Do You Have What It Takes To Be a (happy) Indie Traveler?
First of all…
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This post by no means presumes to preach HOW you should travel. Nor what kind of a traveler nay tourist you SHOULD be. Nor do I delude myself that the attributes listed below (either singly or wholly) constitute the ONLY attributes a traveler should (or should not) have. In short, YMMV. This post is merely me, one lone independent traveler, plunking down some handy characteristics that I’ve found to be helpful whence skipping ’round the globe as a solo TravelnLass for the past 30 odd years. I might also add that it’s written more than a little tongue-in-cheek, slanted a bit towards silly, and I hope you’ll find it at least a little bit humorous. Nonetheless, I stand by the gist of it – I do believe that most all the listed attributes are indeed quite fundamental to enjoyable independent travel. |
Now then…
Just for fun – score yourself (using a scale of 1-10) on each of the following attributes.
- Adaptability: This is decidedly the No. 1 most helpful attribute – the one to score at least a 6 on if you hope to walk out your front door. After all, traveling anywhere beyond your front yard is gonna require a bit of adaptability – even if it’s just stepping off a curb to cross the street. But seriously, the whole point of traveling to far off lands is to experience something different. And you can bet that “different” is gonna require anywhere from a smidge to a mountain of adaptability.
- Patience: Ah, but if there is one guarantee whence traveling (beginning w/ standing in lines in your stocking feet at airport security checkpoints), it’s that you’ll perpetually find yourself spinning your wheels and twiddling your thumbs – waiting, and waiting, and waiting. Daily. Often for hours on end. For starters – waiting for the bathroom after dinner on your trans-Pacific flight, traipsing hither and yon (with your fully-loaded backpack, often after the aforementioned grueling 20 hr. flight) to find a decent budget hotel/hostel to lay your weary head, waiting in customs lines, for visas, for buses, for trains, younameit. Ah yes, dear grasshopper – for the independent traveler, a boatload of “patience” is a blessed gift indeed.
- Flexibility: Not in the sense of convoluted yoga positions mind you. But rather, able to swiftly contort in all manner of practical and social ways. Then again, the limberness of yoga might likewise serve you well whence squeezed into a chicken bus on the trail.
- Risk-taking: Let’s face it, every time you step off a plane in a strange new land, you’re taking a great big ol’ leap-of-faith. If you’re uncomfortable with uncertainty, and find it troublesome to leap ahead without the security of a pie chart, then independent travel may well not be your game (try stamp collecting or croquet instead.) Ah but an important corollary to having a healthy dose of gutsy daring in your travel DNA, is the wisdom to know when a given risk is simply foolish – and thus politely decline, and live to tell the tale.
- Perseverance: g-knows the dainty and fragile won’t last long on the independent travel trail. Trust that such travel can be purely wondrous, but it surely ain’t for the faint-hearted. (Ask me how I know – see here and here.)
- Curiosity: Not required, but mighty handy to keep you going when the rigors of life on the trail get you down (and trust that They. Inevitably. Will.)
- Shy-not: Doesn’t mean you have to be a party-animal by any means. But if you’re painfully shy, well… it’s just gonna be tough to meet locals (who can be invaluable at times, and imho are the primary reason I travel at all.) And yes, you’ll likely sound like an idiot when blubbering even a few words in the local language. But that’s no reason not to try. At least learn how to say “Please”, “Thank you” and “Excuse me” (well o.k. “Where’s the bathroom” might come in handy as well.) And btw – Note to Introverts: They make great independent travelers. I are one, and trust that I THRIVE when out on the trail. I mean, just ‘cuz we introverts don’t fancy being constantly surrounded by chums and chatter, doesn’t mean we can’t follow our own indie path and relish a bounty of travel adventures along the way.
- Squeamish-not: About dirt nay filth, bugs ‘n such. Seriously, if a a bit of grime troubles you in the least, you’ll not last long on the indie trail. And whatever you do – don’t even THINK about heading to India.
