Blog 1 - The ethicalness of Travel

I once heard someone say "You shouldn't just want to see the world. you should want to experience it."

And I think for me, that rings true. And it's caused an internal struggle about the ethicacy of exploring the world, whether it be for fun or to run away from something or to create art or to simply learn more. This mental dilemma is further complicated when you're in the spot I am, as a professional photographer who would like to document more people and places to show what different cultures bring to the world.

(Before you continue reading - yes, ethicacy is technically not a "real" word. I'm going to use it anyway).

A large part of my childhood desire to travel came from the automotive show Top Gear. I feel like not many other artists would have a similar story - millions of people love Top Gear, but to have them as a driving force behind why they want to explore the world might be overlooked considering it was merely a "plucky car show from Britain." But in the end, it was never about the cars - or the challenges, or the analysis that as car people we all loved. To me, it was always about the relationship between the friends and the places they got to explore in the world. That's it. And seeing the people they got to meet, the incredible views they got to encounter, and the ways they got to live - suffering and all - it intrigued me. I realize the irony in talking about "Top Gear" and "ethical" in the same sentence. Nevertheless, it helped me realize from an early age that there is so much more to the world than my small understanding of California.

Understanding where your desire to travel came from is one thing, the question of if you should travel the world I find to be an entirely different question altogether. In the Haiti Episode of No Reservations, Anthony Bourdain says to his local guides "I worry, are we part of the problem?" And that question showed not only why Bourdain was more than just a wandering foodie, but also poses the question of if all travel remains "ethical." I think my perspective about travel and life in general comes from a lot of, well, deeply flawed people that I admire. This includes Bourdain; David Choe, Ari Shaffer, and even my sister who I view as a large reason why I think like I do. These are all examples of people who have brought me the question of how to not only experience the world while giving more than you take, but how to live life with a similar desire - an important question I think any traveler should ask themselves.

I think some forms of travel inherently feel unethical, if one were to even take a small step back and look at them for what they are. Tourism involving drugged or cruelly treated animals, traveling to areas that are more tourist-than-local with clear signs of how that hurts those who need to work harder to simply survive there, or "volunteerism" that is simply a facade for a non-local organization to make money under the guise of giving locals jobs and letting foreigners experience "true living," all while not truly caring about the impact they're having at all. These are all examples of how quickly travel can become so much more than a nice vacation drinking pina coladas on the beach. These are things I try to stay away from - although I will not act like they aren't alluring at times - and one can definitely make the argument "Well this will help me happier and I don't have to think about the effects I'm having because I don't live here." Fair. I don't think that's a very good way to look at things, but I'm not here to tell you that you cannot think that way.

To make matters more complicated, I think often about the effect of race and art on travel. I think being Asian, specifically Southeast Asian - it's easier to blend in within many places. I've been to many places where people don't bat an eye, and a few where I've been called racial slurs by random people walking by. I think travel looks differently for people based on their different looks - and of course, a lot of race/nationality comes into play when talking about previously conquered/war-torn countries, which is a whole other book to open up. This is something I do my best to remain fully conscious of at all times - not in the overwhelming and tiring way I once did, but in a way that lets me recognize my privilege and attempt to use it to help others while also not taking things too personally when inherent sometimes subconscious racism rears its head.

I also feel some type of way about being a photographer/videographer - I recognize that I do have a creative mind and that becomes a blessing and a curse very, very quickly. I very much romanticize the idea of creating by any means necessary, not caring about the impact you're having (as long as the reasoning is to keep you sane and alive, and isn't genuinely despicable). This is pretty flawed logic - and me saying that doesn't make it any better that I feel this way. "I just want to be able to take stunning photos of the world. Who cares about the intricacies of how I achieved them, I'm doing my best to help people along the way so it must be fine." This is how I used to think. And to be honest, this mindset still very much permeates into my current feelings about traveling for the creation of art today. However, I think taking a step back, zooming out and broadening my perspective has helped me see that there are truly things you can't, or shouldn't want to justify. And these things can be so simple that those who are affected may not ever notice - but now that I've thought of them, it's my responsibility to be better. For the friends I meet around the world, as well as myself.

I recognize there are many things that while some say are "inescapable," I sort of believe everyone does have a choice. There's a threshold where I won't judge, or perhaps not even notice some things - for example, we're all probably reading this on devices that had some form of slave labor used to create them. Most of us reading are wearing clothes spun together by those who would do anything for your lifestyle, and I get to these countries around the world in a method of transport that may always only be exclusive to those who make "enough" money. This all gets tiring to think about - and believe me, I've thought about it a lot. But I do truly think it is our responsibility to be aware of the privilege simply waking up is, much less waking up in a new country on vacation or getting to experience another person's lifestyle for a few days before flying home to familiarity.

Being aware of these things does not inherently change anything - if I am trying to find ways to justify doing certain unethical things, it is still not good. However, I think being aware of these feelings and having a space to write them down can potentially let others be more aware of these things as well - which may have an impact on the world sometime in the future. Who knows.

And if you were looking for a concrete answer to the question "Is travel ethical?" and for me to list every minute circumstance with the label "you good" or "don't ever do that what is wrong with you," I'm sorry. This isn't the place, nor do I have very many answers for you. And while I know this first blog post is full of holes and rambling, I want to thank you for reading it. It means more than you know, regardless of whether it should or not.

And maybe my feeling of that appreciation is like travel. It's good, and it's bad. I'd like to think I've been better at not only understanding this but also using it to be better in general when traveling to different countries in an attempt to live my life and create the kind of art I think the world could benefit from. I've benefited from others while bringing good to their lives as well. So while there are plenty of steps we can take to all be better travelers, and I genuinely hope the tone of this does not undermine that fact - I do think it is okay if we all simply try our best. I don't think its nice to live with guilt constantly hanging over your head. I do also think we should all be a little bit better at being conscious and caring when it comes to the impact we have on other people's lives. Because at the end of the day, people are still people. And you will always be where you are. No matter where you go.