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Media has been abuzz lately about the infamous dealings of dog trafficking. It’s not the purebred puppy mill business they’re describing, but the smuggling of dogs for dinner in Southeast Asia’s Mekong Delta. Street dogs, purebreds and even stolen pets with collars on are making their way via small wire cages to restaurants and dinner tables around the region. The business is thriving, and people are beginning to notice.
Canine cuisine in Vietnam, Korea and parts of China is nothing new; people have been feasting on man’s best friend in Asian countries and beyond for thousands of years. Why, then, is it making a splash in international news?
Street puppies at Kathmandu's KAT center
For starters, it’s the wrong season to be a dog in Southeast Asia. The cold months around Chinese New Year already increase the demands of the dog trade, since the delicacy is said to “warm” those who are eating it, help with metabolism, and even bring good luck.
Flooding in Thailand in late 2011 has also enabled business to thrive, as rising street dog numbers turn Bangkok into a dog catching free-for-all. Animal rescue groups are still working to find homes for the displaced animals, but smugglers often find them first.
Dogs in Bangkok after the floods
Perhaps what is most alarming, however, is the newfound attention on domesticated pets. Thailand’s Soi Dog Foundation suggests that captured street dogs simply do not fill the demand in a season when dog meat reigns supreme. What to do when street dogs are in short supply? Stolen pets become a dog trafficker’s target.
Of course not everyone sides with the PETA activists and animal lovers. As perverse as it seems to feast on fido, (whether street dog or pet,) this business has been thriving for years and doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. Roasted dog in parts of Vietnam is as common as roasted chicken in the states. It’s not even the animal cruelty that’s illegal, but the underground trade business which generates millions of dollars each year. For as long as the meat remains popular and lucky, there will definitely be dog for dinner.
What can you do? Aside from not dining in dog restaurants, there are several organizations around the world that focus on street dog welfare and putting an end to the illegal trade. The Soi Dog Foundation and the Kathmandu Animal Treatment center are just a few. Lastly? Don’t bring your dog on your backpacking trip around Vietnam this winter!
“You can’t go vagabonding with kids! Just a two week vacation with the little ones is hard enough.”
If you’re a parent, you’ve probably heard these words. You may have even said them.
Playing with children from other countries is a great way for children to learn to respect other cultures
Conventional wisdom seems to say that doing anything with kids is hard work. Going to the grocery store, sending a package from the post office. It’s a miracle if we survive driving fifty miles to Grandma’s house, let alone climbing on to an airplane to travel to the other side of the country.
A quick check around the internet will tell you that travel with kids is hard work. Maybe going somewhere that offers an all inclusive meal plan plus kids club so that you get a break from the 24/7 job of being a parent is a good idea.
But long term travel? Vagabonding with kids? No way. Uh uh. Not possible.
Or is it?
CNNGo published an article a while ago with some tips for traveling with children. Let’s examine their advice.
According to CNNGo, parents will need to pack their child’s “favorite stuffed giraffe that takes up a third of the suitcase” as well as “an entire library of Dr Seuss and Eric Carle books, not to mention the space-consuming nappies, wet wipes and milk bottles.”
OK, if your child is young, the nappies and wet wipes are essential, but the enormous stuffed giraffe and a whole bunch of books? What happened to common sense?
Contrary to popular belief, kids will survive without the stuffed giraffe. They’ll be just fine with cardboard boxes, pinecones, and sticks. Pack a tiny toy or two for good measure, but your children’s stuff doesn’t have to overwhelm the suitcase.
In fact, kids don’t need much at all. Pack a couple of pairs of clothes, a few toys, and you’re good to go.
They’re right on here. Our children had a very difficult time with jet lag and couldn’t understand why they weren’t sleeping in the middle of the night.
Of course, when you’re traveling long term, you won’t be taking all that many long-haul flights. Travel slowly and you won’t need to deal with jet lag very often.
Allowing children to eat a wide range of food helps them understand the world
CNNGo was downright wrong on this one.
