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American Softies
Err Travel · April 17, 2001

I'm happy that our government here in the good ol' U. S. of A. looks out for us by requiring businesses to comply with certain safety standards. You know, "promote the general welfare" and all that. For the most part, these requirements help us go about our daily lives and our travels without having to worry about airplanes colliding, bridges collapsing, or rats - or at least too many rat parts - in our food.

But there is a problem that is caused by these rules: They soften us up. They assign our safety and security to be the responsibility of others. They eat away at our self-reliance. They allow us to develop no accountability for our own welfare. And the only time we exercise initiative related to personal responsibility is when flipping through the Yellow Pages in search of a virulent lawyer to represent us in suing some poor schmuck who was not in compliance with a particular ordinance.

Indeed, many Yankees are so affected by our tightly reigned society that when they visit countries with fewer safety regulations or visit nations where safety codes go unenforced, they become traveling wimps. The moment they step from their tidy airliner compartments onto the wobbly stairs in St. Somewhere, many American softies become completely discombobulated with the reality of having to watch out for themselves. And many of those can hardly wait for their trips to end so they can reenter the security of that aluminum tube.

In a strange way, however, it is precisely this lack of the implementation of requirements to protect us from who-knows-what that is part of the adventure of traveling. And sometimes it's even part of the charm. Let me offer some examples.

Streets: I've walked on miles of sidewalks with gaps in the concrete appearing unexpectedly and large enough to swallow pedestrians whole. I've moved along avenues with no barriers to keep me from tumbling into traffic or from falling from rather precipitous heights. I survived these streets, and when I arrived at my destinations, I was often greeted with warm smiles and cold beer.

Hotels: I've stayed in local hotels so poorly lighted that I needed a flashlight to find my way down the hallways at night. And forget about reading in the rooms - fifteen watts of illumination was barely enough to see my way to the john at night. I survived these hotels, and the vistas from the balconies of these same properties have been so dramatic that no franchised Golden Arch Hotel could hold a candle to the views.

Restaurants: I've not often seen automatic dishwashers or cooks in hairnets at the local cantinas. And stray dogs and cats, not to mention monkeys and iguanas, roaming the floor and sometimes the tables themselves would cause Western health inspectors nervous breakdowns. I survived these restaurants, and I've experienced some of the most delicious food to be found anywhere in the vicinity.

Too bad for the American softies who ride in air-conditioned tour buses, sleep in look-alike McHotels, and eat in sparkling restaurants. They'll miss out on the genuine adventure of travel. The rest of us? We'll survive, and we'll often have more enjoyable and rewarding travel experiences.

Dr. Terry Riley is a psychologist and travel security authority. He is author of the popular book Travel Can Be Murder. Visit his site at http://www.appliedpsychology.com or e-mail him at terry@ticked.com.