{"id":19929,"date":"2024-06-28T08:57:45","date_gmt":"2024-06-28T06:57:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/getitmagazine.co.za\/joburg-north\/?p=19929"},"modified":"2024-06-28T08:57:45","modified_gmt":"2024-06-28T06:57:45","slug":"its-the-journey-not-the-destination","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/getitmagazine.co.za\/joburg-north\/blog\/2024\/06\/28\/its-the-journey-not-the-destination\/","title":{"rendered":"It\u2019s the journey, not the destination"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hands up if you never look beyond Ballito or Clifton when it\u2019s time to plan your holiday? That\u2019s okay \u2013 most of us don\u2019t. Which is exactly why Mark Sham is shedding a spotlight on South Africa\u2019s small towns with his latest venture, Like A Tourist.<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Mark\u2019s career as a speaker means that he is no stranger to airports around South Africa \u2013 and that, in turn, means that he has had ample opportunity to get acquainted with our major centres. But, while there\u2019s a lot to be said for convenience and familiarity, he\u2019s far more interested in what lies just behind the bend: What would you find if you venture outside Joburg? Who might you meet? And how might their experiences be different from your own?<\/p>\n

It’s this aspect of travel \u2013 the opportunity to learn about how other people live \u2013 that has grasped Mark\u2019s imagination since he was just 13. \u201cI find it amazing that you can get on a plane in Joburg, take a nap and wake up hours later in a place where people speak differently, eat different food, think differently and behave differently,\u201d he says. That\u2019s why he considers travel to be a mind-altering form of education.<\/p>\n

But he also considers it a great pity that most of us don\u2019t open ourselves to this type of learning until we find ourselves in a foreign country.<\/p>\n

His own curiosity about South Africa exploded during the Covid pandemic, when he returned home after some time in London expecting to stay seven weeks \u2013 and never went back. \u201cI\u2019ve travelled my whole life, so I was desperate to scratch that itch during lockdown. As soon as our borders opened, I travelled South Africa flat.\u201d He made his first video about an exploration of Knysna in 2022, after realizing that, as excited as he was to share his adventures, people simply couldn\u2019t picture the beauty and magic he was experiencing. \u201cWhen I told people about the towns I visited, they\u2019d say, \u2018Oh, sounds cool\u2019. I knew that I had to show them instead.\u201d His instincts were right. The Knysna video \u201cexploded\u201d \u2013 proving to him that there\u2019s a real appetite to find out more about places that don\u2019t need a passport.<\/p>\n

And Mark is only too happy to oblige. \u201cIt\u2019s incredible for me to think that the Garden Route, with its breathtaking beauty, is in the same country as the strange and intriguing village of Nieu-Bethesda,\u201d he enthuses.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s in these little towns that you are going to find the real spirit of South Africa\u2019s people, he says. \u201cTrust me: South Africa is not the strollers on the prom in Sea Point or the people cursing in the traffic on William Nicol Drive. But you don\u2019t understand that until you travel around.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why there\u2019s something sad about setting your Waze to the shortest route possible and getting to your destination as quickly as you can. Mark is all about that \u2018sho\u2019t left\u2019. \u201cMy favorite way to travel is to allow myself time to just wander. We\u2019ll see a road that looks interesting and head down it, have a drink wherever we wind up, chat to the people, and get to know what their lives are like.\u201d Of course he\u2019ll get where he\u2019s going \u2013 he just doesn\u2019t mind taking the long way around. In fact, he prefers it: \u201cIt really is all about the journey rather than the destination.\u201d<\/p>\n

Of course, this doesn\u2019t suit everyone. \u201cMost of us lead intense lives, so it helps to have someone do the research for you; to give recommendations about where to eat, where to stay and what to do,\u201d Mark says.<\/p>\n

With more and more content creators ready to spill their travel secrets, it\u2019s become easier than ever to find those hidden gems. Facebook groups like \u201cSmall Towns South Africa\u201d are showing off the charm of dorps from Wupperthal to Wakkerstroom, from Paternoster to Port Alfred. They all have something to offer, Mark insists. \u201cDifferent places give us different things. I couldn\u2019t single out just one town as my favorite, because each offers a completely different experience. The key is to approach them as you would a village overseas, looking for the things that might interest you and giving those out-of-the-way spots a chance, rather than sticking to the commercial enterprises that won\u2019t surprise you in any way. In other words, you have to think like a tourist.\u201d<\/p>\n

The best part? Since South Africa is such a mishmash of different landscapes, you\u2019re certain to find something you love. Travel through our country for just one day, and you can go from the purple rain of a jacaranda-spangled Joburg summer to the moonscape of the Karoo and the lushness of the Garden Route. \u201cTravelling has healed my broken relationship with this country,\u201d Mark says. And he believes it can do the same for everyone else. \u201cWe\u2019re still one of the cheapest places to travel. There\u2019s no better time to pack your bags.\u201d<\/p>\n

Details: Check out @likeatouristza on Instagram and Youtube.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Start thinking like a tourist<\/strong><\/p>\n