Travel Guidebooks - The Horror Section
Travel guidebooks are like bibles for most travelers and sources
of information salvation in a tight spot. Just try to avoid the
horror section.
Travel Guides
You've saved up some hard earned cash and are ready to hit the
road. If you don't have a firm destination in mind, you'll
inevitably find yourself sitting in a bookstore somewhere
reading travel guides. Regardless of the brand, you usually get
an overview of the destination and particular areas recommend by
the author. Hotels, restaurants and so forth will also be set
forth. This is particularly good for such establishments as they
often can raise their prices above anyone else in the area!
Of course, you already know all of the above if you've so much
as ventured out of your house at any point in your life. Our
discussion today focuses on the fear factor of travel guides.
Yes, I am talking about the warning sections.
Travel Warnings
Every travel guide contains a chapter of horrors. The chapter is
typically called something like "stay safe" or "a word of
caution." In legal terms, these sections are known as the "CYA"
area, which stands for "cover your..." Reading them is wise, but
the editors go just a little overboard.
I once took a spontaneous trip to Asia. I literally walked into
an airport, purchased a ticket and picked up a travel guide on
the way to the gate. As the 19-hour flight got underway, I had
the novel idea to actually read something about my travel
destinations. Halfway through the horror section, I was ready to
hijack the plane and return to Los Angeles. The various disease
that were clearly going to kill me included:
1. Malaria - Okay, I already knew about this and wasn't that
concerned. Fever, the shakes, joint pain - hey, that's traveling!
2. Japanese Encephalitis - A disease carried by mosquitoes that
attacks the brain and causes neurological damage resulting in
blindness, paralysis and, well, isn't that enough? I'll never
look at Sushi the same way again.
3. Dengue Fever - Carried by mosquitoes that are active in the
day, this little bugger does nasty things to your joints and
there is no cure. Not to be confused with "disco fever," an
equally dangerous disease from the 70's.
4. Schistosomiasis - My personal favorite. The larvae of
flatworms burrowing into your skin cause this nasty little
disease! Visions of the bursting stomach scene from the first
Alien movie moved uneasily through my mind.
Being skeptical, you're undoubtedly thinking such nastiness is
specific to Asia. If so, I invite you to explore a travel guide
for the location you live in the next time you're blowing time
in a bookstore. You might be surprised to learn about the nasty
things all around you.
One of my all time favorites was a warning I read in a travel
guide for Brazil. No less than five pages were spent discussing
a tiny bug that could be found on the beaches. This aggressive
little guy could be expected to burrow under your toenails if
you didn't wear shoes on the beach! I have my doubts. I
seriously doubt the "Girl from Ipanema" strolled by wearing
boots!
Now, I am not suggesting in any way that you ignore the various
health warnings. Read the horror section of your travel guide
and form your own opinions. After all, you might be the unlucky
soul who gets schistosomiasis.