Specifically About Travel

I have been thinking a lot about travel lately: where I have lived, where I have visited, where I would one day like to go.

Thinking about the time I lived interstate, and attempted my first degree (that’s another story). The time I went to Scotland, to Wales, when I lived in England, the time I visited Amsterdam, or my time in France.  Sure, I’ve been to a lot of places, but I haven’t been to anywhere near the amount of places I would like to go one day.

I know it is definitely cliché, but to me, travel isn’t about the destination, it’s about how you get there and what you do once you are there. 

Travel is about the people you meet along the way. In Spain, I met a girl from Malaysia, Liyana.  We visited so many different districts and sites together.  We still keep in touch.  Also, while I was in Spain, I met another girl, Marily.  She ended up visiting me in Adelaide and we have become friends, even though she is from Quebec, Canada! When I lived in Prague, Czech Republic, I made friends with so many people from all around the world, and we have stayed in contact.

Travel brings people closer together.  Travel humanizes countries. Where ever I have been, I have always met someone I can now call a friend.

 Travel is not only about the experiences you have with those new people, but also the experiences you have by yourself. I spent the day exploring the canals in Amsterdam, walking in the footsteps of many other souls and meditating on the city I was currently in.  The art, the history, the lives lived, and yet to be lived.

Travel, to me, is about discovering and re-discovering aspects about my life which I didn’t know were there, or haven’t seen in a while.  Travel is very freeing and it opens your mind to new ideas, and ways of doing things, not only going to new places you have never been before.  Waking up in the morning wondering what the day will bring. Planning your day, with the freedom to change those plans.  Being independent, but sensitive to what is happening around you, and maybe crossing paths with others on a similar journey.

Travel teaches you to be patient. I remember being stuck on a train between Amsterdam and Prague.  It was meant to be an overnight train, boarding at 7PM, and arriving at 7AM.  Instead I ended up stuck on the train in the middle of the night, alone with strangers, somewhere in Germany for 4 hours and ended up getting to Prague at 12 noon the next day.  I’m still not entirely sure what had happened, but it makes you realize that, even if you will never understand, some things happen that are out of your control and you have to roll with it and make the best of the situation.

Although I have put big travel plans on hold in this current season of life, I’m realising the joy and beauty of the place I am living in right now.  Travel has taught me to appreciate time, to be observant, and to make the most of experiences because you may will never get that same experience again.

Take notice of days going by. Enjoy that afternoon spent at the beach, or the time you got to spend doing something you love, with someone you love.

Right now, I’m traveling with my family, in my suburban home, helping my baby to grow and experience the world around us. Seeing her mature and change is all the awe and wonderment I need.

I’m not going to sit here and only dream about my next big adventure. Life is about finding adventure in the little things, as well as the earth shattering moments.  And believe me, I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.