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Many of our readers have responded to Daisann McLane’s latest column in our September issue, “The Lies We Tell,” in which she discusses posing as a jewelry designer when visiting a gem dealer in Jaipur, India, and other instances when she’s twisted the truth while traveling. An excerpt:

…when I travel, I’ll improvise extravagant new identities for
myself only with shopkeepers, hoteliers, and strangers I’m absolutely
sure I’ll never see again. I try on the hats that, but for a few twists
of fate, I might have worn (as well as some I would not have):
anthropology professor, Peace Corps volunteer, Hare Krishna devotee. If
I meet someone who my gut tells me could become a friend (or someone
who–hello Facebook–might know one of mine!), I make sure I keep it real.

Some of you were astounded, saying that we had condoned lying or posing under false pretenses. “What kind of article is this, an encouragement to lie as we travel?” reader Jim asked. “I could not believe my eyes when I read her tacit approval of lying to others.” Others saw the practical benefit: “As long as it’s not illegal, stretching the truth can keep you safer. I once had to fake my way out of an angry protest mob of hundreds,” wrote Dave.

For some like Raechal, it was the artifice of adolesence: “Growing up in a divorced family with my mother in Maine and my father in California I would travel by plane, train, and automobile between the two homes. Quite often I would pretend to be someone else, traveling for some other reason to elicit different responses from people. It was a form of amusement for an adolescent during a long and tedious trip.”

And for others, it was a white lie, depending on the circumstance. Writes Marce: “I have double citizenship, and sometimes I introduce myself with one or another depending on the situation.”

What’s your take? Read the piece and let us know.

Photo: Martin La Delfa, My Shot
















India – Travel – Recreation – Travelogues – Asia

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