Traveling the World

My first experience with Aussies came when I moved to China a year and a half ago. I was so used to American culture that the way they acted was at first a bit of a turn off, and after a few weeks I got used to it. I thought it was just how these two guys acted, so I adapted to the way they behaved. It seemed like they were always “taking the piss” with me and putting me down, but I grew to realize that it was them trying to help guide me towards the right path and make quality decisions with my life.

Typical Aussie

Little did I know that their entire country would be like this! To the traveler who has never come in contact with an Aussie outside of Australia, you might find them to be quite brash and a bit rude, but that’s how they show they care. I guess it’s how you have to act when you’re surrounded by bush people, islanders, and aboriginals.

Overall I found that customer service was quite terrible, yet sadly still better than China’s. In some sense, they want to make you happy like in the States, but at the same time they don’t really care either way. Americans ask, “What would you like,” while Australians ask “What are you after?” like it’s a desire.

The country seems to be run by unions, and as a result things get done much slower, and it takes a lot more money to get it done. The minimum wage is about $18 and they get mandatory breaks (which even in the eyes of some Australians are far too often). I guess it’s a product of our generation who only cares about mucking around and not having any ambitions in life, and I think that’s something you’ll find in every country within our generation.

Another thing was that many people have tattoos and piercings and show them in public without hesitation, whereas in America one would do well to conceal these things from their workmates and bosses. I found many people to be either particularly overweight, or way too skinny. Most young people had their hair dyed and walked around with an attitude, but I doubt that’s who they really are (unless they’re just white trash like I believe them to be).

I hate to generalize or speculate, but this post is based on my experience in Queensland, Australia. Your experience may differ, so don’t hold my words to be true to the T.

There are many kinds of people who we can define as “tourists,” no matter how hard people like me strive to be called travelers instead. The truth of the matter is that we’re all tourists, but each of us has different goals, and it’s our goals that set us apart from one another. Up until now, I’ve experienced travel in different ways: I’ve taken the short cruise with only hours of exposure to the host country, I’ve studied abroad and lived in a house with a local family, I’ve taken a guided tour with almost no freedom to explore on my own, and I’ve backpacked alone with complete freedom. Of all these experiences, I feel the most valuable ones are those in which I’m completely free to choose my destinations, when and how I get there, and what to do when I arrive. But what if you could be completely free while still living with a host?

People will surely disagree with me since everyone has their own ideas. These people might be afraid to travel alone, or unsure of what to do or how to get there, or maybe just want to enjoy the privacy afforded by a hotel room. For me, these things are part of the journey. I love meeting locals along the way, and sometimes even spending time with them learning valuable information about the area or even country as a whole. I know what tourism has been in the past, and shy away from it. It’s my hope that the future of tourism will evolve into more of a genuine cultural experience void of trinkets and ridiculous prices. Most people work hard and despite have money to spend, are unable to take long trips like myself to really enjoy themselves.

As a result, some people have turned to vacations closer to home. This is good and bad at the same time, because people aren’t getting the opportunity to learn about other parts of the world, however they’re finally taking an interest in the things surrounding them. I think the future of tourism will be one in which people have more vacation time to go off and dive into the rich cultures not only of areas nearby, but also of far off lands one used to only dream of seeing.

The average tourist today loves to stay in nice hotels to enjoy the luxury associated with these destinations, however this can not be called an experience in the eyes of us travelers. That is why I hope in the future more programs will exist to allow tourists to stay with a local family no matter the amount of money they have to spend. Even if for only a few days, tourists can have a genuine experience where they are fed local foods and see the culture for what it is, and not from a distance (the hotel bedroom window).

My richest experiences have been living with the locals as they not only help you assimilate quickly, but keep you safe from the harms that exist. In addition to that, they can provide access to the language in case people don’t speak your own. These things will allow more people to find that little hut on the secluded beach with the best seafood in the world, or the little bar in the alleyway with home brews.

The best thing about travel is finding what’s hidden from plain view, meant only for the locals. Living amongst the locals allows you to live like the locals, and if that’s not a cultural experience, I don’t know what is. It’s my dream that more people will free themselves from the fear that has handcuffed them to the country they were born in. Diplomacy between governments is a good way to improve relations, but there is so much love in the world that is waiting to be spread, and can only be done one person at a time.

Before I went to Australia, I told myself that from the time I leave Wuhan onward and for the rest of my life, I’m going to do the things I’ve always wanted to do without hesitation. As a result, I went bungee jumping as a nice start to scratching off things from my list. Ever since I got back from my trip, I’ve felt different. I’ve felt better. I think I knew this was going to happen, so I’m not shocked, but it’s something I need to address.

To continue, within the first week of arriving back in China, I got a tattoo to celebrate the almost two years here, as well as it being my 24th birthday and the Chinese Zodiac’s return to the Tiger year (the year in which I was born). I’ve always said that money isn’t that important to me and I only really need enough to survive. The problem with this idea is that I could never save enough to have kids or a wife and make sure they’re happy too. With this came my latest break: I think I’m ready to leave China.

I’ve had some amazing experiences and travel opportunities, and they’ve really made the new me come out and I’m glad for that, but I think it’s time to move on and leave China behind for a different culture, a different location, and a much better salary. I came to China because I knew nothing about Asia and wanted to learn about it. I learned a great deal of Chinese (even though I wish my knowledge were much better), the history, the people, and the food.

Over the last few years, I’ve been a member of Couchsurfing, a non-profit organization that aims for free accommodation all over the world. How do they do this? By having regular people like you and me sign up, fill out a profile, and have an immense desire to travel, or host people who travel through your area. Today it’s bigger than that. Their forums include people from many countries, and these people discuss getting strangers to travel with them to other places, or build eco-communities together. There are even religious groups such as the Kosher Couch group (so Jews can host other Jews).

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