THIS IS WHY YOU SHOULD TRAVEL
So that when you get to the end of the path, you can say you made your own path.
So that you have memories that only you can have of an exact moment in time that will never, ever exist for anyone ever again in exactly the way it existed for you.
In some ways it doesn’t matter why you travel but it should at least make a difference in your life, good or bad. Any experience, even a bad one, is a good experience to have.
The exception is the two trips I did when I was in my twenties and the third one we did with our teenagers. These trips did nothing to change my life in any way, good or bad. We travelled because we could. I didn’t really care whether we travelled or not. Often I travelled because my (then) husband suggested it, not from any real desire to visit the place. We travelled to the typical Asian countries that Australians travel to, thinking themselves worldly-wise. We took all of our Australian-ness with us, expecting these countries to cater to us in a way we were familiar with. We stayed in accommodation that felt like home, only ate food we recognized, spoke English and expected everyone to speak English to us.
It is a very long flight to anywhere from here. 20+ hours in a tin can with bad air, bad food and the smell of sweaty armpits is something you shouldn’t go through for no reason. (Those lucky residents of European countries who simply hop from one country to another in a couple of hours have no concept of the pain involved in travelling anywhere good from Australia). If you are going to spend the equivalent of two and a half weeks’ wages on a flight, and the rest of the months’ wages on the trip, you should at least really want to go. And when you get there, you should at least make it worthwhile.
We didn’t distract ourselves from our lives enough to learn anything from travel. I’m embarrassed to admit this was how I viewed travel. In being ambivalent to travel, I neglected to show my children what a marvellous, fantastic, wonderful thing travel is.
I envy those who go out and see the world at a time in their lives when all they need is the will for adventure and a decent pair of shoes. No strings, no expectations. Like many, I was so caught up in moving forward on the pre-ordained path of the 90’s – car, house, family, savings, retirement, death – that I wouldn’t allow myself to be distracted.
Now, I realise all the places I missed seeing then when I had time and energy that I may not have the time and energy to see now. I feel the pressure of the years marching forwards and my bank balance marching backwards. They say regret is a wasted emotion and I agree, but still I regret not doing more and better travelling when I had the chance. Sometimes I wish I hadn’t found my travel bug, since ignorance would be easier to bear as I trudge through my boring, pre-ordained days.
I look back at the travel I did then and shake my head in wonder. There is no comparison to the travel I do now. Now, I thirst for travel. I feel the need for travel like I feel the need for food. It fuels my soul. Every time I travel I change the person I am for the better, just a little. I have experiences both good and bad and all of those experiences improve me as a person. I live like a local, soak in the culture, learn the language and always grow as a human being as a result. I experience places that make me feel the wonderment of a child. I learn things I didn’t know I needed to learn and see things I didn’t know I needed to see. I have photos that hold such clear and poignant memories that they bring me to tears, even a year late.
The path can be long and arduous or the path can be a celebration of places, people and experiences. The path is your choice. Choose wisely.
