Ethical Travel Eating

I recently got into a debate with a vegan friend of mine over travel hospitality and dietary restrictions.

His stance was that a host should know about your dietary restrictions ahead of time and plan accordingly to accommodate you and your needs. He also believes it is easy to find foods suitable to eat everywhere and continue to stick to whatever restrictions you normally keep at home.

My stance is that as a guest, you should eat whatever you are offered unless you are allergic/intolerant to it and it would kill you or make you ill. In other words, however you eat at home is a privilege and you should not impose your privilege on your host.

For the record, I'm not talking about visiting your aunt in the States - where you come from a similar culture and socio-economic status. I'm talking about visiting developing/impoverished nations.

Now his stance might be tainted by the fact he has not visited any developing/impoverished nations (as far as I know, I could be wrong, maybe he can correct me?) while I have. I have visited places where foods of all sorts were limited in general, so it was essentially impossible to be picky. I also believe that you can't always call ahead and tell people what you want to eat. For example, I would have missed out on a rich cultural experience in Morocco had I refused to eat the lunch I was spontaneously offered by a family. I think it would have been insulting to them to refuse to eat with them. When people do not have much to offer, and go out of their way to share with you, well I just can't see myself saying, "sorry, I don't eat ______, gotta run!"

Barring that, maybe never visit a country where it's hard to find the foods you want to eat? Sounds ridiculous. It also sounds like a great way to never immerse yourself in a culture!

What do you do when you travel? How do you handle travel with dangerous food allergies or religious/ethical dietary restrictions?

(Note, I'm not interested in debating why people eat or don't eat what they do, just how they deal with it on the road.)

CouchSurfing Tips

As I mentioned in my other post, CouchSurfing can be good, fun and sometimes smelly. I've personally never encountered safety issues or had to kick anyone out, so if you follow the rules on their site and trust your instincts, I think you'll find it's a great way to get to know people and a fun way to visit a city.

Here are my extra tips that have worked for me:

Before I host, I clean the place top to bottom. No one wants to stay in a dirty place and two, it gives your guests a baseline that they should try to leave your place at during their stay and when they leave, at the very least.

I hide money and spare keys. I have a safe where all important documents, credit cards, check books, etc go. Yes, I work on a presumption of trust, but I also work to eliminate temptation.
If there is something I don't want to be used, say my favourite body lotion, I hide it also. Otherwise I work on the assumption that everything will be touched and if I cannot be comfortable with that, I shouldn't host.

Some people are ok with this, but I do not give my guests a key to my place. They can be in our space only when we are home. We let them know ahead of time when we are leaving and coming back and they have to work around our schedule. I give them my cell phone number so they can reach me.

I give my guests a section of the fridge for their food and tell them where they can put their bags/stuff. I found from experience, if you don't tell them where appropriate spots are, they don't tend not to ask and then you'll have stuff all over the place, or worse yet, food rotting that should be in the fridge.

I give them a tour of the place and explain how taps and appliances work here (since it's often very different in Europe). This is also a good time to discuss house rules - turning on/off lights, is it ok to listen to rock music at 3am in your place, or whatever specific rules you want followed.

I don't do this, but you have a right to ask to see identification from the surfer you're hosting. In the end, it's your place and you make the rules. If you are not comfortable, don't let them in. Anyone who puts up a fuss about being asked for identification probably is not trustworthy.

Involve your guests in what you're doing. Invite them to watch a local TV show with you. Going grocery shopping? Invite them along. It's a great way to break the ice and have a chat and it's also a cultural experience for them. Make them feel welcome.

I very much enjoy playing tour guide and taking surfers to see sights in my city. I think that's a big part of what makes hosting so much fun.

As a guest, I ask a lot of questions. I want to know if I can take a shower, what time is convenient and for how long. Hot water can be super expensive in some places and it's best to follow the lead of the locals. Take quick showers and don't monopolize common areas like bathrooms and kitchens - especially if other people are getting ready for work.

I unpack only what I need for that day and keep everything packed and in one place, making sure to take up the least amount of real estate possible. No one wants to be tripping all over your stuff, especially if you're staying in a common area and not a private room. The more you can keep stuff consolidated and make it seem like you're not actually there, the better.

Bring pictures of your home life to show your hosts and also small trinkets or gifts of appreciation. You don't have to spend a lot, just stop at a souvenir shop in your home town and bring them some postcards from your city, or a small keychain. Make your guest feel appreciated and not like hotel staff.

Clean up after yourself! If you use a dish, wash it. Wash the whole sink of dishes if there are some in the sink. Little things like that help "pay back" your free lodging. Leave the place better than how you found it.

