My Philosophy of Travel

I was recently asked by a travelling companion how I found the energy to cope with the inconveniences of travelling for long periods in developing countries; which has provoked me to think about my own philosophy for travelling.
When I first started travelling I had very little money and life was a lot harder than it is now. I hitch hiked everywhere and slept out in half built houses and in bus shelters; so now, a hotel room of my own, no matter how simple, always seems quite luxurious. Over the years I have been on some seriously bad bus journeys but nothing compared to some of the trips I made in the Sudan, for example having to sit on top of a trucks cargo and taking three days to go a hundred miles through a sea of mud; after that even having a seat, no matter how tiny and cramped is an improvement. I once sat a train for three days waiting for it to move; you learn patience, to go with the flow and the necessity of always having a good supply of books. In the last thirty years, tourist infrastructure has increased massively all over the world, making travel easier and more comfortable, with the downside being that you now have to share places with a lot more fellow travellers. The reality is that these days inconveniences are usually just that – merely inconvenient.
One thing I have learnt is that people the world over are fundamentally decent. Some may dislike you or they just tolerate you, many would like to extract as much money as they can from you; but very few want to do you harm. If you are in trouble or ill it’s amazing how ordinary people will come to your aid unbidden. I believe its human nature to help others particularly if they are strangers or ‘guests’ trying to cope with difficulties in an alien culture. I’m lucky in that the threats I've faced have been very few and more than overwhelmed by the acts of kindness I’ve received from complete strangers. I feel sorry for people who see ‘abroad’ as full of risk and danger. There are risks of course, but in most parts of the world you are much more likely to be helped by people than harmed by them.
One thought that has sustained me through some bad moments is my belief that in the end – “Everything will be alright”. There have been many times when I’ve thought that tonight I will have to sleep in a ditch or walk the streets but it has never come to that, and most of those incidents were usually caused by my own poor judgement. So no matter how chaotic a bus station may be, I always believe that I will find the bus I need, it will get to where its suppose to and that there will be somewhere to sleep tonight; and so far everything has always turned out ‘alright’.
Travel with confidence and an open mind and you will be well rewarded.
When I first started travelling I had very little money and life was a lot harder than it is now. I hitch hiked everywhere and slept out in half built houses and in bus shelters; so now, a hotel room of my own, no matter how simple, always seems quite luxurious. Over the years I have been on some seriously bad bus journeys but nothing compared to some of the trips I made in the Sudan, for example having to sit on top of a trucks cargo and taking three days to go a hundred miles through a sea of mud; after that even having a seat, no matter how tiny and cramped is an improvement. I once sat a train for three days waiting for it to move; you learn patience, to go with the flow and the necessity of always having a good supply of books. In the last thirty years, tourist infrastructure has increased massively all over the world, making travel easier and more comfortable, with the downside being that you now have to share places with a lot more fellow travellers. The reality is that these days inconveniences are usually just that – merely inconvenient.
One thing I have learnt is that people the world over are fundamentally decent. Some may dislike you or they just tolerate you, many would like to extract as much money as they can from you; but very few want to do you harm. If you are in trouble or ill it’s amazing how ordinary people will come to your aid unbidden. I believe its human nature to help others particularly if they are strangers or ‘guests’ trying to cope with difficulties in an alien culture. I’m lucky in that the threats I've faced have been very few and more than overwhelmed by the acts of kindness I’ve received from complete strangers. I feel sorry for people who see ‘abroad’ as full of risk and danger. There are risks of course, but in most parts of the world you are much more likely to be helped by people than harmed by them.
One thought that has sustained me through some bad moments is my belief that in the end – “Everything will be alright”. There have been many times when I’ve thought that tonight I will have to sleep in a ditch or walk the streets but it has never come to that, and most of those incidents were usually caused by my own poor judgement. So no matter how chaotic a bus station may be, I always believe that I will find the bus I need, it will get to where its suppose to and that there will be somewhere to sleep tonight; and so far everything has always turned out ‘alright’.
Travel with confidence and an open mind and you will be well rewarded.