...and perhaps I thought it wasn't possible.
On this journal I'd like to clarify a few things about travels and the truth with it.
So, let's start from very basic questions or comments from people which I get very often on dA:
you are so lucky to be able to afford traveling!,
I so wish I were as lucky as you being able to travel or
How you can afford? You must have decent finances and the time!Didn't you happen to think like that? If you did, so that is just a stereotype.
On almost every question or their comment where I explain what it is really and how it's working - it is a big opposite side of mirror what they think. After hearing they get usually shocked, but more in positive way.
Here we go.
Firstly, there is a big difference being a traveler and a tourist.
Secondy, there is a huge difference to travel via third party (travel agencies, school trips, going for trips with a friend, family, organizations, etc.) and lonely, self organized travels. And where you go, to the tourist resorts or places which are outer of tourist resorts.
Thirdly, financially, travels are nothing different (in meaning "you gotta have the money!") than being artist (where you have to pay for school, courses, art stuff etc.) or being a photographer and many others jobs, passions, hobbies and anything what costs the money.
Fourth, when travels are becoming a passion, maybe more than a passion word…
And let me tell of typical thinking about the travels- and the typical stereotype.
Someone who is able to travel, must be rich. Yes, travels have old and stereotypical meaning of the luxury - being a business person who is able to travel, exclusive for chosen people (i.e. researchers) or vacation travels who can afford to have free weeks and pay shitload money for agency to organize tour for them in sparkly - and overrated- places. These people have already jobs being as a business people, actors, whatever or kids living with well financial suited families where they send kids on nice travel trips with the group- so the travels, are exclusive thing. Extra thing but exclusive. Like they have a job and do things which they love, busy and they
can have travels.
There people who can live like that, in lifestyle where they can have so many things and we are too poor for that fun lifestyle. But are we lucky? I think WE are lucky, not they. Because we are able to have travels more than anything, than what they have "with an easy access" to travels as extra things.
Because for us- for the poor and passionate young people- where we aren't "lucky" to have rich families but we want to be travelers from the heart, we will get the power of understanding the world, travels and local people while rich tourists cannot have.
That's why it's built in people's mind that travels are: fun, vacation, business and very exclusive extra thing. And awesome tourist resorts. And it must be expensive and I'll also explain why they are
expensive in people's thoughts, like "oh my god it might cost 2000$ per person to have a week trip"!
Everything what I'll write down, it is my own experience with the travels and based on great or passionate travelers which I know, even ones who became very successful ones.
Okay, let me to
answer your these questions which I mentioned earlier.
It has nothing to do with the luck. Did you think I am lucky because I have some awesumz money from nowhere and I can pay for everything what I want? Nope, something like that does not exists in my life and I do
not wish it happen to me because I treasure my hard work which I'll work for my passion- travels.
Perhaps I can say that I'm lucky for being able to move my ass and realize my passion with my travels- but again, that kind of "luck" absolutely everyone can do it.
Instead to sit and do daydreaming- do something.
Travels are my passion, something absolutely more than passion or anything- it's more kind of a bond. Travels opened my eyes, my blind eyes.
I think I want to pursue it as my career in my life, where it means perhaps I'd have to throw my art career or mushing passion for it. And everything else. It's like having passion for sled dog sports, where you have devote so much, throw many things in exchange for it and save every dollar for your passion by that means that you don't spend on other stuff like games.
It's also a huge investment for myself, travels taught me so much than any school could teach me and art wise, surprisingly I discovered wider and newer horizons of my art since I became traveler (however that makes that I have less time for art *sigh*). Nothing is better than a school of the life, especially travels do have a big meaning in my life- it's also inner self journey.
I don't travel only by exploring places and wandering around but I do also long term travels which means I'm here LIVING, having a place to live, work, feel under skin of local people and experience the real life of certain area like many other thousand people who lived there for long time. I feel under their feet how it is like to live there.
And if people are happy there.
I am a traveler here, not the tourist. So that's why.
And how I afford for this? And how YOU can afford for this?