Say "thank you"! This is a biggie. I had a couchsurfer who didn't say thank you. Ideally, since you're saving so much on lodging, you should have enough money to buy your host dinner. It doesn't have to be an expensive dinner, but you shouldn't be so skint that you can't afford to buy dinner or flowers or a small box of chocolates. That being said, if you really can't, "thank you" goes a really long way. I will forever remember the one who didn't say, "thank you." That's not a good thing!

Don't keep to yourself on your phone or on your computer the whole time. It's tempting when you're homesick to want to talk to home, but you're missing the best parts of travel otherwise. Immersing yourself in your travels or with your hosts can snap you out of your funk a lot faster. I found that even when I found a certain city boring, my hosts made up for it big time. Sometimes the people are better than the place! Get to know them.

Eat outside of the home or buy your own food to cook at your host's place. Do not steal their food! You should ask if they have certain food restrictions before bringing foods into their place. Are they vegetarian, do they have food allergies, do they keep a kosher kitchen?

If you had a good time, start hosting in your city and return the favour. That's what makes CouchSurfing special and the world a smaller place.

Any other tips you can think of?

Couchsurfing: The Good, The Fun and the Smelly

My first real solo travel experience was also coincidentally my first CouchSurfing experience. I joined after it was suggested by a friend and with only one reference on my profile (from said friend) I searched for hosts at my destination: Stockholm, Sweden. I had no idea what to expect, but I spoke with two people before I arrived and offered to bring them presents as a thank you.

The first person I met was Sarah, a Scottish woman who spoke fluent Swedish. She was about my age and asked for vodka and a hockey player (me being Canadian and all). I brought her a bottle of vodka, a stuffed moose and a keychain with a hockey player on it. She was pleased. In exchange, I received a small mattress on the floor of her living room, where I camped out for 3 nights.
I also met Anders, who could not host me, but made me dinner and showed me around his city.

That all sounds really simple, but it was a very deep experience to me: we knew hardly anything about each other, yet I was welcomed into their homes and fed. It took an exceptional amount of trust and humanity - me to trust them and them to trust me. Though we were only in each other's presences a few days, we are still in contact to this day. That's a testimonial to the power of CouchSurfing.

When I arrived back in Montreal, I opened my doors to many people. My husband and I continue to host and we both continue to CouchSurf solo (we've never actually done it together).

So here are our stories. It has always been good, some people are more fun than others and some are just smelly.

Our first guest was from England and was very well traveled. She stayed with us for seven days. Seven days can be a really long time when you don't know someone. It could be hell if they're not good guests, but she was absolutely great and we enjoyed her company. I can't say I was the best host at the time since it was minus 18 Celsius and I was working long hours late at night, but she is a very cool person. I met up with her the last time I was in London. I recommend her to all my friends who are visiting her city. We definitely lucked out with her!

We had one couple who were very strange. They arrived very late at night and left early the next morning, so we didn't really get to know them, but I learned a few things from them. One, it's important to explain how things in my apartment work, even if it's late at night. For example, when one person is in the shower and someone turns on the water in the kitchen, the person in the shower gets burned with hot water. I was the person in the shower at the time. Grrrr!
Then it seems like they didn't know where the garbage was and didn't bother to ask, so they left their bag of garbage on my kitchen table. Those ones were weird, but again, they only stayed the night so I can't complain too much.

In general people are clean, but extended backpacking can make anyone stinky. The stinkiest one we had was a young one with really cheap shoes. You know the type. Those cheap shoes that just stink. This girl's feet were SO BAD and I didn't know how to tell her. Surely she must also know?!
What made it worse was I was pregnant at the time, which gave me a heightened sense of smell. I can tell you, I never threw up while pregnant. I didn't even throw up during labour, but this girl's feet had me gagging! When she went into the shower each morning, I Febrezed all her stuff and sprayed inside her shoes. I washed all the floors as quickly as possible before she got out. I think she only stayed three nights, but it was almost three nights too long.

Otherwise, CouchSurfing is a lot of fun. You get to see a city in a way you would never get to otherwise. You get insider's tips on where to go and what to avoid. Sometimes you get a free tour. Sometimes you get a free ride. And sometimes it's as simple as having company when you're homesick and tired of traveling.
I'll put up with some stinky feet in order to keep those special friendships that last a lifetime.


What have your Couchsurfing experiences been like? Feel free to link to your posts about CSing in the comments and share the love!

