Nordic Electric

It’s hard to find great travel writing, but it’s out there. Part of the reason for this is that so much travel writing is also considered nature writing or narrative non-fiction. Part of the reason is that the field is so competitive because of a lot of good authors competing for a relatively small market space. But there is a wide array of great travel fiction out there, and here is my list of the best ten travel novels I’ve read over the past couple years.

10) Through Painted Deserts, by Donald Miller. This is one I actually found in the “Christian Non-Fiction” section, which can be unfair. There’s no question Miller is a Christian, but he’s a writer first and foremost, he’s not preachy, and his questioning of his own faith, of reasons for existence, of who and what he is or is becoming is reminiscent of the fantastic soul searching that came from the travel writing of the Beat generation. Miller’s account of his trip is great, going through the moments of beauty, the necessity of good road trip music, and admitting his moments of embarrassment and fear as freely as any other part of his journey.

9) Holy Cow: An Indian Adventure by Sarah MacDonald. The early reading of this book can be hard, because after the first few chapters there’s a lot of the Western perspective, the whining of living conditions and poverty, the type of scorn you don’t care to read from travel writing. I’m glad I read the rest, because like “Through Painted Deserts,” “Holy Cow” is about the author’s journey. Sarah evolves and changes chapter to chapter in front of you as she sheds the scornful nature of an atheist “too smart” to fall for superstition, and she opens up, traveling through India and sampling all the different religious beliefs and practices as she becomes a humble Theist who learns happiness, learns to grow, and learns that alien cultures can have a lot to offer the open traveler.

Into the Wild by John Krakauer. I first caught sight of this book at a Barnes and Noble on one of the feature tables. I was on winter break from Alaska and visiting family in Iowa. I picked up the book, sat down, and read the entire work in one sitting. Travel book, journalistic book, nature book, adventure book-whatever you call it, this is one heck of a read, and the debate this book causes is deep and passionate. As a wanderlust traveler, I understand the drive the main character feels, as an Alaskan, I understand the native perspective of irritation, of the lack of understanding that nature is brutal and especially Alaska needs to be respected as such.

7) Dark Star Safari: Overland from Cairo to Cape Town, by Paul Theroux. Paul Theroux is at his best in “Dark Star Safar,” where his skills of observation and his dry wit are on full display. Paul takes readers the length of Africa via overcrowded rattletrap bus, dugout canoe, cattle truck, armed convoy, ferry, and train in a journey that is hard to forget. There are moments of beauty, but there are also many moments of misery and danger. This is a narration of Africa that goes beyond the skin deep to dare to look at the deeper core of what is often referred to as “The Dark Continent.”

6) Blue Highways: A Journey Into America, by William Least Heat-Moon. This is an auto-biographical travel journey taken by Heat-Mean in 1978. After separating from his wife and losing his job, Heat-Moon decided to take an extended road trip around the United States, sticking to “Blue Highways,” a term to refer to small out of the way roads connecting rural America (which were drawn in blue in the old Rand McNally atlases). So Heat-Moon outfits his van, named “Ghost Dancing” and takes off on a 3-month soul-searching tour of the United States. The book chronicles the 13,000 mile journey and the people he meets along the way, as he steers clear of cities and interstates, avoiding fast food and exploring local American culture on a journey that is just as amazing today as when he first took the journey.

5) The Lost Continent, by Bill Bryson. There are tons of fantastic Bill Bryson books out there, and any one of them could hold this spot here. “The Lost Continent” is Bryson’s trip across America, visiting some common places (the grand canyon), but also exploring the back roads and looking for that familiarity that helps him remember home.

4) Wanderlust: Real-Life Tales of Adventures and Romance by Pico Iyer. Probably one of the best travel writing collections released in recent memory, this collection is under the name Pico Iyer, who helped to edit this collection. These stories come from the “Wanderlust” section of Salon.com and create a varied tapestry of travel writing that will keep the reader flipping from one writer to another.

3) A Walk Across America by Peter Jenkins. This is one of the all time modern classics in travel literature, as Peter Jenkins recalls the story of his 1973-1975 walk from New York to New Orleans. For many readers, this remains a rare travel book that grips you and keeps you. Known as a travel writer who will walk anywhere, including Alaska and China, Peter Jenkins says, “I started out searching for myself and my country and found both.” That sums up what travel writing should be all about.

2) Travels w/ Charlie by John Steinbeck. This was a novel that helped John Steinbeck win a Nobel Prize in Literature. “Travels with Charlie” is a fantastic travel narrative that gets to the heart of travel, the point of the trip, and the strange confrontation and realization that the places and people you remember are gone once you are. As he revisits the places of his youth that many of his books are based on, he realizes on seeing old friends that they’re as uncomfortable with him being back as he is with being there. A great story about travel, about home, about mourning lost history, about aging, and about America-this should be required reading for every high school student.

