Its All About the Stories

...and the experiences and the photos and the friendships and the ...

But today its about the stories.  All great trips, as witnessed in the best travel narratives by Paul Theroux or A.A. Gill or Robyn Davidson, are about things that go wrong or at least not according to plan.  I had the pleasure this week of being a panelist at the Meet-Plan-Go event in Seattle and of discussing travel in Japan at an event here on Bainbridge Island.  And what really got my juices going were sharing the stories of travel.

Asked of my most harrowing experience on a lengthy trip to Europe, I told the story of being on a TAP Air Portugal flight departing the Atlantic island of Madeira and, half way down the short runway having an engine blow (due to a bird strike).  When the 737 came to a shuttering G-force stop and turned off the runway, there was at most 100 feet left before the runway ended and the Atlantic Ocean began (after a several hundred foot drop!).  The truly scary moment was 4 hours later when we reboarded that same aircraft with the same flight crew and blasted down the runway for the second time knowing what could have happened.  Clearly all went fine the second time since I'm still alive to tell about it.   And tell I do!

The stories of travel don't often come out of what was planned but rather out of what actually happened that could not be predicted in advance.  Some stories are scary (see above) and some reflect our willingness to expand our personal boundaries (eating sashimi for the first time in a Japanese Roakan) and some are about bonding (the close bond created by four photographers on a life-altering journey to Guatemala).

Journey On!   

Upcoming Free Event on Bainbridge Island

Cherry Blossoms, Torii Gates and Geishas: A Japan Odyssey

Spring break, cherry blossoms, Geisha performances, frequent flyer miles, Torii Gates.  The combination points in a clear direction - Japan. Join island photographer and travel coach Chuck Kirchner for an evening of photographs and stories on the Land of the Rising Sun, focusing on a family spring break journey to Tokyo, Miyajima Island and Kyoto.

Chuck Kirchner, a photographer and travel coach as well as a transportation and environmental planning consultant, has traveled extensively in the US and abroad for both pleasure and business. And he’s always planning the next trip! His photographs have been published in local and national  publications and have been exhibited at various Puget Sound area venues.

Friday September 17, 7:30pm, Island Center Hall, 8395 Fletcher Bay Rd NE, Bainbridge Island, Washington.

Depends on Your Definition of "Experience"

I've written several times about the importance of "experiences" when it comes to travel.  I just came across an advertisement in Conde Nast Traveler where the tag line reads "Collect Unforgettable Experiences."  Sounds really good so far.  Aimed at the "discerning traveler," the ad goes on to say that travel is "about collecting experiences that bring you closer to the heart of every place you visit."  It then goes on to offer clients a chance to "roam those storied aisles [of Harrod's Department Store] after closing with a personal shopper and then to arrange a "perfect night out to show off your new finery," 

Well, I guess that's a travel experience for some.  Its all a matter of perspective, I guess.  More to my way of thinking is the following:

In last Sunday's Frugal Traveler column in the New York Times, Seth Kugel talks about going "off the grid" in traveling to a town in Mexico for a week's stay - a town not covered in travel books - truly off the tourist/traveler grid."  He discovered that the town "was jammed with intriguing customs, welcoming residents, unforgettable meals, beguiling landscapes and rich history.  In other words, all the things that may travel great."  www.nytimes.com/frugaltraveler

Different experiences for different folks.