Journey to the Middle of Nowhere

Can you really call yourself a travel blogger unless you've gone to some remote destination no one else wants to go? Well, I've already been to Yemen and I thought that was pretty hardcore, but I think my next destination might top that.

Where am I going in June?

Cold Lake, Alberta

Does anyone willingly go there? What does one do there exactly?

In my case, my best friend's husband is in the army and they've been posted there for the last six years. It feels like forever and it seems like she's on the other end of the Earth. When I think of Cold Lake, I think of this image: Nowhere, Canada (which interestingly, is a Canadian site. We seem to have a lot of desolation in this country).

I missed the birth of her first child, being pregnant myself at the time. Now I'm not pregnant. Now I have no more excuses not to go. Her second child is due and I'm going to be there this time, come what may. I am determined!

I'd be lying if the trip doesn't sound daunting though. Four hours on a plane (if all goes on time) and another three and a half hours of driving from Edmonton. A two-hour time difference. Think of the jetlag. Think of the culture shock! What will I eat? I don't think Cold Lake is in the Lonely Planet guide to Canada. I'll have to bring a survival kit.

What has been your most remote travel destination? Any tips for me? Help! 

How Lonely Is Too Lonely?

A big concern and topic of conversation when it comes to solo travel is loneliness. There are countless blog posts about how to combat loneliness, how to make friends, how to appear less lonely (because it's not only off-putting, but can make you more vulnerable) or how to deal with loneliness when it strikes. A lot of people are hesistant to even attempt a solo trip because they're so terrified of being lonely!

Think about it, one of the biggest publishers of travel guides is called Lonely Planet! There's no denying travel can get lonely.

Turns out this fear might not be so unwarranted. According to this recent study, we're hardwired to not want to be isolated because loneliness can kill us over time.

Knowing that now, does it make you more reluctant to travel on your own?

For me, it was never really a concern, so I wonder if I'm missing something biologically. Maybe solo travelers have a defect? Either that or there are degrees of loneliness and isolation, and what can be too isolating and lonely for one person might feel like a loud party to another. What do you think?

Not So Solo Travel?

I recently read an article about a Travelodge survey that says 35% of British adults still sleep with a teddy. Not only that, they bring it with them to hotels, on business trips and the like. I'm really surprised because I didn't think adults slept with teddies, but when I think about it, well why not? It's harmless.

Since I'm a person who tries to travel light and wants to bring the LEAST amount of stuff possible, I can't imagine doing such a thing. My most essential item for travel aside from my passport is a toothbrush. Oh and a sleep mask. And maybe lip balm. And gum. Ok, but those are small and that's it. The rest can be dealt with.

So do you travel with a teddy or other comfort object?

Bidet-Curious

I'm not sure how I spent a week in Paris and two weeks in Yemen and never ran into one, but I finally got up close and personal with a bidet in, of all places, exotic Toronto.

I recently stayed one night at Le Meridien King Edward hotel and in addition to early 20th century decor, my bathroom had a bidet. I've always been bidet-curious but never got to act on my curiosity.

My bathroom also had this strange alcove of emptiness:

I didn't know what to do with it, so I took a picture and eventually put a chair there.

Back to the bidet!

Like the empty spot, the bidet did not come with an instruction manual. Maybe I should have called the concierge for help. Maybe I should have gone online and read "How To Use a Bidet," but I'm an independent woman, how hard could it be?

So I did what I had to do on the toilet and with my pants down, waddled over to the bidet. There were quite a few knobs and levers. One said "stream/rim," another two had the standard "H" and "C." I opted for "stream" and turned on the hot tap. Water came bubbling up pretty high, so it took a bit of dialing up and down before I got what I thought would be the perfect height, all while growing a little chilly and having to reach around the stream to get to the taps. I added some cold water and stuck my hand in the stream to check the temperature - not too hot, not too cold.....or so I thought.

It seems that in the time it took me to turn around and squat over the bidet, the hot water came on full steam ahead (no pun intended), upping both the pressure and the temperature. Long story short, I burned my ass and jumped five feet in the air. No, I do not have a picture of the moment.

The Butt-Burning Bidet

All I can say is, if you get to play with a bidet, make 100% sure you use more cold tap than hot tap because it's probably better to have a cold butt than a burnt butt. I don't have any scars or anything, but it's such a sensitive area, that, you know, it's best not to take chances. 

Vagabundo Travel Magazine Review

When I'm not traveling, I'm daydreaming about, planning or saving up for another trip. So aside from scouring travel sites, I have quite the Lonely Planet guide book collection:

No offense to Lonely Planet, but it's nice to have something a bit different to read now and then, so I jumped at the chance when offered a free copy of Vagabundo Travel Magazine.

