Interview Time
Interview Time With Gerald Reisecker and Paul Scraton
This month sees the birth of something beautiful in your newsletter – a friendship with the fantastically free Packed Magazine. For a long time Packed has been a major player in the arena of what's hot and what’s affordable on the backpacker trail. That's why we decided to catch up with Gerald Reisecker, the creator and publisher of this backpacking bible. He's Austrian, he loves travelling, good music, Thai food, Bundy & Coke, snowboarding, Sydney and his wife Brigitte.
And just like a fine wine, we're complimenting this succulent main course with a little one on one time with the Editor in Chief of Packed, Paul Scraton.
Packed–man Gerald
1. Lets take it back to basics for the backpackers out there who are new to the idea of Packed and St Christopher’s. Where are you from, what did you do before Packed and how did you get the travel bug?
I got bitten by the travel bug reading The Beach by Alex Garland. Having met some of the greatest people in my life during my travels this itching never stopped. I started travelling with a trip to 'old' Prague when I was in High School. When I was studying Communication I did several exchange programs and took 6 months off to travel from Bangkok to Auckland. I also did some exchange semesters in Perugia and Melbourne and yes, I wrote my thesis about Backpacking in Australia.
2. If someone put a gun against your head, twisted your arm and forced you to define Packed in fifteen words or less, what would you say?
Please don't kill me!?! No just kidding. Packed is an independent travel magazine with real content by and for, real travellers.
3. You said that the inspiration for Packed came to you on a beach in Western Australia. What was it that pushed you to start the magazine and who did you involve to get it going?
We were sitting on a beach, reading and looking at images of where to go next in a free magazine for Backpackers. Having worked as a night porter in a Salzburg hostel, I knew what was on the reception and information desks around Europe. There was nothing except those colorful flyers so I thought the time was right to offer a free magazine for travellers in Europe.
I believe that travellers all over the world are seeking real experiences - they want to see real images of destinations and hear about adventures and news of the latest events. So on the very next day I started scribbling around in my travel notebook and I wouldn't stop for the whole trip. That's how the idea of Packed was born.
Back in Austria I met an exceptional person - Wolfgang, an adventure and outdoor pioneer who loved the company of backpackers. He used to run a magazine for them in the 90s on the side and it was him who gave me the spirit to get started. Sadly Wolfgang died in a plane crash last fall. His motivation from those days lives on with every new issue of Packed. This never would have been possible without Packed-partners-in-crime Dave, Reini and my now-wife Brigitte.
4. You provide an amazing resource for backpackers across Europe. Where would you like to take Packed over the next ten years?
I have a vision that Packed will be up for grabs in every quality hostel, youth-information center and University in Europe. More than this we are finally able to realise our plans for a powerful worldwide, online version.
On the other side of things I like the idea of only sharing ideas and tips with the special crowd who stay in hostels - our current readers.
Wish number 1 on my list however would be to find a non-profit-based organisation such as the EU tourism commission, or a travel enthusiast with deep pockets like Sir Richard Branson or Bill Bryson, who would invest in Packed for the love of travel and travellers.
5. What major problems do you think the next generation of backpackers will face?
I can't think of any. Travelling, especially in Europe is getting easier in my opinion. I think of open borders, the many new hostels opening up and low cost airlines. Money can't be the problem either as flights are cheaper than they were ten years ago and students can work hard if they want to earn some travel money for the trip of a lifetime. Let's face it, this is more rewarding anyway.
Are there any real adventures left in Europe, destinations to explore, experiences to be had? I think yes. If you seek real experiences just get off the beaten track and meet the locals in towns and villages. You won't find this in any guidebook or in Packed so if you want to - make your own adventure.
6. Terrorism has had a major impact on many industries across the globe. What do you think the true impact has been on our patch of the tourism industry and in your opinion, how well has the backpacker movement adapted?
I travelled to London one day after the bombings and luckily our flights weren't canceled. Apart from the airport we found a business-as-usual London, got pissed in the hostel bar and went on a Thames cruise with fellow travellers. This experience reinforces what I learnt during my studies. Backpackers and independent travellers are keen travellers. They even take advantage of cheaper flights after terror warnings.
7. Flashpacking keeps cropping up with two definitions. The first is backpacking with a little luxury. The second is traveling in a flash – basically spending no more than a few hours in one location and seeing a lot more. As an authority figure on the backpacker trail, which side of the fence would you come down on?
I still think one's travel style is mainly based on age, budget and travel time. Depending on these factors you can call yourself a Backpacker, a Flashpacker, an Independent traveller or whatever you like.
If I were an 18-year-old American travelling around Europe on a 3 month break (and therefore on a budget) I would stay in quads or 8 bed-dorms to save money for a night-out. I would take my time to explore destinations, explore word-of-mouth or Packed destinations that weren't initially on my list and stay as long as I wanted to stay in one place.
However if I were a 30-year-old American on a 3 week holiday from work, I would still stay in hostels for the atmosphere but I would prefer doubles because I worked for it! I earned it! I would do whatever I wanted to do, treat myself and see as many destinations as possible. I'd also plan it all at home before I left as because I wouldn't know when or if I'd be back again.
8. This is a question that I ask all my interviewees, but what would your advice be to the army of aspiring travel writers who enter the St Christopher’s Write For A Night competition and what do you think is the best way to combine a love for travelling with a passion for writing?
