There are many times when we find ourselves in the awkward position of having to listen to those who brag about the number of countries traveled, mileage covered, mountains climbed, oceans crossed, etc. We sincerely don’t have the slightest issue discussing these details. But what is exhausting is explaining that we don’t feel we’re in some kind of an imaginary contest.

Competitiveness is part of human nature and in some cases it’s encouraged by the social context we grew up in. While in others—less individualistic ones, where the sense of community and belonging are considered more important—competitiveness remains a secondary feature or becomes “absorbed” by the sense of community and belonging.

What we have seen until now are many travelers who tend to measure lengths, widths, heights and various other quantifiable dimensions for reasons that mystify me. “How many countries have you been to?” “How many kilometers have you done?” “How many food poisonings have you suffered from?” Numbers, numbers, numbers....

What’s confusing is why the hunt for world records or generally the notion to be “the first to do something,” whatever that may be, is so important. I’ll never forget the traveler who needed so badly to be the first who made it through a difficult route that we’d crossed some months earlier. So, he just had to publish a statement that went like this, “I was the first one to do this ride on a [specific motorcycle] and with no mechanical failures,” only to differentiate himself from us.

Yes, he was right, but what was the point if the joy of achieving something difficult has to be compared to something or someone else? Did he really enjoy the ride or did his need for recognition spoiled it?

As for the records, of course I’m not referring to important world firsts, such as: the first astronaut landing on the moon, first physicist to prove the theory of relativity, and other significant achievements that have helped humanity progress. I’m mainly referring to the meaningless “world records” like these: the first senior married couple to do the Panamerican Highway two-up on a motorcycle smaller than 400cc, the first young not-yet-married-but-soon-to-be-married couple to circumnavigate Africa in less than six months on two 125cc bikes, the first 25-year-old momma’s boy to ride his motorbike along the Mediterranean coast, etc. And, I’d also like to make it clear that I fully support attempts that may clearly motivate groups of people to do something that they wouldn’t otherwise dare to do.

Back to the not so important records—what if one fails their goal for a record like the those I mentioned above? Does it really matter? Did the success or failure make the world a better place? Did it have any impact whatsoever? What probably happened is that having done everything in pursuit of “beating” someone else made them more stressed or more competitive towards imaginary adversaries.

Before I close, here’s my last comment on the topic: Aren’t most of us out there traveling to break free from the demanding and mentally (or physically) exhausting reality we live? Why would one want to jump from one into another exhausting reality? So, what if we tried to see things in a new light? We all have different motives and needs, and I respect everyone’s views, but perceiving life as an opportunity to learn and grow and not as a constant need to dominate things may turn out to be a surprisingly uplifting shift in PoV!
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Stergios and Alexandra (both Greeks) first met in 2014 in the DRC while he was on his RTW and she was doing Ph.D. fieldwork. Since then, they’ve been traveling together. They write, film, photograph and ride their scooter around the world, combining their passions—and have recently released their first book, Rice & Dirt: Across Africa on a Vespa. WorldVespa.net