Why I Travel
Someone recently asked me why I love to travel, and I didn’t have an immediate answer for them. It wasn’t something I’d seriously thought about before. My initial reply was simply, “Well, why wouldn’t I? It’s awesome!”[spacer height="20px"]
But that’s not a very good answer. And so I’ve thought about it.[spacer height="20px"]
It came to me when I was still in Taiwan. I was driving on an old dirt road, following a stream-bed as it cut through the mountains. Mango fields and coconut groves swept past me making the air smell sweet. It was late in the day and the sun was low in the sky, making half the jungle glow a bright green while casting the other half in blue-hued shadow. Puffy clouds stuck to the craggy mountain peaks. The occasional monkey could be spotted climbing boulders in the distance. I was on my way to explore a new waterfall, cruising on my scooter while Brandi Carlile crooned through my iPod.[spacer height="20px"]
And it was just… perfect. How many places in the world are so beautiful that they put peace in your mind and joy in your heart?
I’m not going to say what you think-- I don’t think it’s a small number. I think that they are uncountable. I think the world is full of them—these perfect places timed with perfect moments. I think they are everywhere. Sometimes they may take a little bit of effort to find. They’re not an everyday occurrence. But I think they are just waiting to be found out.
I want to find as many as I can. I want to feel like I’ve done my very best to know that the world is beautiful and surprising and that it has so much to offer us.[spacer height="20px"]
But I want to do this without being naïve. I don’t think the world is perfect. I know that it is not. I know the world is hurting, and dirty, and violent. I know the world is hungry, and heartbroken, and angry. I know the world is dangerous. But not being naive doesn’t mean being cynical.
And I think travel makes me better. I think it makes me more compassionate. It makes me understand. It makes me appreciate. The more of the world I see, the more I realize that I love the world. I love the places I find so much. I love the people I meet—not all of them, granted. I am not by nature a people-person. But travel makes me more patient, to listen and know.
[spacer height="20px"]Travel teaches me. It teaches me that there are incredible differences in cultures and ideas and appearances, and that these differences don’t change emotions. It can temper them or it can accentuate them, but at our core, we all experience the same range of sensations.
Travel excites me. It delivers on its promise to make life interesting. It’s not always good, it’s not always easy. But it is interesting. It challenges me. It makes me grow up, but it lets me stay young. It never fails to offer something new or different.
I don’t think that this life is for everyone. I know there are plenty of critics, who think my time would be spent better back at home, finding my niche, starting a career. And some days I do worry, what will I do next? But when it comes down to it I know that this is the best life for me now. I can say with conviction that I love my life. I love what I am doing. And that, to me, tells me that it is the right thing.[spacer height="20px"]
And so, when someone asks me why I travel, I can tell them: I travel because I love the world and want to know it better. I travel to learn, to understand, and to find adventure. I travel because it is the way I am supposed to live my life.
I love your explanation. So true and I wish to travel soon myself for these very reasons and more!
“want to feel like I’ve done my very best to know that the world is beautiful and surprising and that it has so much to offer us.
But I want to do this without being naïve. I don’t think the world is perfect. I know that it is not. I know the world is hurting, and dirty, and violent. I know the world is hungry, and heartbroken, and angry. I know the world is dangerous. But not being naive doesn’t mean being cynical.”
Such maturity. Love it. I was thinking again last night how I discovered – a few months into the blogging last yr – that I was drawn to exploring truth and beauty on my board. Truth is not always beautiful. But life is beautiful. Thx for the follow. So glad we connected.
Diana
great looking blog, love the pictures, and the black and green theme really is sharp.. I like the length of the posts, and your style of writing, you make a real connection. Well done!
Beautiful post. I fully understand you as for me personally it also resumes to “I travel because I love the world”. That really says it all for me. Thank you for putting it down in words.
And thank you for reading– I’m glad it spoke to you. 🙂
Well said, it captures perfectly what inspires many of us feel as we explore the world around us and beyond.
You seem wise beyond your years–must be all the traveling! It’s a pleasure to be able to read your adventures and enjoy them vicariously.
i am glad you follow your heart and enjoy traveling. I am a traveler myself too and have managed to publish my own book. I am glad you enjoy the post on my blog. Enjoy the day
Link to my book: http://windsor-verlag.com/en/journey-time-timeless-memories-janak-mistry/
love your blog and thank you for finding and following me so that I could happen upon yours…love it! I look forward to staying updated with your posts. Gullycreekcottage.com -Belle