- Finicky-not: About what goes in your mouth (e.g. breakfast need not necessarily be “Capt’n Crunch”; lunch needn’t be some variation of Campbell’s soup; and dinner without a Big Mac is at least bearable.) Likewise, a modicum of tolerance for “slimy”, “OMG hot” and/or disgusting-looking, would merit a score of 7 or higher here.
- A wee bit Crazy: Probably the most essential attribute for satisfying and enduring independent travel. Indeed, if your family and friends have never pegged you as a tad tetched, nor hinted that you might be slightly bonkers – then you may well find independent travel to be somewhat daunting. Bewildering and a bit scary – kinda like a Salvador Dalí painting on steroids.
O.K. now go ahead – rate yourself, on a scale of 1-10 for each attribute.
If, for example, you faint at the sight of a cockroach, I suggest you score yourself a 1 or a 2 on attribute #8. But if such a sight only makes you slightly queasy, then feel free to give yourself a 5 or a 6. Only those who have a high score (8+) on attribute #6 (curiosity), and thus would likely inspect the abdomen and count the legs of said cockroach (leastwise before squishing it with a boot) would deserve to award themselves a 10 on this fundamental “Squeamish-not” attribute.
When you’ve scored yourself on all 10 attributes, total your points and proceed to my predictions below on your potential aptitude for happy and reasonably sane independent traveling most anywhere on the globe.
Score 70-100: Congratulations, you’ll likely make a fine independent traveler, and will no doubt have tons of fun, and great experiences wherever you may roam.
Score 40-69: Hmmm, not likely that the style of a typical backpacker (or even flashpacker) will tickle your travelin’ toes. But you might still get by hanging out independently in San Francisco (though not New York), Switzerland or Sydney. Better yet, just sign up for most any escorted tour – no doubt you’ll have a fine time!
Score 10-39: Seriously. Best you book yourself a cruise. Else simply snuggle back into that “armchair” and turn up the volume on the Travel Channel. No harm, no foul, trust that independent travel simply ain’t your cup O’ tea. Nuthin’ wrong with that at all. Indeed, just makes the trail a little bit less crowded for me. 😀
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A lofty 91 you say? Welcome to the zany world of the happy Indie Traveler. A scant 36? Not to worry – Indie travel surely ain’t for everybody. Just stay at home, tune into the bazillion travel blogs that abound (like this one!), and have fun traveling the World vicariously from your comfy armchair! |
About the Author
Dyanne Off-the-beaten-path travel is my passion,and I’ve always lived life “like-a-kid-in-a-candy-store” – eager to sample as many flavors as I can. Indeed, my life motto has long been: This ain’t a dress rehearsal, folks!
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Off-the-beaten-path travel is my passion, and I’ve always lived life “like a kid in a candy store” – eager to sample as many flavors as I can. Indeed, my life motto has long been:
I’m a 76! I have some work to do in some areas to get more out of my travel experience – although I KNOW that I will always score low on squeamishness and finickiness (new words?)
That was fun!
While I may not be a super high scorer, I’m jumping into our upcoming trip with the expectation to work on things I don’t already excel at.
You surely don’t need no super high score, but it’s always good to s-t-r-e-t-c-h ourselves a bit, yes? Besides, knowing you – you’ll make a gree-ate Indie traveler when you take off for South/Central America (won’t be long now, eh?)
btw, as an int’l tour operator, I specialized in travel to Belize and Costa Rica for nearly 20 years, so I know (and love) Central America pretty well. No doubt you’ll love it all, but if you get the chance – do spend some time in the San Blas Islands (in Panama) – purely idyllic!
Hey! I scored an 81! (Lowest scores: 6 on both Risk-Taking and Shy-Not.) I guess that’s why hiking halfway across the city of Utrecht just to find out what the heck a “Water Museum” is appeals to me more than sitting on a cruise ship.
Goodness, an 81? Why, I’d expect nothing less from a veteran geocacher. Shoot, now I expect you to come geocache with me in Vietnam!