is better to be on the side of hope than despair---sadly a matter of constitution, or "liver" than of circumstance.
Reading Huckleberry Finn for the first time! Reading is travelling too!
"Ebert: On March 17, I am inspired to say that the Irish are one of the friendliest peoples on earth.
Paddy: "If I won the lottery, I'd take a trip to the states."
Sheamus: "It's a great vast land, Paddy. You'd get lost!"
Paddy: "With a million punts in me pocket, somebody'd be sure to find me."
This is not a joke. It is a conversation actually overheard by my friend McHugh and myself, in a pub down by the docks in Sligo."
Roger, this really happened? That is really funny. It's also a great movie line. And you are right - the Irish are a very friendly people.
All the best and I hope you are well...
I agree with the commenters earlier who suggest that comparing American travel to, say, European travel, isn't quite apples-to-apples, given that we've got an ocean on either side of us, whereas in Europe you can take a longer-than-expected walk and not notice you've entered another country until you start hearing a new language.
That said, I do think there's something engrained in Americans that contributes to all this. We're the children of immigrants and risk-takers who thrived on the idea of self-sufficiency. We like to find our patch of land and build it up. It's one of the things I like most about us, actually; we don't want to GO to the best place, we'd rather make our place as good as possible.
This is not to say travel is bad, or that Americans shouldn't travel more, or that people who DO travel don't do all this, but I think there are a great many positives to the tendency to cultivate your own patch of the Earth. To try to bring the things you need to the place you are. I think it's in our blood, and I'm not convinced it's a bad thing.
Speaking as a two-year+ resident of Vegas, I can say with authority that if American "culture" has been a race to the bottom for the last 30 or so years, Vegas won.
Ebert: But you do have to admit it has a certain charm, don't you, Ron? Ron? Ron? Hello? I think he hung up on me.
I cannot applaud this blog enough. I've spent a significant amount of time doing volunteer work in orphanages and hospitals in east Asia (including a two-day stint in a Russian prison on the Russian-Chinese border, a long story that I probably don't have time for now); several years later, all I do these days is dream about going back. I'm happy to be American, but I don't understand how anyone can fully appreciate their own country until they've seen what life is like outside of where they were born. To give it a literary analogy, I love Dickens, so I also read the works of his greatest adversary/peer GWM Reynolds (Wagner the Wehr-Wolf... give that wacky trash a read sometime!) so that I can have a wider scope of just what Dickens accomplished. I'm brainchilding a trip to Chile next with my brother and a few other friends, which I'm looking so much forward to that some days I can't stand it. To relieve the anticipation, I ride in taxis to meet all sorts of fascinating people from around the world. From these great folks, I get all my global news, great perspectives, and downright hilarious jokes. It's like stepping into a foreign country every time I call a cab.
If all a person can do is the touristy stuff like Six-Flags in Amsterdam or sitting on the beach in the Bahamas, I suppose that's better than nothing. But I encourage volunteer work in third-world countries for really rewarding experiences. Plus, you travel on the cheap--sleeping in churches, orphanages, eating light, gaining the appreciation of your fellow humans, sitting around listening to folk songs sung by locals on their accordians that you can't understand but, at the same time, totally understand... it's the only way to go.
Ebert: Some of my favorite comments of the last year are in this thread. I confess I have never heard of Reynolds.
Agreed, agreed. Tasted life on the other side(s) and you'll never be the same.
The 4 years I spent in the mountains of southwestern China altered me forever. My entire first year there I kept having to pinch myself, "Is this real? Is this really real?" During those times I also added 15 other countries to my 'been there' list.
But the 4-year adventure concluded and, sadly, I had to take all of the "China" that I had now become - culture, intimate friendships, values, language, literature and all else - and put it all in a "box," close the lid, tape it shut, stick it up in the "attic" and close the door behind me and try to forget it was even there.
Nobody around me could understand how much I missed it. How much it had become me. People here who have never traveled did genuinely want to understand, but they never could, never can.
A couple years after moving home, I took a trip back. My first evening there after getting off the plane, I started to feel it: The box is opening, my God, it's coming back open! That whole "dead" part of me is coming to life again! It was two weeks of utter, energizing thrill, all over again.
So now every few years I head back to get my fix. All true world travelers understand the yearning ...
Bryan
Roger,
My wife and I have never taken a trip internationally, as we've never been able to afford it. Our planned trip to Ireland a few years ago was canceled when my car's engine stopped working, and all the money we had saved up went to our mechanic instead. I understand how finances can make foreign travel impossible.
However, I don't think the lack of funds is truly preventing most Americans from traveling abroad. Even when traveling within our own country, most Americans bypass the interesting back roads and small towns in favor of the bland, billboard-infested Interstates.
In your review of Pixar's "Cars", you said that "The message in "Cars" is simplicity itself: Life was better in the old days, when it revolved around small towns where everybody knew each other, and around small highways like Route 66, where you made new friends, sometimes even between Flagstaff and Winona."
Many parts of that older America are still alive. Our country is filled with scenic back roads, quirky hotels, and unique restaurants, all of which are available to the driver who is willing to get out a map and do a little research before getting behind the wheel. Instead, most Americans traveling across the country choose the bland predictability of an Applebee's over the unknown local cuisine, and stay at a Holiday Inn because it's right by the offramp. If we can't take the small risks of experimenting within our own country, we'll never take the big leap of traveling abroad.
I hadn't traveled out of the country until I was almost 30, when my fella took me on a trip to the British Virgin Islands. This was hardly off the beaten path, but I still remember the sense of wonder when I stepped off the plane onto the tarmac at Beef Island. There was no jetway that injected passengers straight into an over-cooled airport terminal. We walked to the building with the humid wind blowing over us, giving me the immediate sensation that things were a little different here. It was the same sensation I felt a few days later, when a waiter at an open-air restaurant apologized for the baby goat that had wandered in. "She likes to look for food dropped on the floor," he explained as he gently kneed the goat away from our table.
Hello Roger,
first time blogger. Just wanted to make a point and say that going across the ocean or the US border are not the only places to travel... South and Central America have amazing countries to visit and the prices are much more affordable than going to Europe. Not sure why people forget about that...
On another subject, I have been your fan forever and yours is the only blog I read. English is not my first language and reading your writings is an amazing lesson in this very complex language!
Thank you for sharing...
Ebert: One thing I've noticed is that whenever anyone apologizes for the English in a post, it is always flawless.
Ah, travel! I went to England (London) with my mother over ten years ago, and I still think about it. I couldn't get over how people could stroll so casually past the incredible, awesome cathedrals, banks, etc. that made up the streets. Attending a morning mass in Westminster Abbey moved me to tears. When people found out I was American they couldn't wait to talk to me. By the by, geographical ignorance is not exclusive to us Yankee Hicks. I am from Seattle, Washington, my mother from Washington, D.C. Trying to explain that these were two distinct places about as far apart that it's physically possible to be in America led to some amusing conversations. My favorite:
Bookshop clerk (upon hearing my accent): Ah, you're American, than?
Me: Yep, sure am.
Bookshop clerk: And where are you from than, love?
Me (warily, anticipating another Washington State Vs. DC explanation): Er, Seattle, Washington.
Clerk (lighting up like a neon sign): Ah! Fraiser! With the little dog!
Thinking about it still cracks me up.
My favorite day, however, was taking the train to a smaller town in the country, where my mother (an inveterate traveler who adores the UK, bless her soul) had booked a local man to drive us around for the day, showing us various thatched cottages and the church Jane Austen attended. This guy was marvelous, straight from Central Casting, down to the cap and braces. (Perhaps this was his Squiring Tourists outfit and in his off days he wears Tshirts and jeans, but he looked great.) After a lovely English breakfast, we packed into his incredibly, adorably tiny car and bounced away from the train station down an astonishingly narrow road.
As you doubtless know, the roads in rural England are often little more than paved tracks, dating from mideval times, and so narrow you can't fit more than one car. Not one car in either direction, one car period. This mattered not to our guide, however, as he absolutely tore down the track, cheerfully narrating bits of interest while reaching speeds of sixty. It was like being driven by Toad of Toad Hall. Eventually I asked him what would happen--you know, hypothetically--if, per chance, another car were to come in the opposite direction.
"Well, 'opefully 'e won't! " was the cheerful reply as we screeched around corners and nearly bounced off the earth enbankments as he headed into town, pointing out thatch and stone walls and several sheep.
"Ah," I thought. "I'm going to die. Die, here in this little car driven by this lovely little man who doubtless runs a side business selling the personal effects of unfortunate passengers who did indeed meet another car. This is it."
Of course it was not, and we had a fantastic, unforgettable day (lunch was a bit mixed--hint, never order the lasagna in a rural pub) but it was wonderful. Someday, somehow, I will return.
