What do you think of when I say “travel”?
Do you think of oceans and waves, white or black sand? Maybe you think of the heat and tan of your skin. Maybe you're drinking a pina colada and listening to beach jams. You're on the beach or on a boat but you definitely know you're somewhere in the heat and in the sun, enjoying the rays of heat on your skin, wind in your hair, and listening to the waves crash along the beach.
Do you think about mountains and colder weather? Hiking and camping? Maybe trying to push yourself to the tallest point in that city or state. Maybe you think about all the winter sports you can try or laying in the hot tub while the snow is falling down. Maybe you like to watch the sun setting behind big tall trees or mountains.
Maybe you're more of the analytical type and when you think of travel, you think of paperwork, money, and airports. Maybe you think about the travel and not so much the destination. Maybe you can't imagine a destination because you have to do things you're not comfortable doing or you don't enjoy doing, like taking your shoes off to go through security or stopping every 3 hours to fill up your gas tank.
What does travel mean?
The literal definition of travel is “going from one place to another”. People travel for many good reasons. You travel from home to work or home to the grocery store, but you wouldn't consider that travel. Why? What would you consider travel? Does it always have to be a trip to a far place or a place you've never seen before? It's suspected that travel is the need to move around, meet people, discover new things, and find a different culture or new favorite food. As humans, this is the kind of human interaction that we need. But some people have this need more than others. Some find joy in only traveling once a year, some find joy in traveling once every 10 years, and some need to travel much more often in order to find comfort in this world.
What does traveling mean to you?
To me, travel can mean anything. Travel means that I get to gain a new experience. It means that I can go somewhere I don't typically or often get to go. Travel means that I can go and be my true authentic self or be someone that nobody knows. It means time off and relaxation. It also means packing. Even if you're traveling to a town 3 hours away, you're most likely going to convince yourself to stay for a night and you need that bag of necessities.
For me, I see a vast presentation of all the places that I desire to go. I see sunsets, oceans, mountains, coffee at sunrises, and wind. I see the potential of discovering new places and it brings me joy to be able to do that. I get anxious that I'm not already on a flight headed somewhere. It's an adventure waiting to happen, a discovery waiting to be found, growth waiting to be watered, interest waiting to ignite. For me, traveling is an opportunity to find a different part of the world, breaking up you're typical everyday habits, and a chance to renew your freedom.
We work so hard throughout our lives, only getting to see parts of the world because our schedules conflict with traveling. We dedicate so much of our lives to working so we can pay to have a roof over our heads and food on our plates, with little to no satisfaction in life. Our employers don't allow us the benefits needed to keep up with inflation and basic living expenses, so why would they give us ample amount of time off to go and travel and experience? They don't and they wouldn't. Not in America at least. We live to work. We don't work to live. And it shouldn't be like that.
I believe that you can travel anywhere, whether it's a brand new place or you're going back home for a family event. It's something that breaks the routine or normal schedule. Whatever you’re going, whatever the reason, you can travel for a short time or a long time. You could travel by plane, train, plane, or by foot. Traveling is simply the experience
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