I don't know how to travel
Travel, travel, travel plus hiring processes and getting old
Kia ora and welcome to The Weekend with Madeleine Chapman
My 2016 “holiday” in Samoa (I worked for four weeks and got dengue fever).
This week we've been talking all about travel, from Joel trying his darnedest to get from the bottom to the top of the country without a car or plane, to our senior writers detailing their greatest ever trips. What has become immediately clear is that people love hearing about other people's trips. I'm the same. I relish scrolling through an excessive social media post about every meal a friend has eaten while overseas. I watch videos of people visiting new places and reviewing the coffee there. And I love a travel movie where the protagonist learns an important life lesson from a local old lady.
But at the same time, I suck at travelling. I am really, really bad at experiencing another country.
Take my big OE, for example. When I was at university, I had no social life. I had few classes and lots of free time but spent most of it watching movies by myself and sleeping. It's OK, I thought, I'm saving for my big OE and that's when I'll do lots of things. Thanks to being on a full scholarship, receiving a student allowance, cobbling together a number of jobs through Student Job Search and being dangerously frugal, I managed to save $12,000 by the time I graduated.
As somebody who sucks at travelling, I gave no real thought to finding an interesting, unique country to spend time in for my year away. Instead, I went to America because my grandma and other relatives lived there and I could stay with them. The thing about travelling in America is that a lot of America is far less interesting than New Zealand. And my grandma lived in Nebraska. So off I went with my $12,000 to spend my big OE walking from my grandma's house to the cinema to watch movies by myself.
Despite saving a lot of money, I didn't know how to spend it. I had lived my whole life figuring out the cheapest way to do everything that I never considered doing something fun just for the sake of it. I caught a 27-hour Amtrak train from Alberquerque to Chicago because it was cheaper than a flight. Did I take that opportunity to explore the midwest and all its quirky tiny towns? No, I just sat on the train for a long, long time. And then the train was so delayed I missed the event I had tickets for in Chicago.
I then took the overnight Greyhound bus from Boston to New York, meaning I was cramped, sore, and didn't see a single part of the east coast out the window. All because it was $30 cheaper than taking the bus during the day.
In the five months I was there, I didn't spend a single dollar on accommodation. Instead I couch-surfed. Something that is cool and fun to do if you're wanting to meet new people and party with them as they show you around the city. That wasn't me. Of the seven couchsurfing hosts I stayed with, six of them remain in the top 10 weirdest people I've ever met, and one of them still holds the crown for creepiest.
After five months of essentially having a somewhat miserable time for no reason (the one break being when my seasoned traveller cousin dragged me along on her own road trip, but even then I inexplicably declined a number of cheap activities), I found myself in New York. My couchsurfing host was a highly paid, very young web developer who appeared to host travellers simply to have fixed-term friends. I was deeply uncomfortable and when he yelled at me for walking behind him during a Zoom call, I realised I wanted to come home. I still had $6,000 and was in New York City, but did I splash out on some accommodation to enjoy the famous city for a week before coming home? Of course not. Did I just book a flight to another city (I had always wanted to see New Orleans) to stay there? No, because I hadn't lined up free accommodation there. Instead, I booked a very expensive flight home for three days later and left having barely done anything.
When I think about my long, failed attempt to travel, I can't help but feel regret. My version of travelling was to simply move my body from place to place for as little cost as possible. Now, I am at least more aware of the possibilities of travel, and the costs required if you want to be comfortable and have some peace.
Last summer, my partner and I drove a van around the South Island, staying at campgrounds along the way. It was the most fun I've ever had on a trip, even though we were technically just moving our bodies from place to place and spending very little money. Only this time it felt like a choice, not a trap.
The longest commute
Public transport enthusiast Joel MacManus has been moving his body from Stewart Island to (hopefully) Cape Reinga. Here’s how it’s going.
Day one: Joel couldn’t decide exactly where the road began. Then he got stuck in Invercargill.
Day two: Joel travelled past the gay capital of New Zealand, saw a cow and made it to Dunedin.
Day three: A tired, grumpy and smelly Joel stared longingly at train tracks.
Day four: The wind on the Interislander made the helicopter on Joel’s hat spin like crazy.
Day five: Joel, on the long train from Wellington to Auckland, sent nonsensical messages about gumboots.
Day six: I do not know what today holds. Follow the live blog to keep up.
This week on Behind the Story
After receiving a tip-off from an Elemeno P fan about a suspicious sounding new song from Elemeno P, staff writer Gabi Lardies followed the trail to a Ukrainian music producer, a distribution platform being sued for half a billion dollars, and the unresolved question: If it’s not Elemeno P, why is it on their official music pages? Gabi sat down with me for Behind the Story to discuss the new world of stories about AI, and the frustration when you can’t quite crack the case.
Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts.
Everything that might go wrong on holiday, and how travel insurance could help
From missed flights to feral squirrel attacks, travel insurance protects against life’s unexpected (and sometimes absurd) holiday disasters. But how do you know what kind of insurance to buy? And is there a limit to what it will cover? Self-professed “natural catastrophiser” Tara Ward puts her questions to AA Travel to find out how travel insurance can help – and the common pitfalls travellers face when they don’t read the fine print.