I notice in the comments some scolding for what is perceived as your scorn for hard-working Americans who try to provide for their families and can't afford to travel etc., etc. And while you have ably defended your position, I'd like to add that my own NJ working-class parents (four jobs, no slacking) still managed to get the four of us in the car one year and drive up to Niagra Falls; and once in a while we'd spend a week downa shore (NJ-speak)--single room, two beds, but we saw the ocean and dug for clams; and when my Mom's family made it from Cuba to Miami, we'd motorvate down there and I'd live with people who'd brought a little Havana with them. My parents scrimped, saved, borrowed--and we traveled, now and then.
And I know a number of middle class Americans who spend real money on travel every year--but not as you advise, Roger. They go to the Caribbean and stay in enclosed resorts--or to Vegas/Disney World, where animatronic Venice and Germany wait in safe splendor.
I write as someone who cannot "afford" to travel; the "yearnings," though, are not only free but priceless.
Mr. Ebert writes: “… the bittersweet pleasure of being where nobody knows you, and nobody you know can find you …”
I was recently watching the excellent Leonard Cohen documentary, “Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr. Leonard Cohen,” in which Cohen states he loves staying in hotels because of the feeling he’s on the lam.
I haven’t traveled extensively in my life, in fact only to Cuba, but sitting on a hotel balcony in Guardalavaca, drinking straight rum and watching 1950s vehicles (with Lada engines no less) whoosh by, absolutely gives me the sense that I’ve disappeared, that I’m on the lam, that I’m, in fact, hiding from some very bad people.
Many of these complaints ("People shouldn't go to community college, they should go to colleges out of town or out of state, and live on campus!" "People should just up and travel more! It's easy!") seem misguided and unfair in that they're directed at the American people, when the rather obvious explanations for why more Americans DON'T travel more, or why American kids opt more and more to go to community college, show that it's not a people problem, it's a problem with the American consumer-capitalist system. People work constantly here. They get relatively little vacation. They are tied to their jobs because we don't have universal health care. They go to community college because their parents have much less money to spend on college than they did fifty years ago, and the price of an education has skyrocketed in that time. One can take out student loans (and even going to community college, probably will), and that will bury him in debt for much of his early professional life, further tying him to his job. It's a racket. This country's economic system is unjust and fundamentally broken. It's a rigged game and people have been so dumbed down by work and corporate media 'entertainment' that they're not even politically aware enough to put up a fight. The socialist movement of the early 20th century was not led or supported primarily by intellectuals or radicals, it was by laborers. Real laborers. In those times, too, more Americans looked abroad with curiosity and a desire to learn so as to emulate. But well-timed wars, and then endless distractions (television for instance is one of the greatest means of social control in history - perhaps THE greatest), as well as various moves designed to appease the worker by conceding, or seeming to concede, just enough - stopped the movement cold. I fear Obama will do just the same, though there's really no need; the country now is far too dumb and docile and tired - physically, morally, and mentally - to stick up for itself. That's why 10% of the country owns something like 90% of the wealth. It's sick, it's criminal, and if you want to look for reasons why we don't travel, or much else of anything, anymore, look no further. Slaves don't vacation much, and so far as they travel, it's along carefully-prescribed routes.
"Real travel costs a fortune."
Even though I do not know what is implied by "real travel" I can say, in fact, that this statement is completely false.
Although I was born near Barcelona, several years ago I moved to a small beautiful Norwegian town. When I travel between the two places I usually stop somewhere in the middle just to see what's there. I hope one day I'll take a long trip by train.
But I have an even better strategy. Here in Norway I met people from around the world: Australians, French, Bosnians, Eritreans, South-Africans, Italians, Indians, Germans... Now when I want to travel I just contact them and I stay at their places, and they'll always have a bed at home. I also met several Americans (specially from North Dakota) looking for their ancestors, and I hope one day I'll travel to USA.
I'm going to have to pick at your insistence that travel is much cheaper than people think, thus people should travel. (If you've already addressed this in a comment, I apologize as I haven't gone through every post.) It is entirely true that lodging and food in foreign places can be found at very cheap or at least reasonable prices. Of that there is no doubt. When I traveled throughout Europe and Egypt I was able to stretch my money fairly well, even though the differences in currency occasionally took a hit on my expenses. However, it is not the travel within foreign countries that is the problem--it is the getting to the foreign countries that is difficult. For my semester abroad the cheapest round trip flight I could get on the dates I needed to travel was around $1,500. For a college student that is a huge expense, and that didn't count the other thousands I needed for living expenses, travel, etc. It took years for me to save up enough money, and I couldn't have done it at all if it weren't for student loans.
Cheap airfare tends to be available during times when people don't usually travel or don't want to travel (think tropical areas during the rainy season).
My dad wants to travel to Europe very badly, but between household expenses, car repairs, gas/electric bills, and whatnot, there is absolutely no way that he can scrape together enough money for a roundtrip ticket to Europe, let alone for travel expenses. Friends of mine would love nothing more than to see other countries but have the same predicaments. They aren't making excuses for their lack of travelling--they are giving facts.
There is still hope, however. If you want to travel badly enough even poor finances won't hold you back forever. You must be willing to make sacrifices in your daily life and plan well ahead. Attitude, I feel, is incredibly important. I truly believe that you should never, ever say "I can't." Rather, you should say "How can I?"
I liked your Mark Twain quote from The Innocents Abroad. I actually happen to be reading that book right now. Take a look at Twain's description of the Portuguese, then go back to that quote. Lord love him.
p.s. How many Europeans regularly travel through Europe, the land of beautiful destinations and cheap airfare?
Ebert: Judging by the people you meet in Chicago, a lot of Europeans even come here--and Japanese. And Indians, perhaps visiting relatives. Did you know Indians are the most successful ethic group in America? Maybe because of the emphasis on education, and the fact that most of them start out already speaking English.
I went to Europe the first time on a university charter flight. Do they still have those?
Hi Roger,
As the youngest in a family of five, I was the only one in my family who had the opportunity to travel out of the country. In 2000, I enrolled in a "Summer in Paris" program through my college. It was one of the greatest times I ever had. Then, in 2004, I lived in Taiwan for 4 years teaching English. I met my wife there and had two children before coming back to live in America. (I wrote about my life in Taiwan in depth on my blog "An American Teacher in Taiwan" at www.kenberglund.blogspot.com)
Unfortunately, once I came back, I was completely alienated from the rest of my family. My brother and my sister just didn't know how to relate to me anymore. I think maybe they felt some sort of jealousy that I was living a life they wish they had. It's really hurt my relationship with them, and we rarely, if ever talk anymore.
So there can be a downside to being a "well traveled individual", but I wouldn't have given up those experiences for the world.
I always wanted to see the world. Somehow, circumstances favored me throughout my life. When I graduated from high school, I left the Southern Ohio area and moved to New York: a place I still consider my first trip "abroad". I never had money, my family certainly never had money and yet I still made it to England for ten days. Between London and Sheffield I discovered that English can also be a foreign language, at least for the first day. Later trips I made it to Mexico, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Cuba (I am very fond of my memory of seeing Fidel speak to about a million people on the Malecon) and Brazil.
I ended up living in Brazil for a decade. I saw one reader talking about the kind people he met abroad who answered even his dumb questions. I met those same kind people, and found most people very welcoming.
Living abroad definitely changed my views and opinions on many things. Learning a second language allows me to enjoy a broader range of books, movies and music. Although today, Brazilian movies are finding more of a market in the US than in previous years.
I think Ebert is right on target when he says it starts with the desire / curiosity to see the world. Then you just gotta keep your eyes open for any opportunity that arrives.
Ebert wrote: And across Michigan Avenue and a little north, where better for Batman to lurk but on on the battlements of that skyscraping Gothic wonderment, the University Club?
Basic requirement for membership: University graduation.
Ever shape your lips to make a sound but nothing comes out? At best, it's a barely audible breath and from the point of view of onlooker, as though you were trying to say "OH" and something stopped you, freezing you in time?
For I've been walking through the University Club via that link you shared and OMG.
Have you any idea how many comic books I own? The artists who draw them have to get their designs from somewhere and every once in a while, I'll stumble upon one. Which has happened to me just now - I've seen the inside of the Club before.
Cathedral Hall and the Library - albeit more simplified versions of them, have been used as inspiration for backgrounds in some of my Batman comic books! So too, I think, the Gallery overlooking Millennium Park and Lake Michigan.
And because it's made my heart pound and my senses spin, because I've fallen instantly in love with the place and the very thought of what could be shared and learned there, not to mention enjoyed, why my heart is now aching, and not in a good way.
REQUIREMENTS FOR ADMISSION
University or college degree from four year institution.
Completion of nomination form. (Nomination forms may be requested by members only.)
I don't have a degree. I have a diploma. It was college but it was Art School, you know? I took Graphic and Visual Design and it was integrated with Fine Art; drawing and painting. So too, classes in Photography. And it didn't take 4 years. Ergo, bummer.
Not that I live in Chicago or anything, making it a moot point to want to join the University Club as I'd rarely be there to see it - but I don't want to be the Pope either Roger; doesn't mean I don't want the option!
