An Ode to Travelling

I haven't dedicated much time to the physical wandering part of my experiences here in Wanderland and wanted to riff about why travelling is so amazing. Right now, my husband and I are planning our big 'round the world trip. Even though it's ten months away, we can't help it. We are so excited. The thought of spending a year not working and travelling is a pretty orgasmic concept. I know it won't always be rosy. Staying in hostels and carrying around a big backpack everywhere will take it's toll, as will worrying our stuff will get stolen or we'll lose our passports. We will probably get sick despite vaccinations and malaria pills and we will sorely miss some of the comforts we currently enjoy as stationary, gainfully employed specimens.

That being said, I believe that the nomadic, gypsy lifestyle suits me. When people wonder why we are so content to traipse about the world without anything solid except the earth under our feet and the companionship amongst us, I can only say this: When I look at a map of the world, I literally lust after it. Ohhhh, Russia, Ohhhh Brazil, Oh Oh Oh Thailand, Yes India! Don't stop Morocco, oh Turkey yes yes yes. Savvy?

I think our world is an absolutely fascinating place. There is so much to see and do and so little time! I can't wait to see the pyramids of Egypt, the temples of the Aztecs, and the busy streets of Calcutta. I am totally willing to eschew all comforts if I can just get a glimpse of every little nook and cranny of this beautiful earth. When I travel, I learn so much about myself. Yes, a huge part of travelling is learning about other cultures and people, as well as seeing some amazing things. But the most astonishing thing about travelling is to see how it changes you. It really blows your mind. Things you believed in before travelling become questionable, perceptions are heightened, minds are opened in unexpected ways.

When I left the U.S. I was escaping a country I did not feel a kinship to. A country I was ashamed of. Being abroad has opened up my eyes, but not always in the way I expected. Being abroad has given me opportunities to appreciate my homeland and a chance to re-evaluate some of my prejudices. It is creating a greater understanding for me of what America is, and while there are many things I still disagree with about the USA, I feel like I have more compassion for my fellow Americans.

    I think one of the reasons most Americans are the way they are is because they don't travel. But you can't totally judge them for that, because, for an American, international travel is incredibly expensive. We have to fly over a huge country that most of us haven't seen it its' entirety, fly over oceans, and finally land in a different region of the world. Canada is basically a U.S. outpost and most of us have been to Mexico. We don't have any international neighbors. It's not like here in Korea where a flight to Japan is really cheap and less than an hour away. All of southeast Asia and the east coast of china is about as far away from Korea as New York is from California. It's much easier for many other people in the world to travel internationally because they are surrounded by other countries. Just look at Europe! Also, in America, we have such a diverse population that it sometimes feels like you travelled to India when you go to a "Little India" part of town. Now, none of this would be a sufficient reason for me to stay home in the States, but I at least can see why some people do.

The various hassles of travelling are, for me, little adventures and character building opportunities. They often make funny stories or give me creative ideas. But, for other people, these things are terrible occurrences and no temple or gorgeous landscape is worth the hassle. I can understand this. Whenever we come back to Korea after a mini break, I am always a little happy to be home in my clean apartment. And that's OK. But I prefer to create a home wherever I am and that is just fine by me.

There is something really amazing about being in a new place, with new air and food and sights and people. You feel so alive and ready for anything. There is something so freeing about having a hakuna matada attitude every day and just simply enjoying being constantly stimulated. Each day is an adventure and even the boring moments are awfully sexy, in retrospect (i.e. God, I was so bored the other day at the same old cafe in Mumbai...). To me, the 9-5 life seems like a death sentence and the traveller's subculture is, for me, a ticket to bliss. It's a different way of being, not necessarily better or the best, but for me, it's all I ever really wanted. Besides, leaving only makes home that much sweeter because having your own little outpost in the great big world is a pretty amazing thing too.