I love being nomadic. You never know where you’ll be this time next year. 5 years from now? I have absolutely no idea! And I am totally cool with that. However, as much as it’s an awesome ride and I feel great about my life, there are side effects of this kind of lifestyle.
Sometimes I feel guilt for things that my nomadic lifestyle creates. Guilt is an emotion that happens when you do something that you consider to be bad and that you know you can change.
So what am I feeling guilty about and what am I going to do about it?
1. Flying too much and emitting too much carbon doing so!
I like to spend a while in a place, so I’m stationary for months at a time rather than weeks. However over the course of a year I still tend to rack up a fair few miles in the sky. Flying certainly isn’t eco-friendly and no matter what your thoughts on global warming it’s near imposible to deny that burning that much jet fuel for our amusement is not causing pollution.
This article from Planet Green suggests that a return flight from JFK to San Francisco (roughly 6000 roundtrip) burns about 15% of the average American carbon emissions. About twice as much as taking the train and about the same as a 6-day drive by yourself. I try to be pretty low on my carbon emissions so am not keen on this large contribution I give with each flight, especially considering that I took two return trips between New Zealand and UK in 2012! That’s at least 46,000 miles in the air!
What am I going to do about it?
Let’s be honest with myself here. I am not going to stop traveling. It’s a purely selfish decision when it comes to the environment and I do feel guilty about that!
I am however going to try and learn more about this ‘carbon footprint’ buzzword and look into the world of carbon offsetting to make myself feel a little better (David Suzuki’s guide seems like a good start). Hopefully I can help mend my ill-impact!
It’s also not a big thing for the planet to ask of me to consider my travel, to try to travel efficiently between destinations and take alternatives to flying where possible. Personally, the idea of bussing across Europe seems a whole lot more fun than flying to me and I know from my experience with New Zealand budget bus travel that it can be extremely affordable too.
2. Purchasing small packets of things
A new town, a new hostel, no access to your own kitchen space (maybe even no kitchen at all), and the need to eat often leads to supermarket shops that are full of small packaged items. A small pack of hummus, two bread roles in a plastic wrapper, a small pack of this, a small pack of that. My partner and I sometimes look at the bags of rubbish we create in disbelief! Granted much of it is recyclable, but I would rather not be part of creating it at all. Being on the road and not being able to easily buy in bulk or cook from basic ingredients obviously creates this issue.
What am I going to do about it?
I am already getting better at this. I have chickpeas soaking in a bowl back at the hostel right now! Many larger towns have places you can shop where you can scoop the amount you need to suit your timeframe, luggage burden, etc. You can bring your own plastic bags to reduce packaging even further.
3. Not contacting friends and family enough
I mean to speak to my family and contact my friends much more than I do. Life has a way of running away and before you know it weeks, sometimes months have passed! Being far away means that your life back home can loose focus, but it’s important not to forget those you care about!
What am I going to do about it?
I’m thinking I need to start scheduling calls to my family and setting aside time each month to contact friends or at least send a few bulk messages. It won’t always work but a concerted effort is better than nothing and I am sure it can improve. Friends and family reading this post, I am sorry! I’ll be trying harder.
4. Being awful at the local lingo!
Living in Quebec I used the excuse that everyone spoke english so I picked up no francais. In Egypt, I picked up what I called “taxi driver Arabic” but it was hardly learning another language! Sure I could call Mubarak a donkey and I could give directions to the pub but I couldn’t discuss local life and the goings on around me in much detail. I need to be more immersive. Of course, most countries you can get by with English. But I think learning the local lingo can connect you to a whole new understanding of a culture.
What am I going to do about it?
I need to make a better effort to either sign up to a course or join an online program when I next find myself grounded in a foreign speaking country for a while. There are awesome programs like Rosetta Stone that could be worth the cash but I also like the idea of attending some lessons, even if just a language exchange.
5. Drinking Coca Cola and Pepsi
I often find myself reaching for a soft drink in the local stores. It may be the diet version but I always make the same excuses. They range from “Oh I have been healthy with everything else today” to “It’s so hot and I am tired, I need some caffeine”. The fact is that these drinks are terrible for me and it’s important to try and be a healthy traveler. I like to feel alert and on the ball and to experience places feeling good about myself. Also there is the fact that I don’t like these big corps (you can see on Knowmore.org that they don’t have great worker / human rights records). Ideally, I should be buying things like juice from a juice stand, young coconuts, tea from a small cafe or whatever other local drinks are on offer.
What am I going to do about it?
I need to start rationing it so I can stick to something solid. Maybe I will allow 1 soda a week (currently about 2-3 a week) and then see how that goes. Then after that, maybe I’ll cut to 1 a month until I no longer want it at all!
6. Complaining about what the locals are like!
We all partake in these discussions. Sometimes it is with other travellers. Sometimes it’s with the locals themselves. In New Zealand, I often find myself complaining that drivers put pedestrians second and don’t look out for people crossing the road. I complain about the Kiwi “No”, which I say is when a New Zealander half commits to something they don’t want to do when really the answer is No!!!! The fact is it is so easy to apply attributes to people of a certain place (especially if it is an unknown place/culture) and we then search for those characteristics in daily life. Pigeon holing the locals and then complaining (especially about difference) is not cool!
What am I going to do about it?
I’m going to try and hold my mouth when some statement about the locals is going to come out. I will try and disengage myself from conversations that are leading down this path!
Of course, sometimes it’s in good humour and that can be fun but we need to judge what is right and what is wrong to say!
7. Complaining about home!
Home for me is the UK. I find myself complaining about Brits a fair bit, or things in Britain but this kind of speak just isn’t positive. Just like complaining about the locals, it often isn’t accurate either! As an example, I often complain about the Brits who go to Spain and lay on beaches all day, drink in English style pubs and don’t try to speak Spanish. The fact is that this is likely a small part of the overall travel community from the UK, so I shouldn’t let it get my goat! It’s also an old stereotype now and more and more travellers are opening up to the places they visit rather than trying to stay in a version of their own country!
What am I going to do about it?
Well, I need to be more mindful of this too. Keeping conversation positive and free from stereotypes isn’t always easy but it can be done. I should concentrate on the best things about the UK and share them, or if other brits are complaining I need to counter with positive examples.
What do you feel guilty about?
So, I have shared some of my guilts and now I would love to know what you think of my solutions. What makes you feel guilty and what are some ways you can fix these issues?
Last thoughts…
It’s not good to walk around feeling guilty about anything. Maybe I am over-thinking certain aspects. Travel tends to make you reflective, widen your world views and give you a different approach to your life. It challenges assumptions and I feel my mind is way more open than before I started. So for my own sanity I at least need to address my guilt!
I’m really looking forward to your thoughts, so please don’t hesitate to share them with me below in the comments.
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Sleep-in when on holiday: Could have just done that at home. Such a waste, but bed is always so comfortable!
Everything on your list, except for the flying. We’re trying to do everything over land/sea.
Doing all those things is not good, but I just can’t help myself sometimes. Also: not eating local food and instead going to a more western restaurant. I always feel guilty.