It's not absolutely impossible. Just throw out that stereotypical thinking for a moment. And that question really lies what kind of travels you want to do - if as a tourist, then yes it's expensive and it's not the real travel but as an entertaiment. But being as a traveler- again, by that means you organize it on your own, no one else. It's your pathway. You'll meet those local people, not the organizators will find them for you. It's all up to you.
And in general, by asking that question, people usually never really checked and did decent research about how much it could cost- besides checking offers set up by travel agencies where the prices are crazy. To compare, a flight to Japan through travel organizations, agencies etc. I found it cost a good run of 1500$ per person but when I checked by myself by searching every flight, codes or promotions (+miles card) I can get a flight to japan for great 500$. (this price is from Europe -> Japan with both ways, not one)
Technically about 250$ per one way of flight to Japan is an absolutely amazing price and very worth to se the different world.
It's absolutely possible for everyone, regardless the financial situation- by that means, you have to save EVERY dollar for your travels, even the first one. According to the researches, and that's truth because I've experienced being with people- the majority of Americans does not know how to save the money. And about 80% they usually spend too much of the money than what they need or truly want.
I've met my friend during my travels who is right now my best friend, I taught him how to spend money where I was shocked how he doesn't pay attention what he buys and if he really need it, taught him how to travel, and organize finances. We traveled together a bit. He is very blessed for being able to travel anywhere, even to places which he never thought would be possible- yet being a normal, young guy with "so-so" income *laughs*
It's all about organizing finances.
There is very truthful quote which helped me a lot:
the rich person is not one how much earns, but one who CAN save money.So it means, I've heard of plenty stories how extremely rich people have bankrupted or were never able to afford for many things by not being able to save.
The art of being able to use money is SAVE money and spend on WHAT you need and by saving money- i means also that you want to pursue your dreams.
There is a story of my favorite traveler, who is very successful and well know today. She started her life as being "nobody", lived with very low earnings, rented an apartment in the city where she barely could pay her rent. Barely she could keep herself there. But since being as a child, for her travels were her biggest dreams. She thought one day, enough- I want to travel and I will be traveler. That was a moment where her passion got awaken in her heart.
Plus to mention, in the past where she lived, those were different times and travels were much more expensive than now- but she did! She saved every dollar, collected her every savings and it took nearly a year for her. Also by that means, she had to quit buying stuff which pleased her and bought what truly she needs, like living basics. Today usually girls spend so much of shitload money for cloches, fashion, cosmetics, parties and alcohol. But she (and me too) we don't play with that stuff.
We don't party nor drink, we have more things in the life to do. I noticed usually lots of the money goes on the alcohol and other stuff, weed, especially addictions.
Back to her, she finally managed and after her very first travel into faraway place which became a first step of her realized biggest dream, so here she has born as well known, inspiring and passionate traveler.
It works similar to me. I had to give up with so many things.
That's really… the secret. Simple.
And very possible for every one.
Now secondly, I'd like to move onto the difference being a tourist and a traveler.
Onto explaining why being as a tourist and traveling is so expensive: I noticed that being a tourist travels are more an entertaiment (more a fun or vacation feeling or sometimes tourists are unhappy because of something didn't work) and a very huge feeling I noticed when I became a traveler- the feeling being as a traveler it feels like you are in the school of the life. You feel the life itself.
The best travels are lonely travels which are awakenings of your soul and you feel interacted with the environment where you traveled. There is a quote that tourist fits only in tourist resorts, wanderers fit nowhere and traveler fits everywhere in the world. (means that on tourists places, local places, faraway places, slums, wildlife and primitive places… just everywhere because that's where traveler seeks and they have ability to feel the culture of certain place).
I will write more about LONELY TRAVELS later.
Oh and let me to tell the big misunderstanding which people usually commit and that's typical thinking of the tourist. They think that once they will travel to
popular places or capital cities, they will know everything about that place. By that means, they will feel the real culture and believe it's a heart of country's culture and traditions. Like, they usually travel to Rome and get excited it will be an experience of knowing what is really Italy.
Unfortunately that has nothing with it. If you seek for the real culture, ALWAYS avoid tourist resorts.
