A Walk and Talk

How to implement?

UPDATE: A commenter recommends the explainer of walk-and-talk by Kevin Kelly and Craig Mod.

Dan Wang’s 2023 letter includes an enthralling description of a “walk-and-talk.”

One of the ideas of the walk-and-talk, as Craig puts it, is to put adults in situations they may not have experienced since they were kids: “new people, unknown environs, continuous socializing, intense conversations.” Our demographics leaned toward the middle-aged and self-employed: people who could afford to disconnect from family and work obligations for what was really a ten-day commitment in early December. Few of the twelve of us had previously met anyone else on this trip and a long walk is a fast way to get to know someone. Talking happened naturally, as the landscape continuously reconfigured us into knots of two or three. Our conversation weaved into a single strand over the nightly dinner, with Kevin moderating over one topic.

It sounds like the logistics involved what people call “credit-card camping.” That is, you stay in a hotel at night, and your belongings are carried in a van. Note that instead of hiring a driver you could take turns driving the van.

I will refer to it as “Wang’s walk,” although he was not the organizer. It sounds like something I would like to do myself. Outdoors, physical activity, some mental stimulation, and low-key socializing all would be appealing. The key to making it satisfying for me would be having people I enjoy conversing with. Otherwise, there are small changes that would not detract from it for my purposes.

Wang’s walk was over a 7 day period. I guess that 5 days would be enough for me. In fact, if I were not sure that I had chosen a good set of people, I might not want to commit to more than 3 days.

Wang’s walk was in Thailand. I do not need such an exotic location. I could go for a route that is only slightly less monotonous than the path along the C&O canal. I would not want really rugged terrain, because that would inhibit talking.

It sounds like the meals on Wang’s walk were more elaborate than I need. Probably to accommodate other people I would have to put up with some high end meals. But I personally only enjoy restaurant food on an occasional basis.

Wang’s walk averaged 15 kilometers a day. That seems like less than 5 hours of walking. I could see bumping that up to 3-4 hours before lunch and 3-4 hours afterward. That might mean that the average age of people on the walk would be closer to 55 or 60. I am almost 70, and while I do not think of myself as being in great shape, at my age it is not so common to be able to walk 7 hours a day. I cannot think of any couple among our friends where both spouses could do it.

If you agree with me that a walk-and-talk sounds intriguing, leave a comment. What location in the U.S. do you think would be ideal? What could discourage you from trying it, and what would disappoint you if you were to try it?