Jae-Ha Kim
Baltimore Sun
December 31, 2019
Musician Kurt Reifler divides his time between the United States, Germany and Malta. His motto for getting from one home to the other is the same as when he tours or travels for pleasure: less is more. “I travel with a Timbuk2 daypack and have lived out of that for months at a time, no problem. The clothes on my back, plus about three days more in the bag,” he says. “I either wear the coat I’m bringing, purchase one when I arrive or, better yet, I try not to be in places that would require a coat.” Reifler’s latest EP, “The Bear,” is the second of a two-part project that pays tribute to the life and death of his friend, who passed away three years ago. For more information, check out his website and Facebook.
Q. What is your favorite vacation destination?
A. Tough one. I find myself migrating to Southeast Asia when it’s time to reset, particularly to Thailand and Vietnam.
Q. To someone who was going there for the first time, what would you recommend that they do during their visit?
A. Take a motorbike trip through Vietnam. You can go on a guided adventure for a week for less than it would cost you to just live in the West for that same amount of time. And what’s liberating about a motorbike trip is that you aren’t waiting. Traveling is full of waiting — buses, trains, events. On a motorbike, you just go.
Q. What untapped destination should people know about?
A. I recently spent three months in Bulgaria, mostly in Plovdiv, which is (one of the) oldest cities in Europe. The English level was surprisingly decent, and the culture and history are very rich. Being American, it’s always incredible to me that our old is a few hundred years. Europe’s old is thousands of years.
Q. What was the first trip you took as a child?
A. I went to New Orleans. I remember being about 10 years old, watching a horn band on the street and thinking, “If I was ever that cool, even for a single moment, I could die happy.” In some ways I think I still feel that way.
Q. What’s the most important thing you’ve learned from your travels?
A. I can honestly say that people are the same everywhere. Six continents and 50-plus countries have taught me that people have the same needs, wants, drives, problems and solutions everywhere. There’s something humbling about being all over the globe and realizing that your neighbors on your street are just like your neighbors across the globe.
Q. If you could only pick one place to eat, would you choose a food truck or fine dining at a nice restaurant?
A. I try to make the most of the food I eat. I’d like to start producing most of the food I eat, too. But if I’m limited to a food truck or fine dining, I’d go with the food truck. It suits me more. I don’t want anyone to pretend to care what I order. “Excellent choice, sir!”
Q. Do you speak any foreign languages?
A. I can be polite in five languages and can communicate effectively in one.
Q. What are your five favorite cities?
A. This is a fluid and changing list, but let’s take a shot at it, in no particular order: New Orleans, Melbourne, Louisville, Berlin, Tulum (Mexico).
Q. When you go away, what are some of your must-have items?
A. Phone, keys, wallet, passport, laptop. That’s really it. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from traveling, it’s that the less you bring, the better. There’s virtually nothing that you would need that you couldn’t find where you’re going if you truly had to. And really, what do you need?
Q. What would be your dream trip?
A. I can honestly say that my life has been one dream trip. I have gone virtually everywhere I’ve wanted for as long as I’ve wanted, while also balancing my adventures with holidays and family obligations.
Q. What kind of research do you do before you go away on a trip?
A. Wikipedia, Airbnb and some cultural sites. When I arrive somewhere, I usually try and find the coffee shops and the music bars, even if I’m not playing or on tour. The heartbeat of a place is usually found where the drugs are. And by drugs, I mean coffee and alcohol.
© 2019 JAE-HA KIM
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