I am haunted by the things I want to write. Just as I’m about to close my eyes, it comes to me… the perfect article about Madrid or Paris or somewhere I haven’t been yet. I always promise myself to remember it for the next day, but it never returns, these twilight inspirations. I think Paris has left me unseated, looking for a way to explain myself, only relaxing into the idea of it as I drift off.
Figuring out the disconnect
It’s taken me two weeks to get over Paris. I arrived in the airport with a backpack and no clue. I followed the signs for “Sortie” until I found the tourist desk. In my previous life I would have never asked for directions from such a place, I prided myself on being self sufficient. That was before I realized that my basic French wasn’t going to navigate me to my hostel, even with three pages of notes in my moleskin. “Do you speak English?” I ventured.
I soon found myself on a bus headed to the Champs de Elysee. It was the only street address I knew off the top my head and I watched the English dubbed tour video as we rambled through the countryside (Welcome to Paris, we have shopping, food, and wine). I had come to Paris completely unprepared, waiting for inspiration. It was this notion I had of exploration and adventure, of being a writer, that landed me directionless, fumbling in a foreign country so well explored before me.
I had approached it completely wrong.
I had found a little adventure, as I deciphered the metro map. I had explored the gardens of the Louvre by accidental encounter. But I couldn’t write about it, recklessly, the city seemed to deserve better than that. I was full on intimidated, so I avoided the subject. What was Paris like? It was big, beautiful, noisy, crowded, amazing, delicious, and sweet. You can eat crepes on any corner. You can rent a bike for 1 Euro. You can walk the Champs De Elysee and watch the tourists buy stuff made in China. You can spend a fortune on lunch, just because you’re near the Eiffel Tower. These are just snapshots, but I never caught the full picture of any one thing.
In the end, I saw most of Paris only through my peripheral as I whizzed by on bus or train or foot. I didn’t strategize, leaving it to luck and chance. It was a wonderful trip, but hardly a unique experience. I felt like a 3rd grader recounting her summer vacation whenever I tried to pin it down.
Lessons Learned
I wanted Paris to tell me something, but I never found it in my short time there. I’ve learned a lesson about how I want to travel. In Lisbon, next week, I will be carving a narrower path. There will likely be people who disagree, preferring the scatter shot approach of grabbing up as many experiences as possible. For me, I want to try to absorb completely one or two things. I’m still learning, but I suspect Lisbon will tell me more in one place than in twenty.
As you travel, have you had to adjust your style? Did you ever feel like the mad dash through a destination makes you miss more than you see?
July 29th, 2008 at 8:37 am
I hope you enjoy Lisbon. I was able to spend a few days there in 2002 and I’d love to return one day. There’s a huge church where, in part of it, they’ve done a massive archaeological dig. It’s very impressive if that’s up your alley. Have a great time!
July 29th, 2008 at 9:17 am
I’ve found that you have to approach a trip differently if you want to write about it than if you want to just enjoy it, at least if you want to write about it beyond a post on your blog or a short little article for a website. If you really want to send a query out and try to get an article in a magazine or a newspaper, you have to almost approach the trip as a job. You have to have an angle, you have to get quotes, you have to vet places. Sometimes you can work that into a trip already in progress, but often you have to focus the trip around getting that done. Occasionally writers stumble upon a great story; more often, they seek it out (and then perhaps stumble upon something to make it better, but they at least start out with a plan.) Good luck in Lisbon. There’s always some trial and error in the early stages, but eventually you’ll find the balance that works for you.
Theresas last blog post..The Countdown Begins
July 29th, 2008 at 9:36 am
Spending more time in a place will wreck you. I’ve found after living somewhere and really absorbing the culture and having your neighborhood with all your rituals and usual places makes the fly-by trip seem so much less fulfilling. I think spending more time in fewer places is the only way to absolve that feeling. Of course, there is the want to see as much as possible, so I suppose you have to take it for what it is; a snapshot of the culture. Appreciation can come in small doses!
As last blog post..Stroll through Seoul
July 29th, 2008 at 9:46 am
Obviously, like everything else in life, there has to be some sort of balance. There are definitely some things that can be seen in a snapshot tour: When I was in Toronto, we drove through downtown and by the CN Tower. Looking up and saying, “Oh, that’s a tall building” was enough for me.
If that’s the general mindset, though, I think two things happen. First, the anticipation of the next place (as well as the anxiety of simply getting there) gets in the way of appreciating the current site. Second, people will miss out on the smaller, more intricate details (like the ones you wrote about in your article about traveling slowly) that make for good stories.
