The Pissing Match in Travel

... there is no reason for you to think that any man has lived long because he has grey hairs or wrinkles, he has not lived long – he has existed long. For what if you should think that man had had a long voyage who had been caught by a fierce storm as soon as he left harbour, and, swept hither and thither by a succession of winds that raged from different quarters, had been driven in a circle around the same course? Not much voyaging did he have, but much tossing about.” Seneca

There is this pissing match among travellers as to who travels best and most. There are those racers, who aim to be the first, youngest, fastest, and then there are those who are after culture. I have difficulty in understanding this pissing travel game. (Well, I have difficulty in understanding most of the things in this mad world but what can you do!) The first category is meaningless for me; the second, while of course being much preferable, is not much different if you ask me. Culture is something very deep and cannot be “experienced” in the real sense even by living in a place for years, let alone a month or two be it intense travel. Culture is something you accumulate in a lifetime. It's open to change over time and no place is really homogeneous, so many subcultures are present anywhere you go. But that's a long topic, please refer to Digging into Culture if interested; here I'll be just giving you an example, telling you the story of the pot and the kettle.

Cassie has been to only the airport in some countries. (About a dozen I suppose but don't take my word on this.) She cleared immigration, that is went through passport control, went out of the airport, then turned around and went back in to catch the same flight she disembarked from or another flight. Guinness is fine with that.
    Jessica says “I still can't understand why one would “visit” a country and not leave the airport. What is the point?!?”
    In Turkish we would say “Dinime küfreden Müslüman olsa bari.” It translates as “If only the one who curses my religion would be a Muslim himself.” It's used in cases where the one criticizing is guilty of the same thing he is criticizing. You might say “The pot calling the kettle black.”
    Jessica has 13 months for her 35th birthday and she is aiming to travel to 90+ countries in that period. What's the point of that if I may ask? What's the point of rushing to so many countries? Ah, so she celebrates her 35th birthday in Mauritius. Good for her!

I have 48 more countries to go to and I have 18 months to go for my 50th birthday. I confess, I thought of heading for that. When I asked the question what would be a most wonderful thing to do on my 50th birthday, the answer was to burn my passports. That would have been a very nice celebration. But I decided against it. It would be too much of a hassle and I wouldn't be enjoying the journey. And for what? Perhaps some more time would be beneficial to get some publicity for my mission. What's the point of me burning my passports in the fireplace over a bottle of wine with Carlo? The whole point is to get the message out: Ending birthplace racism!

Trivia: Jessica started travelling at 7. I started travelling at 24. Flights were not so commercial in my day and I lived in Turkey, not the US. Of course, my rushing to those last 48 countries is much different than Jessica running to 90. I have a child and a family I'm responsible for. Anyway... Jessica asserts she's “going to countries not only to count them and work in hotel rooms but to interact with people and experience the culture.”     Please... Please... Give me a break! How can anyone who has so little time in each country, plus spends time in hotel rooms or pools with photo-shoots have any time at all to interact with people and experience “the culture”?? How? It's simply not possible.

So going back to answer Jessica's question. What's the point? Cassie's point was to break the Guinness World Record. She broke it. Was it meaningful? Not very much if you ask me. But is Jessica's point of having been to every country on her 35th birthday any more meaningful? Is that a point worth pursuing? I don't believe so. Besides, from what it looks, Jessica seems to be going to countries to have photo-shoots. Staying in luxury hotels and advertising brands. Sorry but what's the point of such travel? You don't get to see the “real” world out there. You ignore the real people slaving in those spas and you aim to fill your pockets while enjoying life. If that's the point of travel, I say “No, thank you.” I won't get it, I don't want it. Not for me.
    Sure, if it is for others, they can buy into all this travel world. But even as a liberal, I wish people wouldn't. I wish there wasn't such an industry. I wish people were more after meaning. More after a juster world.
     Instead of a pissing match...

In the Forbes interview “How Jessica Nabongo Will Become The First Black Woman To Visit Every Country” by Alexandra Talty (April 10, 2018), it says:

“I travel in a very different way versus someone who goes to see every country in 18 months,” says Nabongo. A globetrotter at heart, she is comfortable with the digital nomad life. “I have a deep and intense knowledge of the world."

Jessica is again criticizing Cassie without giving the name and just referring to her anonymously which is something I find very demeaning; more importantly though, she is criticizing Cassie without having a look at herself. Ah how she travels in a very different way than Cassie who is a “tu-kaka” as we say in Turkish, especially to children when teaching them bad things to stay away from. “Poop-bad”. Cassie-bad. Whereas of course Jessica is way above Cassie. We don't need to bother with having our own judgement, Jessica tells us who is the better traveller. After all, this is a pissing match!

And what does Jessica have as to show us her “deep and intense” knowledge of the world? Just have a look at her website and her Instagram. Ah so full of knowledge! Dripping with wisdom, overflowing.
       But I shouldn't be unfair; perhaps she is saving that for herself.
       And just sharing her body with us.

I know... I'm bad. This is bad. But I cannot help myself. How can I not say these things? This nonsense pissing match upsets me. If there is to be a pissing match it's supposed to be over who can contribute more to the world. No no, you don't be an inspiration like this. Seriously! Be an inspiration in other ways.

There are so many people in a pissing match playing the every country game, while for so many others movement is a matter of life and death. Even if you don't care, at least be aware.

* Strike At The Root