Slow Travel or Adventure Travel?

  

Photo: Jann Segal
Lake Guatavita, Colombia

Slow travel. I love even reading the words. They calm my travel soul and remind me that there will be travel in my future, at an even and interesting pace. A pace where I can see the magnificence, smell the spices and flowers, watch the locals count buckets of money, learn how to cook a new dish from locals in their homes, meet their families, run into them by accident on the street of their charming town, or be greeted by these kind strangers during an accidental meeting at the airport.  All of these things have happened to me while traveling with Overseas Adventure Travel, sometimes as part of the group, sometimes on my own before or after the group adventure. These moments don’t require having a
camera to capture them. They require an appreciation of life and living, learning, wandering.

The concept of slow travel began in 1986 as a movement in Italy after a Mc Donald’s opened in Rome. People were afraid that interest in the culture and the food would start to wane and ultimately be forgotten rather than relished, savored, appreciated to the fullest. In fact, a whole slow movement began that many of us heard little about. Then the world was treated to a global pandemic, and even local traffic came to a grinding halt. But in the travel world, slow travel was talked about for when travel resumed. It includes a connection to people and their cultures, to educate oneself and to stay in the moment in a sustainable and lasting way. But of course, this education has lasting consequences for the future for those who endeavor to take the slow path, even if it’s in conjunction with a group tour, which is how I like to do it. 

Of Travel and Timelessness

 

My name is Jann Segal, and I’m a travel addict. There, I said it. Writing is my twelve - step program, and thankfully, it’s not been working. I’ve given myself over to the higher power of travel and the tour companies who entice me. They constantly triumph, and I’m delighted with the outcome. But like any other addiction, mine has genetic roots.

I always knew it was my mother’s side of the family that was to blame. My mother Anita became a travel agent after I had started traveling, but the real culprit was her brother, First Lt. Edwin B. Kane, who died in Tunisia during World War Two.   Killed eight years before I was born, I obviously never got to know my late uncle. But when his affects were sent back home, included were his well-documented photos of the many places he was able to visit while on the European and African continents before the war took its toll. I looked at the photos constantly as a child, dreaming that someday I might get to visit Egypt, Libya, Africa, and Ethiopia, (the latter he documented as Abyssinia). These photos, in addition to his souvenirs which my mother eventually let me have, were absolute treasures to me.

Exploring Cairo in Depth

Photos Jann Segal

When I took the Overseas Adventure Travel trip, Egypt and the Eternal Nile, I spent a few extra days in Cairo before the start of the trip. I personally found chaotic Cairo to be a highlight, along with Luxor and Aswan.

Explore Jordan and the Wonders of Petra

Photos: Jann Segal

When I took the Overseas Adventure Travels Israel trip, The Holy Land and Timeless Cultures, I also took the pre-trip to Jordan. Of particular interest was the two nights and one full day we spent at Petra. It was a fascinating set of Nabataean tombs, possibly established in 9,000 B.C. as a capital city. Of course, hiking to the Treasury thru the Siq was spectacular, and some in our group made it to the Monastery. I was happy with going to the Treasury, having lunch after just a little bit down the road but still inside the complex of tombs, and walking back. All of that was a seven-mile walk in the sun, even in early April. An early departure and return are highly recommended to avoid the effects of the heat and the inevitable swarms of people.

Exploring the Treasures of Luxor

Photos: Jann Segal

When I went on the Overseas Adventure Travel trip Egypt and the Eternal Nile, the most incredible of the sights we saw were in Luxor. This included the Valley of the Kings and Queens, and the Karnak Temples.  Our small ship up the Nile was headed North, so this was a great way to end the base trip before heading back to Cairo. I think the direction, either North or South, is really the most important in terms of how you want to remember the trip, and the Valley of the Kings was it for me. The other option would have been to end the trip at Aswan to see Abu Simbel.

Exploring Alexandria

Photos: Jann Segal

When I took the Overseas Adventure Travel trip Egypt and the Eternal Nile, at the end of the base trip we left the hustle and bustle of Cairo for the hustle and bustle of the post trip in Alexandria. It’s really a hopping resort town, albeit rundown by the elements and lack of money to improve the housing. But a traveler who has spent two weeks in antiquity gets a glimpse of a more modern but run- down Egypt.

