I have been working avidly on writing this book since I last posted here. I am nearing completion of the book and I’d like to share a bit of some pieces of the rough draft. Including images the book is at 94 pages already. It’s longer than I had anticipated and I may need to change the title a bit before I attempt self-publishing it on Amazon as my first book.
Here’s a large chunk of my rough draft for the introduction. After reading it, you will see that my book is about more than just using technology to make excellent travel experiences. It’s about making a work of art really.
My Tao of Travel
There are many theories I have come across regarding the subject of travel planning. The most common narrative I have experienced is generally people hearing about a cool place and then just going there and “figuring it out” after doing some loose research.
The second most common approach, at least among my fellow Americans, seems to be over-researching each aspect and attempting to manage every possible detail.
In this short book I’m going to simply show you the most logical tools you should employ to create best-case travel scenarios. I will give you easy ways to leverage common Internet technologies and Smart devices so that you trip will be successful. For advanced users of technology, I will try to show you how you can go even an extra step or two in really maximizing that travel experience to a foreign country where you do not speak the language.
My experiences are based on travel to around thirty countries over the past decade. During this time I have lived outside of America for seven years. I am frequently surprised when meeting other expats, some of whom have been abroad longer than I have, who still travel horribly! All that’s needed is just putting in a bit of effort that could improve their experience by at least fifty percent. When I give advice to many of my friends, they are often shocked about how these simple travel hacks require little-to-no tech know-how and very little time can sometimes pay TREMENDOUS dividends.
This book is about how you can make a badass trip not by ONLY leveraging tech, but by also thinking carefully about what you want to see and do first. I want to teach you how to exercise your imagination a bit before you even get on the plane. Why is this so crucial in making a successful journey? Let me give an analogy to explain it.
It’s Friday night and you are hosting an informal party. Several close friends and you all sit around and just talk while sipping wine. It’s a great time and you exchange gossip and tell stories about music, movies, politics, and gossip. It’s a big hit. Nothing was planned and you allowed for serendipity to be allowed to visit. As a result, after a few drinks, you and your goofy friends start messing around with the phone shooting videos of each other play acting, and before you know it – you all make a funny video that you will always remember.
The next weekend there’s a party planned for the 4th of July. You create a theme for the party – glow in the dark painting and black lights. You buy fireworks. You make Jell-O shots. You tell people to come up dressed like celebrities. You plan a couple of funny themed games. Lots of people come, they have a great time, and they talk about it for years.
Which party was better? The answer is neither. They are different and can both be equally awesome and memorable. The same is true with travel I think. You can have awesome experiences in many ways. However I have some preferences that I think will be useful to share with you. These have led to the greatest trips I have enjoyed.
- Focus on depth not breadth. If you have a week to see a country, resist the urge to “do it all.” So many friends of mine are like “Yeah I totally saw all of Japan in a week! I climbed Mt. Fuji, saw the fish market and pedestrian crossing in Tokyo, saw the Golden Pavilion in Kyoto, went to Osaka Castle, and rode the bullet train! Japan done! It was awesome!” Then I start going into details about Kyoto. “Well did you see Nara? I liked it even more than Kyoto? In Tokyo there are cafes where you can hold a pet owls. Did you check that out? What about the Robot show? Did you eat at the best sushi and ramen spots? They cost me less than in America!” Almost always people are amazed that we even went to the same country! In my opinion they miss so many of the details that truly give you a feel for the richness of a people’s culture and traditions. Not to mention that they spend much of that week traveling from place to place and hauling luggage around.
Instead choose fewer locations within a nation and explore them in detail. The purposes of travel are many, but to me it’s about memorable authentic experiences that you cannot replicate in Disneyworld. Don’t travel all of Japan if you’ve only got a week. Check out just the Kanto or Kansai region and you’ll find it so much more rewarding! Every single one of my most memorable vacations was done in this manner.
- Don’t Over Plan. Don’t Under Plan. Find that balance that allows for spontaneity, predictability, adventure, and rest. Create a general plan that offers certainty in terms of rest and relaxation, novel experiences that will happen for sure, free-time for the unexpected, and have that list of possibilities ready. A good trip has lots of possibilities, but you aren’t stuck into having to do all of them. Most importantly, a good trip flows well from day to day and the very important details are all handled ahead of time so you’ll never have to worry about where you are staying, having money, or getting from point A to point B.
- Thematic Planning Can Help Simplify. I went to the Philippines for nearly a month. The first theme was about cultural exploration and adventure. Then it was all about beach bumming. In Japan our first trip was about cultural and historical Japan through the ancient capitals of Kyoto and Nara. On the next trip we devoted the experience entirely to modern Japan – in Tokyo.
I would apply this to travel anywhere. If you are going to New York City, research a bit first to figure out what the city already has that interests you and build your trip around that.
I hope you enjoyed reading this. Structurally I have my chapters laid out as follows so far:
Chapter 1 – Hardware
Chapter 2 – Linguistic Issues and Translation Apps
Chapter 3 – Getting Flights and Internal Travel
Chapter 4 – Accommodation
Chapter 5 – Apps
Chapter 6 – Eating
Chapter 7 – Site-seeing: Attractions, Events, Tours, and Activities