Travel comes down to 3 things: time, money, and grit
Over the last decade, I have mostly lived out of a 40-60L bag. When you’re nomadic, you end up meeting new people from all walks of life every day with a loose routine but waking up in new places and eating and exploring different things often. And after a few years, you really start to see patterns in human behaviour. If you know me, you’ve heard me say how I wish I had studied psychology or sociology, and anthropology so I could watch “professionally”.
I have literally come across less people than I can count on my fingers and toes who have truly embraced the art of travel and goes where opportunity leads them. I would like to reiterate that this is purely my personal observation; everything, even travel, comes down to is 3 things: money, time, and grit. We either throw money at a problem, we spend time fixing the problem or we learn how to fix the problem: everything is a balance and blend of the three.
From my years on the road, I have noticed that there are only a few types of travellers.
Backpackers have all the time in the world but tend to spend as little money as possible. Unfortunately, they chose quantity over quality, going where the wind blows them, valuing the number of countries they have been to over truly experiencing and knowing the country they are in for what it is. For the most part, backpackers speak mostly to other backpackers, taking each other's advice, following the same trail; in Southeast Asia, it is called the “banana pancake trail.” Backpackers mostly pay with a lot of grit and time.
The off-shoot of this, which is a newer phenomenon, is the selfie-seekers who quite literally travel to selfie spots to take photos. They travel along the same backpacker routes, because selfie-spots were after all made infamous by travel influencers. Selfie-seekers mostly pay with money and little bit of grit.
Holidayers have limited time and mostly indispensable income. They tend to stay at big-name hotels or resorts and explore based on what said accommodation offers. These big-name hotels tend to play it safe, bringing their customers only to popular touristy spots, also along that banana pancake trail. They offer what everyone else is offering because it is “guaranteed not to disappoint.” Holidayers mostly pay with money.
Lastly, you have your everyday traveller who is flexible with their time and their money. These guys travel similar to backpackers but with the budget of holidayers. They do their research and are able to spend the money needed to have experiences that will truly be memorable. Travellers tend to follow the same banana pancake trail because the information readily available directs everyone in the same general direction. Travellers pay a nice balance of time, money, and grit.
Unfortunately, all these travellers share something in common: the lack of good, consolidated information online about the options and adventures that are really out there. And of course, there is the adventurer, being the first in the family or friend group to go to a new place because they seek a sense of discovery and authenticity. The adventurer’s price for travel is paid with a lot of grit and a lot of time.
Chickenfeet Travels was built and designed by adventurers who want to make experiences easily available for travellers.
I have the fundamental belief that there are adventures and experiences still out there that foster a sense of discovery and true adventure. I am constantly seeking out the places that someone, mostly a local person, quickly mentions in a story. If it's a story worth retelling, it must be worth a visit, from my point of view.
For those travellers really seeking an authentic experience in Southeast Asia, we help people with the most important factor: we save you time, the one thing you cannot get back. We guarantee that what you pay for will be worth it, and as long as you sacrifice a bit of comfort for grit, we will show you the best version of each destination.
Time: There are those who love travel planning and then there are those you just cannot; we are built for the later. We have done hours of research, followed up by days and weeks spent exploring destination, and years of nurturing relationships with the guides, drivers, and all the hotel and cafe owners along the way.
Grit: For most of our destinations, western comforts (toilet, hot shower, clean comfy bed, and wifi) are almost always available; westernized food is guaranteed every third day at the minimum. And for those who truly seek adventure, we have very off-the-beaten-path adventures, camping on deserted beaches, where you pay with a lot of grit, but are rewarded with untouched wilderness and authentic experiences with local communities who see less than 50 foreigners a year.
Money: Yes, you will pay more when you book with us, but we guarantee you will be taken care of on the ground by some of the most generous, humble guides who have the best stories. A lot of the guides we work with pioneered tourism in their region and uphold a certain standard for all newcomers in the tourism industry in their area. The hardest part about making a holiday a memory is walking away with stories to re-tell about the great personalities you meet along the way, we guarantee our guides have lived a life with stories to tell and have infinite the local knowledge that you cannot find online.
Our perfect customers are those who are willing to pay a slight premium to explore off-the-beaten-track places, with a little bit more time to feel and experience each destination, and comfortable sacrificing some comforts for barefoot luxuries. And most importantly, a mindset for adventure.
