Interview with a globetrotter #13

Greetings globetrotting friends. I hope you have had many a successful supermarket visit since our last meeting. This week return to and bring to new life to our globo-files as we welcome our newest friend and family member Brett. Please make him welcome!

Name: Brett Pituka

Hometown: Devon, Alberta, Canada

Lives: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Age: 33

GTG: What motivates you to travel?

BP: The unknown. There are so many adventures, cultures, new friends, memories and experiences to be found and it is all one step away…a plane ticket.

GTG:  Any tips for picking up a language on the go?

BP: Start by memorizing a list of the most common words and phrases you’ll need to know to get by and then put your head in the books. If you put in an hour each day learning new vocabulary and grammar you’ll be surprised how quickly you’ll pick it up…and of course don’t be shy, most locals will be happy to hear your effort.

GTG: Where’s the most remote place you’ve been?

BP:  The mountainous village of Mufumia in northern Burundi or a tribal community in the virgin amazon rainforest in Ecuador.

GTG: What would classify as an ‘unecessary travel risk’ in your opinion?

BP: Regardless of how culturally acceptable or ‘normal’ it may be in a foreign country, any risk I wouldn’t take at home is an ‘unecessary travel risk’ – especially since in most developing countries’ emergency services are limited, healthcare is basic and the police are strict. Riding on a motorbike without a helmet, not wearing a seatbelt ,and trying to smuggle anything illegal across borders are all included.

GTG: Is there a time of year you prefer to travel?

BP: I will take the opportunity to skip a Canadian winter anytime!

GTG: Do you like to have a phone with you when you travel?

BP: Personally I avoid carrying a phone if I can help it.  There have been many times when a cell phone would have came in handy but I see a break from being tied to a phone as a benefit to travelling.

GTG: What’s something you only do when you travel?

BP: Explore. Since I don’t have the pressures or responsibilities of day to day life, when I travel I have a lot of time on my hands that I fill walking and discovering new places. I have had the most amazing experiences when I’ve left my hostel on foot with no direction or destination in mind.

GTG: Where was the last place you visited?

BP: Scotland

GTG: How have dreadlocks affected your travel?

BP: I know what it feels like to be a visible minority. No matter where I went children would stare, random people would come up and ask to touch my hair, people would call out ‘rasta man’ all over the place, dodgies would approach me and ask if I wanted to buy drugs, and everywhere I went I could feel eyes on me…I couldn’t blend in no matter where I was or how hard I tried. They were also hard to keep clean…one time after a hike through the jungle I shook my head upside down and a bunch of beetles and centipedes fell out.

GTG: How do you balance living in a new place and seeing all the touristy things?

BP: Whenever I move to a new place I am excited to get out and see what’s on offer.  Before work, on lunch and afterward I find myself walking and discovering new places. The touristy spots are a good place to start learning your way around your new home and are usually a touristy spot for a reason – cause’ they’re cool.

Well there you have it folks, and in true globetrotting wonder, it may be a fact that we all like to travel in different ways but allow me the opportunity to state for the record that your GTG has not felt reason to dispute any of the opinions shared throughout all out interviews so far. Thanks again for all your insights and let’s spare a thought for those experiencing a severe winter or summer this year around the world, till next week.