I flipped through it in two ways: I downloaded the .pdf and viewed it on my Kindle and on my computer. There is a Kindle version offered, but only for certain countries and Canada isn't one of them. I wanted to see how versatile the layout was, since I figured it was geared for people on the go.

On my Kindle, I changed my view mode to landscape and I found the pictures stunning, even in black and white. They are, of course, even more amazing in colour on a computer screen. That's probably what stands out for me most at first - the photography is high-quality and it's just a beautiful magazine to look at.

The articles are a good mix of down-to-earth interviews and great story-telling, without being pretentious. A lot of travel writers start sounding a little holier-than-thou with the exclusive places they've been, but this mag is a refreshing change of real people telling real stories and all the awe and angst that go along with travel.

This is their very first issue, so it can only get more amazing from here, but I would offer a few suggestions. The text sometimes gets a little lost (and in one case, even eclipsed) by the excellent photography, so it's just a layout issue that needs to be sorted. What can I say though, stop including such great photography? That's hardly a fault!

My other recommendation is charge more, because at $1.49 USD it's an absolute steal! Seriously, they could charge more for it, so get it now before they come to their senses!

Note: In case anyone is interested and if you can actually read this small print, I received no compensation for this review, nor will I in the future and my issue was provided for free. I am writing this out of the kindness of my heart :)

Where Are They Now?

The great thing about solo travel is it's easy to meet a lot of different people on similar journeys. The plus side is if you don't get along, you never have to see that person ever again. I guess the downside is losing touch with a person you made a great connection with, as is what happened to me.

In November 2008, I was stressed out with life. I had recovered from my third miscarriage and was told I only had a one in four chance of having a child. I was caring for my father, who was then dying from Parkinson's disease. I also recently left a stressful job I hated. I didn't know what else to do but run away from it all and get a different perspective, so I booked myself a solo trip to London and Morocco.

At 4am, I was the first to arrive at the departure lounge at Luton airport for a Ryanair flight to Marrakesh. I was on my mobile phone chatting with my husband when an older gentleman walked in, put his bag down at the front of the line and sat down on seats somewhere else. I found this odd and I found him odd. Everyone else lined up, though I didn't bother because I already knew how Ryanair boarding works and there's really no point; I don't care what seat I get. The Odd Man walked up to his bag on the floor and into the front of the line. I thought nothing else of it at that point.

Our flight got diverted to Agadir because of fog and we all got stuck on to buses back to Marrakesh. I checked into my hostel that night and went to sleep. When I got up for breakfast that morning, who else was at the table but the Odd Man! He was loudly talking about his travel plans - he wanted to head to the desert - so did I, but I wasn't about to share a car with a loud, obnoxious American. That was my first impression of him and I ignored him. I decided I wasn't going to head to the desert then and instead boarded a bus for Essaouira that afternoon.

On the bus back from Essaouira to Marrakesh, I texted my hubby to help find me some accommodation ahead of time because I was arriving at night and hadn't booked anything. From Canada, he booked me into a lovely riad deep in the souq of Djemaa el-Fnaa. I finally found it late that night and went straight to bed. The next day I was sick - something I ate, I suppose - and didn't leave my room until late afternoon. The night after that, upon returning from supper, I walked into the riad and was met by a familiar face - the Odd Man. I made a joke and accused him of following me. He said, "no, you must be following me!" and we started talking.

We talked late into the wee hours of the morning. I was freezing (we were in the court yard of the riad), but he was captivating. I told him of my father and my stresses and he helped me put things into perspective. If I hadn't had to pack and get ready for my early flight that morning, I'm sure we'd still be there talking! I left him my card with my info, but he never contacted me and I never saw him again.

They say people come into your life for "a reason, a season or a lifetime," and I presume he just came into mine for a reason, but I'd like to tell him I'm alright now. My dad has since passed on and I've had the child I've always wanted. Everything is less stressful now and for some reason I feel compelled to tell him he has made a difference to me.

That's where you come in! All I know is he is a retired architecture professor named Christopher Pardee. He is American, but lives in England. He's divorced, he has grown children and he spends his free time travelling. If you see him, please tell him he helped me a lot. Or maybe share this blog post with him. I don't expect to hear from him, but if you let me know you spoke to him, I will be happy. He probably won't even remember me, but that's ok. It's the thought that counts :)

And if you ever meet a really cool person, make sure you also get their contact info.

Wordless Wednesday

Fascinating Original Graffiti around Cabot Street in Ville-Émard, Québec