My Thai friend Seerung was telling me recently about her compatriots’ attitude towards food. “I think we are obsessed,” she admitted. “If we’re not eating food, we’re talking about food. We’re asking our friends what they have been eating. We plan lunch while we’re eating breakfast. We plan dinner while we’re eating lunch. It’s crazy.”
I know how she feels. I too spend an inordinate amount of time either eating food or talking about eating food. Particularly when I’m travelling.
I only realised this the other day, when I decided to tally up how I spend my time while I’m travelling.
Taking a trip is easy – you jump on the plane, mess around for a few weeks, and before you know it you’re back at work and it’s like the whole thing never happened. But it’s interesting to think about what you actually do during those couple of weeks away.
Going by the information most guide books give you, you’d think you’d spend about 10 per cent of your time on trains and planes, 20 per cent sleeping, 20 per cent eating, and 50 per cent wandering through churches, temples and museums.
But I reckon the reality is a bit different, so – using an average two-week block of travel – I decided to figure out exactly what I do on these overseas jaunts. Here goes …
Sleeping – 29 per cent
Holidays seem to be about the one time in my life when I don’t want to sleep a lot. The way I see it, it’s time wasted. It’s like when I was a kid playing Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiago – it’s frustrating when you have to sleep instead of getting out there and enjoying life (or catching loose-lipped, globe-trotting supervillains). So it’s a bit disappointing to realise that’s what I do the most of.
Eating and/or drinking – 25 per cent
That’s right, like Seerung and her Thai friends, I reckon I spend a solid quarter of my holidays either eating food, or planning where next to eat food, or talking about where we last ate food, or sitting in bars drinking. And probably talking about food. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Travelling – 22 per cent
This includes everything – planes, trains, buses, tuk-tuks, taxis, ferries, rickshaws, camels and elephants. It also includes waiting around in airports, train stations etc. It’s amazing to think that you shell out so much cash to visit these incredible places, but what you spend the bulk of your holiday doing is the actual act of travelling.
Wandering aimlessly – 8 per cent
I seem to dedicate at least an hour or so a day to just tramping around on foot with no particular destination in mind. Sometimes I come across amazing things I never thought I’d see. Other times, I just get lost. Which leads me to …
Finding my way home again – 3 per cent
Being a bloke, I’m morally obligated to attempt to do this by myself, without asking for anyone’s help. So I need to devote a bit more time to it than others might have to. (Hint: always carry a card with your hostel‘s address on it.)
Looking at churches/temples/museums/art galleries – 4 per cent
Only 4 per cent? Am I some uncultured heathen? Maybe. But I maintain that there’s only so much you can learn about a country from inside four walls. Get in, look at the famous painting/archway/sculpture/pottery, and get out. Maybe grab something to eat?
Sitting in internet cafes – 2.5 per cent
Sorry people, but these comments don’t moderate themselves …
Shopping – 2 per cent
I don’t like shopping at home, so it stands to reason that I wouldn’t want to do it while I’m overseas. And I reckon a pretty solid chunk of this 2 per cent could be put down to “being dragged around shops by certain other people”.
Going to sporting events – 1.5 per cent
I’d devote a lot more time to this if I could, but it’s not the easiest thing to organise while you’re travelling. Still, if there’s a football/ice hockey/cricket/sumo wrestling match on, I’ll be there.
Standing in line – 1.5 per cent
For banks, for money exchanges, for visas, for art galleries, for toilets, for food, for buses, for taxis, for food again … Granted, some countries’ approach to queuing is a bit more physical than others’, but you still spend a fair amount of time waiting in line when you travel.
Lying in the sun – 1 per cent
What can I say, I have a pasty white complexion – devote any more time than this to lying around under than big yellow orb and I’d spend the rest of my holiday shedding skin like a snake.
Swearing I’ll never drink again – 0.5 per cent
That’s about 15 minutes every morning. Not sure what happens after that.
Everyone’s different – what do you devote your time to while you’re on the road ?
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