This website right here, this is "Laura's First Travel Blog". This picture, is me.
Though I've constantly kept a travel journal with me over the past few years, and managed to fill up several books with my 'thoughts while on the road', blogging is quite a foreign concept to me. Similar to those journal writings, those of you who know me well have probably received a lengthy email or two throughout the years, as I attempt to detail and sum up all of my recent experiences while traveling in foreign lands, in order to stay connected to you. In some ways, this blog might be a combination of those two things... a way to write about my personal thoughts and experiences in a way that allows the people in my life to tune in, whenever they feel like it. Should anyone else ever tune in, well hopefully I can keep them entertained as well.
My greatest fear in writing a blog is to be misconstrued, or to come off as sounding far too self-important. For that reason, there are a few things that must be said before anything else is said. Disclaimers, I suppose.
No matter what I write in this blog; no matter how I feel about a place, an experience, an interaction, a culture, or a meal; no matter how strongly I feel that way, I am never presuming to try and tell anyone what something IS. Subjectivity will reign supreme throughout, and behind every one of my statements is the unwavering knowledge that the opposite statement can be equally true and equally valid... in another person's blog perhaps. Not only is everything I experience being filtered through my own perspectives and beliefs, (even when I'm trying hard to quiet those), but I'm also fully aware that for every experience of mine that left a certain impression, there are uncountable other people who have came away with an entirely different impression. Different days, different moods, different interactions, different weather, and a hundred other variables... all these things color our intake of every situation. These are my intakes.
Also, I travel in a particular manner. I prefer some kinds of experiences over others. I often gain greater fulfillment from more challenging, authentic, off-the-beaten track routes, while I am often left wanting, and uninspired by typical, touristy places and activities. Tour groups and tour packages are almost never my friends.This is not to say that those kinds of travel don't have their place in the world, it is simply to say that they do not have a place in my heart. My own finances dictate a large part of my travel style, but it goes beyond that as well.
For example: I sometimes prefer to stay in cheap backpacker digs, instead of opting for more comfortable and convenient hotels, even when the price is only a small difference. YET, the dichotomy of my psyche is that that does not mean I don't enjoy hotels. Quite the opposite actually! Of course it's cozy to have a looked after, spacious room, a bed that's made every day, a/c in hot climates, hot water in cold climates, privacy, and perhaps a bit of insulation from the sometimes chaotic environments I find myself in. I've stayed in those places, and by no means did I just tolerate it... I quite LIKED it. However, I've noticed a price that is paid beyond the room rate. When I have a cozy hotel room, I am less likely to spend most of my time away from it (cause it's just so nice in there isn't it?), but when my room is a simple bed within four walls, I am far more likely to only sleep in it (there's always somewhere more interesting to be than a dingy, simplistic, or borderline uncomfortable, room).
On top of that, there's the matter of the people one meets. In the budget, backpacker guesthouse I am far more likely to meet independent travelers who can offer tips, stories, and information about independent traveling. In pricier hotels, I am more likely to meet travelers who book tour packages, and will recommend agencies, guides, and drivers who will 'take care of all of the organizing', whilst many times allowing me only glimpses of the most common, pre-approved, 'sights'. Each to their own. Even though it sometimes goes against my very natural desires for comfort and ease, I choose to inconvenience myself and hope for the reward that that can bring. Many times I pay the price for that choice too, and only end up frustrating myself, achieving none of the 'pay-off' that I hoped for when I chose the more difficult route. Choices have to be made though, consequences weighed out... and more often than not, I'll choose to take my chances on the cheaper, more challenging options.
Allow me yet one more disclaimer. Though I have just rhapsodized about how I fancy myself an independent traveler, seeking 'off the beaten path' opportunities, that is NOT to say that I am by any means a gold-star member of that club. I am constantly aware of (and sorta jealous of) the plethora of travelers out there, who could easily run circles around my travel experiences. In a world that is becoming more accessible by the minute, finding untraveled areas is practically impossible, and it is not my be-all/end-all intention to be the only traveler in every destination. I just want to travel everywhere and experience everything I can! If that means covering the 'tourist trail' at times, (which has become popular for a reason), I have no shame about doing that. And, damnit, the Lonely Planet is helpful to me. Perhaps I many times end up traveling the more beaten, off the beaten, path. I'm very aware of, and perfectly okay with that.
Alright folks, I think I'm done trying to explain myself, and ready to begin explaining my travels instead. With an entire, lengthy, posting about my intentions and my hopes for how my words will be read... I must now leave the rest of your perceptions up to yourself and simply write what I want to write. In the words of Anthony Burgess, "Eat this sweetish segment or spit it out. You are free."
