Deserves a swift kick in the teeth.

A traveller is anyone who leaves their home town, whether that be for inspiration, adventure, to find themselves, to run away from something or simply to find (or keep) a job.

I don’t believe that “travel is a mindset” or that to be a traveller you have to lug a backpack, or come home with some wrap around pants, a ‘tiger beer’ tshirt and an STD.

It’s not about what other people think. It’s about how YOU feel. And if you want to eat the same damn thing every day no matter if you’re in Sydney or Shanghai, fill your boots.

Couldn’t agree with you more on “if you want to see the world not just for it’s sights, you have to be involved in what you find around you, otherwise what is the point? Who cares if you eat at Macca’s, the question is are you really getting what you want out of your travels?”

I am all for eating local wherever possible but I have to admit that after spending 24 hours with a stomach bug and reliving everything I had consumed over and over again – I never wanted to look at another curry in my life!

Did I feel a bit guilty about ‘copping out’ on the local culture? Of course. But that is because I had unrealstic expectations of what an ‘authentic’ traveller would do.

And anyway, it is only food. Who cares what it is. Most of us are spoilt for choice in our respective home countries anyway – Rice is freely available anywhere so why is it still considered ‘Asian food’? And If I want pizza I dont have to go to Italy; I just go down to my local italian place!

PS. That said, I did eat Pizza for EVERY meal in Italy – it was to die for!

I think people should just focus on having fun and do what they want to do, not caring if it’s ‘authentic’, ‘hardcore’, ‘real’ or whatever.

Take my case, when in Asia I eat local food (cause it’s cheap and good) but I can’t take eating rice every single day, so once in a while I have a Pizza or some chips (fries) as it’s the ‘Western’ food most readily available. Back home I rarely eat those, and I often eat food from different cultures, the variety makes me feel good and healthy, I don’t care if it’s not ‘authentic’ travel.

Btw, what do you say to the local Thai and Malaysians that visit Western fast-food places? Are they betraying their culture (As well as their health? None of the other SE Asian countries have obese and acne ridden people, only those with fast-food places)

Agreed – a simple meal now and then, or a taste of home in a less culinary fashion (a movie, or a nice room, or something like that) does not make you any less of a traveler.

In fact, in my personal (and possibly contradictory) opinion – the only thing which is a valid magnet for criticism when traveling is criticising the travel tastes, methods and nuances of another traveler.

The trip is in the traveler, and that is the only place it should ever be weighed or measured.

I agree with you, I also hate the way people want to label their own travel as ‘authentic’ at the expense of others. I lived for three years in China, so my views of what it means to live an ‘authentic’ life abroad has changed drastically.

Cheap plug: I wrote about the “curse of authenticity” on my blog, here:

http://www.backpackfoodie.com/2009/09/19/lost-for-authenticity

As a rule, I try not to judge others for wanting something different out of travel. I’d hate to spend my time traveling just talking to other travelers in hostels, but I understand that’s what other people want.

One thing I DO try to do, through my writings and through example, is to educate people on the real costs of travel. This is where McDonald’s is firmly off my list. I’m a big believer in spending every dime I can on small, local businesses – something I do both at home and abroad. For me, McD is off-limits due to 1) being a giant multinational, 2) treating their animals unethically, 3) being less healthy than cat food, and 4) tasting like crap.

Same goes for big all-inclusive tours in resorts where every dollar spent leaks out of the country. That’s a huge problem, and the tourism industry works hard to keep their image of ‘improving local conditions by stimulating the economy’ – when in truth there is a clear exploitation mechanism at play the poorer the country visited.

These are huge issues I care about, not out of a sense of superiority, but as an ethical traveler trying to make sure my impact on this world is a positive one.