Exploring Jordan: Amman, Jerash and Mt. Nemo

Photos: Jann Segal

I had very little expectation of  what to see during my one week of travels  in  Jordan, which was a pre-trip to the Overseas AdventureTravels Israel trip, The Holy Land and Timeless Cultures. Of course, I was very excited at the thought of seeing Petra. After having just spent three weeks in Egypt on their trip Egypt and the Eternal Nile, I was as equally taken by the trash I saw in the Egyptian countryside and cities as I was by the antiquities. Jordan however, was a completely different experience. There is always high expectation with Egypt travel, and not as much with Jordanian travel. And perhaps that is what made the difference. I was delighted with everything I saw in Jordan.

Exploring the Middle East and Finding Myself off the Beaten Path…and on the Fringes

Nubian men playing backgammon

Everyone goes to the Middle East to explore the antiquities, the world class sites such as Petra, the Pyramids, the Western Wall. I had been to Israel independently 25 years ago and promised myself a return trip. Back then, I also took a day strip to the Saini from Eliat and saw only a tiny bit of Egypt on a trip ot St. Catherine’s Momentary. So, I decided to return and see Egypt in full, as well to see things I wanted to see again in Israel, and to see what had changed in the intervening years. What I hadn’t expected was to travel so close to the edges of other countries in the region.  My total trip was a grand 45 days, from March 2, 2019 to April 17, 2019. I booked with Overseas Adventure Travel on their relatively new offering, Egypt: The Eternal Nile ($3895), and also booked the Alexandria post trip ($1995). I did this back- to- back with a nice secular trip they have called Israel: The Holy Land and Timeless Cultures ($3895), which I booked along with their Jordan pre trip ($1695).  Most notably, this trip took me ot the edges of Northern Sudan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Syria.

Learning to Love Olive Oil in Israel

Photos: Jann Segal

I took the Overseas Adventure Travel trip, Israel: The Holy Land and Time less Cultures as part of a 45-day sojourn in the Middle East. OAT specializes in family visits and meeting locals as part of each itinerary. On this trip in particular, the locals we met and the meals we had with them were not only truly authentic, but in many cases, superior beyond measure. This was especially true of the olive farm we visited north of Haifa and south of Galilee, at the moshav (settlement) Zippori, or Tzippori in Hebrew (about 45 minutes outside of Haifa).  

The small private home we visited one rainy afternoon seemed to be an endless  path of plants, tress, benches and woven baskets, until we found the little house which doubled as a café, restaurant, and olive press. Of course, olive oil was for sale as well.

Explore Israel and the Sacred Spaces in Jerusalem

Photos: Jann Segal

Israel is filed with synagogues, churches and mosques everywhere (although most of the mosques will be in Palestinian territories). There is even the Bhai Center in Haifa. But a visitor to Jerusalem who is willing to take the time regardless of their religion, will be treated to some amazing experiences. I went there with Overseas Adventure Travels on their trip Israel: The Holy Land and Timeless Cultures.

In Jerusalem of course, there are many synagogues both ancient and modern. The standout in terms of antiquity, and which defines much of the Old City today, is the Western Wall, also known as the Wailing Wall. It’s the Western Wall of the Second Temple bit by Harrod the Great, which was built after King Salmon’s first Temple was destroyed by the Babylonians. It also serves as the western flank of the Temple Mount. Its history is long and involved, but you can read more about it here.

Traveling the Middle East and Meeting the Guy with the Gun

Photos: Jann Segal

During my recent travels with Overseas Adventure Travel to the Middle East, in Egypt, Jordan and Israel, there was a been a character following me around the  trip in all three countries. It's a different person every time of course, but he has been ever present.  He helped us cross our first street in Cairo, and one gal called him what I have since... the guy with the gun.

Yes, we needed a guy with an M16 to help us cross the street in Cairo. And security escorts would turn on their sirens and push other cars aside, just so they could be our security detail. Sometimes they looked like they needed to complete high school, but they were armed. In Alexandria, the guy with the gun (and cell phone) helped connect me with the group after a group of kids just wanted to have their photos taken and I was lagging behind a bit. I think he was more interested in his phone call, but I came to expect that Egypt wouldn't be Egypt without the guy with the gun.

Travel the World Against the Evil Eye

There are cultures on every continent that have amulets of good luck as part of their cultures. Pick a county and you will find a way to avoid bad luck as part of the country's customs and history. But one country where I saw this literally everywhere and in the most colorful of ways was Turkey, when I took the trip Turkeys Magical Hideaways with Overseas Adventure Travel.