Daniels last blog post..When a writer gets confused
July 29th, 2008 at 10:11 am
I agree with Daniel: when traveling you have to find a balance between being prepared with a plan and being open to the winds of chance. For me, this sometimes means scheduling a few days in a city knowing exactly what I will do (being completely prepared) and a few days where I will go where luck and chance takes me. Or having a list of must dos (or often “must eats”!). But the key to travel is always flexibility.
Elizabeths last blog post..Taking a Taxi is Greener than Public Transportation: Lessons Learned in Juneau, Alaska
July 29th, 2008 at 10:27 am
Theresa and others: You hit on exactly my problem. There is a huge difference between traveling for fun and traveling for publication. I’ve read other travel writers give the same advice, but it didn’t become clear until Paris how key it was. I should have thought of an angle, something I could research before hand, and come prepared with an itinerary. Even better if an editor bought the idea before I left. Then I could get the “business” side done in the beginning and use the rest of the time to explore freely or let chance find me. It was so difficult to think of angles while in the city, and even harder after I came back! I won’t make that mistake again, especially since my goal in travel is to also write about it professionally…. these are the things you learn and what I wanted to share was the real experience of finding these things out for yourself (although it’s great hear everyone’s feedback too!)
July 29th, 2008 at 10:43 am
Along with what everyone’s said about approaching a “writing trip” with a certain mindset, I also think - especially with really well-known (and well-written-about) places like Paris, that it can be hard to find something new to say when you’re new to the city yourself. With the really huge places like Paris or New York, I generally allow myself to let my first trip be kind of an orientation period, and don’t pressure myself to write (professionally, at least) about it until a second or third visit. Don’t be too hard on yourself, Christine!
Evas last blog post..Why You’ll Never Find The Perfect Time To Meditate
July 29th, 2008 at 10:48 am
This doesn’t only apply to writers. I, for years, suffered the ‘gotta get to the next place’ anxiety - and then I realized that I wasn’t enjoying the current experience b/c I was already on to the next place in my mind. It took some time and effort but now I am able to fully take in where I am and understand that every experience is new and so deserves the time to be savored. If sights are missed this time, it just means that there is a reason for a next time!
July 29th, 2008 at 11:22 am
Just wanted to add that I think Eva makes a good point. I think your best stories from this trip will probably come from Spain. You’ll know it more intimately and have a view of it that someone who just pops in for a short vacation won’t have. Usually when you read an amazing travel story in a top-notch publication it’s from someone who has spent serious amounts of time in said place or has gone on multiple trips–getting an idea on one trip possibly and then going back to write about it later. But that’s not to say you won’t find something awesome to write about from any of your weekend trips. Just don’t put too much pressure on yourself.
Theresas last blog post..The Countdown Begins
July 29th, 2008 at 11:34 am
I agree - in a few days it’s impossible to grasp everything about a place as magical as Paris or even Lisbon. But if you research beforehand, you could see what aspect you want to concentrate on for the few days. Lisbon - so glad you’re going - is SO different in so many ways. It’s not as “touristy” looking and has preserved all its charms. It’s as real as it gets for a big European city. One lady I met called it “The Mexico of Europe” and I really think she hit the nail on the head. I’m so excited you picked it! It’s also very diverse which is a nice change from say, Madrid…! Christine, I’ve sent you an email with a quick list of places to keep in mind and must visits
You can also see the quick write up on my site (although it’s got more of a fashion slant 
). http://www.lilylilyshop.com/blog/?p=169
July 29th, 2008 at 1:21 pm
I usually map out one area of the city I want to see, a small sliver and just do that for the day. I can spend as much or as little time there as I want. It allows me to go slow, not feel rushed, and know what I’m going to see…otherwise I run around trying to see it all and end up never really seeing anything.
Nomadic Matts last blog post..Cornwall
July 29th, 2008 at 1:49 pm
Great points all around, especially the following two:
- Traveling with a different mindset -for publication vs. just visiting
- Best stories coming from your backyard, in this case, Madrid
You’ve got some upcoming trips that are prime for stories
- La Tomatina in Valencia (but from a different angle)
- The Perfect 48 Hours in the Canary Islands
- Undiscovered Morocco (focusing on some place/culture/tradition, etc)
That said, you can still mine information from the shortest of trips. I once wrote a dispatch about a weekend cruise to Riga. Though my time there was short, I was able to center the piece around the cruise experience itself.
Lolas last blog post..Berlin comes to town
July 29th, 2008 at 6:47 pm
What a thought-provoking post. Thinking back, I have learned to travel much better for my satisfaction in visiting and experiencing a city. The idea of learning to travel (as a rookie traveller) is really true. I have tried the totally unprepared and let’s see what happens approach - that doesn’t work - you miss out on all sorts of good things and tend to wander aimlessly. I have tried to be too prepared and that is even worse - you miss some of the best experiences this way. And I am sure it is even more different if you are travelling with writing in mind (I have never done this - almost all my writing is in retrospect).
