Journal 3

Is there a border between tourism and travel? Use the two introductions we have read as well as Rick Steeve’s definition of faithful travel to make your best argument.

I do think there is a border between tourism and travel, and that it can be found when you find meaning in , or are somehow changed by, the place you've traveled to. This does not necessarily mean you have to go off the beaten track, because meaning can be found in the most mundane, everyday experiences. For example, the Louvre is a typical tourist attraction, but it can become travel when you see the Mona Lisa in person and are somehow moved by it.

One example from the Shukman text can be found on page 30. He is describing the village of Upachich and Ivan's home; when he describes the strange, delicious berries he also says that they frighten him - yet somehow (okay, vodka) he is changed enough to end up eating them by the handful later on. Sure, you could argue that this is just an example of strong adult beverages having the effect of lowering one's inhibitions, but I would also argue that he is still changed by his experience Even though he technically has a "tour guide" and is probably being tracked by the government, Shukman is also a traveler and not just a tourist - all because of this moving, life-changing experience, and others like it.

I think another example can be found on page 90, in Garcia's piece, when he is writing about an ex-IRA volunteer from Crossmaglen. The reason Garcia can be considered a traveler rather than simply a tourist is that he understands the plight of this local; you could almost say he "learns a lesson" from him. After talking to this man, Garcia gathers a universal human truth, "To know one of your own did this is soul-destroying." In a general sense, this could be anything terrible that makes you not want to be associated with a certain group. Many of us can relate to this when we as Christians think of the terrible things others do in the name of religion.

Even if Shukman and Garcia weren't as moved or changed by these two examples as I imagined, I think the fact that we can make connections to crossing borders means something. Even making their readers question what it is to travel, makes these men travel writers.

Steeves mentioned that faithful travel should move and change you, but it might not always make you a happier person; Shukman and Garcia show perfect examples of this in their travel writing.

 

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Journal 2

Mark Twain, through his writing in Roughing It, definitely demonstrates Primeau's notion that "Americans have treated the highway as sacred space." The narrator of this book proves throughout the first few chapters that he is naive and dainty, and knows nothing about the places for which he is destined. However, he also writes of the amazing happiness he feels while he is on the road. This shows that, no matter how off-putting the narrator may be most of the time, Twain still shows how the “highway” (or in this case, probably a dirt road) has always been a sacred space for the American traveler.

The narrator shows his naivete when he does not realize that he could buy the large dictionary he brings with him when he reaches his destination, and he is disheartened by the fact that he cannot bring his top hat and gloves (Twain 4). Similarly, he refuses to eat the mackerel put before him in Chapter 4, and shows the extreme differences in class and culture when he asks the station-boss for coffee (Twain 25).

However, even a narrator this naive (and even at times unlikable) writes lovingly of the "highway" he is on, as he rides in a stagecoach one night, surrounded by bags of mail, with his elder brother. "As we stretched our legs full-length on the mail sacks... our perfect enjoyment took the form of a tranquil and contented ecstasy... we felt that there was only one complete and satisfying happiness in the world, and we had found it" (Twain 11-12).

Some of my classmates mentioned that the narrator seems rich, aloof, and hoity-toity; however, with this passage, Twain makes him seem like a regular American enjoying a trip across the country -- in a sacred, special space that is his own (or that he shares with his brother). Suddenly he seems less like someone we would not want to actually meet in real life, and more like ourselves. Perhaps this is Twain’s own personality showing through his writing.

Journal 1

It seems to me only natural that Herodotus should be studied in a travel writing class. The first step to understanding a culture is to understand the history of that culture, and that is just what Herodotus does in The Histories. We can use him as an example when we start our own travel writing, too, by imitating the way he establishes his credibility and authenticity as a writer.  

For example, Herodotus establishes his credibility before flaunting his opinions. In the section on the Trojan War, Herodotus demonstrates his vast knowledge of Greek mythology and the figures from the story before telling his readers why he believes Helen was never in Troy in the first place. If he had not shown his credibility, Herodotus’s readers might not have taken this notion seriously. Similarly, we as travel writers should show that we know what we are writing about before we write about our own opinions.

Another way Herodotus shows his authenticity to his readers is by retelling local myths and stories, like that of the Egyptian and Phrygian children who were raised together in a cottage. After doing so, he can submit his own opinion without seeming like he is taking a side - especially when he writes, “I do not think that any one nation knows much more about such things [religion] than any other” (Herodotus 128).

Herodotus also uses enormous amounts of imagery to describe the geography of the land he is writing about. In the “Geography of Egypt” section, he further shows his credibility as a writer, and readers can trust that he was truly in Egypt. If Herodotus did not write about the geography or topography of Egypt, readers might have missed out on why the Egyptians wear certain clothes or shoes. Similarly, we as travel writers should include details like geography in case our readers are inspired to visit the lands we write of. If we include topics like weather and geography in travel writing, fellow travelers may be better-prepared to pack the right supplies, and, more importantly, may understand the people and culture better.

By studying and imitating the way Herodotus establishes his credibility and authenticity, we can become better writers and learn more about the subject of travel writing. In fact, Herodotus, as the Father of History, could also be considered the Father of Travel Writing; for knowing a culture’s past is the only way we can understand its present or guess about its future.