The other day, my mentor suggested that I should take one of those "post-it" sticky notes and put it on my laptop, so I will see it every day. On the note I have to write and remind myself: you're not a tourist. While people in this hostel stay for 3 days more or less, I'm here for 3 weeks. In nomad terms, it's considered a very short period of time, but in tourists' term it's like, well "forever". So greeting the bartender and lobby clerk on a daily basis, got me thinking about the differences between a being a tourist and being a traveler.
Don't break free.
You'd be surprised to know what are the first 2 things I look for in every new place I arrive to. Thanks to my amazing genetics, my eyebrows tend to grow fast and wild, so a cosmetics salon is most wanted. The second place I google for is a yoga studio. People tour new places to break their habits, and do things they don't usually do. Traveling is exactly the opposite: I make all the efforts to continue my daily routines, being and doing "all the same" - every where in the world. Tourism is taking a break from life once in a while. Traveling is actually, well, life. itself.
Practice yoga everywhere
Go slow, There's no rush.
I here by promise you, and myself, to write a whole post about slow movement and minimalist way of living. Till then, I see the tourists in the hostel come and go, all stressed up to get as much experiences possible in the least amount of time. But Me? I'm in no rush. I take about 2 hours a day for meaningless, map-less, mobile free walk, strawing around town, discovering new places. try it in your home town once (and tell me how was it for you).
No rush
Food is Fuel.
Sorry, no Instagram photo here. And please, send my apologize to all those who think about food as a "culinary experience". well, It might be, but how ever amazing you think food can be, after about 2 hours, I'll be shitting it all up, and so will you. Capitalism had ruined the local natural food experience anyway, made it a whole "consumerism" and "showing off" thing. No wonder they call it "food porn", it has the same attributes of exploitation as the sex industry. As a traveler, I'd prefer living like locals do, so I will look to buy simple groceries in a local market, or eat in a "cheap" street food stand. Food is meant to give you energy for the rest of the day, so I suggest you lay off any food that doesn't make you feel good. My personal advice: start the day with an energizing fruit, and listen to your body - it tells you exactly what kind of fuel it needs.Those of you who still see food as an experience worth paying a lot of money for, read here about food waste and exploitation.
Traveling without moving.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Blmk9UyHoEW/?taken-by=this_is_journey24
Ok, I'm a real funicular fan, that's probably because there's one at my home town I played with a bit... but my message here is simple: you need to make a move to travel, really. It's all about all being yourself, but in the same time considerate and sensitive towards the place your exploring. A lot has been said against the damage AIRBNB is causing to most toured places, but one cannot neglect the "local" feeling they give to any explorer. None the less, I find my self enjoying the time in mixed dorm cheap hostels, getting into exiting spontaneous chats; meeting most interesting tourists, travelers, and some weird fugitives... well... that's for another post.
Posted from my blog with SteemPress : https://thisisjourney24.com/2018/07/24/have-love-will-travel/