Date:         Mon, 8 Oct 2007 17:25:54 -0400
Reply-To:     Joy Hecht <hecht.joy@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Joy Hecht <hecht.joy@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: trips you probably shouldn't take in your vanagon
In-Reply-To:  <6EF879A2-7DDA-4379-9BC2-F3CDA67CA2A4@comcast.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"

Go on your own trek, Tom, quit following the rest of us on the internet!
Exploring the world is about doing it yourself, not just reading about it.

And Julia, in response to your question about places not to go - we all have
different thresholds for risk.  I posted that Afghanistan thing as a joke,
but certainly my risk threshold would keep me from traveling there in a van,
or in Iraq. Though even in those places, conceivably if I really had some
good reason to want to go there, I would consider it.  A colleague of mine
is really worried about there being no more work in his (and my) field in
most of the world, and so he is considering a job in Afghanistan, one where
he will have to leave his family behind because it's too dangerous for
anyone to be there if it's not essential.  If he offered me a cool
consulting assignment, I might go to Afghanistan too - not in a van, but
that isn't the point.  It's that if you have some compelling reason to do
risky things, you consider them more than if you had no particular reason to
take any chances.  And "compelling reason" can include "I've always wanted
to go there, the place fascinates me."

Some people considered it risky for me to spend several years living in my
van and traveling. I've never understood what I was supposed to be afraid
of.  I don't think I did anything even remotely risky.  And so if you have
dreams of places you want to go, consider what the risks are, and decide for
yourself if they are worth it. Other people can help you identify the risks
(van breaking down, being lonely, getting kidnapped and murdered by
terrorists) - only you can decide which ones are worth taking.

But please, folks, don't get kidnapped and murdered, okay?  It's not worth
it!



:::-----Original Message-----
:::From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf
:::Of Tom Buese
:::Sent: Monday, October 08, 2007 4:47 PM
:::To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
:::Subject: Re: trips you probably shouldn't take in your vanagon
:::
:::Oh no!  Not another wonderful bus trek website I am gonna hafta
:::follow in my spare time.  When will it end?
:::
:::Thanks,
:::
:::Tom B.-so many treks, so little time
:::
:::
:::On Oct 8, 2007, at 2:19 PM, Julia Schrenkler wrote:
:::
:::>  <http://wanderwagen.com/>What trips shouldn't we take? I'm
:::> serious. There
:::> are some I'd choose not to take in the VW because it isn't on my "must
:::> experience by Westy" or even "must camp here" list, but shouldn't
:::> we try to
:::> figure out how to travel where we might dream to go? Consider the
:::> couple at
:::> 20yearsoverland.com or the vwvagabonds... were they smart or just
:::> lucky to
:::> pass through so many countries, some of which were risky at best?
:::> Think of
:::> the everyday obstacles people like Larry or Joy have overcome right
:::> here in
:::> North America. These folks give me inspiration and confidence to
:::> cook up my
:::> own long distance plans.