Anyway, back to the post.
Awesome. Until I saw the guests and had no desire to go at all. Now..............
If you're my friend, you have had the pleasure of hearing me rant about this quite often. The people who host travel shows are either A. OLD. B. OLD and don't have an opinion C. OLD with no edge OR D.Very tan, plasticized, scantily clad "Wild On Playboy Types" more concerned with drinking champagne on someone's yacht then seeing the country they are visiting. I'm not saying that old people suck. Or even chicks with great bodies suck. Of course not. They have knowledge, experience...have probably seen many more places than I have (I'm talking about the old people, not the bunnies, they just have tan lines and hangovers) . However, just because you have been to another country and are a host doesn't mean the show will be good. Opinions make a good show. Not just a nice hotel room. These people are likeable, kind, bubbly even, but again, THIS DOES NOT A GOOD SHOW MAKE! I want some edge.....
This brings me to several conclusions. One: There is a hole in the market for someone younger....someone who is game to try new things, foods, adventures, venture off the beaten path, go where others haven't before etc. There is this breed of people in their 20's to late 30's who have a lust for life, those that don't feel like they need to sit behind a desk for a paycheck (or if they do, it's only to get that paycheck for their next trip). The people that, like me, don't fall into the trap of "adulthood" dictating we must all have grown-up jobs to get a house, a car, pay bills.....I don't work for that. I work to climb waterfalls in Costa Rica. I work to stand on top of an active Volcano spewing lava and smoke, to eat bugs in Thailand, to dive the ceynotes in Mexico, to sleep in a hut with indigenous people after we have feasted on a wild boar. This is life. This is fulfillment for me. And there are others....many others just like me.
Ok now, second, the people hosting these shows (with the exception of Anthony Bourdain who is always awesome) don't have opinions. I'm sure Samantha Brown is a great person. She's always happy, has that "could be your friend or could be your mother's sister" quality to her. Approachable. Likeable. Sure, all great qualities. But I have never seen this woman take a risk. Never really heard her voice many opinions. Never seen her scared. Maybe by sharks or something of that nature but never by a culture, a neighborhood........She goes to Europe and it's beautiful. She checks out hotel rooms and they are beautiful. She has a tv special on Hawaii and guess what, it's beautiful. I don't want to see her go into another "beautiful" spa and get another "amazing" massage. I mean, come on. I wanna see something other than the amazing hotels in Europe or resorts in Hawaii. I wanna see the guest houses for $5 a night in Cambodia or Loas. These types of shows hosted by Samatha or Andrew Zimmern are for the people who DON"T travel. Watching these shows are enough for them. They see it on tv and say to their cubicle mates, "I was watching Samantha Brown in London and the history is just amazing! It looks lovely." And they are content with that. Content to watch others. Never needing to do it themselves.
Gag.
I want to do it differently. I want to inspire people to travel, to inspire people to want to see a way of life totally different than their own. But sometimes it's hard to put a plan together, especially for the newbie traveller. If I don't have a corporate job that gives me 7 days vacation a year that are PAID, I need more info. More knowledge. I need to see what I can get on my budget, where I can go, what I can eat, knowing I'll be working again all too soon just to go somewhere else in a few months.
I want to be challenged when I travel. Perhaps that's why I don't mind a bit of fear. I remember when I went to Thailand the first time in 2007. I was trying to get to the water taxi and figure out which boat to get on. No one spoke English and I couldn't figure out how to get where I had planned to go. This was my first day. I genuinely felt fear. That "oh my god, how am I going to do this, how am I going to get around" feeling of panic. I tossed caution to the wind and hopped on a boat. Wherever it took me was an adventure and my "plans" fell by the wayside. That trip taught me a lot about myself and travel.
People need to know travel doesn't have to be expensive. People need to know that places other than the Caribbean and the main countries in Europe exist. That tiny towns off the radar can offer the most authentic experiences. That Cabo does not have the best or most authentic tacos no matter what that ex Hugh Hefner girlfriend says. That driving in other countries can be exciting and yes, scary, that having a "loose" itinerary or none at all can be amazing. That strangers genuinely want to help you. That travel is all about experience and seeing a life different than your own.
I want to show you that. I'm the right person for the job. No, I won't show you Big Ben. I won't take you to Cancun to dance on tables and drink tequila. Wait, scratch that last part ;) I love tequila. I promise to not take myself too seriously, to laugh at myself, to try new things, to be open, to challenge myself, to get scared, to have opinions, to be humble, to be sarcastic, to be thankful......to have a blast! Now give it to me!
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