Q&A Part 2: Travel journalist Vicky Baker

Buenos Aires.

Last Friday, I ran part 1 of my e-mail interview with British travel journalist Vicky Baker, who now lives in Buenos Aires. The interview took place back in the fall; it's only due to my disorganization that it hasn't appeared here before now! Here's part 2 of our virtual chat.

I was fascinated by your story about the Laotian village in French Guiana. Who knew? What were some of the other unique surprises you've encountered in your travels?

Travelling in the Guianas was one big surprise. So little is known about that part of the world. Hanging out with the Haitian community in French Guiana was also an eye-opener for me. We partied and had fun, but I also got insight into the life of illegal immigrants and the restrictions that brings. Plus, from the stories they told and the pictures they painted of life back home, I felt like I was getting a side trip to Haiti and from this I understood why people who can't travel themselves like to be involved in hosting couchsurfers: it can be a way to experience new cultures even if you can't get to the place yourself. [Editor’s note: Vicky recently posted a piece about her time in French Guiana’s Haitian community.]

What was it that drew you to South America in general, and Argentina in particular?

I grew up knowing nothing about South America. We never touched on it at school or university; newspapers carried (and still carry) relatively little coverage. After my first trip in 2003, I fell in love with it and wanted to get to know it better: the history, the arts, the politics. It's a constant personal discovery. I also love the openness of the people here and the language. As for Argentina specifically, I don't think there is a country in the world as geographically diverse.

When did you first visit Buenos Aires?

I first came on a three-week holiday in 2003 when I was travelling down from Rio de Janeiro. I'd always had an obsession with visiting Rio and BA was tacked on as an after-thought. However, it was BA I fell in love with. It's a city with such an incredibly strong personality. Not that Rio isn't, but I felt immediately at home in Buenos Aires.

What advice would you give someone visiting BA to help them step outside the tourist circuit?

I wrote a blog post on this.

In a number of your articles, such as the Going Local articles about Ecuador and French Guiana, you make a particular point of seeking out music in your destinations. Are you a musician yourself? What are some of the most memorable musical experiences you've had on your travels (in South America or elsewhere)?

I'm a huge music fan, but I'm not a musician in any way. My friends here in Argentina often have spontaneous get-togethers where everyone gets out guitars and has a singalong over a few drinks. It seems everyone can play a song or two--and they can ALL sing. It's all rather frustrating for someone with zero musical talent, but I love to be a part of it anyway. It's something I wish was more prevalent in the UK. If I'd grown up regularly attending such gatherings maybe I *would* be able to strum a few chords.

What would be your top tips for people who want to meet locals while travelling?

Be open minded, make an effort, step out of your comfort zone. However, don't see it as a big deal either. Sign up to a travel-networking site, exchange a few mails and see how you feel.

Do you still keep in touch with any of the people you met while doing your Going Local series--or anyone else you've met on your travels?

Many, many people. Admittedly, Facebook makes it a lot easier. I've met up with two of my Going Local contacts again--one girl from Panama, one from Venezuela. I've spoken to couchsurfing friends in Guyana and Colombia this week. And hopefully my path will cross with many more down the line.

Q&A Part 1: Travel journalist Vicky Baker

As promised, here is Part 1 of my e-mail interview with Vicky Baker, a Buenos Aires-based freelancer who blogs at Going local travel (a blog inspired by the “Going Local” series she wrote for The Guardian). Note that Vicky answered these questions way back in October 2009; the delay in posting them is all mine, and I’m very grateful that she took the time to respond in such detail!

Vicky and I “met” via Twitter. I was immediately intrigued by the fact that she lived in Buenos Aires, a city I fell in love with at first sight when I visited in 2006. I’ve often dreamed of going back; it’s fun to live vicariously through a British ex-pat who has put down roots there.

How long have you been writing about travel?

Six years.

Have you always been a journalist? (Well, not as a child, of course!) Or did you come to the job via another career?