Which is my typical reaction to such things, chuckle; what do you mean I can't? What do mean it's not allowed? What do you mean it's not for girls? What do you mean it's only available in the United States - WTF?!
Smile.
All of which speaks to a healthy, curious mind not about to be put off or thwarted. And that's what you need to cultivate and work on, down there in the States! Don't be put off by the cost of travel. I live month to month too (Hello, artist; waving!) but I've been to New York, London, Paris and Venice in my time. It all comes down to how badly do you want it and what you're willing to give up...
But only so as to exchange it for something priceless. :)
And while I'm definitely not willing to visit the expense and ordeal of attending University so as to qualify on paper for admission to a Club where you can only get in, if you know one of its members and they've recommended you to the "gang" - assuming it's even possible for a Canadian, I would be willing however to condescend so far as to draw and paint the building from a distance, say that little park across the street. And then get it nicely framed and send it to the Club as a "gift".
Because that would never impress anyone to the point where they'd invite you over for a drink to say thanks.
Grin.
Ebert: I have a feeling if you submitted your art school diploma and a painting, they might let you in. But if you didn't live in Chicago, the annual fee wouldn't make any sense. (Even though you could save some money by using their guest rooms.) Maybe they have a non-resident fee.
They're very friendly. Tell you what. If you're in Chicago, just walk in and ask if you could have a quick tour (not at lunch time--mid-afternoon). Say I recommended that you do that. Take along a printout of this, to show as a last resort.
To me, it's a little of London in Chicago. The Cathedral Hall, three stories high and nine stories above Michigan Ave, is inspired by Henry VIII's banqueting hall. Especially the College Hall, a room with long wooden tables lined with chairs, and a cafeteria line. Very little conversation. Most members dining alone. One table laid out with newspapers and magazines. Good sound "school food"--beef stew, broiled chicken, brussels sprouts, lasagna, shepherd's pie, potatoes, rice pudding, pie, stuff like that.
Between screenings, I used to walk over there, eat a quick lunch and read in a big overstuffed chair in the Library. Chaz and I took Paul Theroux there to dinner once, and he checked out the library for his books. They had about a dozen. Have a look. Now they're all autographed.
Venice! All the movies you've seen are the truth.
Even Top Hat?
Ebert: Oh, sure.
You touched on it in the post, but how much does only speaking English affect your stays in foreign countries? As someone who is considering spending a semester abroad or applying for something like a Fulbright after undergrad, I don't like to think of myself as limited in the places I can go.
Ebert: I have done all right as a tourist, but to spend a semester one would be well-advised to know some of the language, I suspect. I speak a little French, but even in France my English gets me farther than my French. Emphasis on "my."
Mr. Ebert,
Who wouldn't trade a job at an accounting firm in the industrial Stamford, Connecticut with one in Cork, Ireland, with its verdant rolling hills a hike away? I fear that if too many people travel outside the US, they wouldn't return.
By Tor Ramsey on March 18, 2009 12:00 AM
This may be the only time I have disagreed most with RE.
I am afraid that a statement such as this is indicative of the fact that you are truly not a person of this world, but instead living comfortably in the atmosphere which you have worked so hard to have earned and which affords you the opportunity to delve into that which you implore others to partake in which most of the population are unable t do for the simple reason that most of us find it difficult to do as such without sacrificing our family's lifestyle and our children's education.
Your average American would LOVE, LOVE,LOVE to see the world. But does one make that a priority over putting food on the table for their child? Or putting away savings in preparation for the time when that day will come?
then how would you explain our friend chipper jones who has played for 16 years, made in excess of 200 million dollars. yet apparently would prefer a 4.99 all you can eat buffet to the allan gardens
yes i looked that up
Your timing of this post is apt; I just took my younger brother to the airport after his yearly spring break trip to visit me in Dallas from our parents' home in Kansas. As dearly as I love my little brother, he is the stereotypical small town American who can not imagine a better place than our 1500 soul hometown and can't comprehend why anyone would want to go to some land where they speak gibberish. He has no idea why I frequent the parts of Dallas where I can't read the languages on the signs.
I'm a poor grad student who, right now, can't afford the time or the money to travel internationally. That's changing as soon as I graduate, when I intend to jet off for three weeks in Italy, going from Padova to Rome. It will be my second time in Europe; the first was the summer I turned 16. I came back from Europe a changed woman, not because of any great sight, but because I realized that differences are intoxicating. The fear, the feeling of displacement, the strangeness, all create a feeling of living another far superior life. What drug can compare?
Thanks for the tip on Simenon; I've never read him.
Ebert: There are two flavors of Simenon: (1) his novels about Inspector Maigret; (2) his "straight" novels, which Paul Theroux argued in the Times Literary Supplement were comparable, perhaps superior, to Camus. Simenon wrote nearly 200 novels, all of the same high standard. His books have sold 550 million copies.
The New York Review of Books Press has issued inexpensive editions of several of his "straight" novels:
http://www.nybooks.com/nyrb/book-search?q=Georges+Simenon
Dear Mr Ebert,
I'm currently studying at university, and to be honest I'm pretty ground down by it. For the last few weeks the only thing thats been keeping me going is the thought of a few days in Milan during the holiday all by myself (the best way to travel.) I love travelling though I haven't done much (I'm British, been to Italy a few times, France, Spain, Belgium, Ireland.) To get to the point, last night I looked at my bank account and realised I'm near broke and reluctantly gave up my travel plans (I'm going to do the Transiberian Express soon, and of course university is expensive.) However on reading your blog, I can safely say you have revitalised me, and made me determined that whether by begging, borrowing or stealing, I shall get my travel experience. I've got my books planned (all a bit obscure, and in keeping with the theme, all Italian-authored- Boccacio, Italo Calvino, Dante etc). Wish me luck, and thank you very much for giving me a much needed mental kick to get moving.
Thanks and best wishes
Anya
P.S. Americans who I know, tend to be lovely people, but there is often a slight hint of 'America is best' and I've had American friends quite indignantly ask why we don't have things like waffles, Hersheys chocolate, popsicles etc in England. Which reminds me though I'm sure you know this- Cadburys chocolate is much better than Hersheys
Ebert: Waffles? Why go all the way to Eng-a-lund for waffles, when you can get the best at the Squat & Gobble Cafe in Bluffton, S.C.?
Also (apologies for the double post) I would like to reply to Paul, and point out that actually work times and school times are just as restrictive in some parts of Europe as they are in America. The difference is wanting to make time to travel. The money factor also. Both my parents have good jobs, yes, but they also have six children. I'm certain that sacrifices must have been made along the way to take us to Italy and Spain etc, to give us three weeks in Rome and the other places we have been as a family. It's a matter of priorities. What is more important? Giving your children a broad well-rounded view of the world and their place in it (i.e. they are they not the centre of the universe, and yes there are other languages than English) by paying for travel, education etc, or by buying the latest TV/ newest car?
Besides it doesn't make sense to argue through price- my family (without me- but still 7 people in total) have been to America and Canada to travel which given the sorry state of the pound is far more expensive
This blog brought back the memory of the short film-
Paris je taime 14th arrondissement/alexander payne (available on youtube). A movie does not have to be several hours long to leave a memory.
ramana
Greetings Roger and fellow readers!
When I was in my late 20’s I was the sports editor of a weekly newspaper in St. Stephen, New Brunswick, a community that straddles and shares the U.S.-Canadian border with Calais, Maine. Our coverage area included Washington County, Maine.
One night, I covered a high school basketball game in Woodland, Maine (situated roughly 15 minutes drive from the border). During half time I had a very pleasant conversation with a 75-year-old resident of Woodland (who had lived his entire life in the community) and who had never been to Canada despite its very close proximity. I was struck by an utter lack of curiosity on the part of the man. Since that extraordinary conversation I’ve been left to wonder of how typical this might be.
I’m raising this experience not to pass judgment. I find Americans to be generally very nice people who are active in their disdain for pretension; a rather endearing quality.
As an aside, my most recent motion picture experience was the 1935 classic ‘‘G’ Men’, featuring the great James Cagney and Barton MacLane. This movie also marked the debut of Lloyd Nolan (one of the best character actors ever produced by the U.S.A.). Nolan’s last film was the highly memorable 1986 film ‘Hannah and Her Sisters.’ Superb entry and an even better exit!
Chris Alders
Nova Scotia, Canada
Ebert: I have a feeling if you submitted your art school diploma and a painting, they might let you in. But if you didn't live in Chicago, the annual fee wouldn't make any sense. (Even though you could save some money by using their guest rooms.) Maybe they have a non-resident fee.
They're very friendly. Tell you what. If you're in Chicago, just walk in and ask if you could have a quick tour (not at lunch time--mid-afternoon). Say I recommended that you do that. Take along a printout of this, to show as a last resort.
