I certainly do not travel like Gunnar Garfors
I wonder what -besides an obvious desire to make a world’s Guinness record- is worth in Gunnar Garfors’ travelling 5 continents in a day. Please read the full story in this interview on CNNGo.
On Monday June 18th, this Norwegian man has flown to 5 continents (well… a very time limited chunk of them: Istanbul for “Asia”, Casablanca for Africa, Paris for Europe, Punta Cana for North America and Caracas for South America) in 29 hours – reduced to 24 when considering time zones’ changes.
Of course, I may compliment the idea and the endeavor, but the whole thing still looks a bit perplexing to a lover of slow overland travel like I am. And please allow me to run a bit amok over it…
According to Garfors’ statements appeared on CNN.Go, his idea comes from his previous visit to Instanbul. He affirmed that “If you can visit two continents in a matter of seconds, how many can you visit in a day?”
I am sorry, but being an overland aficionado into his fifth year of deep exploration of the Asian continent ALONE – still much to discover around here, folks -, I wanted to scream after reading such a naïve statement.
It made me question the whole concept of modern day travel: safe, fast, conducted in aseptic insulated plane cabins, with rolling wheels on shiny tarmac…
I cannot agree with such a travel experience: where has the adventure gone? How can someone even think to visit two CONTINENTS by crossing a line along a nonexistent border?
I wonder if travel still counts for an experience today, or if the whole concept feels more like an exercise in dining table conversation’s bravado: to what use people should say they ”have visited X countries”, when all they really did was vacationing to X different cities in X different countries?
This just sounds not too fair to dedicated travelers. Personally, as I modestly say around the same dining table that I have visited India or China, I am no frequent flyer to Delhi or Beijing. I have in fact visited, eaten, criss-crossed, tasted, slept, made love to 23 and 21 of each country’s provinces and states, and I count them as ONE COUNTRY in my “book of visits”!!
Without bragging, this is what I consider a fair travel experience to one location. Like, if you go to New York City, you CANNOT say you have visited the United States… as you simply visited NYC!!
Please wait, it is not finished yet, as there is more leaving me puzzled: Garfors affirms to be on a quest to visit all of the 198 countries in the world. “I’ve been to 174 of them and plan to visit more next year” he said to CNNGo. Well, dear Garfors, if your “been there” means having stepped off a flight for a few hours – according to the same article, Garfors’ shortest visiting time was 1 hour and 55 minutes in France, Europe – let me tell you: I am not impressed with any of your numbers.
I am plain worried that what I love – travelling, intended as deeply knowing the world around me –may slowly mutate into another quest for fame and coffee-table ego boosting. I have nothing personal against you, dear Mr. Garfors, but I think I may spare your way of travel. As far as I am concerned, if I keep going my present way, a lifetime will not be enough to visit even half of the continents you claim to have travelled in one day.
Do you readers agree with me or Garfors’ attitude? Please comment hereinafter.
July 5th, 2012 at 2:55 pm
Dear Rolf,
Believe me or not, but I totally share the fondness of ‘your’ way of travelling. The slow way. The proper way. And preferrably not (only) to capitals or major cities.
I am however also fond of ‘mad’ ideas, visiting 5 continents in one day was one of those that I just ‘had to do’.
I have visited a fair amount of countries, lived in six and travelled to and in many of them overland or by boat. Airports or train journeys through a country do not count. In order to properly experience a country I believe that you have to live there, preferrably working or studying. To do that in all countries of the world is not really possible. I still want to see the world and to visit every country, and some visits are shorter than others (although none as short as on this trip). Each visit gives me the desire to learn more and follow whatever is happening there in the news. And every country inspires me and makes me ask questions about it. Not to mention all the wonderful people I meet, the interesting tastes and the incredible scents.
And just for the record, I have been to all five countries in question before and after. It took us one day to get there, much longer back (we followed the same route back in order to be able to better document the journey).
I do love your blog post, but your question of what people agree with, your attitude or “Garfors’ attitude” is not quite fair. I don’t mind you using the 5 continents in 1 day trip to illustrate your point, but there is far more to my travelling than that. I certainly don’t usually travel like Gunnar Garfors either 😉
Cheers
Gunnar
July 5th, 2012 at 4:25 pm
It is important that people understand that you are being fey, lest you become famous for the wrong sort of thing and people begin to speak of fools “garforsing around the world”.
We might actually be in need of a word for such behavior, so one ought be careful, for we cannot always control what we are remembered for.
July 5th, 2012 at 6:22 pm
I think Gunnar’s assertion that he doesn’t usually travel “Gunnar style” can sum it up. It has been an experiment, just like Rolf’s round the world no baggage challenge.
Criticizing this sounds to me like talking against a gourmet eating once in a while at McDonald – just for a change.