The philosophy of the good traveler: Physical fitness
Note to readers: I’ve lived abroad for almost four years of my life, in England and in China.
Over the years I also have traveled to many other countries on three different continents.
Currently I live in China’s capital, Beijing, where I’ve exchanged my cushy American heritage for Asian hermitage to study Mandarin at one of the world’s premier schools, Peking University. I live a highly orderly life, every day keeping certain routines to facilitate my life alone, on the road, abroad.
My name is Philip, but here in China they call me Cai Yue.
First things first, I’ll tell you what; I’m not the best traveler.
Traveling is hard. But we love it, right? And whether it is a long, smooth drive down to Florida or a rough hike up through the Alps, traveling is about acquiring new experiences and redefining your boundaries. Unfortunately it takes a lot of hard work to be a good traveler.
This first blog of mine takes a look at physical fitness and is one in a two-part series.
I believe two noble truths distinguish a good traveler: physical fitness and mental preparation.
The first truth is that traveling well and traveling safely require a certain degree of physical fitness. Unconsciously we all realize this, but in practice, that’s another story.
In 2008, I was traveling by train and bus in central China with a Thai friend of mine. Somewhere outside the so-called “armpit of China,” Dengfeng, some even smaller nothing-of-a-town completely unaccustomed to foreigners, we had to switch buses. In between rides we had an hour or so to soak in all the sights and smells the hinterlands of the Armpit of China had to offer. Foolishly we wandered off a bit too far. Returning just a few minutes before our bus was scheduled to leave, we saw it already beginning down the dusty road.
Guess what? It was time to run!
In 2004, traveling in Tibet somewhere near Mt. Everest some members of our group were attacked by bandits. No joke. The brigands brandished cudgels and chains and wood planks. They didn’t speak English, but everyone knew what they wanted: cameras, jewelry, money.
Guess what? Fight or flight!
In 2001, aboard United Airlines Flight 93 over Shanksville, Penn., and again on Dec. 22 of that same year on American Airlines Flight 63, and even last year’s Christmas on Northwest Airlines Flight 253 terrorists attacked ordinary passengers, regular travelers minding their own business, who together, by force alone were able to avert greater calamity.
Guess what? It was time to fight!
The truth is, all travel situations and life, in general, require this awareness: we are never safe and sound. There will always be danger around the corner. The good traveler knows that. A good traveler realizes that he is purposefully putting himself in an out of the ordinary situation, which might have out-of-the-ordinary dangers.
Travel isn’t all fun and games. There are situations no one – except the good traveler – foresees: a mugger, an earthquake, or any other disastrous situation one has absolutely no control over. Imagine, you are alone, abroad, no money, in Haiti or some other God-forsaken place when an earthquake happens. If you don’t prepare for that possibility, or a military coup, or a riot, or a hurricane, or whatever, you’re not a good traveler.
Good travelers sweat now so that they don’t bleed later.
Point is, who knows, you may have to run or fight. Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that, but this is the kind of serious mentality one should adopt. It is the responsible philosophy.
Bottom line: I want to travel. I want to experience "National Geographic" adventures. So the smart thing to do is prepare myself physically, so that I can look my loved ones in the eye before I go and say, “It’s going to be alright. I’m coming back home safe and sound.”
Because at the very least, in a perfect world without bandits and terrorists and buses leaving early, there are still always going to be big hills to climb.
Stay fit.
NEXT ENTRY: The philosophy of the good traveler part two: Mental preparation
• Philip Lenczycki is a Lake County resident studying abroad in China. He is a blogger for the Lake County Journal. Contact him at lcjedit@lakecountyjournal.com.
