On Travel Fears and Xenophobia

There are numerous different fears I have faced while traveling in the past and have been experiencing in preparation for this trip.

The following are some that I have identified.

 

Xenophobia: The irrational fear of that which is foreign or unfamiliar. 

 

This one is hard to avoid. Every new experience can sometimes cause a defensive reaction, and when traveling you are constantly being bombarded with these new experiences. Culture shock is a sort of mild form of travel xenophobia, but I have met people who become absolutely disgusted and judgmental of the places they are traveling. This tends to happen especially when their fear of the unknown is paired with a traumatic experience such as an assault, robbery or sickness.  

For people who haven't been outside their home land, things like the inability to communicate, seeing a different language written and new smells can be overwhelming in themselves. New foods and simple things like architecture can create a feeling that you don't know what is what and really throw off your sense of security. Sometimes entering a city at night can trigger this feeling. Interactions with authority (where there is a power imbalance) such as border guards or police officers can certainly trigger the feeling. 

My experience has been that when I am entering a new place, I often feel a sense of unease. I haven't figured out the map yet (the lay out), or where I am staying, or where to get what I need. After traveling for a while I tend grow accustomed to this feeling and the time it takes to decrease the unease lessens.  On many trips within just a few hours I can completely put away the distress. In places I have been multiple times (London for instance), I almost feel no distress at all. The last time I was there the customs agent questioned why I wasn't prepared to travel (I had no cash on me)... I simply had no fear at all that things wouldn't work out.

On the other hand, places with distinctly different cultural values, can be incredibly challenging.  For me, growing up in Minnesota I have never had to deal with haggling, or people trying to rip me off when I am purchasing goods.  But in several places around the world, the deal you agree to is the one you deserve. In many of these places it also gives merchants permission to pester you with offers. 

In the first 15 minutes I was in Morocco I was tricked into a sort of relationship with a man who offered to guide me around the city. He lied to me about places to stay, places to eat, he tried to get me to use the ATM while he was around. He basically was not a good guy... but in his mind he was doing me a service, and at the end of the day he demanded payment (with the threat of violence). Despite misrepresenting himself (he told me he worked for the Tourism Ministry) he had also said repeatedly that he wouldn't need payment -he said this because I had told him many times that I had no money to pay him. After being exposed and made vulnerable by this man. I felt a strong desire to leave Morocco all together. I felt disgusted at the way I had been treated, at the lies, at the values behind them. It took me several hours to push the anger and fear away and instead decide to find a reason to love Morocco.  I added days to my trip there. By the end of the journey I met people who were incredibly giving, friendly and wanted to ensure travelers had good experiences in their country. 
Obviously I know my safety needs and intuition are important to respond to, but I have also recognized that the feeling of fear -in terms of the unknown, is not a permanent roadblock.  Its a fear of the unknown... until you get to know more. I choose to get to know more.

So this leads us to the rational fears.

 

Crime, Illness/health issues, getting swept up in the things you don't understand (like conflict, and sports riots). 

 

  Crime

 

I fear the crazy news reports of kidnappings and murders, and the guide book warnings (though well meaning) that talk about bus hijackings and mugging of tourists.  
These are the kinds of fears that will drive you nuts and keep you from good travel. 
A couple of good rationalizations though: 
Crime in these countries is often on par with the US and just like in the US, it tends to affect people disproportionately, so if you keep your head up and stay aware of your surroundings and don't put yourself in a position where you might be in danger... you'll be in less danger.  Less danger because there is no way to avoid crime altogether (except by moving to Iceland).  There is danger in being a tourist... but other than my health and pictures, my stuff will be replaceable. 
So I am planning on staying healthy and perhaps replacing things. 

Health

 

Well similarly to the crime thing, there are certain tropical diseases and random things that can happen. There isn't a whole lot you can do to avoid them, other than what you would already assume... wear sunscreen, wear bugspray, have a net. Keep your feet healthy. Eat stuff that can be washed, or peeled. Don't eat street foods or drink the water... and all of this I will do within my normal reasonable limits. I mean already wash my hands more than anyone I know. 
That being said...
A few years ago I had my biggest travel disaster I have ever had. I have lost money, been threatened, had stuff stolen, gotten sick, gotten lost etc in previous trips... but this was different because it ended my trip. I was on a beautiful lake in the mountains of Guatemala. I was having a blast and forgot to put on sunscreen, and the tropical sun mixed with my white white skin... into sun poisoning and the worst blisters the doctor had ever seen.  Things ended ok... but I am reluctant to even bring shorts on this trip. And YES I WILL WEAR SUN SCREEN. 

I also have travel medical insurance, and some of these places have really wonderful healthcare in the major cities. For instance Bogota where I will start my journey is quickly becoming a travel dentistry destination, so maybe I get some new teeth while I am there. Columbia, Venezuela, Brazil and Argentina are all well known for their cosmetic surgery... so you know I am going to come back as a whole new Mike.

The things you don't understand can hurt you.

 

I have been fortunate enough to not have really dealt with this directly, but a few years ago I was in Belgrade Serbia and wondered why everyone was so rude to me... I somehow forgot that we had been bombing this very city for several of the recent years.  I woke up to the fact when I saw wreckage of an American bomber and the pilot's uniform in the military museum. I think in my head I was not representing my country, but in the minds of the people there I certainly was.

Packs of dogs roam the streets of Bucharest and attacked a tourist a few months before I went there. In the night I could hear the dogs roaming the streets I had just been walking around.

I have been to several places that were bombed by anti-government forces.

In my own city I have seen sports riots overturn cars and start fires. In other countries I have seen riots and protests that got ugly... in some ways these thrilling events can get out of hand before you realize it.

It is also important to connect the dots between things like crime/conflict and economic issues. Its true I have seen desperately poor people who didn't resort to ripping off tourists or worse, but as I shared earlier I have been ripped off and threatened.  One of the important things for me to recognize with the situation in Morocco (whether it directly affected that man or not) was that the country at the time was dealing with its own economic, political and climate issues. There had been a drought the previous few years. There had been less economic activity (war on terror). The Government was enacting new policies because of the US war on terror. The country was going through changes that had destabilized people's lives and when people do not feel stable, or don't see opportunity to create stability crime can be a result. 

There is also fear of things like car accidents and natural disasters that you just cant predict. 

It is hard to prepare for these types of situations other than to try to educate yourself on the possibilities and listen to the warnings from the embassy.  Because of the previously mentioned items... I am staying away from Brazil until well after the World Cup. I am also probably not going to Venezuela (due to economic issues facing the country). I will not take the overnight bus from Columbia to Ecuador. I will try to avoid drunk drivers and situations that could be bad for my health or safety... but all of these fears are just normal fears in life.

I know people safe in their homes in Minneapolis who worry about being robbed when they go out at night, worry about losing their job, worry about getting ill. When traveling some of these worries get escalated into a sort of panic level, but for the most part people every where have the same basic fears.

So to close I'd like to share the fears that I will probably face the most.

Loneliness, self consciousness and doubt.

These are the real things I've found that can devastate a trip.  In the words of the Hold Steady "You've gotta stay positive." I will probably write/vlog about how I stay positive in another post.

And lastly... fear of being away from home.  I won't go into detail, but I think one of my biggest fears is that something happens at home and I am not here to help.   

So take care of yourselves and I will too. 


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