Yesterday I posted my review of Rolf Potts’ vagabonding book. I mentioned his humorous discussion on the distinction between tourist and traveler. This part is probably so funny to me because it’s such a useless discussion to start with (something Potts is aware of) and is hence illustrated through idiocy. But to some extent, this discussion has become increasingly common in backpacker circuits. There seems to be a need for distinction among those who believe they are experiencing more than tourists. Those who believe they are being immersed in culture rather than simply observing culture. That’s what this post is about; the distinction.
It’s really gone quite far. So far, in fact, that there is a term for those who do everything in their power to be not identified as a tourist: The Anti-Tourist. Daniel at thelostglobe.com talks about this interesting phenomenon. I agree with him that these guys are pretty annoying (putting it lightly). But let me take a moment to opine regarding this mess of crappy definitions are stereotypes. Click here to keep reading…
Filed under Timen Talks.
Ever since I picked-up the January/February issue of National Geographic Traveler I’ve been frustrated with the article about the questionable reliability of travel bloggers. There are a few things that frustrate me about this piece. The first is that, indeed, it confirms once again that these guys exist. As far as I am concerned, doing reviews in exchange for free or reduced costs is a blogger crime if the review fails to mention the deal.
Some argue that these bloggers were not required to write positive reviews. The problem with this is that it is difficult to write negative reviews about places where everything is free. What’s more is that because they know you’ll be writing a review, they’re going to make sure your experience is positive. You’ll be in a controlled environment.
There is also another thing that bothers me about the article. There are many travel blogs that do not submit to such dishonest writing behaviour, yet the article doesn’t seem interested in them. This blog is one of them. And so is this one, this one, this one, this one, this one, this one, this one, this one, this one, this one, this one, this one, this one, this one, and so many more!
And with that I’d like to announce a new project here at in my All Stars: a Trusted Travel Blog network. I’m not yet sure if this one’s going to work, and I’m still working out many details, but hopefully soon there will be a nice little site set-up that keeps track of a list of quality, honest travel blogs. With a little luck this list will gain some authority and National Geographic Traveler can write something positive about us good guys.
If anyone has any suggestions or comments, please do contact me or write a reply below. Do this especially if you think the idea is crap.
I’ll keep you informed.
Filed under Timen Talks, Trusted Network Updates.
Two months ago I started work on a book that would hopefully show in images some of the different experiences I had when traveling through Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand in the summer of 2006. A few days ago my order arrived and it looks great! I never had such positive feedback before. Click here to keep reading…
Filed under Timen Talks, Photography Tips, Asia, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand.
One thing that has intrigued me the past few weeks is the idea of teaching English abroad. I’m finishing my undergraduate studies soon and I’m looking into masters, but I can’t deny that teaching could be a lot of fun, and it would make extended stays abroad possible (e.g. in South Korea).
Some people extend their trips by working, but they’re usually limited to things like bar jobs. Nice, but not really what I’m looking for. When traveling in Asia I met a few people who taught English in China. They loved it. Maybe I can as well?
I did some research and found that there are some amazingly helpful resources out there. The best place I’ve found so far is TEFLdaddy.com. The information is a little bit disorganized, but it’s written with a touch of honesty and genuine interest in helping out people like me. Pretty darn cool.
For most good positions abroad you’ll need a TEFL certification. TEFLBootCamp is a nice place to start, although if I ever do end up doing something like this, I’d probably take a real-world course.
Filed under Timen Talks.
