Intelligence Mission: The Traveller
The rakish Pathfinder is armed not with rifle and compass but wit, charm and curiosity. Like his military cousin, though, he is always on the hunt for knowledge, for it keeps him one step ahead of the crowd.
'Pathfinder' is a loaded term. The Pathfinders of British army parlance are a platoon within 16 Air Assault Brigade whose job is to jump into hostile territory with what they can carry on their backs and conduct reconnaissance until it is deemed safe and reasonable for everyone else to join them. By that point things like helicopter landing points and the best routes to and from the enemy have been established.
Swap in words such as ‘restaurant’ and ‘accommodation’ for the military jargon and you can quickly comprehend the subject of this issue’s Sketch. The Pathfinder in this case knows everything there is to know about an area before others join him there. He knows what clothing is required, whether you need a Mini Moke, a scooter or even a Riva to get around, and, crucially, the places that are best avoided. Instead of a rifle and compass, he is armed with an acerbic wit, a wry smile and charm that wins everyone over and encourages disclosures about how best to enjoy the area.
How do you find a Pathfinder? They are an elusive breed — much like the Bespeaker (see issue 93), you may get to meet only one of these men in your lifetime, and if you have any sense, you’ll hold on to him for dear life.
The Pathfinder is naturally curious about others, and tends, therefore, to ask more questions at the table than he tells anecdotes. He is easily impressed by new things and always wants to hear more, which is a social skill we all need to acquire. He is also mightily keen to leave no stone unturned in his pursuit of a well-lived life. It has its ups and downs: the Pathfinder becomes a relied-upon figure, and a responsibility such as this, to be a walking social lubricant, contains a lot of pressure, but find yourself a seasoned Pathfinder and he will carry the weight with relish.
What you need is an Italian. They insist on passion in their pursuits in a way that others are too nervous to emulate.
Various nationalities are better at this kind of thing than others. I am sorry to say that Britons are not made for such a persona: we have in our past had a sense of adventure, and our island history is basically one story of intrepidness after another, but now we are either too sluggish and pusillanimous or too polite to encroach on other people’s space. For Canadians it is the same. Americans are such a mixed bag that it is foolish to generalise, but it can go either way. The French are just as bad, but that is because they, understandably, are perfectly happy staying put in a land that speaks their language and has as reliable a summer as is found in the south.
What you need is an Italian. They are hardwired for this kind of thing, and insist on passion in their pursuits in a way that others are too nervous to emulate. Passion in how you eat, sleep and converse. They see life as too short to put important matters such as travel to a committee, and their charisma is a tune everyone wants to dance to.
Our Pathfinder is a man of detail; he has an uncanny ability to be relaxed, which is stressful to watch; and his artistic temperament is taken out on the work rather than the people around him. With that comes a level of taste and connoisseurship that he’s too modest to admit to, but is nevertheless far-reaching and forensic, whether it involves watches, wines, Rivas or cigars. Do you have a desire to discover something new, or uncover more of that which you already enjoy? You need a Pathfinder, he will help.
