There are many wonderful things about growing older, but one key aspect is following the happiness mantra of only doing what you love (waking up with the sun, enjoying plenty of coffee, devouring newspapers) and doing less (or none) of the things you dislike (setting the alarm, catching the tube, corporate politics).
When I left corporate life behind, I armed myself with a large sheet of white paper and made a list of the things I loved doing and needed to do more of. Conversely, I noted the things I disliked and wanted to ‘ditch’. Maybe this is a remnant from corporate life, but I have always loved making lists. Um…I forgot to include ‘list writing’ on the list itself…
Top of my ‘happy list’ is travel. But considering the new challenges of flying, the carbon footprint, conflict zones, and costs, it is time to reassess this. Is this love genuine, and how significant is it to me? You guessed it! This motivated me to create yet another list—one that ended up with 15 reasons written on it and some honest speak.
It is now thought that we Homo Sapiens left Africa 50,000 to 60,000 years ago in search of new horizons and continents. Most likely looking for easier food sources and habitation. So I suppose the desire to see what is ‘out there’ has always been in our DNA.
My reasons for travel though are much simpler. Firstly, there is the often the physical and always the mental challenge. I often feel well outside my comfort zone, but this challenge and adventure makes me feel alive ( like, really alive). An adrenaline rush that you always crave more of.
I also wonder if a small part of my travel is to escape from the routine of my normal ( however charmed) life.
I find travel to be the best education I have ever had. Mixing with other cultures gives me new perspectives and viewpoints, often taking place in uniquely different landscapes and with different nature. Then there is the opportunity to see the best of human endeavour in historical sites, museums, galleries, and day-to-day architecture. Also, and a really important point , travel reinforces my view that 95 percent of people are truly nice, caring, and interesting.
Travel inspires me to take photographs and encourages me to take a viewpoint, untangle my thoughts, write them down, and share. This is a discipline that is really beneficial for me.
Travel tests my resilience, and through it, I learn a lot about myself. Learning that is not all positive! Travel has shown me that showering and putting on fresh clothes each day is highly overrated 🙂
I would say, like all good list makers, train spotters, and ornithologists, I have a bucket list that I dream of (and maybe even compete to) fulfil. Confession time: I think that this maintains a level of ego, itself the bedrock of my happiness. I try, although not always successfully, not to let this ego smirk across my face, but I know that internally my ego—particularly when I travel—is feeding music to make my heart sing.
Confessions aside, especially when I am in the thick of these travels, I feel grateful to be so fortunate to have these experiences. Yes, I might have worked my butt off at times and made sacrifices, but wow, was I dealt a good hand?
Above all else when you travel, you truly recognise that you are a small person in a very big world, but then this humbling feeling puts that ego back in Pandora’s box.
Quote: Susan Sontag. Main shot : artem-beliakin: unsplash. Closing shot : killian- pham : unsplash
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