Travel Tips

Most people when asked about their philosophy of travel will utter fairly trite statements about understanding the world or themselves. Others seem to go for the green approach and come out with phrases like "only take photographs, leave only footprints." Others may see it as a kind of great social adventure whilst others happily admit to it being one big hedonistic pursuit.

What links all of these approaches is an overwhelming sense of curiosity. What is curiosity ? makes for an interesting philosophical question (using the word Philosophy in its academic sense). It is perhaps an urban legend, but it is said that such a question was once set on a terminal exam in Philosophy at Oxford University. One cunning student wrote "Why ask?", and promptly secured his first ( who say educational standards are dropping ?)


In Psychological terms we can certainly see curiosity as a fundamental human drive. The educational television channel "Discovery" recently conducted an experiment on the concourse of Glasgow station in Scotland. They set up a large white box which had a letterbox sized opening in one side and proceeded to film who would be curious enough to investigate further. After interviewing people they concluded that about 70% of people have a strong streak of curiosity in their personality make up.

A more interesting (an entertaining) variant of this experiment is to stand with a friend on the edge of a platform at a train / metro station. One person being pointing at something over the edge of the platform in a quite animated way and tries to get a reaction from his or her friend (this must be done in silence), the accomplice then also begins pointing at the same spot. At this point you can begin observing how many other people will feel the need to have a look. Be warned - do not try this experiment on your own or people will just presume that you are mad.


A healthy curiosity then is part of the make up of the inveterate traveller, but what else ? The Hedonists clearly have a point that we would travel of our own volition if we did not actually enjoy it. Certainly a 14 hour bus journey on a ramshackle coach nursing the remains of your insides after a dose of Delhi Belly could not really be considered fun, but you will probably re-tell the macabre details for years to come.

To be able to travel for leisure is definitely a privilege we should not take for granted.

In India some 12 years ago I met several travellers who were proud of only spending four Rupees a day or whatever on the basics of life. They thought that this meant they could better understand "Mother India" this way. This is however (technical philosophical term coming up here) a load of complete hippie bollocks. The vast majority of Indian people saw that they were in fact rich in the sense that they had time in life to travel rather than scratching out a living. In philosophical terms I think we need to turn to Aristotle at this point.

Aristotle's doctrine of the mean suggests that we should try to develop certain virtues, but not go to an extreme or an excess in so doing - we should aim for the happy medium. Our hippie friends mentioned above were thus at one extreme whilst the type of tourist who only stays at the Hilton, only uses taxis and only eats in western style restaurants is at the other. By eating in local restaurants and staying in local hotels (i.e. not the western chains) you can perhaps find the happy medium.

We could apply this philosophy to how much tourism you actually undertake in your life. I must admit to being biased here was I have travelled widely, yet still have the 'bug'. Obviously one cannot travel everywhere on this planet, but I do believe we owe it to ourselves to at least try and fulfil some part of our curious nature.

Which is the more beautiful, wife or son ?