Why travel?

When I was about 20 years old, I was planning for one of my biggest travel experiences, and very excited for it. In a conversation with a loved one, they were excited for me, but also worried about safety due to hearing terrible stories on the news about tourists finding themselves in unsafe situations. This person shared that they do not personally have an interest in travel, and I froze in shock! It had not occurred to me that someone could prefer to stay home and not travel to other countries to experience other cultures, animals, vegetation, and landscapes that could only otherwise be found in pictures. This was a humbling moment in which I learned the logic that pictures could be more enjoyable and less stressful for someone than experiencing travel first-hand.

My goal in writing this is not to argue that either perspective is right or wrong, but rather to share how I first began to learn about differences in perspective, experience, and worry related to travel. Since this conversation, I have had other conversations with folks about how travel feels inaccessible due to finances, safety, and the overwhelming nature of planning. People have shared a spectrum of perspectives from no desire to travel, traveling to the same vacation spot annually, and traveling without a clear plan or place to sleep at the end of the day, just winging it. I am not personally in the "winging it" category, and I often refer to myself as "a planner." I like to go on adventures when traveling, but also know where my head will rest at night, and exactly how I will be getting there. My hope is to help travel feel more approachable for folks who are overwhelmed by the prep work in future posts. But before I get to that, I want to share a bit about my perspective on travel.

Travel has different meaning for everyone based on the messages and beliefs we have been surrounded with, as well as our interests and experiences throughout our lives. With this in mind, my perspective on travel is a complex mix if curiosity, worry, fear, excitement, peace, and rejuvenation. I have always been curious about how people with different communities, backgrounds, and life experiences understand and interact with the world. Despite being nervous to start conversations with folks, I deeply appreciate the opportunity to connect with others and learn from each other. Then the worry and fear creeps in - when it comes to starting and building that connection with people I don't already know. As a planned trip approaches, I get really excited about all the possibilities of what I will see, do, and learn. I will often try to find at least 1 new way to challenge myself, such as overcoming a fear or learning about or engaging in a cultural practice that is new to me. Often by challenging myself in these ways, and connecting with people and nature, I find myself feeling a sense of peace and rejuvenation within myself. In turn, this will also motivate me to want to do restorative work in communities I travel to, in my home community, and with nature.

This is why I travel - to go out of my comfort zone and connect. I love to experience connection with myself, others, and nature and embrace the intersecting beauty of it all. I imagine many may resonate with aspects of my why, however, there may be other ways that people find this sense of connection. How is travel meaningful for you? And if something else helps you feel connected to yourself, others, and/or nature, what is it?