Traveling Shoes

One of my biggest mistakes - and I make many - is in the area of false economy. Like lots of budget travelers, I am always attracted to the phrases "cheaper," "two-for-one," and "bargain." I am apt to scramble off in an obscure direction at the merest hint that low-cost lodgings or inexpensive theater tickets are there for the begging.

Well, today I decided to slow down and think. To err, if I err, on the side of reason. You'll forgive me if I pause for a moment so that I can look at the view -- I seldom see the world from the vantage point of the rational.

I'm getting ready to hit the road and, as always, scrambling to find my polyester blouses. Laugh if you will, but they rinse in sinks and drip-dry over night. I am gathering maps, Zip-loc bags and socks, checking the batteries in my camera and fondling my passport. In the midst of this trip-induced melee, I am contemplating my nine-dollar canvas tennis shoes.

I am not a status freak. Look, I just confessed to polyester, didn't I? I even sneer at back-packers with forty pounds of all cotton (AKA the cloth of death) weighing down their backpacks -- do you know how long it takes cotton to dry? What about how cotton feels when you've got a good icky humid sweat going? Have you had the thrill of trying to wash subway stains out of cotton in a small sink? No, I am not into status.

I am a foolish creature. I am guilty of being into reverse snobbery. Reverse snobbery can cost money even as you hoist your off-brand backpack or sponge down your polyester pants with airline soda water.

These nine-dollar canvas shoes can't cut it. Cheap shoes do not a budget traveler make.

Let me look at this logically -- what separates the real budget traveler from the wannabes? Now, normally I don't draw these elitist or reverse elitist distinctions. I don't often speak in absolutes, but here's one:

The real budget traveler is prepared to walk!

That's it. One absolute.

On numerous trips through the UK, I've skipped the pricey tour buses and walked a mile or two from train stations to see a stately home. Those 40- or 50-dollar city tours of Paris, Rome, or Athens have not and will not get my money. If you're willing to walk, you can duplicate the route using public transport and your own legs. The Royal Mile in Edinburgh is best seen on foot, although it's definitely uphill from Waverly Station. Last fall in Athens I observed tourists lining up sheep-like to climb aboard buses to ride up to the Acropolis. They spent about fifteen dollars apiece and were herded through with no chance to poke around. It's a fifteen-minute walk up the hill and, once there, you can stay all day if you like.

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