It’s definitely interesting to see how we all have a different approach to travel. In the US I like my computer and cell phone, and I bet if I was traveling in Europe or urban Asia I’d want both items with me.

My profession: Physical therapy patient. Kidding, kind of. In September 2009 I started a masters program in international public health, but I’m taking this semester off to recover from a 4th operation on my wrist, which I shattered when I fell off a roof in Argentina last March. Before grad school I worked as a nanny or in marketing when I wasn’t traveling and volunteering. Once I finish school I plan to work abroad in public health program implementation.

Hope all is well!
.-= Jackie Rose (@letssitoutside)´s last blog ..I don’t want to be a violinist or a travel writer. =-.

Interesting points about the presence of high-end technology in third-world countries. This thought must cross travelers’ minds at some point during the planning, but I’m guessing it’s squelched fairly quickly. After all, how can travel bloggers blog without laptops and cameras? I see that you don’t want to be a professional travel blogger. If you don’t mind me asking, what is your profession?

There have been many movies lately talking about the same thing, how we are beginning to blur the lines between reality and imagination, how we don’t care about if something is real or not, we don’t see the difference.

I don’t think there’s anything to worry about though. There will always be a different experience travelling in real life than in a video game.

I try really hard not to delve into the web of information before I travel. Before I went to Antarctica, I avoided all information about it, except where and when to board the ship. I went to Indonesia completely on a whim. My parent’s offered to buy me a plane ticket for my college graduation so I picked a country that was far far away. Ultimately I got myself into a little bit of trouble (Jakarta during an election is not exactly safe for a solo, female, American traveler), but it all worked out!

So yeah, I’m all for limiting exposure to info.
.-= Jackie Rose (@letssitoutside)´s last blog ..I don’t want to be a violinist or a travel writer. =-.

When I travel I take my cues from Paul Theroux (check out Dark Star Safari), and light out. I enjoy disappearing with no phone or computer. For my most recent trip to Antarctica and South America, I opted to carry my grandpa’s 35mm Pentax K1000 because I knew the cost of professional film and the weight of the camera would keep me from mindlessly taking pictures.

I don’t even carry my camera all the time because I don’t want to see the world around me in frames. I’ve never kept up a blog when I’ve traveled because I like to get into the experience and not worry about packaging each day or week into a witty little post for my friends and family.

I can’t imagine using any sort of GPS on any trip. For me it would take the fun out of exploring and the adventure out of getting lost. That is one of my favorite parts of the travel process…getting lost then finding your way out or into something else! Sure, I use paper maps when hiking, but for the most part I like to wander and have found that (in general) if you ask someone where to find something, they will help you.

Many places I’ve been to are very rural and have unreliable sources of electricity. In Ghana the town I stayed in lost electricity for weeks at a time. I was in Antarctica last year and no one was connected to the web for two weeks, much less tweeting like @Bus2Antarctica. How do people who carry their computer go trekking?

Also, in a lot of places (Burkina Faso, Indonesia Argentina), it felt slightly inconsiderate and even unsafe to carry expensive electronics. Riding a public bus where they put your bag on the roof with goats, you run the risk of being stripped of your luggage if you flash an ipod or a digital camera. In similar locations it can be culturally insensitive to use a camera. I do a lot of volunteer work with orphans and people in need of medical care…I’d feel like a jerk if I saw them dealing with extreme poverty, snapped a photo of it then went for a walk with my ipod.

Ah! That was a lot. I’m working on my own blog post about this. There’s a little bit about it in my latest post (listed as my website). Thank you for this post!

A brief preview of the “gadget” post I’m planning:

Camera: enables sharing and memories of the experience (I don’t have a vid cam, but my point and shoot does cover off on video for those brief moments).
iPhone: for navigation, jotting down notes, currency exchange and other math and general communication
Laptop: keeps me connected – I like sharing the experience while I’m living it, as well as communicating to hopefully connect live with others who are in the same area.
iPod: because as much as I appreciate the sounds and sights of a region, sometimes I just want to feel the comfort of my own music
Garmin Edge 705: cycling in the middle of nowhere may not REQUIRE a GPS, but I love that it records my trip so I can display it on a map with little muss or fuss.