I've always been a journalist, although I took various random jobs while I was studying and in university holidays, including working as a cast member at Disneyland Paris, running a karaoke studio in Ohio and trying to sell people paper rolls for cash registers in a hideous telesales job in Canada. I really got into the idea of journalism when I worked for my university newspaper. After that, I knew it was something I wanted to pursue.

What gave you the idea for the "Going Local" series for The Guardian that inspired your blog?

I'd been backpacking on and off for almost ten years and I was feeling disillusioned. Backpacking had created such a developed infrastructure that you could spend months in a country enveloped in a cocoon and spending all your time hanging out with other travellers. Or you can fall into the expat trap. For example, I spent months living in Sydney before I realised I only had one Australian friend there. I decided on my next trip I wanted to make more of a connection with the places I visited and the people that lived there, rather than just ticking off sites. I was also really fascinated by how the Internet was, and is,

helping travellers do this. Backpacking needed a shake up and travel networking provided it.

Had you tried Couchsurfing.org and other "meet the locals" sites before starting the series?

Yes, I had limited experience. I tried a few sites to meet locals on trips to Berlin and Taiwan. The meetings really enhanced my trip. I always felt I was a little late to jump on the Couchsurfing wagon, but it's amazing how many people are still hearing about it for the first time, every single day.

I can see lots of advantages to travelling this way. But what are the drawbacks?

I don't see many drawbacks other than that you can become a little too reliant on the Internet. You need to be open to encounters the old-fashioned way too. It's amazing the affect of simply telling people that you are into learning more about their culture: many people are delighted to hear this and bend over backwards to help.

Did you have trouble selling editors, readers and/or nervous family members on the idea of planning a whole trip around meeting strangers? If so, what were their reservations?

A lot of other people seem to have a knee-jerk reaction to the word 'stranger' where they automatically expect the worst. Those that read more about hospitality tourism--or give it a try--realise it's not nearly so intimidating in reality. People do worry about the danger element (and they're right to be careful), yet they don't bat an eyelid when a backpacker goes out for a drink with someone they just met at a hostel. In fact, with extensive profiles and references, you often know more in advance about 'the strangers' you meet online than those you meet randomly when travelling.

3 Great Public Transit Options for Travellers

Many travellers who arrive in a foreign destination without a vehicle head straight to the rental car counter at the airport. While that can be the best strategy in some situations--if you're visiting a largely rural place, for instance--I'd argue that in many cases, you're better off taking public transit. Depending on the place, it's usually cheaper, faster and more fun. Plus, you get the added benefit of meeting locals, who aren't likely to jump in your rental car unless you're a contestant on The Amazing Race.

The following list is by no means exhaustive. It just highlights a few of the fun public transit experiences I've had in the last few years.

1. Swiss trains

Not surprisingly in a country famed for its watches, Swiss trains run largely on time. Well, at least they do in comparison to North American trains; last year, news reports that "only" 94 percent of Swiss trains ran on time had the country in a tizzy (oh, that Amtrak had such worries).



I was surprised, however, at how extensive the Swiss train network is. In international airports, train service comes right into the terminal. Out in the countryside, even small mountain towns like Lauterbrunnen, where I stayed, have great connections. (And in places where trains just can't get through, there's a good bus network.)

For visitors, the icing on the cake may be the luggage transport service. You can check your bag at an airport in North America and pick it up at one of 60 train stations across the country. On the way home, leave your bag at the train station and kiss it goodbye until it rolls off the carousel at the airport back home. Very, very civilized.

Want to see for yourself? You can buy a Swiss rail pass before leaving home.

2. Venetian vaporetti

By all means, take a gondola ride. You'll kick yourself all the way home if you don't splurge on this classic tourist experience. But gondola rides are usually leisurely round trips to nowhere. For practical trips, hop on a vaporetto--the Venetian version of a public bus.

