Travel is More than Just Arriving at a Destination…
photo courtesy of Nicolas Raymond
Travel is more than just arriving at a destination…
It’s the rush of blood to the cheeks after clicking “Purchase,” and the restless nights wondering: “Who will I tell first? How will I pay for this flight? How will I afford rent when I come back?” Inhaling the smell of new glossy guidebooks, the images making you giddy with excitment. Fumbling with foreign sounds as you stare awkwardly into a mirror practicing ‘Thank you’ and ‘Where is the bathroom?’ in a new language.
It’s the stress of putting in your two weeks notice, the thrill of a chapter closing and another fluttering open. The panic that explodes when you don’t know where you placed your passport. The ache of saying good bye, the surge of anxiety in the airport as you wait alone drinking an over-priced Starbucks coffee. The mental standing ovation you give yourself as you take your window seat with your backpack shoved in the overhead compartment without any objections.
It’s the goosebumps that prickle your arms when you step outside of the airport understanding almost nothing being said. The smile from a stranger that sets you at ease. The frustration of not knowing how to ask for a clean towel in your new host family home. The belly laugh of relief in a common understanding of a simple joke you probably would’ve never laughed at with your friends back home.
It’s the strength that rises as you start creating a daily routine in your new city. Grocery shopping is an exciting adventure. Triumph at your first full conversation in a second language with someone your age who offers to buy you a beer.
It’s pages of reflections and clarity as you journal about your travels. The moment when you look across the horizon after a long run and realize this what it feels like to fall in love. It is the journey, the adventure of exploring this new place, the confusion, the confidence, the stumbling and strutting that makes your heart pound. This is why we travel.
Tell us why you travel! @greenhrttravel #iwilltravel or comment below!