A Realist's Guide to Fantastical Places: Important Travel Information

DONE Why travel the Fantastical World

I am always amazed by the people I meet who sincerely see no value in traveling to foreign countries. Perhaps they are too mired in their ways or comfortable with their habits, so that the idea of experiencing a foreign land sounds exhausting. Perhaps they are frightened of looking foolish or clumsy to a foreigner’s eyes. They might even be one of those unfortunates who believes that their own culture is the pinnacle of society, making visiting other nations a natural downgrade. I call them unfortunates, because these are the people who need travel the most, and yet are the least likely to do so.

I believe traveling to foreign nations is vital for a comprehensive view of our world. You will see people very much like yourself behaving frighteningly different, as well as amazing similarities to people who are completely different. The rich variety of experiences in this world are things to be marveled at, not feared or shunned. Experiencing the cuisine of another people may open your eyes to flavors you never imagined. Your new favorite food might be no more than a train or balloon ride away!

Beyond this sense of discovery, I find my own mindset has changed as I have traveled; Engaging with the local customs of a hundred different traditions has given me a profound respect for the influence our cultures have on ourselves. The more I experience the different ways of meeting the world, the more I unified I find us as a people. The boundaries that were once erected in my mind fall away, and the differences between our nations feel delicate; easily broken and not so easily repaired.

This is not to say I don’t find certain cultural practices awkward, silly, or even abhorrent. Indeed, my travels have also convinced me that there are, for lack of a better way of putting it, “wrong ways to live.” My travels have challenged my assumptions and pushed me out of my comfort zone, allowing me to recognize problems, both with other cultures and my own.

Perhaps that is what I found most interesting about my traveling; I realized that the things I found disturbing or off-putting were present in my own culture as well as others, I had just been used to them. It’s hard to be frightened of “foreign devils” when your eyes have been open to the domestic ones.

But I don’t mean to misconstrue: travel this fantastical world of ours, and you will realize that there are far more wild places than urban ones. The cosmopolitan centers of nations and communities are the exception, rather than the rule.

The world is a big place. The universe, far bigger. Depending on scope and scale, we are insignificant beings, whose hopes and dreams matter only to ourselves. This world doesn’t care about us. For some people, this fact is a horrible thing; it is frightening, cold, and oppressive. For me and those like me, it is not only humbling, but unifying. These little moments of joy and peace are made all the more important for their uniqueness.

During the Enlightenment, scholars called this feeling the Sublime. When confronted with the impossible majesty and mystery of the world, we cannot help but feel awe, amazement, fear, and incomprehension. I think it does us good, in these troubled times, to gain perspective now and then with travel to the less populated locations of the world. The majesty of the resplendent foliage of Gnatted Hollow or the Upside-down Storm at Durandar — even the Adamant Cliffs of Poshlin Parade are enough to remind us of the beauty of our shared home, this green and blue planet.

And let it not go unsaid, time marches on for all of us. Eventually, I shall be old enough that travel will no longer appeal as it does now. When I become to ill or weak to journey through the world, I will have a bounty of memories to look back on of beautiful places and marvelous people all across this fantastical world of ours.

DONE Being a Traveler of to Fantastical Places

Of all the sections of this book, this one proved the most difficult to write. After all, I have been traveling through this fantastical world for most of my adult life; the humble and stable life of the resident has long since escaped me. I have long since forgotten what is common knowledge and what is valuable insight.

Ultimately, I reached out to several of my more sedentary friends, and wrote this section with their input.

Travel in this Fantastical World is, with some exception, remarkably safe and easy. For any number of historical reasons, there are people and places who have become quite accommodating to tourists and visitors to their homelands. All the same, there are many places where — again, for one reason or another — travelers would do well to avoid, unless they have established connections among the locals, or have significant protection.

Sadly, I cannot differentiate the safe places from the risky here, as the risk involved in traveling to different places will likely change depending on your own native land, to say nothing of your own individual traveling experience. Suffice it to say, you should always pay attention to any current political situations whenever you travel; both to ensure you are traveling to a safe region, and that you will return to a welcoming home.

Cellular-phones have become ubiquitous over the past generation, but some of the most fantastic places in this world are those that are either too remote or too self-reliant to have constant coverage. Several of my favorite locations to visit are naturally antagonistic to radio waves, so always make sure you know whether your destination is cell-friendly or not. Most reputable travel agencies have up-to-date information on this subject, as well as viable alternatives and work-arounds should you require constant them.

