The journey that changes you
What do we seek during travel?
Howdy and welcome to Traipsing About, my newsletter about reclaiming creativity and ditching tired personal paradigms.
This week I booked some road trips for the year, which brought to mind this question from esteemed travel writer Bruce Chatwin:
What am I really searching for when I travel?
To help digest that question, here are this week’s Traipsing Sparks, thought-provoking quotes from my past reading that got my brain cranking (and lit up my nostalgia circuits):
Don’t do the same old stuff: From the book The Vagabond’s Way by Rolf Potts,
"A common mistake many travelers make as they age is attempting to re-create the energy and excitement that characterized their initial journeys, when in fact the journey of life itself allows us to experience the world in deeper and richer ways as we grow older.”
D’s note: 100% agree. Sleeping in hostels, hitchhiking (/getting stranded), and seeing a new country every three days was fabulous after college…and I likely wouldn’t do those things now. Probably the same regarding multi-month bike tours—been there, done that, got the T-shirt! I initially felt sad to accept all this, but now I find it (mostly) exciting and liberating to think “onto a better fit!” New horizons.
Seek out travel aligned with your life: A paraphrase of a quote from the philosopher Seneca:
The best journeys aren’t tied up in the kinds of whimsical distractions and self-indulgences that provide contrast to the lives we’ve created back home; done mindfully, travel actively enhances the lives we’ve cultivated back home."
D’s note: I’m looking forward to diving into this in the future by seeking out tons of music and art-related experiences while we travel. Sketching in a beautiful national park or museum, following the music tour in Vienna, or playing in a recital? Yes please. Diving deep in a passion during travel vs. just going places sounds like a recipe for making travel even more amazing and meeting others who are equally fired up.
Choose your companions wisely: YES to this advice from long-time traveler Kevin Kelly’s 50 Years of Travel Tips:
"The most significant criteria to use when selecting travel companions is: do they complain or not, even when complaints are justified? No complaining! Complaints are for the debriefing afterwards when travel is over."
D’s note: Some of my favorite travel memories (and stories) are from when everything went off the rails, but my trip companions and I laughed at the insanity vs. whining about our bad luck. (Chelsea is a champ at not whining!) In my best moments, even when gear is failing and the weather is bad, I try to keep in mind that I chose to travel, even though I had a comfy home and didn’t have to go anywhere!
4. To change or not to change: Kate Harris writes in Lands of Lost Borders,
“The two risks of travel are disappointment and transformation. The fear you’ll be the same person when you go home, and the fear you won’t.”
D’s note: Some trips are just about relaxing on a beach and de-stressing. My favorites are the ones where I can come back and not just show friends pictures, but share how it changed my outlook and life path moving forward.
My takeaways for the week: mix up travel styles/pace/locations, pursue passions not destinations, better to go solo than with a whiner, and get ready to (hopefully) feel like a different person upon your return.
And in moments of doubt, just remember Lewis Carroll’s quip, “If you’re never exactly sure where you’re going, any road will take you there!”
Thanks for tuning in to this week’s Traipsing Sparks. See you next time!
Related reading from essays I’ve written:
Shifting gears on adventure—changing priorities opens up new avenues.
The power of memory dividends—post-trip enjoyment via memories.
