THE AFTER MATH
Anyone who's been out of their back yard and through the grave pine knows. You go on a long trip, with the people you care for, finally living what you’ve worked so hard to achieve. In the midst of it you might have been scared, furious, anxious or inundated with serenity and warmth. You stock pile memories, photographs and stories which provoke a cheeky smile at the most inopportune of moments. When that song pops up in your playlist your brain betrays you, projecting films of your travels, sunsets and horizons. You, dear reader, dear traveller, are hooked.
You want more.
Scratch the vinyl. It’s all relative, it’s all in your hands and in your skull. I recently read a brief article who’s catch line read:
You want more.
Scratch the vinyl. It’s all relative, it’s all in your hands and in your skull. I recently read a brief article who’s catch line read:
“LET’S STOP PRETENDING THAT TRAVEL IS ACCESSIBLE TO EVERYONE”
I found it curious and since I had already begun writing this brain fart up I will address our opinion and credo with regards to Travelling. Since you’re reading this you probably know who we are, that we travel Overland and have big aspirations. What you do not know is how happy telling others of our trips makes us. Not for our ego, it makes us happy because we know that you, by all probabilities, can do it too; and you’d love it.
If you haven’t read any of the other pages here’s a catch up: My cousins and I decided a couple years back that we want to travel as much as we can, to the remotest of places or busiest of cities via overland with my old ass 4x4. We started off with a trip around the balkans. We called it the “Adriatic Circle”. Just over two weeks on the road, more than five thousand kilometres on a scarily low budget... we had a blast, we were hooked. This past summer, for many reasons including financial ones, we visited southern Italy (we live in Italy) and absolutely loved it.
Next up is Morocco. I’m close to standing on my chair just writing about it. I am also seriously concerned about safety, mechanical issues and making the best of our money and time.We have decided to pony up a substantial budget to prep the vehicle and what not to have a successful expedition rather than a eulogy.
By now I hope you’ve read that article. It divides the opportunity of travel into three cores. Origin, Financial and Privilege. Lets use these guidelines who's thesis concludes that “travel is not accessible to everyone”.
If you haven’t read any of the other pages here’s a catch up: My cousins and I decided a couple years back that we want to travel as much as we can, to the remotest of places or busiest of cities via overland with my old ass 4x4. We started off with a trip around the balkans. We called it the “Adriatic Circle”. Just over two weeks on the road, more than five thousand kilometres on a scarily low budget... we had a blast, we were hooked. This past summer, for many reasons including financial ones, we visited southern Italy (we live in Italy) and absolutely loved it.
Next up is Morocco. I’m close to standing on my chair just writing about it. I am also seriously concerned about safety, mechanical issues and making the best of our money and time.We have decided to pony up a substantial budget to prep the vehicle and what not to have a successful expedition rather than a eulogy.
By now I hope you’ve read that article. It divides the opportunity of travel into three cores. Origin, Financial and Privilege. Lets use these guidelines who's thesis concludes that “travel is not accessible to everyone”.
O R I G I N
“When you don’t come from money,
the idea of travel rarely ever crosses your mind.”
I’ll talk about myself: By the time I was eleven I had lived, yes lived, in five different countries. Before you ask, it was due to my father job at the time. Yes, travel is in me… whether I liked it or not (I actually do like it, but it comes at hidden costs).
Back to us. We baby stepped into this mode of travelling and want/will up our game to meet our expectations and wishes.
Back to us. We baby stepped into this mode of travelling and want/will up our game to meet our expectations and wishes.
F I N A N C I A L
“Traveling on a budget” doesn’t always cut it.
Not without small sacrifices. I suggest no one ever forget the principle of opportunity cost. I find myself double thinking all of my purchases, what I don't spend "there" I can spend on my travels. I can’t say the same for my cousins. I trust them and know how much effort they put into our communal objective. We have to decide what we value more. During our trips we enjoy the spartan life. Wild camping, self supplied, never stingy.
