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Budget Traveling in (Un)predictable Places - Neerja Vasishta Neerja Vasishta is an Indian born in the United States. She was on a Rotary Fellowship to India from August 2001-May 2002, studying at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi. During her time in India, she was able to reconnect with family, make new friends, and travel; she has written about her impressions in previous issues of SAWF. Neerja will be starting her Masters in City and Regional Planning at Cornell University in August 2002 and plans to work on development in India.

Going to India isn't your usual travel fun. At least, it isn't a typical American teenager's top choice for their Big Trip Abroad. The trip abroad is to Europe. Europe is safe and different enough yet still provides lots more freedom and fun than the U.S. And it's really diverse-see how many countries are packed in such a small area? You even have to speak English a little differently and at various volumes in each place for people to understand what you're saying.

Many times, traveling as exciting as is our preparing to go. For some reason, we believe that since we are leaving our homes, it is necessary to buy Special New Travel Things. Out come the L.L. Bean and Land's End catalogs: "Okay, for SPAIN, I think these navy blue waterproof hiking boots that double as ballroom dancing heels will be perfect!" The same logic urges the credit card to be generous when considering new raingear, sun protection, water purifiers, windbreakers, and high-tech, wrinkle-proof quick-dry weaves. Since you have to travel light, you have to buy only the most technologically advanced travel gear and clothes. Of course this also means that when you arrive at your destination, it's quite easy to recognize other Americans; they too have the same shoes and they are carrying those snazzy Alpine Lowes or North Faces (which set the budget traveler back approximately 300 bucks). By the time it is time to leave for the trip, our ready-made bohemian backpacker ends up being a walking fortune of sorts.

But I'm being unfair. Some folks are more adventurous than "doing" fourteen European cities in fifteen days-this is true. Some parents agree to send their children to Mexico. In which case the backpacking gear doesn't have to be that fancy since there are no Italians who will notice that trendy LL bean green windbreaker. In Mexico, things are cheaper and you can get cool T-shirts that are borderline obscene in the states. It's funny that no Mexicans wear them though…In Mexico you can just speak English to get by and Spanish is really pretty easy. Playa? Cerveza? Mastercard? Another cool thing about Mexico is that there are already so many foreigners visiting from the states that you can meet up with Americans even from your own state and can talk about old Sienfeld episodes over huevos racheros. However, if you're truly international, you can hang with the Germans and Australians that are in every city, even if they are a little condescending towards you. At least they're nicer than those ex-pats. Some people from America have lived in Mexico for such a long time that they don't seem to be in a hurry to get back home. Thing is, you don't see them where you'd expect and when you think you do, you can never be sure since they rarely acknowledge your presence and for some reason learned Spanish that is considerably better than your own.

But whatever--Mexico is more fun than anything else. Good beach pictures, too.

After acquiring many New Travel Things and making my requisite trips to Europe and Mexico in high school and college, I wonder why more young Americans don't care to venture out a little further. I mean, there are other countries in the world. For instance-that place called India? Or Nicaragua? Turkey? Peru?

It can't hurt for a high schooler to see a girl his little sister's age washing clothes in a dirty river. To take a bath with one bucket of cold water. To stare up at the old ceiling fan that lies still while he sweats because of yet another electricity cut. To join the rush of business men and women on the subways, and to learn intellectually challenging language and music. To get a feel of history that goes back more than a few hundred years. And how he would feel being the only white face in a sea of brown ones? Would he think about the word "minority?"

Sure, it ain't easy. But I wonder if some of these kids should start seeing why it is that some countries aren't doing as well as they could, and what America has to do with that. To maybe think about how much we Americans know and consequently do on a daily basis to understand the world outside of the U.S. And even to start understanding what so many immigrants sacrificed or escaped, or both, to live in America.

Hey, what's stopping you, backpacker? You've got your new lava-resistant water bottle, your camera's loaded with film and now you're standing in front of all those $30 guidebooks trying to decide which one to buy. Let curiosity shift your eyes from the Europe section to…Asia….Africa….Latin America…pick a continent, any continent. And give those mail-order catalogs a rest already.

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