To me, it's a little of London in Chicago. The Cathedral Hall, three stories high and nine stories above Michigan Ave, is inspired by Henry VIII's banqueting hall. Especially the College Hall, a room with long wooden tables lined with chairs, and a cafeteria line. Very little conversation. Most members dining alone. One table laid out with newspapers and magazines. Good sound "school food"--beef stew, broiled chicken, brussels sprouts, lasagna, shepherd's pie, potatoes, rice pudding, pie, stuff like that.
Between screenings, I used to walk over there, eat a quick lunch and read in a big overstuffed chair in the Library. Chaz and I took Paul Theroux there to dinner once, and he checked out the library for his books. They had about a dozen. Have a look. Now they're all autographed.
By Anonymous?!
No it wasn't - that was me, Marie Haws! Did I forget to sign my own post?! Damn. I told you the University Club stopped me in my tracks. :)
And it really did! Not just because it's a splendid building with fine interiors but rather and more importantly, I really, really like what they claim to represent, encourage and support. They want you to aim as high as you can; the goal? To reach your own potential! For I read everything Roger, I don't just look at pictures - and these guys support arty types!
UNIVERSITY CLUB HISTORY
Established in 1887 by university graduates who wanted a special place where they could enjoy intellectual pursuits, the University Club of Chicago was founded for the purpose of fostering an appreciation of literature and the arts. College or university graduation remains the basic requirement for membership, and within the membership nearly every business and profession is represented.
And how cool is THAT?!
Every city in the United States should have a such a club. And every child the education required to enter one. For I can well imagine what your country would look like then.
The world.
Meanwhile, and because you've made me hungry now with your talk of lasagna, it's off to the kitchen to cook! But I will indeed print this out for the next time I can afford a plane ticket, I want to see Chicago. I want to pet one of the lions outside the Art Institute while keeping an eye out for Batman, and explore the Jazz clubs and humiliate myself at a poetry slam, and sink my soul into the library at the University Club - and leave behind a cartoon of Roger Ebert where someone can stumble upon it while looking to read Theroux. :)
Signed Marie Haws from Canada
Ebert: I could tell it was you.
"Jabber" is a word commonly used around my community, family, and friends.
Especially when I speak the little mandarin I know to them.
Theyve never realized that ive only said one sentence over and over.
They never will.
Is it possible to be homesick for a place youve never been?
If it is, im terribly ill.
As partially evidenced by some of the students who have written in, it's prudent to note that study abroad is becoming increasingly popular among American university students. I speak as an American university student who spent this last fall semester studying abroad in Scotland (isn't Edinburgh wonderful?). Of my friends, both at my university in CA and others, one studied abroad in Dublin, another in London, and another in Paris. The one who went to Paris is now studying in Jordan, and another friend plans to spend next year in Hungary. My best friend flew to Cairns, Australia for two weeks to hang out with an army friend on leave from Iraq. I myself plan on traveling much more than the tiny bit I've done so far, but at least I've been London, Paris, Milan, Venice, Florence, Assisi, Rome, Naples, the Meteora region of Greece, Athens, and Corinth. And New York, since to a California boy that's somewhat foreign too.
My point is merely that despite the despairing nature of many Americans' experience with the outside world, I think it is improving. I know tons of people who have traveled, and of the ones who haven't, I know none who look down on the idea in the least. The study abroad program at my university gets hundreds of students outside the U.S. each year, and our undergrad population is only about 8000. And the program is growing.
Travel is wonderful, travel is life-changing...travel is cool. That's the consensus I hear among my peers at university.
But at the same time, it's awfully nice to come home too. When I talked to my friend after she became back from Paris, she told me that for all the diversity and liberal views there, it felt so much more restrictive than here. "What a relief," she said, "to come back to California where anyone can relax and be anything they're comfortable with, and nobody cares!" But then, it WAS Paris, after all...
A couple of weeks ago I lamented aloud that my passport does not have any stamps, and it will expire next year. A coworker admitted that he too is due to renew his passport and, like mine, it is blank. I have driven across country twice. Lived and worked, or gone to a university, in seven states. I've been to the Bahamas and Tijuana, Mexico. A passport wasn't required when I traveled. I am determined to go somewhere. I gotta get a stamp.
Ebert: Toronto Film Festival? Or just plain Canada?
Roger,
reply to your earlier query: "El Norte" went very well. The students found it more uplifting for its portrayal of filial piety and the protagonists adherence to cultural values, than it being a downer for the sad note that it ends with. One student even referred to it as an epic, which up until that time I had not considered it as such because of its indie roots. I am now inclined to agree with him that El Norte just might be the first Indie epic.
The joy of being able to watch and appreciate foreign movies in a place like China with my chinese friends is the fact that they generally are not impervious to reading subtitles. Their curiosity for wanting to know more far outweighs the inconvenience of laboring through reading titles.
After the very positive response I got from "sahara" I had decided to show them an even more vintage hollywood classic, and hence "The Third Man". But I am afraid my reasons for doing so were a bit selfish. I mostly wanted to be there when they saw it for their first time and live out the experience vicariously.
To date this year thus far, the most enthusiastic reception they have given was for the movie "A River runs through it".
If there is one thing I have love best about my travels its the fact that just when I think I have figured a place out, I find out that there is no such formula. And the need to discover more is awakened again.
Ebert: I've forwarded this to Gregory Nava and Anna Thomas, who made "El Norte."
Mr. Somers: As a teacher, I find remarkable narrow-mindedness. Teenagers will not watch foreign films, or black and white films, or even films over five years old, feeling they are somehow "beneath them." One student refused to see foreign or older films saying "If they're any good, they'll remake them."
This attitude, I find, applies to culture and nations as well. They see no need to travel, because they feel every other culture is inferior to their own. When presented with portrayals or artifacts of other cultures, they usually find them laughable, because they are so very different, and therefore so very wrong.
...Wow, that makes me feel so awesome about my age demographic. XD. I have never asked people about foreign films, but I myself enjoyed "Pan's Labyrinth" quite a bit, along with subtitled Japanese anime, among other things. Most of the people that watch foreign films are of a minority themselves, including my Indian friend with a vast knowledge of Bollywood romantic comedies.
As for my travels, I was born in China, incidentally, but adopted out at a year old -- I have lived in the United States for my entire life after that first year in China. I yearn to see Japan, but as far as I've gone is a mere jaunt to New York City, Washington DC, a rather disastrous trip to Mexico, and to Germany.
I enjoyed Germany quite a bit. I liked checking out the Gothic and Baroque architecture, and visiting the grand palaces (Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein) was very interesting.
I enjoy reading about other cultures and consider interfaith/interculture dialogues excellent sources of understanding. Quite a few of my friends are second-generation Asians or Middle Easterners whose parents immigrated to the United States. They still retain their sense of culture, which I, as an adopted child, envy. I think it's wonderful. I attended the same Indian girl's Diwali festival and enjoyed watching the dancing.
My parents, when I was younger, attempted to integrate me into Chinese culture via attendance at lunar festivals and the like. I never felt very comfortable there. It seemed that everyone else was in their own domain, their own kingdom -- I could enter such a palace and look upon its treasures, but I would never have the understanding that was their birthright.
I tried to learn Chinese (even today, I can still do some of the vowels), but the teacher did not speak English and Chinese was obviously never spoken at home. I still feel pangs of regret when people come up to me and ask me to read Chinese script or Japanese kanji when I cannot.
Most of my interests in other cultures stray towards Eurasia, incidentally. I plan on learning either Japanese, Gaelic, or Latin and furthering my studies in Spanish. My school is actually fairly diverse -- in my history class alone we have one black, two Hispanic, one Asian (myself), one Middle-Eastern, and a German student.
I was going to go to Venice last summer, but I had to stay at home to finish a summer math class so I could be advanced. I hope to visit the city sometime, and also wish to travel to Greece, St. Petersburg, and even Australia and parts of South America. My father is very well-traveled with the nature of his work as a professor, and often talks about his escapades in Bolivia and Argentina, much to my mother's chagrin. XD.
I think it'd be great to travel the world. I can't wait to go to college and apply as a student abroad somewhere! :D
- A kid.
Ebert: It appears to me you are on the right path. With this early trajectory you have wonders in your future.
I understand that you would like to read Chinese script or Japanese kanji, but I don't understand why people assume you can. Well, I do understand. That annoys my close Japanese-American friends, as if because they look Asian they should somehow have knowledge of an Asian language in their genes. No one assumes I can speak German or Irish (few people know there is an Irish language, and it isn't English).
My father was a businessman and when he retired he joined the Peace Corps. He was in the Philippines for 3 years on Leyte Island. He worked in a bank approving low interest loans to start-up small businesses. He loved it but he caught malaria on a trip out to the banana fields. He recovered but there were recurrent fevers.
"Over our meal, at his dictation, we noted down some of his friends we should look up: The doorman at the Imperial in Hong Kong, the maitre 'd at Raffles, a friendly bar man at Claridge's."
If your traveling companion from Houston was on familiar terms with staff at Raffles (Singapore) and Claridge's (London), I doubt if he'd stay in the Imperial in Hong Kong.
I think you mean The Mandarin; possibly The Peninsula.
