I’ve often had aspirations to become a travel writer, gallivanting across the globe and sharing my insights on cool, out of the way spots. My articles would be featured on sites like Condé Nast, Lonely Planet and their ilk. Upscale resort destinations and tour companies would pay me ridiculous sums of money to review and feature their offerings to the travel public. They would bend over backward to make sure I featured them favorably, thus ensuring their attractiveness to the high-paying, highly influential public.
There’s just one problem. One significant barrier in my way to achieving this lofty aspiration. I don’t travel enough. Apparently it’s hard to become a travel writer if you don’t do much travel.
Perhaps had I started back in my twenties, you know, when I had no such aspirations, I might have achieved this career by my sixties. Alas! it’s a bit late now, I fear. I’ll just have to reconcile myself to the occasional blog post about past travel adventures, regaling my loyal followers of glory days gone by.
But there was one guy starting off in his twenties who went on to have a pretty interesting career. And not only did he become the first successful travel writer, but he also developed a bit of a reputation as foodie.
Meet William Dampier, British privateer and travel writer from the 1600’s.
Portrait of William Dampier, by Thomas Murray
Believe it or not, Mr. Dampier was the first person to bring the world the recipe for guacamole. And he introduced us to “barbecue” and “chopsticks”! All this while embarking on a career as a high-seas pirate. That’s right, Dampier was a buccaneering foodie travel writer! How’s that for a career title?
How to Finance a Boat Trip
Growing up in my twenties, I had a longing to travel. For me it was road trips. That was the kind of travel that really appealed to me. Probably not unlike Mr. Dampier, who was called out by the open seas. Boat trips were his chosen travel style.
Now I didn’t engage in larceny or extortion on any of my road trips, but apparently that was Mr. Dampier’s “side hustle”. I chose to save up my money before embarking on my travels. Dampier financed his excursions along the way.
Dampier wasn’t cut out for a life on land, and he soon came to realize, along with his more famous compatriots, Sir Walter Raleigh and James Cooke, he could make a pretty profitable life for himself as a pirate.
A Pirate Becomes a Travel Writer
What separated Dampier from those other, more famous pirates, was his penchant for writing everything down. He was a prolific diarist, documenting everything from life aboard ship for months at a time, to how to prepare manatee.
While exploring around Panama, Dampier wrote about a fruit “as big as a large lemon … [with] skin [like] black bark, and pretty smooth.” He went on to describe its preparation as “mixed with sugar and lime juice and beaten together [on] a plate.” No doubt the English world’s first recipe for guacamole!
Dampier also wrote, completely untrained, about meteorology, botany, zoology, and marine navigation. But it seems his favourite subject was food. He described different foods and their preparation, from his journeys circumnavigating the world. He detailed his experiences with eating manatee, flamingo, and sea turtles. Dampier is even credited with publishing the first recipe for mango chutney!
The Mutiny on The Bounty
Additionally, he’s credited with introducing the British Crown to a delicacy from Tahiti.
“When [it] is ripe it is yellow and soft; and the taste is delicious … The inside is soft, tender, and white, like the crumb of a pennyloaf.”
He called it “breadfruit”, which, thanks to his passionate and detailed description, seemed the ideal solution to feeding the slaves on British sugar plantations in the West Indies. The fruit was fast growing, highly nutritious, required little cultivation, and withstood hurricane-force winds.
This of course led to the ill-fated expedition of The Bounty, which then led to The Mutiny On The Bounty. So you see, not only was William Dampier a Pirate, a Foodie, and a Travel Writer, he was also an Influencer! Just imagine what he could have done with an Instagram following and a Tik Tok account!
Dampier kept his journals tied up safely in wax sealed bamboo tubes. So even though he lost ships to sea, most of his writings were saved for posterity. In fact, he went on to write his first book, A New Voyage Around The World, while serving a year in a Spanish jail. The book went on to become an international bestseller, leading to fame and wealth for Dampier.
Unfortunately this didn’t stop him from later dying penniless and in debt. Such is the life of a pirate. Even for the most famous, life seems to catch up with them in the end…
Can I Still Become a Travel Writer?
Now you may be wondering what any of this has to do with me. What the heck am I writing a history lesson for, when I should be getting on writing about more meaningful stuff, like family, road trips, and dancing?
In all my writing about road trips, hikes and other travel, I never talked about the food. It seems that food was not really top of mind on those trips. Even though what I ate actually played a big part in at least one of my trips. When I was in Baja for a month, I got quite sick on a bad restaurant meal of chiles rellenos that had me touring outhouses and deserted roadside shacks for the better part of two days.
No, I’m not the kind of person who documents my dining experiences. My Instagram feed isn’t peppered with all the fancy dinners I’ve prepared. I’m no Anthony Bourdain, or, apparently, William Dampier. And you’ll certainly never see me write a post about “The Best Restaurants in Medicine Hat”.
Last night’s gravy
I like travel. I like writing. And I’m looking forward to our next bit of travel, our road trip to the Grand Canyon and Death Valley. I’m also looking forward to writing about it and sharing it here. But I’ll leave the descriptions of the preparation of prickly pear cactus to the foodie travel writers.
After all, the world is brimming with bloggers who can wax poetic about microgreens, gourmet food trucks and molecular gastronomy. Me? I’ll stick to the backroads, the hiking trails, and the peculiar joy of discovering the quirks of a small town gas station convenience store at 2 a.m. (Pro tip: the jerky labeled “spicy” is not kidding.)
So, as we gear up for our Spring road trip, I promise to stick to what I do half-decently: tales of dusty trails, breathtaking landscapes, and maybe the occasional unfortunate encounter with nature’s less glamorous side. Just don’t ask what I’m eating along the way—because, really, nobody cares about my Double-Double from In-N-Out Burger.
