So I really liked Lisa Egle’s Magic Carpet Seduction. You can read a free excerpt on Wander Tales HERE. She really lets the reader get to know her. But since you can’t have a dialogue through a book, I reached out to Lisa so we could explore her wander-style more personally.
WL– What is it about travel that keeps you going out into the world for new experiences?
Lisa– There is a certain something that happens when I travel. I take care of the practical side of things but I’m very “in the moment” and open to the magic of what might happen.
WL-When did you first experience the “Might happen” magic?
Lisa– When I went to Ecuador. That was the first time that I began to realize that something special was happening. I think it was all about being in the moment and being in tune with who I am and what feels right. There was this night I just didn’t want to be with the (tour) group any more. I wandered off to get some medicine for a fever blister and in the pharmacy I started talking to this girl. Then her aunt came in. They invited me to their house for dinner. All of a sudden I felt this feeling of liberation.
WL– It’s like you discovered meeting local people meant more to you than being with the other tourists.
Lisa– Exactly! so I trusted that. A few days later, I made one decision that changed my entire life. It was the final day of the trip and we were all on the bus going off to this village to buy sweaters and I decided I didn’t want to go. I just wanted to be alone back at the hotel so, “STOP THE BUS!” I had this overwhelming feeling telling me to go back. And they said “but you’re going to miss the sweaters and the deals” and I’m like “but no, I really want to go back.” So there I was, sitting in the Andes mountains. The sky was a prefect shade of blue and the air was dry and gorgeous. Then I met this man…
WL– Really? Want to go into any details about that?
Lisa– <laughs> Maybe in the next book. But I hadn’t gotten off that bus that day my life would be totally different now. There was something about Ecuador, and taking risks… staying centered but following the feelings… It all lead me in another direction. I don’t know, does that sound too “out there”?
WL– Perhaps… but only to people who haven’t been “out there” too.
Lisa– I began to realize that when you have a certain openness, things can start to happen. At times it may be challenging but you get through it.
WL– Are you ever worried you’re getting out of your depth?
Lisa– I trust my gut but I don’t let the fear rule me. It influences decisions but it doesn’t rule me.
WL– If you want to try something, you trust that it will be all right.
Lisa– Yes, and I can always change my mind if it doesn’t feel right.
WL– There is a freedom in knowing that any unpleasantness is only for now.
Lisa– When things start to go wrong, I don’t allow myself to think that EVERYTHING is going to go wrong. Somewhere in the back of my mind I know, sooner or later, everything will fall into place. When you take risks, sometimes things do go wrong. I just trust the process, get through it and think “OK – one night of discomfort then tomorrow is another day.”
WL– So what’s the pay-off for getting through the occasional night of discomfort?
Lisa– You get confidence in yourself and your travel skills. You find yourself in situations you could never have hoped to experience. I plan the practical things, but let the other things unfold.
WL– Are you always more of a spontaneous traveler?
Lisa– The only time I have any real kind of itinerary is when I’m visiting a big city and I only have a few days. I will end up taking a couple of day-tours to be sure I see all the things I really should see. But in the cities, I don’t have those kinds of adventures. I really want to meet the people and will go out of my way to find experiences where that is likely to happen… even it if means enduring some discomfort.
WL– And that’s where you really learn the most.
Lisa– You learn the most about your own culture when you step outside of it. In Indonesia, I learned how much I need privacy even though I’m an extreme extrovert. I was truly integrated into the village, staying with a friend. That made me a member of the community. I was expected to do everything (my friend’s family) did. There were moments I felt the need, as an American, to do what I wanted to do. I had that American rugged individualism. I would say I was very tired and had to go to bed early just so I could be alone in the bedroom with my kindle. That was paradise!
WL– In Magic Carpet Seduction, you shared trips you took alone and trips you took with friends. I got the idea that you prefer the solo travel experience.
Lisa– I do prefer to travel solo… for many reasons. I don’t feel like negotiating every little detail. When do you want to get up? Where should we go for breakfast? What do you want to do today? But more importantly, I just don’t have as many adventures when I travel with others. When I travel solo, I meet a lot more people and the magic happens a lot more.
WL– What do you think brings the magic?