Rome and many other capital cities are main hook for tourists and are actually dominated by the tourist resorts.
Tourist resort means that place is constructed for tourists where they will feel comfortable to move and explore that place- so means, hotels, luxury places, resorts for tourists, restaurants from the all world cuisine, many things where tourist must do something or meet their typical needs (i.e. post offices, electronic shops, shopping malls)- where all things from the universe meets in one place. There are guiders, people speaking in english for tourists etc. Shortly to say, the real "Rome" is covered by a cover of "whole world" where tourists will feel like at their place, not in real Rome because it's too different world.
In general, capitals are pretty much manipulated by tourist resorts. You get my idea what I mean. Also a part of the business, everyone wants to make for the tourist so comfortable and so easy, usually tourists are scared or too lazy to do "out" of their comfort zone.
I learned the real culture lies far away, somewhere in deep and local places of certain country- which are far away from tourist resorts. It holds the real tradition for people and they don't get sold for the tourists.
That's what traveler do. Traveler accepts any part of the world, lands into capital city, to learn few things,
then goes to the faraway places. Traveler goes by local and crappy buses where they learn about real and true lives of local people unlike tourists who travel in sexy trains where they are under cover of "luxury of civilization".
Basically, the tourist who travel from their place to another place, are still covered by tourist resorts (i.e. can find restaurants of his country's cuisine, stay at the hotel where all the hotels are the same in the word, guided by people which are the same ones from his world etc.) and usually travel with people which he knows from his world - does not explore nor feel the real different world, the travel itself.
Is covered by his civilization.
I'm sometimes laughing on people from Facebook, i.e. girls posting their trips to very typical luxury tourist resorts, with neat beaches, hotels and palmtrees on sunny resorts.
They usually are wearing costumes, shaded glasses, neat watches on their hands and expressing their "hig poses"- where they express that are very clearly tourists in certain places and tourist are usually showing to others how they are "high" and everyone has to please the tourist.
Tourists have tendency to comment a lot about local people's places a 'la "uh, USA sucks, look at fat asses. Our country is better" by knowing that local people won't understand their language- but by their expressions, the local people will get what they mean.
Usually the tourist is one who wear typical cloches (i.e. shades, brand cloches, their brand bag or camera bag laying on their neck- like screaming omg i has camera and i take photos!) and that makes where they are visibly tourists and local people are only their objects. They don't research much about local place really so there are so many things they do… in way that might hurt local people. Based on my own experience (for some reason they usually rent a luxury car wtf..) rich tourists are extremely arrogant people where I experienced on my travel being a local person, the tourist yelled a lot at me o.O because they thought me (the local people) should please them.
And because the way how the tourist wear, it's not surprising why they are robbed often.
However, traveler, who want to experience living in the different place, usually do not try to look "from higher world" as tourists usually do and avoid being tourist. Try to wear somehow normal and keep to wear like the other local people. It doesn't mean that has to pretend that he is like the local people, he isn't but out of respect, wont show the highness and "omg im different!" to others. It might freak out local people. Traveler always carry their camera in a bag, brandies and "worthless looking backpack. The traveler is usually respectful to anyone there, to local people regardless if they are so different from us, even live in "ugh" conditions than we. The traveler usually try to feel the life and their rhythm there.
Usually, and it's recommended- traveler always try to explore a bit about the place, culture and also their local language. It's very nice and respectful to speak or say just hi in local language- although it's embarrassing to learn because you never know if you say right or not (that's why tourists never learn because they are too embarrassed) but it doesn't matter- even if you won't say right, they will smile at you and it's nice that you show interest in their country.
Shortly, traveler shows the passion and interacts their life with the local areas and people. It's like an universal power of being all together, not marking who is better or worse - who are tourists.
It's the respect to the country.
There are other types of people who travel, across the borders of countries, but this is the most important and I really wanted people to know that tourist VS traveler are both different worlds. This what I wrote is a typical example.
And.
Why the real travels are not considered as: organized trips (school trips), business trips, family trips or organized by agencies- and why the
lonely travels are the purest form of traveling.
It will come soon in next journal……
Thank you for reading and as always questions are welcomed
