Every Thursday, A Dangerous Business will be shining the spotlight on a world nomad, travel blogger, armchair adventurer, or just someone really cool in the travel world. This week, the traveler is Simon Varwell of SimonVarwell.co.uk. Simon is a travel writer from Inverness, in the Scottish Highlands. His first book, “Up The Creek Without a Mullet,” was published in 2010 and is the first in a series charting his adventures on a quest inspired by the infamous haircut. He has been to over 35 countries and is lucky enough to travel around Scotland for his day job.
In Mullet Bay, NZ
1. How do you define the word “traveler,” and why would you consider yourself one?
I’m banning myself from giving any pretentious answer about a nomadic, free-spirited state of being or suchlike, and instead will define it on a literal level — one who travels. That doesn’t have to mean a six-month trek through far-away lands with only a yak and a can-opener for company: it could mean your commute to the office, a day trip from your home town, or a walk to the supermarket. If you keep your eyes and mind open, strange things can happen on everyday, local journeys just as much as they can on big adventures, and finding the curious amongst the mundane is part of the fun of life.
For that reason, anyone is arguably a traveller, and it’s a big part of why I would probably describe myself as one. Though it’s not a label I’d use a lot as it means so many different things to different people. Mind you, that’s not to say big journeys abroad aren’t fun or aren’t part of the definition — I absolutely love the challenge of exploring somewhere new or unfamiliar, and love rediscovering places even more.
2. What has been your favorite travel experience thus far?
It’s hard to know whether to define “experience” as a whole adventure, a particular day, or a single, fleeting moment. On the meta-level, a 2001 trip over four months with a friend from Frankfurt to Cairo stands out as an incredible adventure, as does road-tripping in Spain with my wife. Meanwhile, favourite snapshots might include nights in bustling Zagreb bars, watching World Cup holders Italy struggle in a rain-swept football match in the Faroe Islands, or being filmed on my mullet-hunting adventures by New Zealand TV.
3. How about your proudest travel moment?
Probably doing something useful on a trip — in 1999 I was part of an aid convoy to Kosovo, very shortly after the war ended. The people in that beautiful country were incredible, despite the deep scars of war, and were keen to share their stories so we would tell the world what happened to them. The help we brought was just a drop in the ocean, but as a fellow convoyer observed, “if there is no drop, there is no ocean.”
4. Have you had any travel mishaps or bad experiences? If so, have these influenced how you view the place where they happened? Would you go back?
No major incidents to report, thankfully. I once lost my wallet in Kosovo but had it returned (albeit minus some money). Other than that it’s no worse in terms of personal loss or harm than a couple of delayed bags at airports or the odd stomach bug. Maybe I’m over-cautious, but I’ve always been quite safety and security conscious when travelling — so far, anyway. If anything bad happens and it was in any way down to my own stupidity or carelessness (or even if it wasn’t), I hope I wouldn’t hold a grudge against the place I was in.
5. Name one thing you can’t travel without.
My iPhone. It’s easy to knock technology when you’re travelling, but as long as you you don’t let it take over a trip, it can be a huge enhancement. For a start, it is something I can use to write short notes and listen to music, two things that for me help define any trip and embed it in my memory. The iPhone can double up as a store for offline maps, guidebooks or language guides, and it’s a back-up photo or video camera, compass, audio recorder and much, much more. It’s also handy when you get wireless to check emails, download new maps and upload a blog or photo. Because of all that, it’s the ultimate tool in space reduction — the things it replaces could easily take up half a backpack.
6. Name one thing you wish you COULD travel without.
Over the years, and after many trips, I’ve slowly learned the knack of packing as tightly and lightly as possible, so am struggling to think of anything. Given that I have pretty big feet, however, a spare pair of shoes takes up a lot of space however you pack, so that might be my answer!
7. What do you think has been the biggest thing you’ve learned while traveling (about yourself, a destination, a culture, travel itself)?
Football (that’s soccer, Americans) is a universal language. People are always impressed if you know the name of their local team, especially if it’s a small club you’ve only vaguely heard of from reading the results of the qualifying rounds of European club competitions; while actually attending a local game in a foreign country is a great experience. I once watched a Slovenian third division match that was a dire 0-0 draw but thoroughly memorable as it was played in the shadow of a beautiful ruined castle. Later on the same trip, I was in a train compartment with two Bulgarian men with whom I shared no language; yet we soon entertained each other by recalling the names of Bulgarian footballers who had played in Scotland.
Fetlar, Shetland, Scotland
8. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?
Honestly? Right here in Inverness. I hope I’m not sounding parochial, but I live in a beautiful city that’s big enough to be fun but small enough to avoid much of the worst of urban life, it’s just a few minutes away from the best mountains, beaches and forests that the Highlands has to offer, and you’re a couple of hours from many of Scotland’s great islands. Failing that, my favourite countries include New Zealand, Croatia and Albania, so if I ever get kicked out of the UK then they’d be pretty good places to start.
9. Name one place you’d like to see or one experience you’d like to have before you die.
I’m not a big thrill seeker or adrenalin junky, and am probably too cycnical about iconic sights for my own good: I always reckon that high prior expectations remove part of the joy of being somewhere. A good once-in-a-lifetime experience could be as much down to circumstances like mood, company, food or weather as any intended destination or activity. That said, Iceland is top of my wish-list in terms of travel. Everything about the country — the people, the language, the music, the scenery, the history — is compelling and seems packed with distant echoes of Celtic nations like Scotland. Of course, given what I’ve just said about not having expectations, I will probably end up hating it. Hopefully not, though…
10. If there was one thing you wish somebody would have told you before you started traveling, what would it be?
Be fluent in at least one other language. Part of the fun of travel is battling the language barrier, and I speak enough French and German to get by on a basic level. But I have always wished I could be multi-lingual as it really opens doors. After all, the words “Stillian Petrov, Celtic” and “Illian Kiriakov, Aberdeen” can only get you so far in conversations with Bulgarians.
Visit Simon’s site: SimonVarwell.co.uk
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Are you a travel blogger who has something to say on these topics? Do you know of somebody really interesting in the travel universe that you’d like to see interviewed? Speak up! The Thursday Traveler needs some interview subjects.
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