The breadcrumb trail left by a taxi around the world
Few thoughts on travelling I finally have time and the right input to sort them out.
These days Alessia, our philosopher at mondora, is working on a publication collecting personal experiences from colleagues. We had a first interview, or a friendly “philosophical” chat, with many questions on the concept of the journey.
I will not disclose Alessia work, but the first question was:
“Imaging a new working experience as a journey or adventure, what do you leave behind you?”
I gave my very polite answer: imaging life as a journey and picturing the famous dots described by Steve Jobs.
Then suddenly, while as I had a shower, I got that: I had so much more to share on the subject. I needed to approach the question from a different point of view (sorry Alessia, we must repeat the interview 😃).
Are we leaving or just getting back?
Every time I start a journey to an “exotic” country (a.k.a. holidays), I leave something home, behind me, but sure it will be there when I come back. I’ve been lucky enough in my life to choose when and where I want to travel to and safely come back, without external constrictions.
I travel for new experiences, to visit charming places, meet people and bring back home good memories. Bellavita!
But, at the same time: what do I leave back to the people I meet during my holidays? I mean all of them: from the hostel room-mate, with whom I spent a lovely evening chatting and drinking, to the taxi driver who accompanied me back to the airport?
In other words: what kind of impact am I producing while I travel?
Spoiler: this post is “Sustainable travels” ads-free
I won’t talk about sustainable travels, and I find quite funny writing these two words next to each other. There is no sustainability in flying for 10/15 hours to reach a place on the other side of the world, for a couple of weeks holidays.
On the other hand, I try to live by the “sustainable travel” rules every day. Why should I leave litter around while I trek in a pristine forest or spend my holiday in a resort? I would not do that back home, why should I begin it while I am on holiday?
Anyway, even observing the most common civil rules, I do impact people I meet. Tourism can be vital for the local communities but impact negatively at the same time.
I will explain it with a couple of examples, and both are about taxis.
E.R. taxis in Cuba
In 2016 I visited Cuba for the first time, a few weeks after the Fidel Castro death. It happens by chance, it wasn’t planned.
It’s common to think: “I should visit Cuba before everything changes” hoping to arrive in communist country and travel in time back to the sixties.
During 2010, Raul Castro started a program to reduce the number of government employees. Concurrently, to support those who were loosing their public job, the government raised the number of private licences available.
This piece of history helps to understand the following situation. An average taxi fare from the airport to Old Havana is around 20$ (for tourists). It doesn’t sound expensive if you just arrive in a city you’ve never been to. At the same time, it’s an enormous amount of money if you know the typical doctor’s salary: about $40 a month.
Let’s leave the “scam affairs” away, what kind of incentive a young student gets to continue his medical studies? In fact, the last driver who brought us back to the airport was…a doctor.
So, what kind of impact am I leaving during my Cuban journey? Maybe in young people eyes, it’s better to drive a taxi or be a tourist guide rather than study as a doctor or engineer. This is a dangerous heritage we tourists are leaving, just even taking a cab.
Bargaining for good
I love South-East Asia, and of course, I’m full of anecdotes about taxies and scams there. But this time, I want to share a story from a German guy I met. We were talking about bargaining and tipping:
“For local people in Bankok is becoming more and more challenging to get a taxi. Why should a taxi driver accept a Thai customer, who pays a fair trade when he can wait for a “tourist” and get compensated ten times more?”
Every time a tourist does not bargain for a regular price is aiming the local community by setting a higher tolerable price.
It’s fundamental to ask the receptionist or hosts the fair price for a route. It’s simple and helps you avoid scams, even if I am talking about a few dollars.
Plus, in the 21st century, almost anywhere in the world you can get a local phone card and use Uber or Grab (if you are travelling to South-East Asia), as locals.
Then, bargaining on a souvenir price is stupid, honestly.
At the end of the trail…
These are just examples of how a simple routine can impact local people.
Travelling is becoming more accessible and affordable in the last years. We should not underestimate the impact we are producing on local communities with our few weeks stays.
Travelling leaves me good memories, but at the same time, what am I giving back to the local people, especially to younger generations?
Tourism can be an excellent way to improve living conditions in developing countries, but at what cost? Are we leaving behind us generations of waiters and taxi drivers, instead of doctors and engineers?
