The "Glamour" of International Travel

Because I'm ridiculously self-absorbed and want everyone to know the minutia of my daily life, you likely already know I'm in Jakarta, Indonesia.  Arrived late last night (Saturday), depart next Saturday.

I'm always amazed by people who comment on my Facebook posts, claiming my "luckiness" to get to travel all the time.

And don't get my wrong ... I AM lucky.  I feel like international travel has made me a better version of myself and has provided experiences I wouldn't have otherwise had.  I've seen things, experienced things, eaten exotic things, and have done things that few get to experience.  Trust me - I am not biting the hand that feeds me, but I feel there are some myths about international travel that must be dispelled.

Travel itself (particularly on quick trips like this one) is anything but glamorous - and I'm going to use this forum to prove that point.

1. In some cases, you're on a plane for more than 24 hours.  That's right.  24 hours - with a few layovers sprinkled in for fun.  Think about your "normal" day.  Now take all of that away, and imagine yourself sitting in coach for 24 hours.  I rest my case.

2. You're working 12-14 hours (if not more) a day.  While on STTA (short-term technical assistance), you're likely there for a VERY specific reason.  For example - on this trip - I'm here to support a budget realignment of our project that is currently facing lots of not-so-fun issues.  I will start my day at 6 a.m., as usual, and likely not finish until 10 p.m. - with breaks only taken to get dressed for the day, get to/from the office, to eat (but usually a working lunch/dinner), and to take a personal moment here and there to - you know - use the bathroom.  By the time you get back to your hotel room, you're playing catch up for hours on all of the "normal" work things that you weren't able to get done while focusing on activity X for the entire working day.

3. You don't get to sightsee.  OK, I'll admit it - on some of my trips that extend longer than 1 week and include a weekend, I've gotten to do some pretty amazing things.  But - now that I'm in Asia, and my trips will likely become hops, skips and jumps for 1 week at a time (or less) - those bonus sightseeing trips will end.  Which leads to #4 ... 

4. There's a little bit of guilt.  Take today, for example ... I'm in Jakarta, spending my Sunday in a hotel room working vs. getting out and seeing the sights.  Why you ask?  Because I have a sh*t ton to do to prepare for this coming week.  The guilt comes from not taking advantage of this amazing opportunity to get out and do the touristy things that I know others would give their eye teeth to see - I always feel like I should be out and doing something, instead of just saying ... "you know what?  It's a Sunday.  If you were at home on a Sunday, you wouldn't be beating yourself up for catching up and relaxing before the busy work week starts right back up again tomorrow morning."

5. Dieting is hard.  When you're not responsible for cooking your own food, it's really easy for a diet to fly out the window.  Not a luxury I can really afford (let's be honest).

6. It's kinda lonely.  Particularly if you're on an STTA.  Anyone in the international development world can tell you - in most cases, you're traveling independently - meaning anything you do outside of working hours is with you, yourself, and ... you.  Right.  Lots of benefits from that too (see previous post Single Rider), but can get lonely at times. Not to mention missing your family, friends and dog.  

OK, even as I've gone back to read this, I'm thinking "jesus - you sound like a total ungrateful ass, crying into your 5 star hotel rooms 3,000-threadcount pillows."  I could easily discount everything I've just written above by saying any of the following:

• "But - once you're off the 24 hour flight, you're in a totally different universe - how cool is that????" ... or ... 

• "But now that you live in Asia, you can go and sightsee as much as you'd like - it's all in your backyard!" ... or ... 

• "But you don't have to cook for yourself, and how cool is that???  Someone making all these exotic dishes for you and then cleaning up after you?  Yes please!" ... or ...

• "So what if you're working your a*s off - sometimes it's cool to just be in a different place!" ... or ...

• "Quit your bitching - you're being PAID to travel for a living.  That's badass."

Alright - I'm lucky.  I admit it.  I've just "blogged" myself out of the whole point of this post.

How about this - the traveling part itself is anything but glamorous, but it's pretty freaking cool to be in an entirely different country and fill up your passport with exotic stamps on a regular basis.  Sometimes (and I stress sometimes intentionally as I can count these times on - well, 2 fingers) an STTA can totally suck and be ridiculously frustrating, but there's always little hints of amazingness that make it all worthwhile.  Honestly, before I was posted in Vietnam, I would look for STTA's just to break up the monotony of office work - because STTA's really do make such a difference to both you and the project/country/team/individual that you're supporting.

So keeping this all in mind ...

Please go and book your tickets immediately, suffer through the 24 hour flight in coach sitting behind a dude that doesn't believe in deodorant (true story), deal with the jet lag and potential traveler's diarrhea you may get as a result of all the new things you're trying ... and come and explore all that Vietnam has to offer with me!  Pretend I'm your STTA.  Sure - there's parts that aren't glamorous - but international travel IS life changing ... any takers????