7 stories about travel and what it can do for our world – and for us.
Travel: as this gentleman famously said, it’s fatal to bigotry, prejudice and narrow-mindedness. Once your feet meet the road, it’s not enough to merely see the world – you want to understand it as well. In a week we took “flirting with foreign parts” rather more literally than usual, we take a voyage into our archives in search of the spirit of adventure and a better, truer feel for what’s just over the horizon.
Roz wants you with her, every stroke of the way, by becoming an eco-hero yourself. As she says, “We all have to be eco heroes. Every action counts. To compare it with my ocean crossings, each one takes about a million oar strokes. I could stand on the dock and think ‘one stroke isn’t going to get me anywhere, so what’s the point?’ But you take a million, or 7 billion, tiny actions, and string them all together, and we can still save the world.”
Are You An Eco Hero? Roz Savage Wants You!
The landscape of the world is always changing. Geological processes like tectonism, denudation and volcanism have shaped the face of Earth as we know it over the course of billions of years. Unfortunately, much of the natural phenomena on the planet today is transforming for the worse due to human encroachment. Whether the effects of global warming, deforestation, urbanization or heavy tourism are to blame, the fact of the matter is that these precious gems are rapidly deteriorating right before our eyes.
15 Beautiful And Endangered Places Around The Globe
I was impressed by the balance at Wilson Island. There are only 12 guests allowed on the island at one time, plus two hosts who do all the cooking and cleaning. There are no permanent buildings on the island and the tents are scattered to give maximum privacy. The water is brought in and the grey water is shipped back out again (while the sewage is held in septic tanks). There is no power generator on the island – the hot water and limited electricity in the kitchen and communal long tent all run off solar power. (Luckily there’s plenty of sunshine in this part of the world). All the garbage is shipped off the island and the bottles and paper are sorted for recycling.
The Firth is the point where the North Sea and Atlantic, foiled by the length of the U.K., finally manage to vent their fury upon each other. Every day, two tidal surges of astonishing power race up and down this sea lane at speeds of up to 16 knots (30 kph), creating currents and whirlpools with delightful names (The Swelkie, The Merry Men of Mey) that belie the fact that this waterway still claims lives, even today.
Rough Crossing: Britain’s Tidal Powerhouse
A 24-foot trailer would give us enough space for a sizeable loft, an L-shaped built-in bench couch, two closets, a fold-out dining nook and – unbelievably – a larger bathroom and kitchen than the 1950s-sized ones we have in our current rental home. The eventual addition of a screened porch, fenced yard and shed would give us some more room to breathe. Once our permanent house is built, this tiny house would become my writing studio, a guest house and a seriously sweet traveling camper.
What does all of this mean for us? Financial freedom. A drastically smaller environmental footprint. The pleasure of living in a home we have built with our own two hands. The comfort of owning our own home before we even have our own land to put it on. The potential for my husband to ultimately leave behind grueling 8-hour days in hot kitchens and pursue something more creative. We have a concrete plan, and we’re starting now.
My Tiny House Adventure: Have I Lost My Mind?
Perhaps travel cannot prevent bigotry, but by demonstrating that all peoples cry, laugh, eat, worry, and die, it can introduce the idea that if we try and understand each other, we may even become friends. – Maya Angelou
Images: paul (dex), dino_olivieri, Hamed Saber, and josemanuelerre