Ebert: That was 18 years ago and you're right. The Peninsula.
My first trip abroad was to London. On my very first afternoon, I bought a paper and a Coke at a newsstand. I jammed a hand into my back pocket to fish out some pocket change, just as I do every day in the US, opened my fist...
...And had no idea what these round pieces of metal were for.
They were all different shapes and sizes from the coins I was used to. One of them was made of _two_ different kinds of metal. And every face was the same! And it was a _dame!_
I had a panic attack that lasted all of 1.2 seconds.
Fortunately, I regained my composure in time to drop an illiterate guess as to the proper quantity and variety of coins to cover my purchases. I took my change and left the shop with a keen sense of how parochial my lack of foreign travel had made me.
I've added several nations to my life list since then. I was pretty surprised when I my usual Red Cross donor center turned me away during the pre-screening; in the previous month, I'd spent time in two different Central American malaria zones, and thus had won myself a yearlong ban from blood donation.
But as I walked back to my car I was pretty proud of myself. "He's traveled too extensively" is a much cooler reason to be banned than "he got a bad tattoo in someone's garage."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1871_Great_Chicago_Fire
Surviving structures
* St. Michael's Church, Old Town
* Chicago Water Tower
OKOK, it is more than a hundered years, but this I was referring to.
But if we are discussing fourty years...
And by no means a wanted to belittle the wonderful Chicago architecture. It is marvelous and well worth a trip in itself. While I have not been to New York yet, no other inner city even came close to the awe-inspiring structures along Michigan Ave.
Some cities seem to try, but nothing beats the original, I think.
But thanks for the 'objection', it gave me a few names to look up. (And I will throw in a certain Simon & Garfunkel CD later.)
Ebert: Therefore a lot of Chicago buildings necessarily date from the 1870s. Blame it on Mrs. O'Leary's cow. But there are more than two structures predating the fire, and this may be the oldest, from 1836:
http://chicago.about.com/od/neighborhoodshistory/ig/Photos-of-the-Clarke-House-/
"Four years ago in spring, I went to London at the invitation of Dr. Toynbee for my second meeting with the British historian. After spending five days talking with him, I went to Paris, and from there rode a train for two hours to the Loire. Clear streams washing grassy banks, flocks of sheep, steeples of ancient castles, paths where birds chirped, quiet woods, flowers in full bloom, ageless farmhouses built of stone --- in such surroundings stood the ivy-covered house where Leonardo da Vinci spent his later years. In the bedroom where he ended his life there was a copper plate on which were engraved his words:
A substantial life is long.
Meaningful days give one a good sleep.
A fulfilled life gives one a quiet death.
C. G. Jung said, "From the middle of life onward, only he remains vitally alive who is ready to die with life." [C. G. Jung, The Meaning of Death (New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc., 1959), p. 6.] Jung's remark probably originated from his belief that the latter half of one's life is especially important. In a way, however, to be ready to "die with life" may be necessary throughout one's lifetime. Perhaps we can say that only those with such a determination will prove to have lived a truly vital life."
SGI President Daisaku Ikeda,1978
Having travelled most of the world, I am always puzzled when listening to my students' comments in my English classes. Most students seem to be proud of having never left the great American soil or even their native state, for that matter. Someone wisely said, "Speaking one language is like living in a huge mansion and staying only in one room." No, as Ebert said, we don't have to learn another language to travel, given the Anglophonic aspirations of the rest of the world. There must be something else that prevents Americans from venturing abroad: prejudice, ignorance and narrow-mindedness. After all, a trip to a local Wal-Mart is much more satisfying to replenish the storehouse of fatty foods than a trip where one could experience something new, exciting, healthy and educational -- "Boring, pointless and, what? I have to think AND learn something? My brain is about to explode!"
Your latest epistle is wonderfully thought provoking.
As a European (no longer a mere Brit) I have been on a travel binge since I was a teenager.
Upon leaving school we were encouraged to buy a rail ticket that said go anywhere in Europe for a month. the only thing stopping you now my boy is time and imagination. Take a few books, a small bag, a camera and not much money. Put the sun on your back and travel young man.
Years and over 50 countries later, as an employer I always scanned resumes to the bottom where personal interests lay. If the word travel was present I knew I had a potential keeper. The correlation was striking.
Leaving what you know expands your experience and ultimately your mind.
Rob
Ebert: I began traveling in the age of the charter flight and the Eurail Pass.
They still offer them. Also, in India, the Indrail pass.
http://www.railpass.com/
Eurail Global Pass from only $446
Eurail Select 3 Country Pass from only $283
German Rail Pass from only $211
Eurail Italy Pass from only $161
Amtrak USA Rail Pass from only $389
By Chris M on March 17, 2009 9:02 PM
I once sat in Florence looking at the Statue Of David for about an hour. I think that if Michelangelo had made the statue female, I'd still be sitting there.
I so totally understand. Never really had an appreciation for Michelangelo until my trip to Italy. Getting to view the Sistine Chapel after restoration, the Moses statue and David, I understood why Michelangelo is considered the greatest artist ever. David moved me in ways I have never been moved by art before... I think I recall a tear running down my cheek, amazed at such beauty. While appreciating the Moses statue, I really believed that I had seen him breathe once, out of the corner of my eye. Looking at pictures of them in books didn't create any emotional connection from me. Standing in front of them was a life altering experience.
[b]Ebert: I confess I have never heard of Reynolds.[/b]
Well, you're not alone. He's almost completely obscure today, but in his day his penny dreadfuls outsold Dickens, much to the Master's chagrin. Dickens won out in the end, of course, but in his day, Reynolds was ranked among the most important living British authors. Check out the 1975 Dover publication of Wagner the Wehr-Wolf, which has a fascinating forward that talks about their rivalry - though the text itself, a deliciously trashy (and wacky) Victorian Gothic, should be sufficient to reveal Dicken's disgust. I imagine Dickens working on a draft of Hard Times, reading Reynolds, shaking his head, and grumbling, "I can't believe I'm losing to this guy!" In any case, reading Reynolds and understanding his rivalry with Dickens only enhances one's reading of them both. There comes a point, as a student of world literature, that I realize that once I have become familiar with the great texts, the next step is to find the not-quite great texts from which the Masters rose and ultimately won. The perspectives they provide inform the quality of the classics, and most of them are fun reads in their own right. (Reynold's "Mysteries of London" is pretty fantastic too, though I think Wagner represents him at the height of his talents.)
Ebert: Alibris has "Mysteries," but I'm not ready for 1,000 page of penny-dreadfulness.
We don't travel much, but part of that is geography. The US is the 3rd or 4th largest country in the world and only borders two other countries.
I've driven from Texas to Canada, which is about 1,600 miles. That got me two countries and one language.
A slightly shorter drive in Europe (and I checked this on GoogleMaps) will get you from Madrid to Berlin, hitting France and Belgium along the way. A detour to the Netherlands gets you five countries and four major languages by car.
The only way to accomplish four language-specific areas in the Americas by car is to drive from Montreal to Brazil.
"this will not be a column boasting about my travels to every continent except Australia and Antarctica..."
The next great land rush will occur once this 1,500 year climatological warming opens up Antarctica again. Another 100 years from now and people might witness a final eartly frontier battled over, without any indigenous peoples to get in the way.
http://www.ncpa.org/pub/st279
After Antarctica, the next big breakthrough will be space colonization, our only hope for lasting survival. Sooner or later, an object is going to collide with earth and we will have no backup file of our kind, so to speak. :)
http://www.watoday.com.au/national/asteroid-plays-chicken-with-earth-20090304-8not.html
When will travel extend beyond the globe? When it has to, at first.
I love reading your journal, Roger! Thanks for another terrific read.
I am trying to upload to YouTube one of my favourite scenes from Frasier, which feels rather apt for this discussion. My being a luddite seems to preclude me from making friends with YouTube's interface, mind you. Story of my life...
If I don't manage it, I will post a transcript.
Outside of Russia and Canada the U.S is the largest nation geographically. Furthermore, unlike those nations it's entirely habitable. Also, it's geographically isolated from other first world countries. I say this not to justify the fact that many american's haven't traveled abroad but to explain it. While, I'm still young and plan to travel abroad; I would none the less consider myself to be verily well traveled I've been to most states and every major city including four months I lived in California. It's so much easier to travel in the U.S because you don't have to get a passport or book a flight and there's so much to explore.
Thanks for reminding me how crappy I feel about not traveling abroad (or out of the central time zone). At the moment I am a college student living on financial so the finances aren't really available at the moment, but I do hope, after taking at least two semesters of Spanish to take advantage of study abroad programs to take a semester in Spain or South America. Or, perhaps I could fake being a Christian to become a missionary.
Know that you have me thinking about it, I have a friend whose couch I could possibly crash on if I could raise the funds for a plane ticket. Your getting me thinking, Roger, your getting me thinking...
I'm so happy to find your blog today and read this post especially!
