I had brunch with my family yesterday. My parents are going to Israel in April. My brother and his wife are going to Peru next week. As for Matt and I, we have no travel plans.
I’m trying to figure out if I’m okay with that. My dad said Matt and I should travel somewhere, and we’ve talked about it occasionally. But I don’t have the money for it. Or at least I think I don’t. I have a very little savings cushion – less than one month’s living expenses.
Travel just seems like such a pointless thing to spend money on. You spend money on a trip and then you go on the trip and all you’re left with is memories. Why travel? I’m not too interested in seeing new places when I could just read about them. The only benefit I see in traveling is that it breaks up your routine and gives you some new experiences. But is that worth hundreds of dollars?
I admit, I’m also a little scared about travelling. The unknown. I’ve lived in Japan and travelled in the Far East, but it was with my family. Most of my vacations have been with my parents.
My dad said I should “live a little.” Why does that have to mean traveling?
And yet I’m envious whenever I hear of people who have gone to the Caribbean or gone to Berlin or wherever.
But why spend, again, hundreds of dollars, just to break up your routine?
Am I right about this? I don’t feel right about it. I don’t know.
Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to tell me what’s so great about traveling.
Travel is important because it’s “different.” It gives you a break from your normal routine, which is a good thing no matter how much you enjoy your normal routine (which many people don’t). It’s refreshing, and it can give you a better perspective.
That said, first, travel isn’t for everyone. Some people are too set in their ways to want a break, and may actually find it unpleasant or unsettling. Such people are probably a small minority, but their numbers may be increasing given the genuine unpleasantness that goes with air travel these days.
Second, travel needn’t be expensive. It needn’t even involve flying or going a distance. How much of New York have you seen? Planning a trip to your hometown the same way you’d plan one to a distant exotic destination can provide the very same pleasure at a much lower cost, especially if you live somewhere that’s a genuine travel destination.
My two cents.
We camp a lot, which saves money (a ton) and also provides a totally different experience from our usual lifestyle. And when combined with good trails, hiking to the campsite is often a good workout and psychically re-energizing. But, admittedly, camping ain’t for everyone especially when it’s wintertime or wet.
I once dated a really (really) poor guy. Trying to keep the experiences equally-accessible he’d often come up with suggestions for our weekend treks that were cheap/free, but always interesting — and local: museums (a lot of em, many small and relatively unknown), places of unusual worship(ers) or organizational meetings that you’d be unlikely to otherwise meet (mosques, wiccans, peta, and others (best sourced on craiglist), and tons of guided nature/historical walks. It can take some effort and research to find cheap/free excursions that interest both parties, but you’ll still have cash at the end of the day and you’ll end the weekend with some interesting experiences — all local.
rob@egoz.org
Ok, so I’ve never lived in a place like New York. I grew up in Texas my whole life and have lived the past few years in Colorado Springs. But I did spend one crazy, magical semester studying abroad, and I’ve been hooked on travel ever since. I had a beer in the pub where Tolkien used to meet up with his buddies, and I walked through the forest that inspired Narnia. I stood in the room where Mary Queen of Scots gave birth to her son, James, and I sat (for a fee of course) in the Roman coliseum where Christians were murdered and gladiators fought to the death. Travel is important–an intersection in time where you interact with pieces of history and they come alive in your heart, even if it’s just travel in the US. I visited the home my great-great grandfather built in rural Tennessee, and where he raised his eight children and where he buried two beloved wives. Ok, maybe I’m a bit of a history lover. But traveling did that to me. I started on a whim and ended with an addiction. I just visited New York a few months ago for the first time. I was amazed by Central Park and I cried at Ground Zero. I walked through Times Square at 2 in the morning (hello, still crowded?!) and got lost on the subway. AND I got to see a fantastic production of one of my top three favs: Rent. (Wicked and Aida will have to wait for another trip.) I’ll stop rambling, but all that to say, there’s something to be said for leaving your comfort zone. And it’s worth it. (Although, from a Sex and the City fanatic, Carrie has claimed that there is absolutely no reason to ever have to leave Manhattan. And who knows, maybe you’ll prove her right!)
:)
What I most appreciate about travel is that it causes me to reengage with the world and be reminded once again that on any given day hundreds of people’s daily existence can be both very similar to mine or completely different. It helps me be more patient and understanding. It keeps my curiosity alive. And it lets you meet hot guys who may not speak English :)