They said, “Unless your kid has an abnormally educated palate, hold off on that culinary tour of India. Do not attempt to travel to a place where there isn’t kid-friendly food.”
What?! That’s downright crazy.
“This seemingly small detail is essential for a successful holiday with young children. French fries, nuggets, pizza and the like will save your holiday.”
I say take that culinary tour of India specifically so your child can learn to develop that abnormally educated palate! Kids learn to like what they grow up with, so pampering them with Micky D’s when they’re in Paris and Tokyo and New York means depriving your child of a wonderful opportunity to learn about the cultures they are traveling in.
Remember there are kids living wherever you’ll travel, and those kids need to eat something. Your child won’t let himself starve.
Children are capable of much more than we give them credit for
“If you wonder why parents of young kids travel with five pieces of luggage, it’s because three of those five bulging bags are filled with toys, books, games and gadgets lest junior gets bored for more than a second and all hell breaks loose.”
If all hell breaks loose when junior gets bored for more than a second, then you’ve done a piss poor job of raising your child in the first place. Don’t blame it on the travel.
They got it right here: “Your exotic destination is likely to be non-stroller friendly so your buggy sits folded up in your hotel room for most of the trip.”
But terribly wrong here: “So you end up only going as far as your young child can walk (to the nearest restaurant that serves French fries and back); or as far as you can carry them in your strap-on carrier (yes the Wat-of-500-steep-steps is too much); or you spend most of your holiday by the hotel’s baby pool.”
Locations are like lovers; sometimes we’re in the mood for the type of grand romance that only Paris and the Champs-Élysées can provide whereas other times it’s the exotic promise of Tahiti or the gritty resolve and urban brilliance of Istanbul that attracts us. The neon tawdriness of the Las Vegas strip is a cheap date, literally and figuratively, yet after we’ve danced and courted the city we eventually move on. After each sojourn we travel onto the next location and, in sticking with the metaphor, onto the next lover. That’s part and parcel of the beauty of travel – we can flirt with, understand, and love the world one person, one neighborhood, one city, and one nation at a time. For the vagabonding soul this is somewhat of a fait accompli for our relationships are destined to be fleeting. We love, often briefly, intensely, and then we move on. Even if we elect to go the ex-pat route and stay long-term it would be impossible to deny the lust in our hearts. While in the August humidity and perpetual hustle of Seoul would not our minds at times turn towards thoughts of other locations, back to the classic beauty of Greece or the ancient appeal of Egypt? No matter where we are, would we not at some point give in to Baudelairean thinking – “anywhere, anywhere, as long as it be out of this world“? We are destined to be flirts, to tease and be teased by each lover as is dictated by our intrepid and innate curiosity. We are driven to know what’s around the corner, over the hill, under the bridge, and, most importantly, within us. The serial monogamy that is long-term travel affords us an ideal opportunity for such growth and exploration. And in a landscape that is littered with our past relationships, it’s only too easy to be driven forward by the nagging notion that personal growth is just around the corner in the arms of the next lover.
A final thought: when a love grows stale and the dull flame of passion begins to flicker and die out, you’re free to pack your bags and board the next plane or train or bus out of that proverbial Siam. No harm, no fuss, no messy divorce (And, perhaps best of all, future dalliances remain an option); in this way travel itself is the ultimate open relationship and each location becomes the ultimate lover.
Who have been your past loves and what future conquests are you eying in 2012?
