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Probably most people would agree that traveling is fun and experiencing different cultures is like a fresh breeze of air. However, some people travel more than others and that leads them to be experts in the field.

Malachi Ray Rempen comes from a multicultural family and has lived in the US, New Mexico, and more than four other countries in Europe. Besides staying for a longer period of time, Malachi also enjoys traveling for holidays and, in the last interview, shared that he has visited about 45 countries so far. So it is safe to say that Malachi is more than qualified to share his traveling experiences in a funny comic format called "Itchy Feet Comic".

Through his comics, Malachi humorously explores travel, languages, and the quirks of cultural differences that he found to be most unique.

More info: Instagram | itchyfeetcomic.com | Facebook

Bored Panda contacted Malachi to catch up with the artist. First of, Malachi shared if there have been any changes in his creative style or routine, or maybe even new projects.

“My style is always undergoing a slow transformation. If you look at my latest comic and compare it to the first one, the changes are obvious, but every comic is some kind of tiny step in some new direction. I'm really grateful that I 'have' to do Itchy Feet every week because I'm always thinking about what I can do differently this time, and I get to practice drawing on a consistent basis. And I guess if you do anything consistently for a long time, you get better, and it changes. Sometimes these simple changes are as simple as a new gesture, expression or object, or just a slight change in the way I write the letter 'A'. Or sometimes it's a new way of coloring a sunset or depicting a silhouette. These minor things aren't usually obvious as new in a single comic, but they aggregate across the weeks and months into a steady shift in style over the years. I've been reading Calvin & Hobbes with my son recently, and it's fascinating how consistent Bill Watterson's style is over the years of its run. At least, compared to Itchy Feet. Itchy Feet is always changing.”

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Hilarious Comics Depict Culture Differences Between Different Countries

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Zedrapazia
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11 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Don't get me started on Switzerland, it's usually not even where it is alphabetically supposed to be, but somewhere bunched up at the bottom with the other countries that somehow didn't make it into the regular listing

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Malachi continued: “Part of that is also that I now design, illustrate and publish board and card games under my Keen Bean Studio brand, and because I do all my own art for those games, it has really forced me to stretch what I can do artistically. For my game Roll Camera, which is about filmmaking, I have to draw film crews shooting movies, and because in the game players make a movie using scene cards, I'm also drawing scenes from the movie you're shooting. Lots of zany stuff. My upcoming game is called Power Vacuum, and artistically it's a big step in a new direction: the game is set in a world of anthropomorphic household appliances living in an authoritarian dystopia (I call it 'The Death of Stalin meets The Brave Little Toaster'), and this has really forced me to draw outside my comfort zone, both in terms of subject and style. And of course, drawing new things makes me learn new things, and I bring those lessons back with me when I do my weekly Itchy Feet. So it's a positive feedback loop,” Malachi shared his endeavors.

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Malachi’s upbringing spanned various countries and cultures. Therefore, we were curious how this diverse background influenced his artistic expression, particularly in Itchy Feet Comics.

“I'm not sure I would qualify my background as all that diverse. It only really spans the southwest USA and parts of Europe. I guess 'diversity' is relative - I'm sure anyone who has only ever lived in a single place would find the last twenty years of my life very exotic and exciting - but it's also pretty Western world-centered. In fact, although I have a fair number of Itchy Feet comics set in Asia, they tend to be submissions by guest writers or my brother Erik, who has lived in Thailand, India, Japan and South Korea, and traveled far more extensively than I have. Strangely, I think what Itchy Feet has taught me over the years of publishing it and interacting with readers is that my background is actually far less diverse than I used to think! I wish more people would submit their own ideas for Itchy Feet comics so I can share a wider array of perspectives. I'm always welcoming submissions here.”

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Malachi also shared how the journeys inspire the settings, characters, or stories within his comics.

“It's funny, now that I'm a dad and my wife has an actual real job, we do a lot less traveling than we used to. So in the past year or so many of my travel comics center around more generic themes, rather than being about specific countries or places. I just don't have as many direct experiences to pull on as I used to. I also think, to be totally honest, that travel itself has changed. The cost of travel has dropped so dramatically in the last decade. This is a good thing because it democratizes travel for more people around the world, that's great. But it also means that almost every single place on the planet has a tourism industry. Everywhere has a tour office and a hotel and a cappuccino machine. We're globalizing more and more and getting closer and closer - again, this is a good thing overall in my opinion. But it means more comfort and less adventure, and that's less exciting for me. Or maybe it's not travel that has changed, but it's me that has changed. Same end result, I think. I travel less than I used to. All that said, I am getting itchy feet again. My son is getting old enough to join us on a real adventure... maybe I should talk to my wife... hmm... *looks at map and dreams*”, wrote Malachi.

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Joe Publique
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11 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yayyyyy. Let's have the never-ending 'to recline or not recline' debate...

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And lastly, we asked Malachi if he’s been to a country that he hadn't visited before since the last post. Malachi wrote: “When my wife and I were younger, we used to have a goal of visiting 5 new countries every year. And for a couple of years, we did! Or nearly did. But man, I can't remember the last time I was in a new country. I've been to lots of new places: the Vorarlberg region of Austria, little islands in the Gulf of Thailand, rural Indiana and Austin, Texas, Lago di Como in Italy… but it's been a long, long time since I've been to a new country. And now this is stressing me out and giving me imposter syndrome! I gotta travel again!!”

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Mimi La Souris
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11 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

"la petite souris" = the little mouse in french ( a friend of mine :D)

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Legendbird
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11 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

OBJECTION! Old books that haven't been borrowed for (in my case three years) at the library are either given away, or, what could have happened here, sold!

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Eat chicken, smoke egg.
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11 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If it was in Spanish, then isn't it a Spanish paper, thus he didn't use a translator for his French paper but for his Spanish paper for his French class?

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eMpTy
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11 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Then there was the guy who fell in love with twin girls but had to choose only one to marry. Alas, he couldn't have his Kate and Edith too.

Katrina Anderson
Community Member
11 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I thought it was reversed, ”you can’t have your cake and eat it too”, that makes a bit more sense to me.

Jeremy Crocker
Community Member
11 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is the correct order. People get confused because in this case "have" means "keep".

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Jaw gum
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11 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The Italian one is less clear, or loses greatly in the translation.

FionaStriker
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11 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If you are Percy Jackson you can swim and not get wet.

brittany
Community Member
11 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

i never understood "you made your bed now lay in it." dude i just made that bed, it is perfect, dont you dare mess up my bed!!!

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The Original Bruno
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11 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Frankly, I thought being a pirate seemed way more fun in the kid's movies.

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Catharina Geerts
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11 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Once, in Paris, someone mocked my mother because she made a few mistakes speaking French. She said he was out of place, unless his Dutch would be better than her French. Of course he didn't know a single word :D

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Purple Kiwi
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11 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Hahaha, true, but not true at the same time. Just like Canadians vs Americans etc.. but maybe us kiwis like Aussies a bit more

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Marek K (mkk3a)
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11 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Japanese voluntarily speaking English? I don't think so. I spent over 2 weeks in Japan and used Google translator all the time, even at the receptions in hotels in large cities.

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Mimi La Souris
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11 months ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

le camembert est toujours très bon :D and there is no crime during lunch time, even villains eat

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Anon Y Mous
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11 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

But if we forget, then the disaster is still happening. Ignorance is not bliss.

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Me.
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11 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The German Polish border is crossed by the last major preserved forest in Europe, and even that may go, with a wall already across it.

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Zedrapazia
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11 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's not middle school, that's Oberstufe or Sekundarstufe. The Gymnasium is the high school.

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