There are some points in non-itinerary-based travel where a route seems more clear than others. I’m on the “every direction seems like a great idea all at the same time” side of that coin. It’s these privileged crossroads in the journey that often are the most stressful decision I have to make in a given week. Some life… Having gone through past periods of indecision, I’ve found that, when any option is a good one, there’s no point in dawdling in place for too long. As I can only be in one place at one time, I’ll be forging on with little more than a cardinal direction as my guide for the time being, and I’ll be ignoring the forgone possibility of being elsewhere. Realistically speaking though, being in Brazil, this probably ends on another coastline.

Longer Stays Derive Greater Value

In Spanish, if someone were to ask you if you’ve visited Madrid, Spain, they’d ask “Has conocido Madrid?”. Generally translated, the phrase means something along the lines of “Have you ever visited Madrid?” in English. However, in a direct translation scenario, the verb conocer (conjugated to conocido in the context of that phrase) is used to mean “to know”, “to meet”, or “to become acquainted with”. In day-to-day use, conocer could be used when one “meets” a person for the first time, or when asked if one “knows” the friend of a friend, implying that they’ve been acquainted in the past or know each other well.

To me, using conocer in Spanish signifies a deeper level of intimacy with a place in lieu of visitar, which simply means “to visit”. I prefer that perspective too, as someone who doesn’t travel at a relatively fast pace compared to some of the other travelers I meet in passing. Sure, moving slowly limits where I’m able to go within the confines of my time and finances. I’ve also “crossed off” fewer countries than someone else on the road for the same amount of time. Yet, I’ve learned that the places I stick to for longer than the average visitor’s stay almost always become my favorites.

To intimately know a place, one must be willing to push through the initial few days of wide-eyes and sightseeing frenzy that tends to wreak the itineraries of those under a time constraint. Those willing to sacrifice a week traveling to and seeing the Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia in favor of staying in Salta, Argentina, for an additional week can find equal amounts of value, albeit in different shapes.

The person who didn’t see the famous Bolivian salt flats while only six hours away in Salta was me by the way. I also sacrificed a month in Patagonia to be in Salta instead. Those weren’t choices made because I’m pretentious-travel-guy who doesn’t do the “tourist things” (evidenced by my week in Rio de Janeiro for Carnival along with probably half of the total tourists in South America). For me, it was a choice to work, primarily, and to try to flip over the stones that may cover the hidden cafes and glazed-over parks of the colorful desert city in Northern Argentina that most travelers only use as a point of passage to more popular destinations.

It was in that way I was able to feel more like I knew Salta rather than only passed through. The ability to direct other visitors to my favorite spots outside the city center, navigate the city sans maps, and visit the same butcher every day with a smile are my favorite parts of stays like that. I found the same appreciation of place when I ventured further south in Argentina to Buenos Aires, where I spent two months, and Medellín, Colombia, where I’ve spent almost two months total now too.

While “long stays” may sound relegated to backpackers and recent high school graduates on a “gap year”, I believe us to be in the best age of history to experiment with longer stays in any walk of life. Now more than ever, there exists a glut of careers that allow for location independence. If that isn’t your career, but you still value getting to travel for a longer time than a week, there are options for you too. Many long-term travelers negotiate a sabbatical with the expectation to return to work after a fixed period. I’ve met many who simply quit their current jobs and took to the road with some savings in favor of a different rhythm of life for a bit. If money is an issue, volunteer opportunities not only provide you with a unique lens into being a functioning cog in the machine of a place, but they can also provide means to meet living and food costs on the road.

There’s no soapbox here at the end of the day. Travel preferences are about as unique as a fingerprint; lifestyle constraints are no different either. I’m certainly not one to claim that there’s only one, optimal way to explore the world. I do hope, though, that everyone, at some point in their lives, has the chance to experience and conocer the world through a more intimate, nuanced perspective by simply staying a few extra days (or weeks, or months) in a culture holistically different from their own.

Go and Eat Crow

What travel column is complete without some form of input from the late Mr. Bourdain? I ran across this one a few months back and find myself calling on it more often lately. As I’m sure I’ve iterated ad nauseam, traveling this long comes with as many let-downs (if not more) as it comes with striking highlights. I’m not just talking meals either, although there have been some truly poor ones. Being in a new environment allows for more mistakes, more embarrassing moments, and more disappointments.

Lost in translation, you may get out of the car too early following a two-hour ride as the brief moment of silence signals the end of a hitched ride. That one town everyone told you about may end up being a dump. You may even violate the social mores of a rural, mountain community by accidentally committing to buy a wheel of goat cheese from the neighbor and leaving town without picking it up, resulting in the community revolting and letting you hear about it. Hypothetically.

The last couple of months on the road have become more confusing with the vast nation of Brazil in front of me and no exact route or destination. I find myself worried that I may choose the wrong path and end up disappointed. Funny enough, this notion of doubt is more present now than it was over half a year ago when I began. I suppose that, at some point in any long journey, enough sour moments can, rightfully so or not, allow some of that doubt to creep in.

Bourdain reminds us that we may be just one more leap into the unknown away from the best decision (or meal) so far. I find that certainty of outcome is rarely exciting. It’s these moments of excessing mulling over that thinking too much comes at the cost of action. To trust one’s instincts is a learned trait; it’s a muscle that must be stretched and tested. Sure, every decision deserves some thought, especially if it’s a big one; and there exist upsides and downsides to any choice. Yet, while the risk of choosing one decision quickly over another may be daunting and result in the downside of the scale, the option of sitting inactive between the two will certainly ensure that the upside is never realized either.

Rare Video Update

Stretching my Hollywood muscles… or are they my travel influencer/vlogger muscles? Hoping for the former as the latter made me nauseous to type. Anyway, I figured my last video was rather outdated. And this town was charming enough for the camera. Aproveitem.

If you enjoyed this edition, be sure to share it with someone. My goal is to have this newsletter reach those interested in traveling unconventionally and long-term, without requiring much cash. Or, at the very least, be an entertaining narrative of times on the road in South America. Either works for me.

Until next time,

-Ferg