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Born with the soul of an adventurer, Ted Beatie is happiest when he’s off the beaten track. His favorite places include the Sahara desert, 100 feet underwater among the coral reefs of Fiji, and Burning Man. While he calls himself a diver, firedancer, aerial acrobat, actor, technologist and cyclist, his true passion is showing people a side of the world that they didn’t realize was there, through photography and writing. He is active on Facebook and Twitter, and maintains a travel blog and photo gallery at The Pocket Explorer. His email is ted |at| tedbeatie.com. He curates weekly Vagabonding Case Studies of real people going on, currently on, or returned from long term travel. |
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Chris Carruth is a vagabonding, camera-toting, moleskine carrying, freelance photographer and writer who moonlights as a sinner while consulting as a saint. He splits time between the open road and Boulder, Colorado where he is completing graduate studies in International Development. He enjoys both Pico Iyer and Paul Theroux, though never at the same time. He’s on a long-term quest to run a marathon in each state in the Union as well as one on each continent (and celebrates his conquests through beer, chocolate, and ¼lb cheeseburgers). In addition to English, Chris speaks Spanish and Korean, although the latter two quite poorly even though it’s not for a lack of trying. He firmly believes that Zappa was right when he quipped, “You can’t be a real country unless you have a beer and an airline,” and is enthusiastically exploring the merits of this theory. Chris is a lifelong ambassador for travel as he views it as an ideal vehicle to reach what Maslow called “self-actualization”. You can view his images and words online at www.chriscarruth.com or, should you wish, may contact him directly at cmc at chriscarruth dot com. |
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Marco Ferrarese started vagabonding as a punk rock guitarist in Europe and the United States, hitting the most famous and infamous stages across the two continents. He has visited 40 countries and lived in Italy, the United States, China, Australia and presently in Penang, Malaysia. After one year spent teaching Italian and English in China, he overlanded from Mongolia to Melbourne, Australia, hopping on only one short flight. However, Southeast Asia is where his heart beats faster. An expert on the region, he has picked up an MA in English Linguistics along the way. He has written in Italian and English about travelling, the vagabonding lifesyle, and extreme rock music for his own blog www.monkeyrockworld.com, CnAdventure Blog, China Files, and most recently the Southeast Asia Globe. He is also the web editor for record labels Cruz del Sur Music and FOAD Records. He will soon start a PhD research on the antrophology of punk and metal in Southeast Asia at Monash University. In year 2012, Marco is overlanding from Asia to Europe. Contact him at info (at) monkeyrockworld.com. |
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Angela Fornelli is new to the world of long-term travel, leaving for her first trip in February at age 29, after having dreamt about it since fifth grade. A writer, editor and PR professional from Chicago, Angela is leaving behind a great job and an established home base to explore her wanderlust in Latin America – beginning with a volunteering experience in Guatemala. She can be reached at angelafornelli (at) gmail (dot) com. |
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Born in Portland Oregon, raised in Portland Maine, and now vagabonding through Southeast Asia, Sarah Muir is hooked on travel. She graduated from Trinity College and worked in search engine marketing in New York City before taking to the road in September 2011. Favorite places in the world include Plaza Dorrego in Buenos Aires, Bangkok’s Soi 11 and Manhattan’s Alphabet City. She doesn’t plan too far ahead, but with one hour massages under 10 dollars and incredible Thai street food on every block, she may stay in this area of the world for longer than expected! |
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An audacious map fanatic, Lindsey Rue gained her love for the open road through the windshield of a ’87 Winnebago motorhome. She is usually surrounded by animals and off the grid, and has worked as an adventure guide in Alaska, Montana, Costa Rica, and North Carolina. Along with her critters — two horses and three dogs — they’ve explored the back roads and woods of America, dipping toes, paws and hooves into the life blood of the earth. Between extracting porcupine quills from her curious dog’s nose and practicing Mongolian horse archery, she enjoys seeking out used bookstores to gather literary treasures. If she’s lingered in one place too long, Lindsey starts re-arranging furniture and gets an itch for wide open spaces, and off she goes again. To find out more about her adventures visit (lindseyrue.com) and you can contact her wandering spirit at: gypsytraveller3 [at] gmail.com. |
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Nancy Sathre-Vogel is just a mom who took a little bike ride. On the longest road in the world. Together with her family, she spent three years cycling from Alaska to Argentina and another year pedaling around the USA and Mexico. Her wanderlust has led to 28 years of travel of all kinds — from backpacking to biking, volunteering and living the expat life. Now, she’s happiest helping enable others to get out and live their dream. Her family’s website is familyonbikes.org |
