At the age of 23 I found myself in the mountains of Banos, Ecuador in the midst of a year of living around the world as a traveler. One afternoon I decided to write the preface to a potential book I might write about the adventures I'd undergone as a backpacker exploring as much of the world as my 20-something eyes could see. Sadly I never ended up writing that book (at the time I wanted to call it Tales of a Naked Backpacker), but a few of those stories have are in the more appropriately named, The Promise of a Pencil.
I recently came across that original introduction though, and it reminded me of the fire that existed in my belly during the years I spent as a relentless traveler. That unedited, original introduction is below. I hope you'll share this with those you know who embrace the idea that Tourists See, Travelers Seek and cherish their days as a backpacker too.
I spent the first twenty years of my life as a tourist with a suitcase. During the next three, I threw on a backpack and made damn sure that I would die as a traveler. The international nation of backpackers is unlike any other group to walk the globe. For starters, we literally walk the globe. You'll see us, looking haggard and happy, in local bars, back alleys and cheap cafes. We are in plazas, centros and squares. Churches and synagogues, mosques and monasteries. We are everywhere, for one simple reason. We choose to be. Our motivations are just as varied as our native homelands. We travel because we want to see new places, to experience new cultural traditions, to heal the wounds of grief and heartbreak, to live well with our limited funds, because it's the thing to do or because it's the thing we were warned not to do. Each of us backpacks for unique personal reasons, but we all fall in love with the road due to one shared fact.
When you awake in a foreign space without the faintest notion of what you are about to experience that day, each of your senses are heightened. The constant bombardment of new stimuli forces an elevated sensory sensitivity. We cannot help but pay attention to the smells of India, the tastes of Vietnam, the sounds of Brazil, the sights of Italy and the feel of our passport bouncing away within our secured waistpack. The heart beats faster when attending a Bolivian futbol or Australian rugby match. The breath draws deeper when riding a motorbike through Croatia or a tuk-tuk in Thailand. These are the undeniable truths of life on the road. On a purely sensory level, we are literally more alive.
Ludwig Lewisohn claimed that "No man who has been young in the deep and true sense can render into words the scene of his youth." Ol Ludwig wasn't speaking bullshit when he slapped that sentence together, but he neglected to acknowledge the power of the personal journal. When we write not to an expected audience but rather to the inner or future voice of the self, the journal takes on a value far beyond original expectation. The journal makes little attempt to portray the scenes of youth, but what it can accurately depict is the landscape of a youthful mind. The following writings are a compilation of modified emails and untouched journal entries from three years of travel through 41 countries on six continents.
Many people will fear your reading of this book. They will be girlfriends, grandmothers and god-fearing individuals. This is perfectly understandable, because they like you just the way you are. The purpose of writing this book was not to help people find comfort in the confines of their daily routines. This book is meant to inspire adventure, travel and ultimately a fundamental change in our deepest persona. Right now you may feel as though you have all the pieces of your life's puzzle in order. I felt much the same way three years ago as a 21 year-old junior at Brown University. Then I began backpacking, and the hunger for the rarely beaten road has not subsided thus far.
I have since come to an understanding that my personal puzzle was appropriately laden down a two-dimensional path. I wanted success and happiness. What 21 year-old doesn't aspire to have a healthy, loving family and enormous financial success? It was the act of backpacking that opened my eyes to a broad reality outside of my xenophobic surroundings. The United States is the wealthiest nation on the planet yet only 81% of Americans even possess a passport. The majority of travel occurs within the Caribbean or Europe, both areas of tourism affluence and luxury. What does this say about our willingness to go outside of our normal comfort zone? And what is it outside of this protective haven that we fear so much? I firmly believe that ignorance is bliss in certain situations. The more we come to know, the more we know just how much we don't know. But living in purposeful ignorance is an egregious error which no person should make. It is my hope that when you have completed this book you will no longer be able to turn a blind eye to the realities which exist outside of your hometown, home state and homeland. A two-dimensional puzzle may be easier to complete and allow a life of comfort, but what will you do when you realize that you can add further dimensions? This book was not written to allow vicariousness through descriptive adventures and internal realizations. This book was written to force you to get off your ass, throw on a backpack, and dip your foot and mind in the world's pool of shared existence.
