The Beats would turn in their graves
I have grown to love traveling over the past decade. I mean, come on, what’s not to love? Coming from a family that is divided over two continents, traveling was part of my youth and upbringing. A visit to grandma either entailed a 14-hour car ride or a 14-hour plane ride, depending on which grandma we were visiting, and tacked on to either trip would be some family wandering.
When I got older, travel became even more interesting and more exotic. From trips to Africa for work, or the Dominican Republic to visit Peace Corps friends, the money I earned was almost always blown on trips. Now, using WiFi to write while looking out at a beautiful lake in Indonesia, I must say traveling has definitely changed.
I feel like the battle of pros and cons with the advancement of technology is a theme for my current long-term travel. On the one hand, without Internet, freelance writing wouldn't be possible. On the other hand though, looking at a guest house common room filled with zombies starring at separate screens makes one wonder what happened to dialogue and dissemination of travel information.
Instead of seeking out locals, or talking to fellow travelers, it's just as easy to hop on the Internet and look at a website for information. As much as being able to connect with those back home is great, I feel like some of the new relationships that one makes when traveling so much are taking a hit with Skype and WiFi.
Earlier this week, while downloading free books from iTunes onto my iPod, I had a thought about what Jack Kerouac would do if he knew a generation of travelers were reading his books, most likely pirated, on an LCD screen, while simultaneously checking updates from back home? I’m not too literate on The Beats, but I’m sure this concept would blow all of their minds.
Photo courtesy of Brain Pickings Organization.