Last year for Christmas my fiance gave me my passport -- he downloaded the paperwork for me to fill out, took me to the courthouse on a mutual day off, paid for all of it. With the downturn I didn't think we'd ever have a chance to travel anytime soon, but the faretracker I'd set for a ridiculously low price to Amsterdam finally went off -- and I couldn't ignore it. We will be spending most of our two weeks with my brother-in-law and his family, leaving us with extra money to spend for the few days we are in Paris. What's the best rijsttafel buffet? I can't wait to try it!
Ebert: I can't say. It may have something to do with how much you're willing to spend. One site says the best rijstaffel buffet in Amsterdam is $50. Yet I've seen $10 quoted, not for a buffet to be sure but for a served plate.
I live in Denver and meet native Coloradans who have never been to the mountains. The mountains are 30 miles away.
On the other hand, we drove to California last summer, stopping at the Grand Canyon for two days on the way. There were many people there in August and most of them were European and Japanese. This is a destination which is best described as remote. One guy I talked to was from England; he had hiked the bottom of the Canyon six times since he was a teenager. An English family I photographed with their camera had come there from our west coast after a trip around the world.
Thanks for this post! I think the world grows smaller as we expand our boundraries!
Point well taken and well received regarding my earlier post.
A quick question, asked completely objectively --- in regards to your imploring folks as to the neccessity of travel to broaden one's mind, what say you to the following statement: If we could understand the cigar store next door, wouldn't that be as amazing as climbing Mount Everest?
P.S. By the way, you did a series in one of your books, "If you've seen this, then see this, and here's why" A request submitted to PLEASE bring back an updated list in a future blog. (RE: This blog and 2001 vs. Me Dinner With Andre)
Ebert: In response to your question: In what sense would I need to understand the cigar store? Because my first answer would be "no."
I had always dreamed of travelling. Ever since I first read "Call It Courage" as a 6 year old.
So one day I did. It was that easy. Quit my job, sold my stuff, bought a one-way ticket to Bangkok, and off I went. The hardest part was walking down that boarding gate because, after that, it was out of my hands.
That was 9 years ago, and I don't regret a thing. I travelled Asia till my bank account was nearly empty, bought another one way ticket (this time to Taiwan) and have been here since. I'm home now, on the far side of the world, immersed in a culture and language not my own but somehow more comfortable than that of my country of origin.
I guess my point is that travelling is often looked at as an escape, leaving something behind, a "vanishing act". In my case, it ended up being the opposite. Something which has given my life a direction and meaning it never had before. I never realized that I had never felt at home when I was "at home'. Instead, I found my place somewhere I would have never thought to look, and never would have, had it not been for that one impulsive act.
Ebert: I wonder if moving your life halfway around the world means you are somehow more there, because it's a decision you made and didn't simply accept. In Cape Town, I often thought, "I am here." In Chicago, I don't give it a thought.
Have you considered coming to Australia? I think you'd love it here.
The Melbourne International Film Festival (Australia's biggest Film Festival) would be the perfect excuse for you to visit. You would receive a very warm welcome, could easily become a Festival Guest and would get the opportunity to check out one of Australia's most sophisticated cities - rich with culture, vibrant art and based on an extraordinary natural environment.
Ebert: I have long yearned to. I think of Melbourne as Chicago and Sydney as New York. Am I wrong?
What a timely article - my husband is currently in Hangzhou, China (his first overseas trip) for five weeks, to help my stepfather through a medical treatment he is getting there. The atmosphere he describes at a hospital filled with international patients (recieving non-controversial stem cell treatments) is one of such kindness among people who cannot even communicate. The loneliness without him is overwhelming - your words are comforting. Travel on :)
I'll retract the question because upon a second reading of your initial remarks, I was incorrect in my perception that the argument was being implied that travel is neccesary in order to broaden one's mind or truly experience the world.
I was paraphrasing the quote from "My Dinner With Andre". Were the argument I just mentioned your point, it would draw an interesting parallel to the opposing philosophies of the Wallace Shawn character versus Andre.
Just to be sure, I tracked down the screenplay/transcript from "Andre" and here is the actual statement from "Wally": "I mean, isn't it a little upsetting to come to the conclusion that there's no way to wake people up any more? Except to involve them in some kind of a strange christening in Poland, or some kind of a strange experience on top of Mount Everest? I mean, because you know, the awful thing is that if you're really saying that it's necessary to take everybody to Everest, it's really tough! Because everybody can't be taken to Everest!..........Tell me: why do we require a trip to Mount Everest in order to be able to perceive one moment of reality? I mean...I mean: is Mount Everest more "real" than New York? I mean, isn't New York "real"? I mean, you see, I think if you could become fully aware of what existed in the cigar store next door to this restaurant, I think it would just blow your brains out! I mean...I mean, isn't there just as much "reality" to be perceived in the cigar store as there is on Mount Everest?"
Ebert: Ummm. Yes, true. There is as much reality in this room, but I don't want to stay here all the time.
Is there any possibility some of those 90% who say they've never been out of the country might have forgotten little weekend jaunts to Canada or Mexico? This thought, of course, comes from me, who once had to drive from Iowa to upstate New York, and thought, "why not take the scenic route through Ontario?"
The number just seems too low considering how many military personnel have had overseas assignments.
I'm late to the game, but I feel it's still worth mentioning what appears to be a false dichotomy here.
Yes, one should see and experience as much of the world as possible. Yes, the United States is an uncommonly large and diverse country in which you can see a lot without ever crossing a border. Why does it have to be one or the other?
Perhaps the greatest gift my parents ever gave me and my brothers, among many, was a childhood of extensive domestic travel. Five people and assorted pets seeking out "red routes" (not interstates) in a camping trailer. Once we were away from home four months and visited more than 30 states.
When I made it to Europe, beginning in high school, I felt grateful for those early experiences. If someone from your host country asks you about America, it feels good to have an answer that doesn't involve Disneyland.
I think when kids are packed off on foreign adventures before they get a sense of the country they're leaving, they're enjoying a dubious privilege at best.
Jesus, I'm spending entirely too much time reading your blog, Roger; I knew it was Marie, also.
Another book-locating resource for ya, Roger: http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchEntry. They've got 33 Wagner, the Wehr-Wolfs available (some collectible quality, I'm sure...I haven't looked at the details). And Amazon has it at http://www.amazon.com/Wagner-Wehr-Wolf-George-W-M-Reynolds/dp/1605203459/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1237577225&sr=8-1 if you're just looking for a reading copy.
Ebert: When it comes to Victorian Gothic, I like Wilkie Collins.
This entry made me want to head for the docks in Seattle.
Returned from 3+ weeks in Italy about a month ago. We try to go every 4 years and I planned this itinerary so that we spent about a week with relatives in Rome, 5 days in Florence by ourselves, most of a week in the Milan area with different relatives, and the balance of our trip in Venice on our own...and one day/night in Verona between Milan & Venice.
We always say we need to broaden horizons beyond Italy but we have the best time with the relations, people to who my husband is related because his mother was born there. But she left the country when she was 18 months old and she is in her late 70s now. We are welcomed as though they've seen us all of our lives, always been a part of their lives. They'll never come see us, there's no payback, and I know we are so fortunate.
So you've said before. That reminds me of a trivia question I (thought I) posted in that blog when I asked you if you'd shitcanned my post: What do Wilkie Collins and Wendell Willkie have in common (other than the obvious homophony, that is)?
Ebert: How have I forgotten the answer?
So you've said before. That reminds me of a trivia question I (thought I) posted in that blog when I asked you if you'd shitcanned my post: What do Wilkie Collins and Wendell Willkie have in common (other than the obvious homophony, that is)?
Ebert: Can't believe I forgot the answer.
Aaaargh!
Banging my head on my keyboard! I forgot again! I clicked "submit" and then suddenly - gasp! - noticed that there was no name supplied to the post I'd just written! And so I scrambled and typed "Marie Haws" in the space provided but got no farther before it sailed off to Chicago!
I know that YOU can tell it's me now, even if there's no name attached to one of my posts, but I like to sign my mud pies, so drats; as something tells me it's gonna show up as "anonymous".
Thank you for the article and your fellow travelers who commented on the wonders outside our borders.
For me, my trip must be in the mind as I live vicariously through the blogs and photo uploads of others who have been lucky enough to enjoy their time seeing this planet.
Keep in mind that for a large group of Americans, working over 40 hours a week is the norm just to make a middling living. A $46 per day cruise for 14 days is really a great deal and factoring in frugal living expenses during that time would make it around $1,000. For the workers of America, though, that equates to those dollars plus the time off we could never afford financially because people depend on us. Aside from sick time and until recently, I have never had the luxury of taking more than a week off since graduating from college a couple decades ago.
There are undoubtedly different paths in life that would have led me to clinking glasses with this blog's travelers as we dined in that little restaurant that usually only the locals know in Katmandu. Next time I find myself in Barnes and Nobles reading travel magazines because it is the only place open after I get off of work and they are kind enough never to remind me that they are not a library, I'll think of you folks and hope you write about where you've been.
