By Robert Dean
Guest Columnist
When this goes live, I’ll be in Spain. One thing I’ve worked hard to achieve in my years in the boxing ring of working journalism is the ability to travel — to write about things happening internationally, or just things that happened to me when I was somewhere else. Once, I ruined a bathroom and my pants in Dublin. Another time, I shared a sandwich with a stranger in Barcelona. Travel is like that.
As much as I love getting a new stamp on my passport, I am still very American. I love a big glass of water with ice. I like iced coffee. I smile at people. I talk to anyone who wants to talk to me. I want to hear their stories, no matter where we are. I hate soccer and love baseball and our football. The native food in London is rough, but the Indian food is unreal.
I’ve also been to all the big cities in America. I grew up in Chicago and have lived in a few others. I’ve been to a lot of small towns too. The greatest education you can give yourself isn’t a college degree — it’s a willingness to meet other people where they are. To sit down for a plate of tacos or grab a cup of coffee and actually listen.
What we can learn about one another feeds something greater. No amount of television or bed rotting equals riding a subway in a city you don’t know or having drinks with locals somewhere in Arkansas or Scotland. I’ve been a lot of places, and I’ve learned that if you plan and stay flexible, you can go almost anywhere on a budget. Hotels, hostels, friends’ couches — whatever it takes. There’s a burning need in me to see new places, to learn more about them, and along the way, more about myself.
Not everyone can hop on a plane. But most people can spend a weekend a few towns over, or try a restaurant in a different part of the region. Get out of the routine and challenge what you think you know. Some of the greatest moments in life come from realizing that no matter how you build a place up in your head, the real thing is always different — and usually better.
There is magic in the unknown. You may not like oysters on the gulf, but you may find that you love a cup of coffee poured by the blue-haired weirdo you’d have written off in any other context.
The all-inclusive resort sells nachos and pays people to smile at you. That’s not travel — that’s room service with a view. There’s a real difference between buying fresh fish directly from the fisherman and paying a resort that’s cutting him for pennies on the dollar. One puts money in the right hands. The other just makes you feel like you went somewhere.
There’s always a sale. There’s always a deal. The world is more accessible than you think — and a lot more interesting than your couch.
Contact us at or send submissions to news@cartercountytimes.com
