by Samantha Burmeister | Nov 3, 2017 | Ethical Travel
Bring a water bottle, preferably one with a filter – Check.
Stay in hostels or camp – Nailed it.
Don’t litter – Good.
Buy from markets instead of stores – Adds to the adventure.
Use a backpack instead of plastic bags – I try.
Bring your own reusable utensils – I do my best.
Local transit over planes or private cars – Makes sense.
It all sounds great, but when it comes to sustainability none of these things outweigh the benefit of just staying home. So, are travelers eco friendly?
In fact, haven’t tourists been responsible for the destruction of coral reefs and graffiti’d mountains? Isn’t it travelers who cause the high-rise hotels and sprawling shopping centers? Economically, isn’t it visitors who saturate economically unsustainable environments?
These folks are home to me
Impermanence
It is so easy to forget that somewhere that you’ll only be for a short time, has been and will be there for much longer. With travel, we define our existence by the hour and the number of nights we stay in a place, not by the years that we give ourselves in our lives overall. We know, accept and welcome that everything is fleeting and will be over all too quickly. After all, our journeys—in life at “home” and while traveling—are nothing but a series of moments, and when we travel, we really witness this for ourselves.
To know a place is not the same as experiencing it, even when it is. I can still close my eyes and walk down the streets of Itacare, Bahia. But I cannot feel the people or smell the rhythm in the same streets.
The beaten path
Behind the high rises run footpaths rather than highways. A place where a footprint is more poignant and less impactful. Or maybe it’s the opposite.
Just like in the rest of life, where do we really get if we follow the herd? It feels safer for sure. But linking back to impermanence—when are we really ever “safe”? Everything can change at any moment. It seems that life is calling us to the road less traveled.
by admin | Jan 27, 2015 | Ethical Travel, Solo Travel
Recently, the idea of ‘female solo travel’, has come across my radar quite a bit. I’ve read countless blogs and been so impressed by these women who take off on trips lasting from a week to several years on their own.
The blogs have a pretty predictable script: I wanted to do something bold, this is how I stay safe, look at all these awesome things I’ve done.
Now I’ve been compelled to take off on a solo journey of my own, but have no idea where to start. Where would I go? How will I pay for it? Where will I stay? When will I leave, and for how long? The possibilities are endless, and overwhelming.
As a self-proclaimed introverted Extrovert (ENTP), I love to flex my mental muscles. I have planned hundreds of trips in my mind, seldom planning on who they will be with. I’ve never minded the idea of traveling alone, nor have I ever entertained the idea that I might have already accomplished solo travel.
Skip this part if you want the CliffsNotes version:
Let’s take a step back.
Travel experience as an adult #1- I was 19 and moved to France to work in a language-focused summer camp. I didn’t know anyone there, had met my boss once on Skype and had about 5 emails with him before I left.
#2- Road trip around IL, IN, OH, KY, TN to Bonnaroo, Mammoth Caves, and Dayton. Met a friend in Dayton and couch surfed and camped for 6 days.
#3- Midwest roadtrip with Shane. Camped and stayed with his parents for 2 weeks, went to Electric Forest, Cedar Point, several breweries, Cleveland, museums, etc.
#4- Study abroad trip to Cyprus. I didn’t know a single soul before I went, had an apartment, and traveled quite a bit while I was there.
#5- Simply for notability, I booked plane tickets from Cyprus to Tel Aviv and spent my two week spring break traveling through Israel and Palestine, couch surfing, taking buses, and stayed a night in a hostel.
#6- Went to Chicago for 5 days to spend time at a conference with several entrepreneurs that I had never met before.
NOT ONCE did I ever consider that I was traveling alone.
Seriously. Since graduating High School I’ve been to 17 countries and 18 states.
I just did it; I have already done several trips that qualify as ‘female solo travel’. I didn’t necessarily need any one person by my side, I just fulfilled my need to GO. I moved to Texas knowing one person there. I moved to Iowa State knowing two people there.
Not once during these travels or big moves did I feel alone. With almost every one of these experiences, I came out of it with a new best friend.
Between couch surfing, bus rides, hostels, work and volunteerism friends, classmates, and hitch hiking, I was never alone.
The concept of never being alone kills my inner introvert. But what made me nervous and excited about traveling is what fuels my inner extravert- I get to meet new people and experiences everywhere I went, without the premise of making anyone but myself happy.
I travel with no intent on arriving, and I love with fervor. It’s a wonderful combination to take into the wide world.
by admin | Jun 12, 2014 | Ethical Travel, Solo Travel
Something I have always dreamed of is being a careerwoman. I’ve also always dreamed of traveling the entire world, thus not picturing my career taking place in an office setting. Most individuals do not see how these two things can be possible in one lifetime.
You know by now that I am not ‘most individuals’.
I read a book once called The Four Hour Workweek. The basic premise of the book is that people waste a lot of time in office settings, and that ‘working from home’ can cut down on a lot of time clutter, thus improving efficiency, both for the individual and the company they represent.
Whether it be socializing with coworkers, endless brainstorm meetings, or messing around on the internet, I spend a lot of time not being conducive toward my job description. I usually fulfill my job in about 100 minutes total.
I personally believe that my company could pay me a stipend of the equivalent to my 25 hours a week at $10 an hour, have me come in once a week, and get the same quality of work done (if not better). I should have stated that case to my boss today.
Today, for the first time, I asked my boss if I could work from home. The conversation lasted about a minute, I didn’t make a great argument, and ended up being told I could distribute my hours on to other days. So, now I work late every day next week.
This isn’t a great feat, but for me, I feel that it is a career first, and something that I can build upon. Wish me luck.
