Me and Travel / Travel and I

Globetrotters Writer Spotlight — Scott-Ryan Abt

There is always another trip on the horizon.

Hey there, Fellow Globetrotters. I’m Scott. Here are a few questions that Globetrotters wants me to tell you the answers to.

I love to travel because: it is the manifestation of freedom. There is nothing like the feeling of leaving home for a new place, especially the anticipation of what it’s going to be like there, what you are going to see, what you are going to eat and drink, the people you will meet, the experiences you will have, the un-Instagrammed moments that will stick with you for a lifetime.

And then actually being there and everything being completely different.

My number one travel activity is: Buying a pass and riding the metro / subway / tube / underground from the first day in a city to get anywhere. That’s where you really get a feel for the city and its people and its energy and pulse. And that’s the place, after the first few times that you have ridden it and gotten the hang of going from A to B to C, that you feel like a seasoned local, even though becoming that would take years or even a lifetime.

That’s in the city. Away from the city, it would be going on hikes, going up and down volcanoes and getting out into nature and off the beaten path. It’s a different set of people out there.

Oh and I love road trips too.

I come from: Vancouver, Canada — or more specifically, its southern suburbs that lie between the city and the US border. Formative years spent in North Delta, BC and the grown up years spent in the city itself. I left it seven years ago and have lived in Manizales, Colombia (3 years), Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (3 years) and Kingston, Jamaica (1 year) since.

Here’s a link to the latest in a series on the best parts of life as a foreigner in Jamaica (early instalments are linked therein), that originally appeared on a different (unnamed) publication.

I work as a: I’m a teacher by profession — history, politics, geography, global issues, humanities, and PE occasionally. I’ve stepped away from it, possibly temporarily, possibly for good, and after 18 years this is the first year I’m not going back to a classroom in August / September.

Other doors, that I didn’t know existed, have opened since. Funny how that works.

The best place I’ve been is: This is difficult. Russia for the endlessness of the train ride from one end to the other and the friendliness of the people on it. The Kalahari Desert in Botswana for the feeling of being truly out there. Jamaica for the vibe of the off the beaten path places. Southern Germany, because that’s where my Dad is from and it’s God’s country. Small town British Columbia, because it is home. The Atacama Desert of Chile for its desolate vastness and colours. Japan, because they have really figured it out there.

Ok. I’ll stop.

In my spare time, I like to: Yoga, running, swimming, hiking and camping, reading and writing. But especially these days, cooking and making things for myself that are far more economical, tasty, healthy and sustainable than what I can find in stores. Here’s my latest article on that with an example of something you can make yourself and never buy it at the supermarket again (others are linked within).

My top travel tip is: Be nice. The person that is trying to help you with your problem is not the one that caused it. It’s easier to catch flies with honey than with vinegar.

Oh, and stay away from booze and coffee on planes.

If I could live somewhere else, I’d live in: Mexico City or Tokyo. As a matter of fact, I plan to live in both at some point before it is all said and done. At the same time, I do love being close to water.

My favourite way to travel is: It used to be flying, but no one would say that anymore. Now, I think it’s road trips. An epic three week trip way off the beaten path in Zimbabwe, Zambia and Botswana in 2019–2020 in an absolute tank of a Toyota Landcruiser T70 immediately springs to mind.

Three lessons I’ve learned from travelling are:

1) Yes is usually the right answer when it comes to adventure and being adventurous. But be judicious too.

2) Be curious, lead with gratitude. Food, drink, culture, customs, attitudes, the place of that place in the world. Ask questions, forget your assumptions.

3) A little bit of plan can’t hurt. But overplanning will kill a trip.

And with that, I am off for two weeks in Italy and two weeks in France. Happy trails everyone, will look forward to crossing paths with you somewhere out there one day!

I really do hope that you like what you have just read. If you want unlimited access to thousands of writers, consider a subscription to Medium. It will set you back $5 a month and if you use this link, then I get a slice of that and I’ll start planning that next road trip.