1) The Dharma Bums, by Jack Kerouac. The beat generation was full of great travel narratives, and Jack Kerouac was the master of powerful, moving, passionate language that unfolded stories like few people have ever managed. While “On the Road” is the most often pointed to travel narrative by Kerouac, “The Dharma Bums” is a better book. Full of passion, interesting characters and stories, and the kind of passionate language and powerful prose that made the beat generation writers popular, port stephens holiday houses this Kerouac book is extraordinary and deserving of its number one spot.

Right up there with real estate agents and used car sales people, travel agents are subject to much suspicion when it comes to sales tactics and prices. But are you really being sized up and ripped off every time you walk into an agency or book a holiday?

The answer is yes, you will be sized up and yes, given half the chance many agents will overcharge, some by as much as they can get away with.

With the great resources available on the net most travellers will not walk into an agency until they feel they have a good handle on their destination and current prices. Yet no matter how savvy you are it’s still worth knowing how agents work before you decide to use one.

There are two aspects to the way agents work in Australia that affect the service you are given. The first is the way agents are paid. Second is the pushing of particular agency ‘preferred’ products like tours (with high commission levels) onto the customer without disclosing this conflict of interest.

No real newsflash here: agents are paid on commission. But people might not realise that base pay rates are so low, agents need every dollar they can squeeze out of you. The pay structure generally works like this:

* The agent is paid a base amount, which is a paltry sum at best. The base amount is fairly consistent amongst the major agencies, and will go up slightly the longer the agent stays in the job.

* Extra income is based on commission paid against the revenue agents bring in. Different levels of revenue are made from every product they sell, from very little (say a hotel transfer) to up to 50% revenue for travel insurance. ‘Preferred products’ such as tours or flights will have higher levels of revenue.

* Of this total revenue, agents are paid a monthly percentage, usually on a sliding scale (the more the agents bring in the higher the percentage they get). This pay scale will depend on the agency and some are more generous than others. Without this commission the base amount is barely enough to live on (we are talking burger flipping rates).

* There is massive pressure on agents to hit monthly revenue targets (aside from actually making a living), and thus the job has a very high turnover rate (1-2 years is a fair stint as a travel agent or even store manager).

* But what about the perks? Agents fly all the time right? In short there is no particular savings on flights at present. Some agencies are better than others but the perks of the job are almost non-existent compared to how it used to be. Agents are not always travelling and when they do it’s not as cheap as people think. For that you need a job, or your dad or mum needs a job, with Qantas.

* Some companies overseas pay differently so the focus is on customer service rather than sales. We are not so lucky.

The fact that the job is commission based seems to be missed by many customers who think agents are free to give advice all day as that’s what they get paid for. The reality is that they make very little unless they actually sell you something; it’s a sales job pure and simple.

This pressure on agents can lead to some very dubious practice.

So what could be loosely defined as a situation where somebody is being ripped off? There’s a big difference between paying extra for the agents time and them overcharging you by hundreds, or even thousands, on your holiday.

Standard booking fees at most agencies are $50.00 – $100.00, depending on the product being sold (less for domestic travel). These fees can be waived at some agencies rather than losing a sale if you are price matching or bargaining hard with the agent.

These fees are not a huge price to pay for what might be hours of the agents time (and remember the agent only gets a small percentage of that fee – most goes to the agency), but if you are paying any more than the standard fees, you are paying too much.

The most likely chance you have of being ripped off is if you have failed to shop around, and get caught up in the agent’s enthusiastic sales tactics (always beware the most upbeat and enthusiastic agent).

Agents will size up how much you know about your destination, the current price of flights and accommodation before quoting you a price. If you tell the agent “it’s my first time away” your chances of paying way too much increase dramatically.

Travelling to an out of the way destination might fall into this category as well, or when navigating the maze of round the world tickets. While it’s easy enough to book RTW trips on the net many people still stick with an agent, and leave themselves vulnerable to overcharging in the process.

Also, and unfortunately so, times of grief or any urgent need to get yourself on a flight are also seen by many agents as a time to cash in on vulnerable customers.

In terms of flights, agents will usually have minimum or net rates that they are free to add whatever extra they can get away with. This is where you can be overcharged if you haven’t shopped around. There is only a minimum, not a standard or maximum price for flights.

Consider as well that some agents are better than others at finding cheap flights. A high quote might just be a lack of knowledge of the destination/airlines. Many agents will have spent less than a year in the job and it can take time to learn how to get the better deals for customers, especially on out of the way routes. Another reason to check online first.