Hi :)
Though I've constantly kept a travel journal with me over the past few years, and managed to fill up several books with my 'thoughts while on the road', blogging is quite a foreign concept to me. Similar to those journal writings, those of you who know me well have probably received a lengthy email or two throughout the years, as I attempt to detail and sum up all of my recent experiences while traveling in foreign lands, in order to stay connected to you. In some ways, this blog might be a combination of those two things... a way to write about my personal thoughts and experiences in a way that allows the people in my life to tune in, whenever they feel like it. Should anyone else ever tune in, well hopefully I can keep them entertained as well.
My greatest fear in writing a blog is to be misconstrued, or to come off as sounding far too self-important. For that reason, there are a few things that must be said before anything else is said. Disclaimers, I suppose.
No matter what I write in this blog; no matter how I feel about a place, an experience, an interaction, a culture, or a meal; no matter how strongly I feel that way, I am never presuming to try and tell anyone what something IS. Subjectivity will reign supreme throughout, and behind every one of my statements is the unwavering knowledge that the opposite statement can be equally true and equally valid... in another person's blog perhaps. Not only is everything I experience being filtered through my own perspectives and beliefs, (even when I'm trying hard to quiet those), but I'm also fully aware that for every experience of mine that left a certain impression, there are uncountable other people who have came away with an entirely different impression. Different days, different moods, different interactions, different weather, and a hundred other variables... all these things color our intake of every situation. These are my intakes.
Also, I travel in a particular manner. I prefer some kinds of experiences over others. I often gain greater fulfillment from more challenging, authentic, off-the-beaten track routes, while I am often left wanting, and uninspired by typical, touristy places and activities. Tour groups and tour packages are almost never my friends.This is not to say that those kinds of travel don't have their place in the world, it is simply to say that they do not have a place in my heart. My own finances dictate a large part of my travel style, but it goes beyond that as well.
For example: I sometimes prefer to stay in cheap backpacker digs, instead of opting for more comfortable and convenient hotels, even when the price is only a small difference. YET, the dichotomy of my psyche is that that does not mean I don't enjoy hotels. Quite the opposite actually! Of course it's cozy to have a looked after, spacious room, a bed that's made every day, a/c in hot climates, hot water in cold climates, privacy, and perhaps a bit of insulation from the sometimes chaotic environments I find myself in. I've stayed in those places, and by no means did I just tolerate it... I quite LIKED it. However, I've noticed a price that is paid beyond the room rate. When I have a cozy hotel room, I am less likely to spend most of my time away from it (cause it's just so nice in there isn't it?), but when my room is a simple bed within four walls, I am far more likely to only sleep in it (there's always somewhere more interesting to be than a dingy, simplistic, or borderline uncomfortable, room).
On top of that, there's the matter of the people one meets. In the budget, backpacker guesthouse I am far more likely to meet independent travelers who can offer tips, stories, and information about independent traveling. In pricier hotels, I am more likely to meet travelers who book tour packages, and will recommend agencies, guides, and drivers who will 'take care of all of the organizing', whilst many times allowing me only glimpses of the most common, pre-approved, 'sights'. Each to their own. Even though it sometimes goes against my very natural desires for comfort and ease, I choose to inconvenience myself and hope for the reward that that can bring. Many times I pay the price for that choice too, and only end up frustrating myself, achieving none of the 'pay-off' that I hoped for when I chose the more difficult route. Choices have to be made though, consequences weighed out... and more often than not, I'll choose to take my chances on the cheaper, more challenging options.
Allow me yet one more disclaimer. Though I have just rhapsodized about how I fancy myself an independent traveler, seeking 'off the beaten path' opportunities, that is NOT to say that I am by any means a gold-star member of that club. I am constantly aware of (and sorta jealous of) the plethora of travelers out there, who could easily run circles around my travel experiences. In a world that is becoming more accessible by the minute, finding untraveled areas is practically impossible, and it is not my be-all/end-all intention to be the only traveler in every destination. I just want to travel everywhere and experience everything I can! If that means covering the 'tourist trail' at times, (which has become popular for a reason), I have no shame about doing that. And, damnit, the Lonely Planet is helpful to me. Perhaps I many times end up traveling the more beaten, off the beaten, path. I'm very aware of, and perfectly okay with that.
Alright folks, I think I'm done trying to explain myself, and ready to begin explaining my travels instead. With an entire, lengthy, posting about my intentions and my hopes for how my words will be read... I must now leave the rest of your perceptions up to yourself and simply write what I want to write. In the words of Anthony Burgess, "Eat this sweetish segment or spit it out. You are free."
...and what a meal it is. I don't know about others but I'm hugry for more.
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