Indie Travel Manifesto

part of the BootsnAll Indie Travel Challenge Project

the cool cats over at BootsnAll recently launched the Indie Travel Manifesto project, which serves to give a collaborative home for people who love and believe in this kind of travel.

there are a lot of great statements there, and you are encouraged to vote them up or down. here are the ones that i upvoted, the ones that really struck a chord with me and the way i like to travel:

• seeing yourself in the context of a rich and complex world
• defining your values, exploring your beliefs, and crafting your own meaning for life
• options over possessions
• interactions over transactions
• first-hand experience over expert opinions
• mental and spiritual growth as much as physical adventure
• private transformation over social status and bragging rights
• pack light and keep things simple
• adapt as you go rather than micromanage in advance
• slow down and enjoy an experience
• seek pleasure in simple moments and details
• make meaningful connections and informed decisions
• learn the economic, political and environmental context of my host culture
• practice courtesy, patience, humility, and good humor
• seek to understand — not judge or romanticize — other cultures
• give back to the local economy
• share what you’ve learned with others

ha! maybe i should have listed the statements i didn’t upvote. 😛 not that they’re any less valid, but less “me”.

i absolutely am in love with the first two, and i think they interplay very well forming the core of the whole “indie” thing. there is so much more to this world than what meets the eye when i look out of the windows of my house or car. when you realize that, and that you are just one of billions, with a ‘b’ — each one different from the next, each one with a story to tell, it directly affects the way you think. when i travel, i try to soak up collective (in the form of art, culture, food, history) and individual stories, and i like to think it expands my mind: continually shaping who i am, literally and figuratively changing my internal worldview. this exploration is what i live for and the prospect of discovery is what drives me.