“Why do you travel?”
This question was casually asked of me recently.
What a silly question, I thought. How could you possibly need to ask? Why would you not travel?
Before traveling to Ireland, I had never seen this landscape.
But it was still with me the next day. Although it seemed such an obvious question, no one had ever asked me, so I had never paused to consider it.
So while it was on my mind, I posed the question to the members of the Solo Travel Society, our vibrant travel community on Facebook. As I had anticipated, a wide variety of thoughtful responses came back to me from across the world. As I sorted through them, a few themes began to emerge, many echoing my own feelings.
When I traveled to Italy, I discovered the wines of Franciacorta, a region and a wine completely new to me.
We Wander to See and Experience
We travel to see the landscapes, the art, the architecture. We go to experience new things, to meet new people, and to consider new ideas. We travel to taste the food, the wine, the exotic and the everyday of local cuisine.
Sculpture by Japanese artist, Yayoi Kusama
We Seek to Learn and Understand
We travel to learn about history, culture, and different perspectives. We journey to learn about others and, just as importantly, about ourselves. We travel to discover our differences and our similarities, and to develop an understanding of our place in the world.
On a trip to the Canadian Badlands, I felt very much alive standing in Dinosaur Provincial Park, which is home to fossils up to 75 million years of age.
We Travel to Be Free
We travel to explore, to escape our daily lives, to relax, to step outside ourselves and shake things up. We explore because we are curious. We travel to feel alive.
For me, all of these reasons fit. I tend to plan my trips around food and wine, which provide my entry point to a culture. I learn about the land from which the food grew, the people who nurture it, and the traditions associated with sharing and enjoying it. I challenge myself and find my boundaries. I discover new flavors, learn new cooking techniques, and incorporate them into my life at home.
Traveling solo, I feel that I experience everything more intensely. My senses are heightened, I have fewer distractions or reminders of home, and I am entirely open to new experiences.
Do any of these themes resonate with you? Why do you travel?