More Travel Week reading
My Greatest Trip: My awkward high-school exchange to Germany — Hera Lindsay Bird
I survived a night camping with my dog — Alex Casey
New Zealanders in London are engaging in competitive ‘overtourism’ Can we redeem the classic OE? — Charlotte Doyle
My Greatest Trip: Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos — Madeleine Holden
Parent trapped: A collaborative guide to travelling with your parents — Fran Barclay
Is it possible to travel without damaging the climate? Yes — Shanti Mathias
The ultimate holiday reads: An alphabetical guide — Claire Mabey
The Spinoff Essay: On being undeniably, irretrievably old
For David Hill the truth is bald and bare. He’s old. Writing from his ninth decade, he is here to challenge some myths about “old farts” for those of us whose hair still sprouts from our heads rather than our ears.
“Old age itself doesn’t have to mean gloom. Research suggests the unhappiest years of one’s life are the early 40s. ‘I’m glad I’m not young any more,’ sang Maurice Chevalier (you’ll have noticed that growing older also means increased use of quotations), and the guy had a point.
Nor are we inevitably grumpy. We just value honesty. I applaud a friend who, when the checkout operator droned, ‘So how are you today?’ while staring past her, replied in a stage whisper, ‘The CIA are watching me.’”
Feeding our future
What will we be eating in 20 years’ time, and how will the way we eat change? The Aotearoa food community is finding innovative solutions to some of the biggest challenges facing the planet – and many of those solutions are being created in Canterbury.
Join host Sophie Gilmour and guests Ross Milne (Leaft) and Angela Clifford (Eat NZ) for a lively discussion about science, sustainability, and the future of our food supply.
Want to come along to Boring Breakfast in Christchurch?
Behind the mic: Why Aotearoa needs more Māori music managers
The Māori music scene in Aotearoa is arguably as strong as it has ever been, writes Liam Rātana. Reo Māori waiata are topping the charts, and the creative energy behind Māori music is undeniable. But behind the catchy hooks and powerful lyrics lies a stark gap – a shortage of Māori music managers equipped to support these artists as they navigate the music industry. Liam takes a look inside the industry to ask why, despite the demand, there are only a handful of Māori music managers.
On the road with the Rasmussens | EP05: Home Education
The fifth episode joins the ‘road-schooling’ Rasmussens in their house bus. The seven kids learn through collaborative family based projects – here they’re learning about geography, history and politics through designing their own ancient civilisation. Their resourceful mum Bridie is kept busy meeting the needs of her children - aged from 6 weeks to 17 years. The Rasmussens’ unconventional lifestyle has them run into judgement all the time, but “We thrive on proving people wrong,” says Bridie.
Made with the support of NZ On Air.
Watch the fifth episode of Home Education here, or on Youtube.
The stories Spinoff readers spent the most time with this week
The US election and the longest commute dominates this week
Toby Manhire with the thing everyone was searching for: When will we know the US election results in New Zealand
As above, Joel MacManus’s longest commute day one blog from Stewart Island and Invercargill
Our US election liveblog helmed by Toby and editor of the World Bulletin, Catherine McGregor
‘Anxiety in the air’: Checking in with New Zealanders in the United States pre-election
Did they really let Joel drive the Interislander?!? Day 4 of the longest commute
Recommended reads for your weekend
Liam Rātana commemorates the life of the last living member of the 28th Māori Battalion, Sir Robert ‘Bom’ Nairn Gillies, who died this week.
Stephen Rainbow’s Human Rights Commission appointment just got weirder. I dug into a pile of messages released under the OIA.
The right wing’s loving embrace of authoritarian Singapore symbolises the absolutely bankrupt state of modern libertarianism, argues Max Rashbrooke.
Singer-songwriter Rita Mae shares her perfect weekend playlist, including a song that is “So simple, so sweet, so pure.”
Liam Rātana explains what the Nelson Tenths case is and why it is so important.
On Tuesday, as fireworks were blasting, pets of The Spinoff tuned in to RNZ Concert for the special programme for animals. Here’s the review.
Vic Books closed down in January 2023, but its website and Twitter handle have risen from the dead. Claire Mabey investigates.
Two authors of the new landmark indigenous history of Māori art, Deidre Brown and Ngarino Ellis, discuss how they approached the book.
Hera Lindsay Bird finds the bigger picture in this weeks problem: My male flatmates keep asking me out and I hate it.
Police have begun reducing their response to mental health callouts, and health workers aren’t pleased. Lyric Waiwiri-Smith explains what you need to know.
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Reader feedback of the week
“We've had two pairs of cats that actually enjoyed fireworks - in the old days before home fireworks were seriously troubling. The cats would line up outside beside our children & eagerly watch pretty showers of multi-coloured sparks with dodgy names like golden rain - almost no bangs then. Second cat pair kept it up long after children grew - they sat in windows and watched the sky for neighbour fireworks. But with the explosive noise, damage & waste of today's I'm all for stopping private sales”
— ClaraJ
“What a great idea! I'm currently in Europe and can't get over how easy it is to get around with public transport. My next trip is comparable to yours in distance: from France (Lyon) to Spain (Seville) by train: 1,600km, 13h.. for only 120€/220nzd !”
— Welly2612
Thanks for reading.
— Madeleine Chapman