I would suggest, however, when traveling in this Fantastical World of ours, that you consider leaving your phone at home. While there is certainly a convenience in having most everything you need in one pocket-sized box, none of it is indispensable. Maps are often readily available, even in the most rugged and rural of locals. Emergency services can be contacted almost everywhere. If you need to find a restaurant, hotel, or specific landmark, the locals are often more than willing to help, and if they aren’t, consider wandering and seeing what you find! Part of the value of traveling is not only cutting yourself off from the everyday distractions of home, but building self-confidence in your abilities. Consider how it will feel, knowing you can find your way whether your phone has enough charge or not.

DONE Planning your Trip

To be flippant, you may plan as much or as little as you wish; this largely depends on what you are planning on doing. If you are traveling to simply experience a different place in this world, extensive planning may be less necessary. The only significant plan that every traveler should consider is bedding: most of the places that I mention in this book are close to frequently traveled cities, or have easy access to respected hotels. You would be well advised to make calls well in advance of your trip, as while most of the places I mention are lesser-traveled, it’s still possible for hotels to have no vacancy, either because of a local festival, visiting convention, or even an unseasonable increase in tourists.

It is always worthwhile to stop by or call ahead when planning meals; some places take reservations, and I will make specific mention if a region does not have readily available eateries or requires significant fore-planning. Suffice it to say, travelers who refuse to plan their meals ahead of time will not go hungry.

The only situation where fore-planning is likely necessary is with travel. Working with a travel-planner is not an unreasonable option, as getting from home to hotel can be complicated, especially when trains cross multiple countries, or you need to make several plane connections. Even after you’ve reached your hotel room, it’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with the local public transit options, and how long it may take you to get from one place to another. Many travelers I’ve spoken with have found themselves disappointed with the number of things they were able to do or see because they ran out of time due to poorly organized travel.

DONE How to Handle Unfamiliar Peoples

There is no getting around it, there are many people in this Fantastical World that will be strange to you. They will have habits, accents, clothing, and expectations completely alien to you and yours. Some may even have bodies that repulse you, and that is okay. We each have our own tastes and biases; there are people in this world who would be repulsed by your body. It doesn’t change who you are, nor make you any less deserving of respect.

Every self-respecting traveler should show this same respect to others. I have made many mistakes in dealing with others in all my travels, so I have come up with some tricks that might help the infrequent or inexperienced traveler. Keep these facts in mind, and you should find your travels far more enjoyable.

DONE You Are the Foreign Land

This is perhaps the most important thing to remember. When traveling abroad, you are leaving behind not just your home, but most of what makes you you. If you are traveling somewhere your native language isn’t spoken, your education, eloquence, cultural values, even your sense of humor can all be made irrelevant. Even if your language is commonly spoken, differences in culture can make it difficult to be understood.

Depending on where you travel, you could be the only one of your nationality you ever meet. A literal outsider, you may find yourself with assumptions that prove unhelpful in the region. I myself ran afoul of this once when looking for the exit to a train station in Esphea; I was following what I thought were strangely drawn arrows: one long horizontal line with two short angled lines at one end. I assumed the small lines were symbolic fletching, and so headed in the directions the arrowhead-less arrows were pointing.

It wasn’t until much later that I realized why the iconography was, to my eye, backwards. Historically, the indigenous people of Esphea fished using bows and arrows tied to long vine-ropes. The heads of these arrows were pronged, similar to a trident or forked spear. This meant the two lines I thought were fletching were, in fact, recognizable to any Esphean as the arrowhead. I had constantly been heading in the opposite direction I needed to go.

For me, it was a clear lesson in humility. Were I more prideful, I might have been greatly frustrated with Esphea for this clearly unreasonable signage.¹ Instead, I found it to be an experience in itself, as worthwhile and enriching as visiting the Towering Fountain of Orrisen Park, which I did not a half-hour later.

Always remember that you are a guest to another culture when traveling, and it is your duty to acknowledge foreign customs, not correct them. This is not to say you should ignore or discount your own feelings and instincts, only that if you recognize you are a foreigner, and not a native in a land of foreigners, you will be far more open to our fantastical world and is myriad of experiences.

DONE Put Down Your Baggage

I myself have different “kinds” of travel. Sometimes I travel without a goal in mind; I travel to wander, to explore, to take the world as it comes. I let the feelings of the moment carry me forward, confident that I will find a place to eat or sleep when I need them. It is a freeing kind of travel, and it becomes easier the more experience one has.

Other times, I have a plan; I make reservations and schedules, I set alarms and check the clock constantly. I concoct an image in my head of where I am going and why. I build a kind of theme-park ride that I can relax on, and let my plan carry me from here to there. This is not an uncommon kind of travel, and many people who are traveling to a place for the first time will find great value in traveling like this.

The problem arises when the plan hits an obstacle, and that obstacle is most often communicating with the locals. If they don’t speak the same language as you, as well as you, there will be times when miscommunications result in lost time, missed reservations, and significant upheavals to your plans. I myself have had many occasions where a local taxi has taken me to the wrong place across town, or I’ve gotten on the wrong train, all because I didn’t speak the local language well enough.

