Roam if You Want to

Admit it, you've always wondered what it would be like to live like Hemingway--to wrestle a few lions near Kilimanjaro, take in a couple of bullfights in Seville, or lounge all day sipping wine in sun-splashed Parisian cafes.

The life of the bon vivant is closer to home than you may think. Since the 1960s. Let's Go, Inc. has sent thousands of Harvard students to practically every corner of the globe in search of the best bargains for the shoestring traveler, They may not confront lions, but they have their own share of hair-raising tales to relate.

Dan Glover '94, a researcher-writer for Let's Go: France, encountered a herd of belligerent-looking bulls while exploring the city of Ilerousse, in Corsica.

"I couldn't really get away," says Glover, "I was on a road with escarpments on both sides, which was grazing land for a bunch of bulls and cows. There was no one around, just me. I had to wait until the bulls were distracted by a car before I could go on."

Indeed, the work of a researcher-writer is not without its potential hazards.

During his six-week sojourn in Thailand last summer, Roy Prieb '95 received a marriage proposition. "I was walking along the main street in Nan, which is a small close-knit village in southern Thailand, when I met these two old ladies, who started chatting with me," says Prieb, who speaks Thai fluently. "Next thing I know, they try to set me up with their granddaughters."

In the wilderness of Alaska, Matthew J. Heid '96 encountered caribou, grizzly bears and moose, but none made untoward advances. The most unpleasant inconvenience Heid endured was having to wear heavy, warm clothing in 85 degree weather for several days.

"There were so many mosquitoes at Anaktuvuk Pass I had to wear pile pants," says Heid. "Even then, they flew in my ears and nose. I couldn't breathe too deeply, or I'd breathe them in.

Trails and tribulations, aside, researcher-writers are no strangers to the good life. In fact, it is not unusual for them to receive royal treatment wherever they happen to traverse.

"When I explained to restaurant owners that I was a Let's Go researcher-writer, and asked for samples, they would bring me plates and plates of food," says Caralee E. Caplan '94, who researched Washington, D.C.

Researcher-writers are indeed coddled and pampered by those in the service industry. From trendy L.A.. clubs to Disneyland, the Let's go name magically opens doors.

"I was admitted into clubs for free, I was offered free drinks, I got into Disneyland for free, I even stayed at some hostels for free," says Todd B. Kristol '95.

Before rushing to fill out that application, be forewarned that the job of a researcher-writer is not all fun and games.

For starters, researcher-writers must gather and update basic information, such as emergency telephone numbers, the opening hours of museums and restaurants, room rates at various hotels, and the like. They must also write and revise city descriptions.

"It's a huge amount of work," says Ann T. Kennon '94, who investigated Arizona and Texas. "I had five different copy batches, and it was some times hard to stay on schedule."

A large amount of the work in volved in researching-writing concerns neither researching nor writing, but organizing one's trip beforehand in some detail.

"I felt sometimes that it was a 24-hour-a-day job," says Maya R. Jasanoff '96, who researched Wales and Southwest England. "Even when I wasn't researching, I was making plans for where I was going to stay next."

"I would usually be out at 7:30 in the morning, have dinner at around five, and then get back and write till 1:30 a.m.," says Glover.

Researcher-writers who selected areas with which they had some familiarity, either in terms of the language or contacts, found their jobs simpler.

"I grew up in New York, so I knew the city pretty well. It didn't feel like a job, really," says New York City researcher-writer Shyama Patel '94. "Research-writing just fit in with everything else I would have done over the summer anyway. I would meet friends at cafes I was reviewing--I meshed my social life and my work, and it was incredibly fun."

Other researcher-writers, however, found the job frustrating.

"Let's Go was really disorganized [in] putting my trip together," says Kennon. "[Also] there were a couple of times when I went to suggested hotels, which turned out to be in unsafe neighborhoods.

The thrill of traveling solo nevertheless drew 300 applicants for 95 researcher-writer positions last year. Indeed, perhaps the ultimate lure is the independence of traveling alone.

"I found the freedom of being by myself exhilarating," says Heid. "I love the outdoors, the wilderness, and sometimes I didn't see a single person for days. But I loved it."

"I met a lot of people from other countries," says Glover. "I find people gravitate towards you if you're traveling alone. I'd rather travel alone than with friends, because if you're with friends you tend not to want to meet other people."

Still, the road of researcher-writer can be a lonely one. "There were times when I would dine at really nice restaurants, and I would notice how everyone else was eating with a date or whatever," says Caplan. "Or I would sneeze, and realize there was no one to say 'Bless you'."