Yet another area in which to be careful is with refunds. It is not uncommon for some angents to overcharge you to cancel flights or tours. This can be done simply by the agent changing the terms of the agreement between you and the agency when you first pay a deposit or in full (as you have no direct contact with the airline). So what might have been a $350.00 cancellation fee on flights can be easily be turned into a non refundable ticket without the knowledge of the airline or tour company. Importantly this is not a standard practice (some agancies have measures in place to stop this) but it does happen. Be really careful and check elsewhere before you commit to a non refundable airfare!

The second and perhaps most dodgy aspect of travel agency practice is the pushing of preferred products onto customers.

This is not technically a rip off, but if you’re after unbiased product advice steer clear of most travel agents. The major agencies will have certain tour companies and even airlines from which they will get higher commissions (which can be double that of other tour companies they might sell).

So you’re booking a tour in South America and want some advice on a tour company? Chances are you will be pushed into using the agencies preferred supplier as they make more money out of you that way. As yet there is no legal requirement for agencies to declare this conflict of interest. Just look around the shelves of the major agencies and it will be clear from the uniform brochures who their preferred suppliers are.

This is not to say these companies are not a decent choice, just be aware any advice is not without considerable bias. You need to make sure the tour company suits your needs and don’t rely solely on an agent’s advice on this (contact the company direct if you have any queries).

This conflict of interest can be applied to many products they sell. The major agencies will have preferred hotels and car hire companies. For almost every product travel agent dirty tricks, travel agent rip offs, travel advice, travel tips there will be a preference they give you that makes them more money. Agents will themselves often have little goals in mind when selling you a holiday.

There are always incentives from different travel companies for agents to sell their product. The incentive might be ‘sell five tours get one free’ or something similar. This is another reason agents can give you highly biased advice.

Smaller more independent agencies are more likely to give you unbiased advice as they may not have the same deals with tour operators as the major players.

If you are unsure about the charges attached to any products, simply ask what exactly you are being charged for as agents should disclose any booking fees involved (sometimes these fees can be hidden). If you are suspicious don’t fall for any pressure tactics, just walk away and check another agency or online before you book (there’s always another agency close enough).

So the bottom line really is just to make yourself as aware as possible of current pricing before you see an agent. You can still get great deals through a good agent (booking online is not always cheaper) and there is no need to be ripped off if you are savvy about your planning. Advice from a good agent on your destination can be invaluable, just take product advice with a grain of salt.

I left the job in part due to the pressure to overcharge and BS on which company customers should travel with. Most people get into the job because they love to travel, but may end up finding, like I did, that the job is not worth the stress.

It is no secret that the travel industry has not exactly been thriving for some time. And in the era of Internet travel booking, many of us may be wondering whether a travel agent is useful at all any more. Like other such subjects, there are pros and cons to each side of the issue.

Travel Agents: The Pros

The major benefit of using a travel agent is that you can sit back, relax, and not worry about your vacation planning. Plus, an agent will typically have advanced knowledge about your destination and can advise you on everything from your hotel stay to how to get around and where to eat. In short, the job of your travel agent is to make sure that you enjoy the best possible vacation with the least amount of work on your part.

In addition to these helpful qualities of a professional agent, many people prefer to stick with an agent instead of trying to figure out their trip online. For example, when you plan your trip online, you may not be aware of some additional fees or travel requirements that a knowledgeable agent can easily take care of for you.

The best travel agents will also keep up on the travel industry and be able to help you find the vacation of your dreams, even if you aren’t yet sure where that is or what it will include. A agent can sit down with you in person and help you plan – that’s something that your computer simply cannot do.

When you rely on a quality travel agent, you can book every aspect of your vacation with that person, as opposed to trying to navigate multiple websites and keep track of all of your reservations. More than just booking airfare and hotel reservations, an agent can help you secure dinner reservations, theater tickets, tee times, spa appointments, sightseeing, car rentals, accessibility arrangements, cruises, directions, traveler’s checks, passport/visa processing, frequent flyer miles, and traveler’s insurance.

Travel Agents: The Cons

Of course the major con of hiring a travel agent is that if you are trying to travel on a budget, an agent’s fee probably doesn’t fit into that budget. So if you are willing to dedicate the time it takes, you can make your own travel arrangements entirely online and won’t ever need the services of a agent.

Online websites are very advanced and some even offer you online services similar to those of a travel agent. Most of the travel booking sites online have gone to great lengths to make sure that all of your travel needs are taken care of without the help of an actual agent.

Especially if you have traveled to a certain destination before, you probably don’t need the services that an agent provides.

To sum it all up, the services of travel agents are very valuable, but they also come with a price. If you dont mind the price, an agent is the easiest way to book your travel reservations. But if you are like many of us right now, you need to save money wherever you can, even on vacation. So don’t be afraid to book your own travel reservations online. You may be surprised at how easy it is!