Dear Anna and Ali, in keeping up with optimum health, I have been limiting my time in front of the computer screen and also pursuing other activities that do not require one to be largely sedentary. You know, we're not getting any younger. Roger will be happy to know that I have been reading, under good lighting conditions, mind you, to fill up some of the time. I am a notoriously slow reader, and an even slower writer. Heck, even snails scoff at me.
Anyway, thanks for remembering.
Ebert: You were missed. But good walking!
By the way: Google 10,000 steps a day.
Ebert: Toronto Film Festival? Or just plain Canada?
Toronto Film Festival? No, I'll be on my annual pilgrimage to Chicago.
Plain Canada? Maybe. A few years ago a friend suggested making a run to Canada to get my passport stamped.
By Robert of Taoyuan City, Taiwan on March 20, 2009 10:24 PM
"Dear Anna and Ali, in keeping up with optimum health, I have been limiting my time in front of the computer screen..."
I have missed your wit and wonderful writing style but I can understand the need to seek other, more invigorating scenes outside. Spring is here! There was a surprise snow flurry here in Switzerland just as I left the house yesterday morning. Of course, as soon as I returned home, the sun came out. ;-) But, as one of the last flurries of the season, I cherished each flake. I have imagined you rambling through the english countryside, absorbing the atmosphere of Mrs. Gaskell's England. Anna
Ebert: Sometimes it strikes me just how wonderful the web really is. Anna in Switzerland chatting with Robert in Taiwan about Mrs. Gaskell's England, and me in Chicago observing this, and I'm no Heisenberg.
I learned many years ago, and so many of your writers know, once bitten by the travel bug, there is no cure. That itch must be satisfied, at all costs.
"I came across a statistic the other day that claimed only about ten percent of Americans have traveled outside their country. There is no reason for this. The recession is not an explanation; the survey was taken back when Bear, Sterns was still paying its rent..."
"There is no reason for this?" Regardless of Bear, Sterns' financial status, MY reason has always been the same. NO MONEY. I love travel. I've been to western and eastern Canada, Alaska, Mexico, Puerto Rico, London and the Benelux countries...but most of these have been financed by my employer as a means to an end (travel editorial). If it had been left up to my take home income and that of my currently unemployed husband, I'd still be at home reading travel books and surfing travel websites, yearning. Bargain accommodations notwithstanding, travel is expensive. Even cheap travel takes more money than I have to spare. Don't pin ugly American chauvinism on me...if I had it my way I'd spend 75% of my time traveling. It's a gorgeous, amazing world out there -- but with a mountain of debt that includes a twice refinanced mortgage and a late in life college education, funds to pay for its exploration (and the time it takes) are bloody hard to come by.
Ebert: I wouldn't pin a single thing on you. I applaud you.
That's a simple one: because the question never made it to the blog, thus my emailed query to you whether you'd shitcanned it. The post was really long, replied to comments by multiple posters, and I chose not to attempt to recreate it. Imagine, if you will, that this is the initial posing of the question...
Are you certain?
Final remarks for this intriguing blog, and I'll catch up with you on another one.
Submitted as a concession --- you were right and I was wrong.
I hope this makes some kind of sense as to why -- from the "My Dinner to Andre" quote to this one from "Good Will Hunting""
SEAN
So if I asked you about art you could
give me the skinny on every art book
ever written...Michelangelo?
You know a lot about him I bet. Life's
work, criticisms, political aspirations.
But you couldn't tell me what it smells
like in the Sistine Chapel. You've
never stood there and looked up at
that beautiful ceiling. And if I asked
you about women I'm sure you could
give me a syllabus of your personal
favorites, and maybe you've been laid
a few times too. But you couldn't
tell me how it feels to wake up next
to a woman and be truly happy. If I
asked you about war you could refer me
to a bevy of fictional and non-fictional
material, but you've never been in
one. You've never held your best
friend's head in your lap and watched
him draw his last breath, looking to
you for help. And if I asked you about
love I'd get a sonnet, but you've never
looked at a woman and been truly
vulnerable. Known that someone could
kill you with a look. That someone
could rescue you from grief.
That God had put an angel on Earth
just for you. And you wouldn't know
how it felt to be her angel. To have
the love be there for her forever.
Through anything, through cancer. You
wouldn't know about sleeping sitting
up in a hospital room for two months
holding her hand and not leaving because
the doctors could see in your eyes
that the term "visiting hours" didn't
apply to you. And you wouldn't know
about real loss, because that only
occurs when you lose something you
love more than yourself, and you've
never dared to love anything that much.
I look at you and I don't see an
intelligent confident man, I don't see
a peer, and I don't see my equal. I
see a boy. Nobody could possibly
understand you, right Will? Yet you
presume to know so much about me because
of a painting you saw. You must know
everything about me. You're an orphan,
right?
Do you think I would presume to know
the first thing about who you are
because I read "Oliver Twist?"
I respect you, Mr. Ebert and have been a fan of yours for well over 2 decades (I started watching you when he was half of the PBS version of the Siskel and Ebert show.
However, you are completely off base about this and have the same limited perspective of someone who has led a relatively comfortable life and enjoys a level of affluence such that you have no perspective on how many people in America live.
While you are correct that the recession is not the "excuse", the fact of the matter is that a great many people in the U.S. live paycheck to paycheck and it's been getting worse for the last decade. These are people who struggle to pay their bills and the idea of traveling abroad is as unfathomable as ever buying an actual new car as opposed to some used piece of junk. There are huge numbers of people who would need to literally save for a decade (or more) to be able to afford a plane ticket to Europe or an Asian country, and that's assuming no serious medical or family disaster occurs on the way. There are people who worry about running out of milk or being able to pay for heating fuel because the money runs out before the next paycheck arrives.
There is a huge portion of the U.S. which are poor who are not willfully staying away from foreign countries, but simply have far too many priorities to even entertain that luxury. The people who can sit back and judge them for never having traveled abroad are fortunate that their lives have afforded them such freedom. I'm not even saying such freedom comes with financial ease for many who travel abroad as I know a lot of people work and save to travel, but rather that there are other people for whom it is absolutely out of the question unless they make significant sacrifices (like buying their kids school clothes this year).
I know because I grew up surrounded by such people and I was one of them. Though I did travel to Japan and live there now, I was the exception. My first ticket to Japan came after two years of saving while working two jobs, my sister giving me her income tax return money out of the kindness of her heart, and my boyfriend (now my husband) covering all the expenses during my stay in Japan. Even that would never have happened if I'd have been living on my own at the time instead of with my parents (and therefore not paying rent or even my own insurance expenses).
This whole article seems hypocritical to me because you mention prejudice against people and how travel will help you conquer it, but there is prejudice against Americans in the very premise of what you have said. You make assumptions about disinterest and small minds, but you have nothing more than your own biased opinion to back this up. Americans, when they do travel abroad, are more interested in native culture and cuisine and make a greater effort to learn the indigenous languages than travelers from other countries according to a survey of hoteliers and restaurateurs that was published last year. When they do travel, they are less likely than Europeans and Asians to judge their surroundings or to hide from local culture by sticking in tour groups. This is hardly an indication of insular thinking or a lack of desire to expand their cultural horizons.
Ebert: I understand your reasoning and have responded to similar points at several places above. Scroll looking for boldface.
My basic point was not that everyone should travel, but that I hope they would yearn to, as you so obviously did.
Traveling is all a matter of choice.
Before starting college, I spent a year living in Europe. Before I left and when I came back, everyone was saying: you are so lucky! You travelled!
I was not lucky, I worked 70 hours a week during an entire summer to have enough money. I never had a car, even if I had a license for a very long time. A car cost just as much money as a trip to Europe; I decided traveling was more important. I just take the bus everywhere I go.
You were talking about your 75 cents salary for your trip; I traveled twice to Europe by saving my money I was getting from baby-sitting at nights. 3$ an hour. How many hours did I work to pay my plane ticket to London? Way too many. But I loved it so much!
Seeing the world is an eye-opener. And now, when I see a movie, I am always like: I was there! I know that place! Oh my God, I know that restaurant!
And it also gives you wonderful memories when you are stuck under the struggles of everyday life...
