I ask all guests a series of questions that I normally ask myself after I come home from travelling, these questions are aimed to give some insight into how these travellers accomplished what they did. These questions also will help you find out if your style of travel matches well with this guest.
What led you to this destination?
Harvey felt like getting out of town no longer doing the usual summer stuff relaxing at home was just not a good option for Harvey. Swire saw the opportunity to do one of the things that he thinks is important, that being driving all the way across north america, something that most of the men in Swire’s family have done already. This was the perfect time to go for them being in their early 20s and don't have a ton of commitments right now that would prevent them from doing something special such as this trip.
At any time was there a reason to leave, ever uncomfortable?
With only 9 days to get there and back the only time where they thought about turning back was when they got out of Ontario and found that Harvey had no licence. When they passed into the states there was also a moment where they came into a town of Native people, having gone into the bank they weren't allowed to take out money because they didn't have a status card and everyone was staring at them. even being two big guys they were both very nervous.
If so how did you beat this??
They just decided that it was now or never when it came to driving this route through Canada and the US if they turned back now that would mean a total end to the trip. Every part of the trip meant one more thing completed on their list and they couldn't turn back after that.
Were there any surprises during your trip that were contrary to your beliefs?
How difficult it would be to manage the time with only one driver, especially the guy who's the owner of the truck not being able to drive. The choice of a ford ranger for a vehicle was also not really optional but definitely not a good choice, for two big dudes. They were both surprised with how much they still got done with only one driver and how much you can get done in general.
What did you discover there that was off the beaten path?
Fud Ruckers (Burger Place) that they found having been super hungry at the time they each got the 1lb burgers and challenged each other to finish the whole thing.
Do you think you found out anything about yourself that you regularly would not have?
After Harvey lost his licence and had to feel like a burden in that way he realizes that he has to be more cautious and take the time to plan further endeavours so that all the things that went wrong such as losing the license being stuck with one driver having an unreliable GPS. Realizing that Harvey doesn't enjoy the long driving as much as he thought he would. Swire was the opposite, he realized how much he did enjoy driving and how good he was at appreciating that way of travel. Swire also came to the realization that he needs to do more trips solo because he is more capable of that than he thought.
If you went with anyone on this trip what role did they serve for you?
Did they hold you back from anything specific, what would change with different people?
There were pros and cons to having a photographer along, harvey really gained the perspective of that creative eye, not just seeing things for what they are but what they could be in a photo. Good match of personalities as well where one of them has a short temper and the other is more relaxed and open to that. Harvey also found the commitments of Swire burdensome when it came to the longevity of the trip he felt as if he maybe could have gone to a wider variety of different spots and he doesn't know if he even would have returned home. Having that safety in a travel partner was a blessing when it comes to the hard times but also they might hold you back from other things you might go further with. For Swire he would assume he would normally be travelling with a photographer or someone who sees or is trying to see things the same way that he does with harvey he was able to experience things that don't always look good on picture. Swire did not have the kind of time to commit to the trip that harvey did but it was a good thing because they were forced to get all of their things done.
Did you spend any extensive time with the locals, what were they like?
Stopped with Swire’s stepbrother for a night, otherwise due to the trip taking only 9 days they didn't have much extra time to do other things other than make progress on the list of places they wanted to go.
Did you try to blend in to that local atmosphere, or act more like a tourist?
How did that position affect your trip? Do you believe people treated you differently
How did your country of Origin influence your behaviour when travelling?
Being from Ontario it had an impact on how they saw the other places they visited in Canada. Coming from Hamilton a place with 500000 people they became aware of many places that don't have that many people. Driving though the prairies and seeing one family farming thousands of acres by themselves was eye opening when it comes to the allotment of space and people. Eating dinner at different places across the country and hearing the background of others conversations how they think about totally different things for most of their time and many things are much more important to them while for the average person here their minds may be on something you understand.
Was maximizing Utility to cost a priority?
If so how did you do that, if it was not how had this impacted your decisions on a trip
Harvey did end up financing almost the entire trip. It was easy to rationalize because Swire got to drive and Harvey got to pay for everything. Swire had used his saved money to purchase a couple good lenses for all the photos he wanted to take around Canada.
Would you save or spend more in the future? What would you save or spend more on? Where would this extra saving or spending take place in the scope of your trip?
If Swire had budgeted the trip better he would have liked to split the trip more evenly to spread everything between the two. The way that they did work everything out financially it was really the only way to do things when it came down to it.
What was the approx cost of the trip, how did you save for it?
$2500 each including all the gas and wanting a better standard of accommodation.
After the experience, was it easy to justify the time spent doing what you did?
It was easy to justify it because they would not have been able to function as well and enjoy the trip the same if they had been miserable due to a low standard of accommodation.
Is there anything that has been part of this trip that you have not mentioned and why?
During the trip Pokemon Go was a major stress relief and way for them to relax while on the road.They got lucky and stayed in places that allowed the game to be played. They also ate at a spot which was called the Town hall brewery in Missouri, this is also where they got growlers as souvenirs.
Where do you think you will be heading next?
Harvey would like to go and see the rest of Canada, with his life goal of seeing every province and every state, heading out east will be a good start to that. Swire will be heading down to the south west states and heading down toward Mexico.