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Marcus Sortijas grew up in Honolulu, Hawaii, which gave him an early immersion in all things Asia. He followed his muse to California and got a degree in English Creative Writing. A semester studying abroad in England planted the vagabonding bug, which worsened after backpacking around Europe. Upon graduation, Marcus got a job in Shanghai to witness China’s boom first-hand. He later explored different kinds of chaos traveling through Southeast Asia. Marcus lived for several years in Taipei, Taiwan, where he worked as a writer and editor. You can find Marcus’ travel tips, stories, and photos on his blog: Marcus Goes Global. He can be e-mailed at: contact |at| marcussortijas.com. |
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Anna Wexler is a writer, documentary filmmaker, and adventure traveler whose trip ideas are a continual source of concern for her friends and family. She has yet to top the solo bicycle ride across Mexico, but volcano boarding in Nicaragua, motorcycling through northern Vietnam, and seal hunting in Greenland all came pretty close. When Wexler isn’t on the road, she writes about science and travel from her sea view desk in Tel Aviv. Her work has appeared in a number of print and online publications; most recently, her story about becoming President of the Jury at the World Testicle Cooking Championship was published in Best Women’s Travel Writing 2011. Read more about Anna’s writing and film work on her website: www.annawexler.com. |
After over 2 years and almost 70 Vagabonding Case Studies, we’ve profiled many different types of long term travelers. Single people, couples, and families. Men and women, first-timers and seasoned veterans, young and old.
Two things have become very clear;
Vagabonding’s newest contributors come from an equally diverse set of backgrounds and locations. We have a Colorado photographer studying International Development, a woman who travels the U.S. with her two horses and three dogs, and a PR professional from Chicago about to leave on her first long trip. You’ll get to know a documentary filmmaker in Tel Aviv, a punk rock guitarist and linguist from Penang, a career breaker living in Bangkok, and a woman happily recovering from spending four years cycling across North and South America with her family.
These new contributors are but the first and most crucial part of what will be an exciting year here at Vagabonding, as we bring together this growing community of travelers.
Please give them a great big welcome!
Revolution Apparel intro video
Sometimes it can feel like you’re torn in different directions. You’d like to start a business, make an positive impact on the world, and more. Is it possible to fold all your passions into one project? The fine women travelers of {r}evolution apparel are aiming to do just that.
An excerpt from their website:
We headed to Central America with no direction, no career path, and not much money. But we had an idea: a fashionable, minimalist clothing line for female travelers.
We were determined to do it right – we wanted to create a business that preserved the environment, cut down on pesticide and chemical use, and said “no” to the exploitative labor that keeps our clothing cheap in the Western world.
The star of their collection is The Versalette. Living up to the name, it’s a single article of clothing that can be worn in 15 different ways–including as a handbag! Check out the photos on the {r}evolution apparel website to see it in action. Quite a reversal from most fashion lines, which load up a collection with many kinds of clothing.
Have you worked on a social enterprise before? Have you used your clothes in more ways than the manufacturer intended? Please share your experiences in the comments.
“The question remains: does travel writing have a future? The tales of Marco Polo, or the explorations of “Bokhara Burnes” may have contained valuable empirical information impossible to harvest elsewhere, but is there really any point to the genre in the age of the internet, when you can instantly gather reliable knowledge about anywhere in the globe? Certainly, the sort of attitudes to “abroad” that characterized the writers of the 1930s, and which had a strange afterlife in the curmudgeonly prose of Theroux and his imitators, now appears dated and racist. Indeed, the globalized world has now become so complex that notions of national character and particularity — the essence of so many 20th-century travelogues — is becoming increasingly untenable, and even distasteful. So has the concept of the western observer coolly assessing eastern cultures with the detachment of a Victorian butterfly collector, dispassionately pinning his captives to the pages of his album. In an age when east to west migrations are so much more common than those from west to east, the “funny foreigners” who were once regarded as such amusing material by travel writers are now writing some of the best travel pieces themselves. Even just to take a few of those with roots in India — Vidia Naipaul, Pico Iyer, Amitav Ghosh, Vikram Seth and Pankaj Mishra — is to list many of the most highly regarded writers currently at work.”