Lisa
P-S. I know many people were saying that USA are just so big that it is like traveling to a new country. I am Canadian and have been to Europe more than once, including Russia, but I never went to the US. It's all a matter of choice. USA are next on my list though.
i've left the country two times.
first, we went on a cruise to the caribbean three years ago. i had never seen such colors, the blues and greens of the water, and there were other "never before's." in st. john i had a fish swim into my hands. well, it's possible that a few had done so during the many times i've been at the jersey shore. but i never would have seen them because the water is too murky. on tortolla, we rode motorcyles over a mountain to get to one of the ten best beaches in the world. in domenica we kayaked through a rain forest, but it was hard to enjoy that when we saw such poverty during the van ride from the ship to the forest.
the second time was last year when we went to florence, italy, during thanksgiving to visit our oldest daughter, who was studying abroad. walking those cobblestone streets at night was like being in another time, especially when a light rain bounced the reflections off everything. the architecture was praise worthy, and the people were fabulously friendly.
we spend a lot of time here at the beach and in disneyworld because the children love it. three years ago we invested in a disney timeshare that basically gives us a week in florida each summer for the next 45 years. last month we bought a condo at the beach for about $325,000. we'll have great times and family memories, and our children will grow up and continue those times with their children.
looking back over the choice, we'll be paying a mortgage of $1,400 a month for the beach condo. on the year, that's almost $17,000. i don't want to make myself regret the purchase, but that $17,000 could go a long way around the world every year. maybe in five years we'll retire, get tired of the condo and sell it, and travel on that money. but for now i can't complain about parking my ass on the beach all summer, taking surfing lessons, and listening to the yankees on the radio while my kids, nieces, and nephews play nearby in the waves.
I would love to travel abroad, but the money issue keeps rearing its ugly head time and time again.
Ebert: Judging by the people you meet in Chicago, a lot of Europeans even come here--and Japanese. And Indians, perhaps visiting relatives. Did you know Indians are the most successful ethic group in America? Maybe because of the emphasis on education, and the fact that most of them start out already speaking English.
When I was abroad quite a few of the Irish told me they liked to visit the U.S.--their favorite destinations being NYC, Miami, Chicago, and the like. NYC is probably the top destination--they told me they were in awe of how tall the buildings were. I can tell you from personal observation that Ireland has absolutely no skyscrapers, so I can't blame them for being impressed!
I didn't know Indians were the most successful ethnic group, but it makes sense. According to news reports, however, pretty soon they are going to have to come here being fluent in both English AND Spanish!
Ebert: I went to Europe the first time on a university charter flight. Do they still have those?
Hmm, that I don't know, that was never an option for me. Students in my study abroad program were scattered all over the U.S. so it may have been difficult to arrange such a flight.
Ebert: They were in awe of the tall buildings? New York has more of them, but not taller. Chicago has the world's first skyscraper, America's tallest building, and three of the top five.
The Chicago Spire, partially completed and now on hold because of the financial crisis, is projected to be 2,000 feet or 150 stories tall.
I am a chauvinist.
Something else to gripe Americans don't do to your personal satisfaction. Geez! I've traveled overseas and no, I don't think it makes me better than Americans who haven't. Also, I live fifteen minutes by car from Mexico and what it makes me realize is how wonderful it is to be born an American citizen. The United States after all is the only country created not by accident or tribal warfare but by rational thought.
Ebert: I love this country and hope travelers return home, even if I did price one-way ticket to Amsterdam.
What do Wilkie Collins and Wendell Willkie have in common (other than the obvious homophony, that is)?
They are both remembered by, presumably because they preferred, their middle names: William Wilkie Collins and Lewis Wendell Willkie.
I like traveling to places where a) I know someone who can show me the weird/fun stuff and b) where ideally I have something to do beyond just being there and seeing things. When a normal rhythm can kick in in a new place (Buenos Aires was a place like this for me) it's really a thrill: the ever-new.
Roger,
As soon as you're well enough, please bring Chaz and come to Australia.
You can stay in my old room at my parents' house, and I'll take you to some of the best restaurants you've never been to.
Love,
Andrew
As an American that lives abroad and has travelled extensively, I have some opinion on this issue. (I hope I'm not too late responding):
Some factors that conspire against Americans:
- Americans earn less vacation time than people from most other developed nations.America's size and geographic remove mean that Americans must take longer vacations to travel abroad.
- University costs more for Americans, making it harder for young Americans to spend semesters, summers, or their first year after graduation abroad. Most people catch the travel bug during their youth. Once you enter the workforce, it gets much more difficult to travel.
- International travel isn't marketed very well to Americans. Internal travel (travel within the States) has much more market visibility.
- A Parisian need only drive 3 hours to reach a half a dozen different countries, whereas most Americans must endure several hours on a plane to travel internationally. Americans spend longer in their daily commute than many Europeans spend travelling across international borders. It's therefore disingenuous to compare Europeans international travel habits to those of Americans.
- Canadians travel abroad because Canada is boring & cold. Also, some 50% of Canadians are immigrants, and most of them only travel between Canada and their home country.
One of the down sides of Americans' lack of international travel is that people in other countries get a skewed vision of Americans. Often, the Americans that Europeans most commonly interact with are the wealthiest and the most self-entitled. These belligerent and ignorant types will go to London or Berlin, and immediately start barking orders or being generally uncouth, because they are used to being catered to in the States.
More humble Americans are less likely to travel, but when they do, they rarely make a point of their American-ness. My barista in Bologna, for instance, is unlikely to identify me as an American because I can speak the basic Italian, and I do not announce my citizenship except when asked.
I also wanted to add my thoughts on the peripheral discussion of Southasians' success in the US. I married into a Southasian family and spent some time in India. The reason that Southasians are successful in the US is because only the top .01% of Indians get into the US. The average Indian is no more educated than the average American. Most of them are far worse off. For every Indian doctor in America, there are a million illiterate Indians back in the subcontinent living in shanties and drinking brackish water.
Anonymous' "facts" about Canada and Canadians are incorrect. Only 15% of Canadians are immigrants; that's just slightly more than the 12.5% immigrant population in the United States. And not all of Canada is cold and miserable, a reason you cite for their urge to travel. Southern Ontario, for example, where one-third of Canadians reside, is on the same lattitude as Northern California; the lower Mainland of British Columbia, where about 8% of the population resides, is temperate year-round. A recent poll commissioned by the CBC, found that nearly 7 in 10 Canadians had travelled outside of Canada AND the U.S. Our climate and immigrant population do not in any significant way account for the wide discrepancy between Americans and Canadians.
Anonymous' "facts" about Canada and Canadians are incorrect. Only 15% of Canadians are immigrants; that's just slightly more than the 12.5% immigrant population in the United States. And not all of Canada is cold and miserable, a reason you cite for their urge to travel. Southern Ontario, for example, where one-third of Canadians reside, is on the same lattitude as Northern California; the lower Mainland of British Columbia, where about 8% of the population resides, is temperate year-round. A recent poll commissioned by the CBC, found that nearly 7 in 10 Canadians had travelled outside of Canada AND the U.S. Our climate and immigrant population do not in any significant way account for the wide discrepancy between Americans and Canadians with respect to travel.
Ebert: That 50% figure sure seemed goofy to me.
I must confess: I may love art or fantastic scenery, but probably the top reason I travel is to EAT! I just got back from a short trip to Germany and Italy, and I think the US is woefully short of bakeries. Why is that? And why do we have so much less street-food? That's one of the greatest things about Asia - a huge variety of food vendors on the streets (of course, one has to eat with caution - I spent the earliest years of my life in Asia so I have built up some immunities).
Maybe we would all travel more if we knew the delicious things waiting for us in foreign lands!
I swear I've seen the 50% number thrown around several times in Canadian immigration literature. Now that I'm put to the test, I'm having trouble finding the link.
I think perhaps I was confusing Canada statistics with Ontario statistics, or perhaps City of Toronto statistics. But let's put the numbers to the test:
First, I will point you to a link to an article from 2003 that says that 23% of Canadians are First Generation immigrants, so that's already 8% higher than Miranda's figure.
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0LVZ/is_3_19/ai_110916384
Next, consider that Immigration Canada has set an annual goal to immigrate 230,000 people per year. You will find reference to that here (in the Oct. 13th entry):
http://www.rsscanadaimmigration.com/en/blog/2006/10/canada-attracting-more-skilled_13.html
Therefore, if Canada has met it's immigration goals, Canada has added 1,380,000 new (legal) immigrants since the 2003 article was published (6 x 230,000).
Canada does a census every 5 years. They had a census in 2001 and 2006. I will take the average of the two to extrapolate a rough approximation of the 2003 population.
Total Population:
2001 - 30,007,000
2006 - 31,613,000
-----------------
2003 (estimate) - 30,810,000
source:http://www.members.shaw.ca/kcic1/population.html
23% of 30,810,000 = 7,086,300 immigrants in 2003.
(immigrants in 2003) + (additional immigrants since 2003)= (total immigrants in 2009)
7,086,300 + 1,380,000 = 8,466,300 total immigrants in 2009
Assuming that Canada continued at the same rate of growth since 2006 that it experienced between 2001 and 2006 (.105 over 5 years, or .07 over 3 years), the current Canadian population would be at approximately 33,825,910.
Of 33,825,910 total Canadians, 8,466,300 are immigrants which calculates to 25.02%.
Therefore, I stand corrected. Hopefully Miranda stands corrected as well.
By the way, only one portion of Canada (the Windsor-Essex Pennisula) is at the same latitude as Northern California. I've always found this "fact" rather conveniently manipulated by Canadian economic developers who are trying to attract US businesses. By the same standard, Chicago is at the same latitude as Northern California, yet no American would believe me if I told you Chicago enjoys San Francisco winters.