Be different! Write about experiences, not just the major sights. Write about characters, not just places. Write stories, not travelogues. It's easy to be different. Just imagine hoards of tourists photographing for example, a major sight like the Statue of Liberty. Everyone will have pretty much the same photo from the same angle - but you will take a different perspective and so your photo, your feature will be different to the rest.
9. What’s the most fun you've had backpacking, where was it and who did it involve?
That's like asking what's your favorite destination? Hard to tell, but I remember the 4 wheel drive tour on Fraser Island and the huge party with the groups afterwards. It included everything from Karaoke to 1,125 beer jugs.
10. Finally - why do you think it's important for backpacker resources like Packed and St Christopher's to work together?
Because the hostel world is still an independent industry and this is like a community on its own, in the huge tourism sector. That’s why we teamed up with a bunch of Real Travel People from the start, such as Tim the tourman and Travis from bugbitten. Sure I'm talking about companies here but more importantly the guys behind those brands are more than business partners - they are mates. We had some beers together and we'd like to shout the next round for the St Christopher's team. Cheers!
Editor Extraordinaire – Paul
1. To a lot of backpackers out there, you have the best job on the planet. Where do you get the motivation to do what you do and would you ever dream of doing anything else?
Since I finished university I have lived in Berlin. I worked for a long time in a hostel, and then for a hostel website. Now I am a freelance writer and one of my jobs is Packed Magazine. It is a great privilege to be able to work when and where you want, to give opportunities to writers you like, and hopefully inspire some of the readers to try something or go somewhere that they may have otherwise missed. Unless I sell a million copies of an as yet unfinished novel, I think this is pretty much a perfect job so I won't be looking for anything else at the moment.
2. With the expansion of budget airlines and alternative modes of transport, the tourist circuit is spreading to the more remote parts of Europe and Africa. What do you think the next top five backpacker locations will be over the next ten years?
I have no idea which five will be on top a decade from now but I can think of five places that I would love more people to travel to and experience. Sarajevo remains one of the best experiences of my life, mainly because of the people I met there. Although I have never been there, everyone who has tells me Montenegro is stunningly beautiful. With the European Championships in 2012, more and more people will discover the Ukraine and Poland, whilst closer to home you guys need to open up a hostel in Belfast…another of my favourite cities.
3. Out of these, where would you be happiest and why?
I would say Belfast, because I have family and friends there, the Guinness is excellent and the arts and cultural scene is booming right now.
4. We recommend the top five books on the road to our readers each month. What are you reading at the minute and what’s the best book to keep you company when you’re stranded in the airport for 12 hours?
My favourite travel writer of all time is Jan Morris. Her writing is so evocative in relation to the places she visits. If I could write like her then I'd be a happy man! At the moment I am reading Geert Mak's In Europe: Travels Through the Twentieth Century. He is a Dutch journalist who travelled to the important historical sites of Europe in 1999 to file reports for his newspaper. I'm at the beginning but it looks like a fascinating combination of travel writing, history and reportage.
5. Where do you want to take Packed in the near future and what exciting treats can your readers look forward to in 2007?
I just hope that when people pick up Packed in a hostel and stuff it in their rucksack to read on the train, that something they find in there inspires them on that journey or the next. The idea is to give ideas, if you see what I mean! So there will be more features on interesting places, both the well known and off the beaten track, and also we hope to always offer up things that the readers won't find in their guidebooks.
6. I loved the recent Grand Tour feature in Packed. Would you ever consider doing the route at the same seventeenth century pace and what do you think the best architectural additions have been along the way – over the past four centuries?
I'm not the biggest fan of horses and most hostels don't have anywhere to put them, so I would choose a different mode of transport for sure. As for architectural additions, my favourite buildings in Europe include the much-maligned television tower here in Berlin, everything that Gaudi worked on in Barcelona and of course Anfield. In particular I like the Kop, in Liverpool.
7. Later in the year we're going to be launching a massive new project as we open the St Christopher's in Paris. If you only had twelve hours and €50 in the French capital, what would be on your itinerary?
Eating! I would explore the city on foot to save as much money as possible, stop off at the Shakespeare and Co Bookshop for a browse, and then tap up some people I know for tips on the best place to eat out in the city. You can learn a lot about a culture from its cuisine and the French more than most.
8. Who has been the biggest backpacking force of nature that you've met so far and in your opinion, what is it that drives this breed of travellers to do the thing they do?
I've met all kinds of people in hostels and bars around Europe, but one of the most interesting was an American guy in his late twenties that I met in Dubrovnik. It was January and he always returned at the start of the year to this particular guesthouse to recharge his batteries before heading out again for another twelve months of hostel-hopping and train-rides in Europe and beyond. At that point he had been going for four years and without the annual Dubrovnik detox I'm not sure if he could have kept going for so long.
As for why him and “career travellers” like him do it, I'm not sure. Escape perhaps. The thrill of seeing something new every day, I guess. I might be the editor of a travel magazine but this life would not be for me. I like going home to my own bed too much!
9. If you happened to set off on a stag do, with a bottle of vodka and a passport, which railway station would you prefer to wake up in – handcuffed to the railings?
Vladivostock. Although ideally I would have stayed conscious throughout the Trans-Siberian stag do. The secret would be to pace yourself.
10. You wake up one day with the power to crown the best comedian of our time. Who do you pick?
Funniest person in history? Wow, tough question. Being a good son of Lancashire my favourite at the moment would probably be Peter Kay. I don’t know whether you would call Chris Morris a comedian but the Day Today and Brass Eye were two of the funniest shows I've ever seen. Certain politicians make me laugh as well, but I don't think it is intentional.
