The Story

Not Exactly Travel Brochure Material: Doug Lansky Comes to to the Commonwealth

Sep. 21, 2008 | By Sarah Puckett, DSJ Staff Reporter

Travel writer Doug Lansky participates in an event at the College. Courtesy of Citizen Media Watch.

He’s giving away a $900 Eurail pass at the show. Do you need any other reason to come?

Gimmicks aside, if you haven’t heard of Doug Lansky, you are in for some belly laughs at his speaking tour. It’s making its next stop at our very own SC Commonwealth auditorium this Thursday at 8 p.m., brought to you by UCAB’s Contemporary and Cultural Issues Committee.

Lansky now tries his hand at a comedy show of sorts after many years of traveling, writing books and being a professor of journalism. Yet all this experience hasn’t inflated his ego one bit. He was even willing to promptly answer my email with questions about the show. In short, it’s a fast-paced presentation packed with tips on how to travel cheaply, video clips from his own hilarious travel experiences, and ways to get to know a foreign country better than any travel brochures could.

Everyone knows that when you’re in Paris, you visit the Eiffel Tower - you just do. And when you’re in England, you’ve got to see Stonehenge. But how can you guarantee the type of experience that most people are lucky to just happen upon (i.e., meeting a native, preferably attractive, who offers you a private customized tour)? How can you do it on a Ramen-eating college student’s budget? What about the dangers of being female and alone in a foreign country? Lansky promises, �"I will show how to hitchhike around the world on private yachts for free and I can explain how anyone (even a solo woman traveler) can hitchhike safely anywhere, in any country.” What Rick Steves or Lonely Planet guide can boast that kind of information?

Lansky has a wealth of experience to draw upon - he has visited over 100 countries in 10 years. He’s certainly been to enough places that he can tell you exactly where not to go. When I asked him where his most exciting travel destinations were, a seemingly straightforward question, he responded: �"The exciting places aren't exactly the ones I'd recommend... hanging out in the Colombian rain forest with so-called ‘headhunters,’ for example. Bolivian boarder crossing during a protest with soldiers threatening to shoot you in the back with semi-automatic weapons. Exciting, yes, there's an adrenaline kick, but it's not exactly travel brochure material.” And not exactly travel brochure material is just what he offers in his presentation.

Even though the show focuses on travel and is geared toward students who share his penchant for traversing foreign lands, what made him famous was that he wrote about his experiences. He is a master of his craft and any prospective writers should come out and bombard him during the Q&A session after the show.

In my hastily composed, less-than-artistic email, I also asked him for writing tips. He graciously shared some great advice. �"Try to replace every other adjective with a unique, colorful metaphor,” he said. �"For example, you might cross out ‘slow’ and replace it with ‘the speed of Dutch Elm disease.’”

Lansky’s presentation looks to be anything but the speed of Dutch Elm disease, so check it out at the UC Commonwealth this Thursday, September 25th at 8p.m., tickets are free to all students.