I recently asked my Facebook friends to tell me the first word or short phrase they thought of when I said the word “travel.” While there were a few repeats in the 60+ responses I received, it was interesting to read what one simple word could mean to so many people. But what does travel REALLY mean?
Because...GOOGLE, of course...
When I googled “travel definition” (because who actually owns a hard copy of Webster’s Dictionary anymore, right?), I found several definitions. Google’s definition was twofold describing it first as a verb; to “make a journey, typically of some length or abroad;” and the second as a noun; to “move, constantly or in a predictable way.”
Then when I pulled up Wikipedia they took the definition a bit further defining travel as “the movement of people between distant geographical locations” further adding that “travel can be done by bicycle, automobile, train, boat, bus, airplane, ship or other means, with or without luggage and can be one way or round trip.”
As was exemplified by the varied responses I received to my simple question on Facebook, travel means a lot of things to different people. For most, it seems to allude to something positive or a desired action. Relaxation, warm beaches, escape, culture or a break from the daily routine. For a few others it invokes negative experiences, particularly for those who do not enjoy flying or being in uncomfortable or unfamiliar situations or even thinking about the costs traveling can incur. Of course, there were the common answers that popped up multiple times such as adventure, vacation, freedom and fun. Sounds simple, right?
Let's take it a bit deeper.... So, what does travel mean to me? I guess it's something that has changed over the years as I've traveled and accumulated more experiences. Initially I think it was just the adventure (which was the top response, by the way) that intrigued me. The ability to experience somewhere I'd never been, do things I've never done and see things I'd never seen before. It was the thrill of often traveling on an airplane knowing I'd land in a far-off place vastly different from my home. And yes, even though so many think flying is a pain, I do still enjoy it! As I've become more adventurous which was largely peaked by that solo journey to London all those years ago, the act of traveling has evolved for me. It's become more about the journey, not the act of getting there and seeing as many touristy things I could squeeze into a one week trip, but the experience of seeing how other people live, meeting random strangers I might have never met, tasting local foods that I never had the opportunity to try before and stopping for a moment to just look around and take in the beauty of a new place. When I sit here and think about how my trips have changed over the last few years, I've realized how I approach each trip has changed. While I still do the research of the things to see in each new place I plan to visit, I find myself less focused on the "list" of things I want to see but more focused on the vibe, the culture, and the feeling of a new place once I arrive. And like one of my friends that commented on my Facebook post, it's become more about finding that one place that becomes a favorite spot, a place that speaks to you that you find yourself going back to in the new city you are exploring. The place you return to when you are lucky enough to go back to that same city years later. It's that place that makes that city feel like "home" even though it's not the place where you live. I'm fortunate to have few places like that in the world, one that I'm excited to revisit soon due to the fortune of a long layover at the end of a trip to somewhere new. It's that thrill of returning somewhere that made you love that place the first time you visited. The comfort of returning somewhere familiar.
You never know who you'll meet along the way.... But it hasn't only been about those favorite places I've found in certain cities around the world, but also the people I've met. Those random souls that you strike up a conversation with that you'll likely never see again (and in my case rarely even get their names). Those people who just happen to be in the same place at the same time. I've become a firm believer that you meet certain people in places when you are meant to meet them, for reasons that you may not know at the time. Those people that impact your life in a way you may not realize until later. Even if it's just a story you're met to tell over and over years later, there was a reason it happened.
So, to go back to those definitions of "travel" that I found through a simple google search, I guess I relate most to google's definition. For me, travel is about the journey, while not always predictable, but it's that unpredictability that I think I love the most. As another friend commented on that Facebook post, to quote Anthony Bourdain, "The journey changes you." Why yes, it certainly has for me and in the stories I'll tell, you will begin to learn how. How has the journey changed you?
"Travel isn’t always pretty. It isn’t always comfortable. Sometimes it hurts, it even breaks your heart. But that’s OK. The journey changes you; it should change you... You take something with you. Hopefully, you leave something good behind." -Anthony Bourdain
コメント