In the photo, you can see a vaporetto stop at the very bottom of the picture, at middle right: two rectangular buildings with white roofs, at the end of a short dock.

You won't be alone on the vaporetto; water taxis are extortionately expensive, so many tourists travel like locals. One bit of advice: pack light. Huge suitcases (especially runaway ones on wheels) won't make you a lot of new Venetian friends, particularly during rush hour. If nothing else, don't forget to take off bulky backpacks and put them on the floor (a good piece of advice when travelling on any form of public transit anywhere, come to think of it).

Check the Venice Connected website for passes and fares, and read more about the vaporetto system at Europe for Visitors.

3. The bus from Santiago to Buenos Aires

This trip isn't for the faint of heart. Especially on the Chilean side, the road across the Andes consists of a series of steep switchbacks, with not a guardrail in sight. (See the photo for a glimpse of the view from the bus window.) And there have been accidents--not on our trip, luckily. Instead, my husband and I had the weird pleasure of watching a Thai martial arts movie dubbed into Spanish on the overhead TV screens, while surrounded by a team of teenage Argentinean water polo players cheering madly.

The kids were a blast, actually; we ended up practising our second languages on each other for much of the trip. And once we switched buses in Mendoza, we were treated to at-seat meal service (complete with wine). In the morning, we awoke to the sunrise over Argentinean ranch country.

If we had been better organized, we could have booked berths on the overnight bus from Mendoza to Buenos Aires, but even our coach seats were spacious and comfortable. And the price for the 21-hour trip? About US$55 for each of us.

For information on buses travelling east, see the Santiago bus terminal website (Spanish only). If you'd like to do the trip in the opposite direction, Omni Lineas has an English-language page.

Top five perks of vacation rentals

I've been raving about the benefits of vacation rentals for years to anyone who will listen. So what's so great about staying in a house or apartment instead of a hotel room? Here are my top five reasons to go local.

1. You can discover new neighbourhoods. In many cities, hotels are clustered downtown or in touristy areas. Not that there's anything wrong with either, but sometimes it's nice to see another side of things. In Paris we stayed in Montparnasse, on a street where we could watch chic young moms taking their equally chic children to the local primary school. (For more details, see the article about that trip on my freelance writing website.)
2. You get more space. Hands up, all of you who have tiptoed around a hotel room trying not to wake your sleeping spouse, only to trip over a half-open suitcase and clatter against the dresser. OK, maybe it's just me. But our apartment in Buenos Aires (see photo above) was about three times the size of the hotel room our friends had booked downtown. That meant while one of us slept, the other could be reading a book in the living room, enjoying a snack at the dining table or soaking up the view from the balcony.
3. The price is often right. That apartment in Buenos Aires cost less than our friends' hotel room. Especially if you're travelling with a family or a small group, rentals can be a great deal.
4. No more trying to outwit the maids. I like getting my bed made as much as the next person, but I hate having to try to second guess where the cleaning staff is going to be at any given time. Forget to put the "do not disturb" sign on your door, and the next thing you know, the maid is at the door at 8am, brandishing a vacuum. In a rental, your tidiness is your own business (unless, of course, you choose one of those high-end rentals where maid service is included).
5. Brekkie in your PJs. One of the most luxurious things about being on vacation, for me, is the chance to linger over breakfast in my 'jammies with a good book. But in a hotel, unless you feel like springing $15 for room service bacon and eggs, you have to get dressed and get yourself down to the restaurant before the breakfast hour ends. In a rental, you can have all the fixings for a fine breakfast waiting in your own kitchen, from fresh fruit to croissants. And you can have breakfast at 2 in the afternoon if you like (not that I've ever done that, oh no).

Interested in a vacation rental? Check out some rental tips on LaVidaLocal.com, my website for people who want to live like locals while travelling.

Of course, no vacation option is perfect; rentals have their drawbacks, too. But that's the topic of a future post.