Lisa– I like to talk to everybody; the waitress, the guy sweeping floors at the hotel, the guy standing next to me at the bus. I want to get to know them. I’m genuinely curious about people. That’s why I like to stay at lower budget places or the low end of the mid-range. I find if I stay at a boutique hotel, the people who work there think of you as a wealthy foreign tourist. There is a real barrier in that. When I stay at lower-end places, it’s easier to approach people and have a genuine conversation.
WL– But the luxury experience gives you a meaningful experience as well.
Lisa– I do enjoy the luxury experience, absolutely. I often plan a night or two in a nice hotel. I tend to splurge on my last day of a trip.
WL– How do you plan where in the world you want to go?
Lisa– I choose each trip based on what’s going on in my life at that time. Each trip is for its’ own reason. This trip, I’m going to La Paz and I just want to find a nice place and stay put for a week or so. Right now, I’m in the mood for some quiet time and comfort. Each trip is different.
WL– It sounds empowering to travel in tune with your life experiences.
Lisa– I feel that travel has empowered me in many ways. Travel itself is empowering. The first time I traveled solo outside of the USA it was incredibly exciting. Every time you go travel, you get more confident in your travel skills. You get better and better.
WL– Better at traveling and better at connecting with people.
Lisa– That’s what it’s really all about. I just really like to connect with people but especially people from other cultures. It’s interesting to see how the things we have in common manifest in other cultures. People think differently and do things differently but underneath, we have a lot of shared values.
WL– Is that why you like home-stays so much?
Lisa– I think so. Usually you travel, you buy their little bracelets, the little basket, or the blanket or whatever. You see these indigenous people and you see their unique clothing and maybe you read about them. But you wonder what really goes on behind the scenes. I’m just very curious about people around the world.
WL– It’s like you are an amateur anthropologist.
Lisa– I like to see myself as more of an explorer or an in informal ambassador. I don’t want the people I meet to think all Americans are a certain way and I want to understand and share what they are really like too.
WL– As a reader, I can really see how that influences your writing.
Lisa– I think I always felt I had a book or two in me. I thought of myself first as a traveler… a traveler that dreamed of writing a book someday.
WL– What are your writing habits on the road?
Lisa– I used to write these long pages. Before I even left, I’d write about what was going on in my life, why I was taking this particular trip. When things went wrong I wrote a lot!
WL– You must have reams of manuscript!
Lisa– <laughing> I have drawers full of travel journals. I went through them the other day and they brought back so many memories. But those are from before really thinking of myself as a writer.
WL– Now that you are a writer, what has changed?
Lisa– Now I make lists or if there was an interesting bit of dialogue going on I’d write it down. But with the computer, it’s very different. When I was in Indonesia I kept a diary on the computer. Part of it was that I was experiencing a lot of culture shock and I had to write to process it.
WL– If you were somewhere familiar, there would be less to write about.
Lisa– That’s right! If I went to England for 2 weeks, I don’t think I’d be keeping much of a journal. If I went to India, I’m sure I would keep one. A lot if it has to do with the amount of culture shock and the types of experience you are having.
WL– What is your ideal way to travel?
Lisa– I don’t know if it’s “ideal” but there are times where I fantasize about just going and just experiencing and not worrying about any of that (writing and recording experience)
WL– You worry that the act of recording the experience changes the experience.
Lisa– Exactly, I love photography and it’s one of my most creative forms of expression but there are times I ask myself, “am I more in the moment or less in the moment?” while taking photos. And I’ll just say (to myself) “put it down.”
WL– Sometimes the camera and the pen capture the magic other times they get in the way.
Lisa– You don’t want the journal to get in the way of knowing people. That’s the one thing I love most about traveling; the sense of community. The world embraces travelers in a way we don’t embrace each other locally.
WL– Thank you Lisa, for taking the time to talk with us and share so much with our wander readers. I’m looking forward to the debut of Magic Carpet Seduction in paperback.
If you would like to get to know more about Lisa Egle, her book, and her travels, visit her blog Chicky Bus at www.chickybus.com
<iframe src=”http://rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=wand0b-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B00CXACRPG” style=”width:120px;height:240px;” scrolling=”no” marginwidth=”0″ marginheight=”0″ frameborder=”0″></iframe>
(Author Photos compliments of Lisa Egle)