The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page. -Saint Augustine
To say that I love to travel does not really explain what traveling means to me. There are lots of things that I love, but none of them fulfill me the way travel does. Nothing can break me open and invigorate my spirit like the experience of being in a foreign place. Nothing can heighten my awareness and bring me into the present moment like it does.
When I travel to a new place, I plan only where I’ll stay and how I’ll get there. I research the history of the place and make a mental note of significant things and places in the area, and then I just go. I walk everywhere and aimlessly, only taking public transit in cases of very long distances. I usually prefer to travel alone. This to me is the ultimate experience.
One travels more usefully when alone, because he reflects more. -Thomas Jefferson
Each day I spend wandering in a new place feels like a dream or some otherwordly experience. And to some degree it is otherworldly, as my everyday environment and day-to-day life become a kind of micro world that has its routines, and limits, and familiarity.
Of course it also has its comforts, charms, and highlights, but they lack that certain splendor that they had when they were new. It’s completely possible to see a known place with new eyes, but it takes effort and it’s rare to do so. And no matter how much I adore traveling, it always feels good to come back home.
It’s been a few months since I’ve been anywhere new, and I usually begin to develop a certain yearning when I haven’t been away in a while. I begin to feel in my bones that it’s time for a new adventure in an unfamiliar place where even the cracks in the pavement can fascinate me.
I began to feel the tug yesterday and today I booked a 3 night stay in London, which is just a short flight away and a city I’ve wanted to see for a very long time. I’ll be moving back to the US very soon, and I’m glad to close this chapter of my life with a visit to such a prominent location.
I believe that travel has a significant enriching capability. It transforms wonder into knowledge, awakens the mind to the endless stream of possibility, enhances self-awareness, builds courage, encourages humility, promotes understanding, and above all, reminds every traveler that no matter where they go, they can not escape themselves, but that they can, and indeed will, face themselves and grow.
Do you love to travel? What do you love about it?
Be you and enjoy it.