–William Dalrymple, “Home truths on abroad,” The Guardian, September 18, 2009
“Authenticity was a buzzword in travel, but what exactly did it mean? At its purest form you could make the argument that the only really authentic places were ones that had never seen contact with the outside world at all. There were still a few of those left — in the Amazon, perhaps in Indonesian New Guinea. But they were hardly representative; they were freakish vestiges of a changed world, and authenticity was simply everywhere; it was all authentic in one way or another. But if you were on a train with a lot of backpackers, it got too easy not to meet locals, not to get lonely, not to feel scared, and I wanted all of those things.”
–Carl Hoffman, The Lunatic Express
If you have ever contemplated taking a round the world trip, there are tons of things you need to take into consideration – where to go, how much to budget, how to save the money to actually do it, travel insurance, what to do with all your stuff – all are just a small portion of what goes into planning a trip around the world.
Once you do decide to take that leap of faith and commit to going on a RTW trip, your biggest expense is going to be airfare. There’s no way around it – you’re going to have to pay to circumnavigate the globe. Once you start researching, your head will no doubt start spinning and you’ll be asking yourself all types of questions:
I know what you’re going through. When my wife and I were planning our RTW trip back in 2007-2008, we were just as confused. When researching RTW tickets from the alliances, we were bogged down by all the rules – no backtracking, you can only travel in one direction, there are mileage limits, there are continent limits – the rules go on and on and on and on. It’s dizzying. There are other companies who sell RTW tickets as well, but what is the difference? How do you choose?
With all this in mind, we at BootsnAll decided enough was enough. Long term travelers need a resource that summarizes all the options in one place. You need a way to determine which option is the best for you. So back in November, we got to work. We decided to do all the leg work for you. We researched all the options in depth. We made sense of all those terms and conditions. We interviewed travelers who bought RTW tickets. And best of all, we decided to price many of the options available for travelers looking for RTW plane tickets.
We posed as travelers and completed a secret shopping project for 8 different companies who sell RTW plane tickets. We came up with three different routes to search – from a simple, 4 leg, major hub city RTW trip to an ultra-complicated, 18 leg (13 flights, 5 overland) trip. We searched each route leaving from 3 different cities around the world – New York, London, and Sydney.
There is going to be a lot of content coming out in the coming weeks and months, and most will be hosted on BootsnAll’s sister site Round the World Ticket. We will also be offering a free ebook and authoritative report with our findings, and we will update prices and findings 4 times a year. So this will be an ongoing project that allows us to stay on top of changes in the industry. We started by publishing reviews of each company we shopped, and several of them are live right now:
The reviews will continue next week with the following companies:
The coolest thing about this project is that we want to get you involved. At the bottom of each article, we give customers the chance to weigh in and rate each company. So if you or anyone you know has used any of the above companies for a RTW plane ticket, we want to hear from you. Also, if you know of other companies selling RTW plane tickets and want them to be included in our research, just let us know. So spread the word, like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and sign up for our newsletter to keep up to date with all the new content we’ll be publishing having to do with this project.
Photo credit: 1
Video: Vlogger Natalie Tran on how to cook in a hotel room
I’ve mentioned vlogger Natalie Tran in a previous post. In the video above, she shows you uses everyday hotel items as cooking utensils. Definitely not as the manufacturers intended.
From seeing that, it’s understandable why some backpackers rate hostels with kitchens more highly. If you’re in an expensive city or country, cooking on your own can save quite a bit of cash. Besides, no one can cook something exactly how you want it, unless you do it.
Watching that clip brought to mind those times when I’ve had to “MacGyver” a solution to a problem. Basic things like washing your clothes in a sink, inventing new culinary creations from leftovers in the refrigerator, and things like that. No matter how well you plan in advance, chances are you forgot to pack something. Or a hostel doesn’t have quite the facilities you expected. That’s when resourcefulness kicks in, and you build your own solution to a problem.
Have ever been in a “MacGyver” situation? What did you do? Please share your stories in the comments.
Just for fun, I’ve included a scene from MacGyver below.
