Traveling makes me happy

Post by Ella.

And excited and exhausted and reflective and exasperated and alive.

Closing out this journey, as at the end of most journeys, i have mixed feelings. There is a pull to be back in my own place, my own comfort zone. But there is so much I will miss. I could keep traveling for a very long time.

Every day traveling brings a little surprise. Sometimes a big surprise. A joyful, random discovery, an inspiration, a revelation, a cobweb cleared. Sometimes the surprise becomes a challenge. An obstacle to hurdle. A problem to solve.

There are new visual delights, awe-inspiring. From the shifting earthy orange of the Saharan sands to tropical rainforest to the barren isolation and chill of the arctic north. And on the flip side, reminders everywhere of how humans have infringed on the pristine beauty.

I love discovering (new to me) design, art and architecture often reflective of a particular culture or history or religious/spiritual beliefs. Classical, modern, contemporary, street, installation, performing. Any and all. 

Flora and fauna. Some familiar, some different. Why does this flourish here and not there? (Grubb has had a great time on this trip with his new found plant identification app. Every new type of plant, he whips out his phone. “That’s a prickly lime!”).

Climate change, how others are tackling it.  There is, of course, the worry of contributing to climate change while traveling. The plane flights. But we do try to stick to public transportation, much of which is electric across Scandinavia at any rate. And climate awareness is high.

There is no time to form routines. There is no time to become dulled. To sink into reclusiveness. 

Traveling keeps my adaptability alive. To try to feel at home quickly in an apartment or hotel room, whether it’s for a night or a week or more. To get oriented, get my bearings, learn to navigate in a new place so that I can be more present in that place. The sooner I can make that happen, the freer I am to observe, learn, engage. To feel less alien among people I don’t know but could and want to. To have conversations, short and informational or long and meaningful.

I don’t pick up new languages quickly but when I hear something often enough, like in Sweden, when one buys anything, there is always the question “do you want the receipt?” Or “do you want a bag?”. I couldn’t tell you what the Swedish is without my google translator, but I immediately recognize it when I hear it. It’s a little thrill.

And sometimes connections to my own past. This reminds me of… Or my parents traveled here and probably stood right here where I am now. How did they view it?

And there is always the weather to be considered. How many layers today?

I know these are all “first world” considerations. I know how lucky we are to have the time and the resources to travel. This “first world” advantage, nonetheless, brings more awareness of the global “third world”. The other world, where people have nothing and struggle every day for survival. Which exists everywhere, be it on the streets of Albuquerque or Stockholm or Marrakech or Mumbai.

I love to travel. How about you? And what motivates you to travel…or not?