Traveling

My name‿ is Peter. I have travelled to twenty-three countries,│ and‿ I have gradually stopped calling myself‿ a traveller. The wor(d) has become‿ a badge rather than‿ a description.

The firs(t) time‿ I went‿ abroad,│ I booked‿ an‿ itinerary that filled‿ every hour,│ and‿ I came home‿ exhausted‿ and‿ informed‿ about nothing. What changed my habits was getting^ge-ding lost‿ in‿ a town‿ in Japan│ where nobody spoke‿ English,│ and‿ eating^ea-ding‿ in‿ a place with no menu. Immersion‿ is‿ uncomfortable,│ and‿ it‿ is the only thing that produces‿ a change‿ of perspective. Authenticity,│ however,│ is‿ a more complicated‿ idea than tourists‿ admit:│ a village performing‿ its traditions for visitors‿ is not‿ inauthentic,│ it‿ is‿ adapting,│ which‿ is what cultures have‿ always done.

The problem‿ I cannot‿ ignore‿ is‿ overtourism. The same‿ infrastructure that makes‿ a place‿ accessible destroys the seasonality that protected‿ it,│ and‿ in some cities residents‿ are now priced‿ out by the industry that serves visitors. I offset my flights,│ which‿ is‿ a small gesture that changes nothing structurally. What‿ I can do is travel‿ in the low season,│ spen(d) money with local‿ owners rather than‿ international chains,│ and‿ accep(t) that my presence‿ is not neutral‿ in somebody else's home.