I don't earn stupendous amounts of money, and I don't exactly have what most would call a safe and constant income (neither do my cousins and fellow travel companions). I feel obliged to contribute, upon reading “when you don’t come from money…” a sense of self centred, opinionated and inconclusive piece of writing, that, most unfortunately, comes off with a whiff of self inflicted victimisation. I have very little patience for self victimisation, but I will always lent me ear or eyes to a suffering or broken heart. That made me sound like an inconsiderate asshole. I think I know what I’m talking about.
I do not come from poverty. I have seen poverty thanks to money. Having travelled to a remote village in a famed and famished region of the Great Continent. I promise. I type with goosebumps. I tell you the people I met; Young, old, coeval most of the stories I heard and eyes I read spoke of travel. They, those people with a different existence, who ‘don’t come from money’ lived the idea of travel. So; i disagree.
I don't earn stupendous amounts of money, and I don't exactly have what most would call a safe and constant income (neither do my cousins and fellow travel companions). I feel obliged to contribute, upon reading “when you don’t come from money…” a sense of self centred, opinionated and inconclusive piece of writing, that, most unfortunately, comes off with a whiff of self inflicted victimisation. I have very little patience for self victimisation, but I will always lent me ear or eyes to a suffering or broken heart. That made me sound like an inconsiderate asshole. I think I know what I’m talking about.
I do not come from poverty. I have seen poverty thanks to money. Having travelled to a remote village in a famed and famished region of the Great Continent. I promise. I type with goosebumps. I tell you the people I met; Young, old, coeval most of the stories I heard and eyes I read spoke of travel. They, those people with a different existence, who ‘don’t come from money’ lived the idea of travel. So; i disagree.
“The other day, an acquaintance told me he finds
people who’ve traveled to be more pleasant than
individuals who haven’t. “If you ask me,”
he said, “everyone should spend at
least one year traveling…
But it’s patronizing – ignorant, even – to imply that this
is the only thing keeping people from traveling. It isn’t.”
The article talks about people (who knows who) people being “patronizing – ignorant, even – to imply that” other do not travel simply for a “lack of sense of adventure”. I think some people do not "lack a sense of adventure", rather they prefer a stable, stationary life. Or have never had the opportunity to experience travel, a whole other story. I respect that, simultaneously filled with the urge to impel the beauty of travel and how it, economically speaking, multiplies its costs into proportionate amounts of wealth to that person. If I am convincing enough, emotional enough that person will smile. At that point I can only offer what little knowledge and experience I have to help them go on their adventure.
P R I V I L E D G E
“The ability to travel depends on your level of privilege.
Having a disability, whether physical or mental, can
make it incredibly hard to visit new places.”
Since I'm at it I'll add that, although light, I have a physical (motor) disability. Through hard work, some degree of determination and "simple" choice I have learned to never let it, my disability, dictate the terms of how I conduct my life.
Which brings me to my argument: travel IS accessible to most. "Everyone" is a tad too broad for my liking. "Everyone" implicitly includes those brave people who constantly fight their battle with graver physical, mental health issues or precarious financial situations.)
We love travelling so much that we work towards achieving our goal. We compromise, adapt and flex our expectations.
Nonetheless if we can make it I can guarantee most people can; thats what we want to comunicate, through our trips, our website, stories and simply telling how we do it. Numbers, photographs, “how to”’s and honest stories from us, to you. To help you hike the next range of mountains and cross the valley after that. As we do, we hope that at the end of your trip you’ll be hooked, that you’ll want more.As my cousin Pietro put it
Which brings me to my argument: travel IS accessible to most. "Everyone" is a tad too broad for my liking. "Everyone" implicitly includes those brave people who constantly fight their battle with graver physical, mental health issues or precarious financial situations.)
We love travelling so much that we work towards achieving our goal. We compromise, adapt and flex our expectations.
Nonetheless if we can make it I can guarantee most people can; thats what we want to comunicate, through our trips, our website, stories and simply telling how we do it. Numbers, photographs, “how to”’s and honest stories from us, to you. To help you hike the next range of mountains and cross the valley after that. As we do, we hope that at the end of your trip you’ll be hooked, that you’ll want more.As my cousin Pietro put it
“with a new objective on your map: the horizon”
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written by:
Alberto |
