Why Travel Matters
On the eve of unleashing my incurable wanderlust from its two years of Covid-19 restraint, I feel like Snow White awakening from her long sleep. I fret a little about how rusty I am, even for the task of packing for my first of several long-awaited journeys. I hope I leave nothing crucial behind. Already I have told one Norwegian host the wrong arrival date (arrival in Europe happens the day after leaving the USA). It is necessary to think actively about many things that were once easy and reflexive. Beyond the inevitable addition of Covid-19 precautions, though, my prediction is that getting back out on the traveler’s path will be like riding a bike, once the cobwebs and dust are swept away.
“Travel” implies movement, going from one place to another. I am always mindful of my good fortune to have the health and gumption and ability to go. It’s not quite the same as a holiday or vacation trip. To me, travel is about duration and distance, the farther and longer the better. Typically, it involves larger distances than, say, a trip to the grocery store—although I do not even discount the adventure in that!
This urge for travel compels and propels me because there is so much about it that is worthy and good. It’s a big world out there. Here are three ways that I value being on the Path to Wherever:
1. Comfort Zones. As author Rick Steeves says, you learn about your home by leaving it, “by allowing yourself to leave your baggage behind. ” By baggage he means bias and prejudice. Letting go of judgement and comparison and “how we do it at home” is a beautiful act. A long time ago, I was frightened of what might happen so far from home, but journeying has taught me that good people are to be found everywhere. While it is indisputably savvy to keep a watchful eye, it is mighty liberating not to feel so defensive all the time. People and experiences that we could never encounter at home are out there, ready with fresh perspectives that are invisible in the routine of daily life. You just have to be willing to stretch a little. OK, the time I ordered off a menu in Austria without a translation was memorable (I don’t like liver), but hey...at least I tried!
Credit: Cherubino
2. The magic of unanticipated connection. In the days before the internet, our best travel advice was, “Tips from other travelers are like dancing lessons from the gods.” There is something priceless about seeing what happens when you shrug off agendas and itineraries. In 2013, I wandered the “dangerous” city of Phnom Penh on my own, seeing the daily life of regular, everyday Cambodian people. Spontaneity like that can be wonderful. Then there was that time in 1981, when we were climbing 600 feet of stairs to the ancient fortress of Sigiriya in central Sri Lanka. On the cliffside steps a chance encounter resulted in a friendship that led to reunions in both Germany and the States later on.
3. Travel can make us better humans. Better citizens, too! For many years, we belonged to Servas, an international network of hosts and travelers. Its mission is to build world peace through personal contact among people of different cultures. We spent time with people from Uruguay, the Maori culture, Spain, and many other places, learning about their lives and points of view. It taught me to trust others better, and to approach each encounter as an adventure and opportunity. I learned how hard it is to demonize others when you actually meet them and spend some time together. Even if you cannot travel, consider becoming a Servas host and inviting the world to come to you. [See usservas.org]
I sometimes feel as if I am traveling on behalf of those whose circumstances prevent them from having adventures like mine. It is a joy to share my experiences, letting me savor the delights (and challenges) of travel over and over. What fun, when others want to “go” along with me via the armchair traveler method. There is nothing wrong with that!
In coming months I will, with good luck and safe travels, be able to share 2022 journeys to Portugal, Norway, Namibia, and Scotland. Stay tuned! (And on May 11, I will host an afternoon’s chat about “Why Travel Matters” at OLLI at Aquinas in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Please join me if you can.)