It’s not just people this advice is useful for: different cultures have different ideas about what constitutes “adequate signage,” for example. Some places rely on their citizens’ foreknowledge about the area, or may have different kinds of familiar iconography. Think of how all the signs will be in a foreign language, and possibly even be in a foreign alphabet. It may take time for you to adequately translate where you need to go, or even where you are.

While it may seem inconvenient, be prepared to set aside your plan, put down your luggage, and focus on the person in front of you. You may have wanted to reach the train station by 1:00, but if you deal with the locals like obstacles or impediments to your plan, then you will do nothing but irritate both them and yourself. If instead you set your plan aside and recognize your new schedule includes speaking with the locals like people, you will likely come away with a much better experience and might even reach the train on time.

I recognize this might be contrary to some people’s innate natures, so if you are particularly plan-focused, you could add a fifteen-minute block of time to “speak to the locals” before each of your scheduled activities, to give yourself the freedom to do so.

DONE It Doesn’t Matter

This is not true in any nihilistic sense; of course the world matters, and your journey to parts unfamiliar is commendable, if not significant.

Fear of Missing Out is a common problem among travelers; the more you see, the more you want to see. Having traveled across this world for many years, I want to reassure you; you are not missing out on anything — or rather, you are always missing out on everything.

Profound and memorable travel requires the ability to remain present in the moment. I have found that the joy of walking down a foreign street in Trisden is comparable to the beauty of the Labradorite Villa. The awe I’ve felt when looking out at a grand vista of cliffs and waterfalls is no less than that I’ve experienced when studying the architecture of Chikurry or the expansive Tides of Three Shades. While this fantastical world’s diversity is indeed something to be admired, it is ubiquitous. There is always something worth seeing, wherever you end up.

Often times, there is something new to see where you’ve been before. Our world has existed for eons, and it is always changing. Even in the Old Kingdom, the Achinean Spire of today is not the same as the Achinean Spire of yesteryear. If you travel to Garm one year, you are missing out on everything happening in Eddling. This is not meant to torment or antagonize, but to remind you that you can’t see everything, and the obsession to do so can only result in disappointment.

Remember this: if something happens that prevents you from seeing everything you wanted to see on a single trip, there is always next year, or the year after that. You may always return to see the things or experience the events you missed.

If not, however; if you are devoted to experiencing a unique or bespoke event, please consider lightening your expectations. I don’t mean lower your anticipation, but instead of cramming seven or eight things into your day, consider limiting yourself to two or three. It’s much easier to make your appointments if you have several hours between each, and while this might mean you have to cut down on the number of things you can experience during your trip, you will likely avoid the stress of feeling late.

I know you may balk at this idea; when confronted by the majesty of this fantastical world, it is only natural to desire to see as much of it in as short a time as possible. Remember, though, it doesn’t matter. The delights of this world are legion and diverse, and if you never manage to see the Towering Fountain in Orrisen Park, you still will have seen plenty of wonders.

DONE Currency

Any self-respecting traveler should have a sizable amount of local currency whenever they travel to foreign lands. Many of the places I mention in this book have their own currencies, and while many places accept major credit cards and have readily available currency exchanges, I have always found it wise to rely less on the whims of global banks and more on the expectations of the locals. While few restaurants in Garm or Chikurry might accept dollars, euros, or yen; none of them will ever turn away their own coinage.

The use of local currency also avoids individual up-charges and fees from stores and restaurants that don’t appreciate needing to make separate trips to the local currency exchange. Most places charge higher prices in dollars or euros, or add a high-percentage ‘irritant tax’ for using foreign credit cards.

The greatest risk of using local currencies is unfamiliarity. While many nations have adopted the metric “100 smalls to 1 big” form of currency, several places — including several in this book — have maintained their own local and unique structures of currency. The Eddling Tin and the Old Kingdom Mark are perfect examples of this. Be sure to spend some time familiarizing yourself with the local coinage, as many a traveler has been fooled by cons who spy Travelers as easy marks.

Don’t be afraid, however; the locals have to deal with their currency too, and it is rare that prices will be made more complex than they need to be. Eddling, for example, rarely uses Cannies anymore, and it’s rare you will ever use or recieve change of lower denomination than a Qua-Tin. Most everywhere in the Old Kingdom uses High Coin as well as Marks, so you can avoid any complex interactions.

And perhaps most importantly, remember that the folks of these lands are largely kind, honest, and welcoming to tourists. As long as you treat them with respect and care, they usually won’t let you leave without your correct change.

When purchasing local currency, make sure you check a region’s tourist association for their recommendations on which currencies to bring and how much.²