MarkHs last blog post..The Aquamarine Necklace (Plitvice Lakes, Croatia)
July 29th, 2008 at 10:36 pm
Back in 1999, my mom wanted to show my brother and I as much of Spain as she could squeeze into a Spring Break. What happened? Well, I barely saw anything of Madrid and we stayed in one particular circle of it. Yes, we went to Seville and Granada and Toledo, but on my visit back to Madrid last year, I saw waaaay more of the city and was able to appreciate it more because my friend and I only went as far as Toledo, spending more time in Madrid instead.
We got familiar with our surroundings and going back to the same hostel I stayed in eight years earlier with the same owners made me feel at home in my four days in Madrid. Like I’ve read before, when you try to do too much, you see less. It’ll be good to see what’s up in Lisboa.
July 30th, 2008 at 7:05 am
Looking forward to hearing how your “pick a few things and really take them in” travel plan works out. Trying to see all of the must-sees can be exhausting, and just surrounds you with other tourists. I think your new approach will be great. One of the things I try to do to keep the stories coming is to write down a thought the minute it enters my brain. Sometimes it’s the little moments that can turn into a great post.
Tanyas last blog post..Fresh Air
July 30th, 2008 at 2:27 pm
i wanted to recommend villa das rosas’ which was a charming and totally affordable inn in sintra when i was there a few years ago. sintra is full of stories.
julies last blog post..Pobreza en el Patrimonio Cultural de la Humanidad/Poverty in the World Heritage Site
July 30th, 2008 at 5:57 pm
I’m pretty specific when I travel. There are the top 5 things I’d like to see and depending on the duration of the trip, I wing it with everything else. it gives me a balance of freedom and specificity.
sdg1844s last blog post..Voices
July 30th, 2008 at 6:26 pm
I look forward to hearing you compare your experiences in Lisbon with Paris.
That being said, I’m a fly by the seat of my pants kind of gal, so my style is closer to the way you did Paris.
Kyles last blog post..Exploring Santiago
July 31st, 2008 at 6:05 pm
I think there is value in both approaches to travel. When I haven’t been to a place before and don’t have much time, I tend not to plan anything at all, instead just letting things take me where they take me. I tend to be a bit of a train and subway geek, so I often find myself trying to figure out the metro system in places and riding that (it can make for some pretty tedious blog entries, unfortunately for my readers). However, if there is something specific that I want to see, or I have been to a place before and want to get deeper into it, I tend to really focus on a couple of things, and try and spend time away from the tourist spots and instead in the “local” hang-outs.
I really think it depends on what you are trying to accomplish. I find that living in a country other than your country of birth (as I have done in the USA and am now doing in England) provides more than enough deep immersion in another culture, and sometimes it is nice to just travel some place to skim the surface of it.
Greg
Greg Wessons last blog post..Sorry… excuse me… sorry… excuse me… sorry… sorry..
August 1st, 2008 at 5:46 am
Indeed - it’s part of that mad rush that makes me really hesitant to do anything other than living abroad in a place for an extended period; I always feel rushed and in a different mindset when there’s a set period of time and a backpack on my shoulders.
Turners last blog post..My Troubles Pay Off
August 3rd, 2008 at 10:10 pm
You’re a terrific writer, but you’re missing the point of what you’re doing: It’s all about the people. Landmarks, Schmandmarks. If you don’t make the effort to meet with and have fairly deep conversations with the locals you’ll never really know much about the place you visited. The longer you hang out, the more they will share with you. THAT’s where your memories will come from.
The Champs-Elysee? Eiffel Tower? Louvre? I guess you’ve got to see them, pay the admission and take a few snapshots, but that’s just a been-there-done-that checklist that the locals have only ever done once or twice most likely. That isn’t really Paris. Hostels? Cute, but what the heck are you going to learn there that a zillion other travelers haven’t already written about?
Get rid of your “The Essential Fill-in-the-Blank-With-Next-City Guidebook”.
October 8th, 2008 at 1:07 pm
I want to first off saying that this website is great especially for folks whose passion is traveling. Those who get to do never, sometimes, and all the time but no matter what never stop dreaming about it. Personally, I have been fortunate that I have been traveling since I was little but always 2,3 or 4 week stints. My story is similar to yours, Christine, that I got a great job out of college instead of traveling, then started a company which has been going for the past 5 years but next November is when I have slated to take a year off to just travel. FINALLY!!!
I am starting to begin the planning piece of this adventure. My big question I have for you or anyone that reads this is the opinion of picking several “home base” spots and travel from there or do more of the “back packer” mentality and just go?
Thanks a lot and again…GREAT SITE!