When I think of how I want to travel I immediately think of being free in the sense that I’m free to explore a new place and I have limited responsibilities. I think of having the ability to become a sponge and absorb up anything related to the place I am in, to not only remind me of where I have been but the knowledge and experience that I have gained. While seeing my self travel in the future as well as the past, I always think it is better to travel with friends or other people. I think essentially Rick Steve’s and Mark Twain hit the nail on the head on how I want to travel.
Firstly, Steve’s describes a soft first world traveler that is easily bothered by things that are different than what we may be used to at home. While traveling, I want to have the ability to go to third world countries and explore the lives of people who live there. This will not only allow me to become more grounded but also provided me with an appreciation of the things that I tend to take advantage of like a cell phone, computer, or even clean running water. I don’t want to be scared off from traveling to places like India because of the fast paced hustle and bustle of the city or the garbage on the streets. To me seeing places like this allows me to focus more on my basic needs of food, clothing, and shelter instead of the next phone I want to purchase. Lastly, Rick Steve’s says “You have to be present somewhere to have your perception change.” When traveling, I don’t want to come home the same person because if I do, then I really am no better off from the experience. I want to come home and hear people say ‘wow you’ve changed but in a good way’ because my experiences have truly made me a better person.
Through Twains Roughing It piece, he explains his experience while traveling with the secretary to Nevada. Twain describes how they “jumped into the stage, the driver cracked his whip, and they (we) bowled away and left ‘the States’ behind them (us)” (p. 6). Twain and the secretary are traveling into the unknown and are unafraid of what lays ahead of them. When I travel, I can only hope to be like this so then I can truly enjoy the experience. Since Twain only had stereotypes of what was in Nevada, he essentially had an open mind. The one piece that stays with me the most from Twain’s experience, is that he traveled with the Secretary the whole way to Nevada. With this he was able to share his experiences with someone else. To me this represents a need to find the right traveling partners to ensure that you can get everything you hope for out of a trip. If you have the wrong group of people some may be more accustomed to the first world traveling as Steve’s describes and not as willing to dig deeper into unexplored areas and leave everything that they are familiar with at home.
As a traveler, I hope I can do the things that Steve’s and Twain talk about because traveling can open my eyes to what the world has to offer.
I can tell that you are already an experienced traveler, Katie - finding new experiences *and* the right person to travel with are crucial, methinks...
ReplyDeleteKatie, I agree that it is important to be free when traveling. By doing this, one can really dive into the experience. You bring a strong point to my attention in which travelers should be open minded. Traveling to a third world country can definitely change ones perspective on what they take for granted. Also, I agree that it is important to “take something home” with you that can change your life for the better. Something that I did not think of before that you mentioned is the need for a like minded traveling partner. This can truly make the experience livelier. It gives you a person whom you can share stories with for the rest of your life.
ReplyDeleteI like the point you brought up where if you travel you do not want to come back the same person. You want to come back a better person. I did that when I went to Gettysburg. It took me around 6 years to realize that I came back a different person, but I finally realized that trip has changed my life in positive ways. That's what i want traveling to do to me.
ReplyDeleteKatie,
ReplyDeleteI admire your desire to travel where Rick Steve's has gone. I too would like to think that I will be able to handle seeing poverty and sickness around me and be able to impact the less fortune places of the world in a positive way. I do believe that it would change any of us to see what "living" is considered to be in other places and perhaps, like you said, it can be a reminder to us to be thankful for the basic necessities that we have and not worry so much about the latest phone apps.
Katie,
ReplyDeleteI love that you mention the correlation between being free and traveling. I love this! I have never really traveled but for family vacations, but even then, I ffet this feeling of being released from my life. I may only be in Florida with my family, but all of my life worries are gone. I am no longer worried about money, school, friends, or drama. I can finally be me, freely! I really enjoy your blog :)
Katie,
ReplyDeleteI love how you discussed the idea of a soft traveler because I feel like that is the exact opposite of who I am as a traveler. I like how you see the positive in going to places rather than seeing the negatives. I think it is important to let go of any worries people have while traveling and just live in the moment. I love how use Iyers comment about perceptions. I think it is important to learn and experience new perceptions in order to fully get anything out of traveling. For example how you described going to a third world country.