Longing for Foreign Lands

[plumtreeblossom]

After I got my first "well" paying job ("well" as compared to all my previous McJobs and theatre gigs), I was able to start living my lifelong dream of overseas travel. My goal was to visit a different new country every year until I died. I did that for a number of years and saw amazing places and cultures, just as I'd always longed to. But after 2004, a layoff and the ravages of Bush's war economy put overseas travel out of my reach for the time being. Knowing that as an American, I'm hated the world over anyway until such a time as my country redeems itself, I let my goal slide and focused on other things.

During that time I've done a good amount of domestic travel, and that's been wonderful. But I'm yearning for Big Travel again. I want to hear the unfamiliar jangle of foreign coins in my pocket. I want to need a phrasebook. I want weird flavors of potato chips that I've never seen before.

Times are a bit better for me financially now. I've just been lurking at my old friend TravelZoo.com. *sigh* There it is: the Outside World, and I've been missing it. And yes, I can afford it; I just have to get my ducks in a row and start socking away part of each paycheck. There are some places I simply can't afford, but there are lots and lots of places I can, and I'm interested in them and want to see them. They might not be so interested in seeing me, but I'm capable of demonstrating that an American traveler can be polite, respectful, conscious of her surroundings and grateful for the opportunity to learn new things.

I like traveling to one destination and really absorbing it. I'm glad I prefer this, because I can't take more than a week or so off from work at a time anyway. I find bargain accommodations, though I won't stay in hostels. I always get an actual room at a small mom & pop hotel, and even with the in-suite bathroom that I pay a little extra for, they're economical and charming. I eat where locals eat when I can. I walk and walk and walk.

I don't know where, but I'm going somewhere next year. In 2008, I will absolutely take an overseas trip, and nothing short of an asteroid hit will stop me!

Comments

[weegoddess.livejournal.com]

*hemhem*

(we can even show you where the charming B&B's are)

[spwebdesign.livejournal.com]

And since apparently you have more than one friend in the UK who'd love to see you, this would be a wonderful destination.

You've probably already been out here, though. In that case, allow me to suggest an alternative.

Panama. They like Americans. Your dollar will go a long way there. In the past few years they've really built up the tourist industry. There's history (the Canal); ecotourism (the rainforests, the mountains, rivers and lakes, beaches, both the broad sandy with big waves type on the Pacific side and the shady with mangroves and lagoons type on the Atlantic side; fishing; birdwatching; culture; good food. If you go to Panama I could most likely hook you up with cheap housing during your stay, and I could point in you in the direction of things to see and things not to bother with. Plus, you could easily get to know one of the most important small countries in history in just a matter of days, and, though the official language is Spanish, most people speak at least a little English, thanks to nearly a century's worth of American presence in the Canal Zone.

[vanguardcdk.livejournal.com]

"Knowing that as an American, I'm hated the world over anyway..."

Dude, just slap a Canadian flag on your backpack like the rest of us. ;)

[bookly.livejournal.com]

Yeah!! :)

Oddly enough (or maybe not), I get mistaken for a Canadian even without the flag. But even after people find out I'm American, I've never had any kind of issue. (Of course, I mostly travel in Asia and England, which might affect things.)

[http://users.livejournal.com/urban_faerie_/]

Yes, I get mistaken for Canadian or British all the time when I travel.In Spain I once had a guy *insist* to me that I was British even though I tried to tell him I was American. They see a non-obnoxious English speaker and assume you must be European or Canadian. ; P I think it helps that I'm a city person by nature so I don't stick out like a sore thumb in a place like London or Amsterdam the same way your typical American suburbanite would.

I find that most Europeans have a negative stereotype in their heads about Americans but they're willing to make exceptions for individuals, the whole, you're cool but your country sucks mentality. I'm sad that we have such a negative image the world over but I've found that if you don't play into that image many people are open minded enough to give you a second chance and those who aren't really aren't worth getting to know anyway.

