Audrey and Dan have been traveling the world, one step at a time (and have the counter to prove it.) We asked them to share their travel tips from their adventures around the world, and you can read more about their travels on their site Uncornered Market.
Name: Audrey Scott (and Daniel Noll)
Hometown: Vienna, VA (and Scranton, PA)
Current Location: As I write this, Vienna, Virginia. In a couple of weeks, it will be Guatemala.
Where have you been?
On this round-the-world journey we spent the first eighteen months traveling across Asia - Southeast Asia (Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Burma, Malaysia, Singapore), Caucasus – this might technically count as Europe (Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan), China, South Asia (Nepal, India). Then we took a break with friends across Central Europe (Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary) and the Baltics (Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia). We’ll soon start the Central and South America part of our trip, with Africa/Middle East to follow next year. Prior to this trip we lived in Prague, Czech Republic and did a lot of traveling around western Europe.
What's your favorite travel memory?
This is a hard one. Don’t know if this is a favorite, but our 15-day Annapurna Circuit Trek in Nepal was pretty incredible. Amazing mount scenery, lively interactions with people in villages along the way, fun company of trekkers (including a supermodel, unbeknownst to us until the very end) and just a great feeling of accomplishment getting across Thorong La Pass (17,700 feet). We ended the trek feeling on a physical and emotional high.
Do you have a favorite airport?
Can’t really say I do. Recently we’ve been doing most of our travel overland that we haven’t spent too much time in airports, fortunately. I still have a soft spot for the airport in Prague, Czech Republic – it’s small enough that even if you arrive 37 minutes before departure you can still check in and get to the gate in time to catch your flight.
What's on your essential packing list?
Earplugs. Hiking shoes (low), teva/flipflops, couple of t-shirts and travel pants (that dry super quickly). Silk sleep sack. Silk long-johns. Light fleece jacket. All our camera and computer equipment.
What have you learned to leave at home and what can't you live without?
I’ve learned to leave at home all clothes that are not multi-functional (and don’t dry quickly), jewelry, make-up. I can’t live without my jean skirt. I know it’s not the most practical as it’s not easy to wash in the sink and takes a while to dry, but it’s so comfortable.
If you got stuck somewhere and were never able to leave, where would it be?
There’s still large parts of the world we haven’t explored, but if I had to make a decision now based on where we’ve been, it would be Thailand.
What's the biggest travel myth that you can debunk? Traveling is really not that scary, dangerous or hard. The most difficult thing is making the decision to do it.
What do you plan before you leave home and what do you leave to chance?
We tend not to plan too much, but we’re also on a longer schedule and have more flexibility. We normally reserve the first night or two at a hotel in a big city and then figure out the rest on the ground. One of the first things we do when we arrive at a new place is ask about the local fresh or street food market – we love markets and this helps us to learn about the food, culture and people of a place.
Your most memorable meal....
Oh, that’s tough. Not to sound cheesy, but I have to say the meal a few nights before our wedding. Our friends and family stayed together at an agriturismo in a valley near Pienza, Italy (Tuscany). At the beginning of that day we told everyone to bring back something to eat from their adventures. People went to Siena, other Tuscan hill towns, Cortona, etc. We put everything people had brought back on a picnic table outside and had an amazing feast - fresh mozzarella, wild boar sausage, focaccia, marinated olives, chunks of parmagiano-reggiano, 5-liter jugs of local wine – under the stars while lights marked the hill towns surrounding us.
If you could only give one piece of travel advice, what would it be?
Although it can be scary and uncomfortable, go outside your comfort zone every day. Approach and ask questions from strangers, go to a place that seems weird or uncomfortable to you, take a new route, go to a concert, take public transport, whatever. You’ll learn so much from these experiences about yourself and the place you’re visiting; they will likely be what you remember most when you return home.
What's your take on souvenirs? What do you bring home with you?
Since we’re carrying everything on our backs, we generally stay away from souvenirs. We’re not big into shopping. If we do succumb, it’s normally because we find a really cool wall hanging. Whenever we do settle down, we’ll have a place full of diverse and beautiful wall hangings...but no furniture.
Do you have a travel experience that's changed how you look at the world or changed your life?
I can’t say this changed my life, but an experience that left an impression on me was from Khiva, Uzbekistan. Khiva is one of the Silk Road cities and has been rebuilt so that the old town is a bit of a museum. The businesses and restaurants in the old town all seemed content on ripping off tourists. One day we left the old town to look for a bank to exchange money (actually much harder than it sounds in Uzbekistan since banks regularly run out of money) and came across a pregnant woman and her friend eating plov (rice and meat mixture) at an ice cream stand with tables and chairs. It looked really good, so we asked if we could order some – we thought it was a café/restaurant. The women insisted that we sit down and then they literally gave us the rest of their lunch plus cut up fresh tomatoes, tomatoes, bread and brewed some tea. At the end we tried to pay the 8-month pregnant woman (with three kids already!) who ran the ice cream stand, but she insisted that we were her guests and refused money. Another American with us kept trying to sneak money under a plate at the table, but she would always find it and return it. She did allow us to pay for ice cream, so we all ordered the largest ice cream cones we could manage. The more we travel, the more we have similar experiences where it’s normally the people who have very little who are most hospitable and give so much. Humbling and a lesson in generosity.
What's your next trip?
Central and South America in 2009 and Middle East/Africa in 2010.
Both of them are cute. Its feels great if you have someone with you when you are travelling. It makes the travel more worthwile
Very nice. Though it wasn't touched upon much in the interview you had a link (concerning computer and camera gear). I thought that was quite interesting and gives me hope as I prepare to pack all my gear for my next trip.
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