[spwebdesign.livejournal.com]

More than one person has explained to me that when they hear a North American accent, here in Britain they always ask first if you're Canadian because apparently Canadians get far more offended by being mistaken for Americans than vice versa.

[http://users.livejournal.com/urban_faerie_/]

What!? British people being overly polite and going out of their way not to offend people? I never!

; )

[ladrescher.livejournal.com]

Thank you.
You've reminded me that I have no excuse for not going out and seeing new places. I got my EU passport (I'm Dutch!) in 2005 and haven't done with it what I'd hoped. Now that I'm into a whole new decade of my life - it begins!

[joyeous.livejournal.com]

I wrote something similar a couple weeks back, if you remember. Although I'd prefer to go somewhere for like a month (over the summer, of course), I'd also love to go somewhere just for a week, just to whet my appetite for the country (or for travel in general). If you decide you want to plan a trip and need travel companions, I'm game!

[beowabbit]

I’d love to go somewhere with you and plumtreeblossom, as long as we aren’t too shmoopy for you. :-)

[evilshell.livejournal.com]

Yay for Europe!!

Switzerland should be on your agenda ;)

[beowabbit]

You could wear this T-shirt. :-)

I totally want to go to Durham with you, but I’d love to do someplace neither of us has been, too. (Brazil or Argentina would be fun.)

And I’d love to go to Montréal some weekend!

I swear by Zeus and all the gods, especially the cute ones, that when I get home tonight I will fill out that passport renewal application.

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

Yes, going to a country I've never been to before is top priority for me currently. I've missed 3 years in a row, and I want to get back to exploring the world! South America would add a new continent to my list! And there's still so much of Europe to see. And of course China!

And yes, do *indeed* get that passport renewal application in the works! (do I really have to withhold sex until you do it? :-))

[beowabbit]

And yes, do *indeed* get that passport renewal application in the works! (do I really have to withhold sex until you do it? :-))

As I recall, you made such a threat once before. I look back upon those 35 dreadful seconds of celibacy with horror, and was quite relieved when you came to your senses. However, you have no need to contemplate such drastic measures again, since my passport renewal application and all necessary materials pertaining thereto is sitting in an addressed, stamped, sealed envelope by my door, ready to get dropped off at the post office tomorrow morning.

I hope we can think of some way to celebrate on Thursday. Perhaps we could share a bottle of mineral water, or a spirited game of Go Fish?

[http://users.livejournal.com/urban_faerie_/]

Oh, woman! I know your pain! Travel has always been a life priority for me. I also struggle with fitting travel into my professional/finiancial plans.
I LOVE the idea of going to a new place once a year for the rest of your life. What a great goal. A teacher friend of mine sat down with her husband a few years ago and they wrote down every place they've ever wanted to go, cut up the list and put it in a box. Every year they pull one out and no matter where it is they make it happen. This year they pulled Australia! I think that's a great pact to make with a partner or a friend. It's always easier to travel if you have somebody else pestering you to do it!

[moechus.livejournal.com]

My experience, at least in Europe, is that most people understand that not all Americans support our leader and they don't automatically hate Americans because of our regime's foreign policy. I encountered far more anti-Americanism in Serbia and Montenegro in 1992 (where Americans were seen as supporting the sanctions and being appalled at the treatment then being meted out to the Moslems in Bosnia--all lies, I was repeatedly assured) than at any time since. In fact, the only other time I ran into any real anti-Americanism was in Bahrain in October 2002 during the buildup to the Iraqi invasion that was taking place in their backyard. Even in Iran (December 2000) I was treated wonderfully, especially when people found out I was an American, and didn't hear a word against the US. I suspect things would be quite different today.

[moechus.livejournal.com]

Oh, and I did run into some anti-American sentiment in Moscow over the past few years. Seems like they blame us for the collapse of the Soviet Union and subsequent implosion of their economy.