Travel. It’s about being on the move.
When we were young, maybe we were forced to travel, travel for a better life and a better education. Growing up, I moved quite a bit: Melbourne to Malaysia to Singapore and back to Melbourne. My parents wanted to work in Asia, and so little me was dragged along with them.
Spot the extra potted plant. Travel and we’ll see the most quirky things | Weekly Photo Challenge: Extra, Extra.
As we grow older and get stuck into making a living, travel becomes a choice. A choice that we dream of. A choice that we work and save up for.
We travel for holidays. Travel to have fun. To relax. Unwind. For most of the year, we feel exhausted from either school or work. Going on a road trip, cruise, hike or sightseeing in a different town or part of the world may be what we need to recharge.
Amidst school and work, we have problems and frustrations left, right and centre. Relationship dramas. Boring work. Itchy feet. So we travel to get away. To runaway. To escape. To forget. There’s only so much my eyes can take staring at the computer all day punching in data, five straight days a week to meet deadlines.
We travel not just to see the world, but to explore and get lost. We travel to experience other places and cultures, to open our eyes to another world out there. We’re all social creatures in some sense and it’s always fun getting to know someone, no matter how awkward it may be.
Some of us travel for work, jetting back and forth cities for meetings and conferences, seeing the sights on our lunch breaks. Lucky. For many of us, traveling the world comes around maybe once, twice, perhaps thrice a year. That’s if we have the time and money to do so, and if we’re able to decide where to go.
With each choice that we make, we learn. We learn more about ourselves, the people around us, and who and what matters to us the most. So we travel emotionally. We travel through the challenges life throws at us, through the happy and hard times; we travel to grow. Every day.
When I returned to Melbourne, I was ashamed of being Asian Australian. Always teased for my Singapore-Malaysian accent and unable to speak Chinese at school, I felt like an extra and didn’t belong anywhere: too white to be Asian and too Asian to be Australian. One day I woke up and realised I wasn’t going to be happy if I lived hating myself day and night.
And so we travel to slow down, to actually think and listen to ourselves. We travel to find ourselves, to turn our lives around and soar.
When we travel, we go places. We journey to discover the world and the person within us.
We travel because we want to.
And we travel, when we least expect it.
Why do you travel? Do you like traveling?
Mabel Kwong 
I used to love to travel but my health has made it difficult. I travel close to home now and see things I’ve never seen before mostly due to my camera! I think traveling doesn’t need to be far in a measurement of distance but rather to escape every day life. 🙂
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I hope you aren’t feeling too bad. You’re right, sometimes health does makes it hard to travel. I have anxiety and get tired very easily, so traveling to bustling places or walking a lot on getaways doesn’t suit me, though I really like wandering around for hours. From your photos, it looks like the area around you place never fails to surprise. Throw in the weather and you may see a different place on a different day. I’m sure there are still many corners you’ve yet to turn and hills to drive up. I am looking forward to seeing more of your adventures, you know it 🙂
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Thank you Mabel. 🙂 I”m fortunate to live in a very diverse area, thank goodness! I can imagine your anxiety would make traveling difficult. Traveling is not easy! Thank you for your comments. I always enjoy hearing from you. hugs
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That is nice to hear that you live in a diverse area, Laura. I’m assuming you mean people of different backgrounds from different places and have moved quite a bit 🙂 I guess traveling tends to be challenging for even those of us who travel quite a bit. Traveling usually wears us down, anything can go wrong and age never helps. I always love hearing from you too, Laura!
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Yes, I live in the San Francisco Bay Area which is not only diverse in it’s beauty but in it’s culture. I love it!
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Glad you love it. Melbourne is actually quite similar to San Fran Bay Area in that we are very culturally diverse, and we don’t have freezing winters and we have trams. So if you do travel here, you’ll feel at home 🙂
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I’ve noticed that through Leanne Cole’s photography blog. It looks like a fabulous place! Thank you Mabel. 🙂
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So true. Leanne captures Melbourne beautifully, and magically. I’m sure that’s why a lot of us want to travel to Melbourne 🙂
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I think so too!
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I travel to get away from bustling city life and take some time off from everyday responsibilities. It helps me to slow down, concentrate on my health and gives me a lot of creative energy. I started getting into doing illustrations while I was traveling in Shangri-la, Yunnan, 2 years ago. Traveling also inspires me to take pictures and write stories for my blog. I recently traveled back to Austria to give birth, so this time around it’s quite a different kind of travel.
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Traveling to get away for a short while is always a good idea. Staying put in a job too long can make us bored, not to mention stressed out. Good to hear you know how to prioritise your life, especially working in a busy workaholic place like Shenzan, China. Sometimes if we give ourselves a little time to do what we love, we feel so much better afterwords.
Hope the birth and starting a family goes well. Sounds like you’re traveling towards a new beginning, and it sounds exciting. Can’t wait to read about it.
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I love to travel but I never leave on a trip without a little bit of fear about how it will all go. We head off next week for a big trip to Europe, including a week in Paris. Now the idea of spending a week in Paris excites me, but as I don’t speak French, I am fearful of how we will go in a place notorious for being intolerant of people who do not embrace the French language.. A good friend of mine (and a Francophone) told me that it is important to remember that the French value politeness and to show them respect and politeness yourself can go a long way to overcome your language deficiencies.
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I’ll give this a go!
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Thanks, Kali. I think it’s natural to feel a bit scared when we head off to somewhere we don’t know. There’s always the chance we’ll get lost getting around or losing our belongings. But if we plan, then I guess that makes us feel more prepared and ready to anticipate anything that comes our way when we’re on our getaway. Your Euro trip sounds like a really massive one, and I’m sure you’ve worked out where you want to go, see and eat 🙂 Sounds like you’re traveling to experience a load of fun. I heard that the French are more friendly towards tourists who try to speak French, eventhough if it’s horrible French. Have fun.
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A lovely post, Mabel and I really like your line about having fun getting to know people even though it might be awkward. Breaking through that fear brings so many great experiences. 🙂 I’ve traveled for both work and vacation and for me vacation wins every time.
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Thanks, NW. I suppose traveling for work, a sizable chunk of your time is taken up by work. Then there are also the work lunches and dinners you’re supposed to show up for – and they’re paid for, always. With vacation travels, you have all the time for yourself, and you’re traveling only for yourself as opposed to a company which you’re often representing 🙂
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I wish I could travel. I just can’t afford it right now.
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So true. Travel usually requires funds. But if we plan and keep saving, sooner or later we’ll be able to getaway to that place we really want to go to. You never know.
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This is true.
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It is actually not that expensive to travel. And it doesn’t need to be a long-haul flight to get to know new places and people. Just use a day off to explore your city like you would be on vacation. And talk to some strangers or people you see regularly but never ever talked to. Wherever you are living, I bet it is worth a closer look.
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Hmmm…I like that!
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Good point, Cindy. Sometimes time is more “expensive” in the travel sense – it’s hard to get time off work to travel at times, even more so if we’re traveling with our partner, friends or family who have their own daily schedules too. “Wherever you are living, I bet it is worth a closer look.” Definitely. Being a tourist in your own city, you never know what new place you’ll discover and what you’ll learn.
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Travel is the whole point of life if you ask me. To see new places, have new experiences, wrinkles in the brain. Keeps life fresh and interesting. It’s not easy sometimes, but the effort makes it all the more worthwhile. Keep a-travelin
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“Travel is the whole point of life” Spot on, Ray. Agree with you there and couldn’t have said it better myself. The sooner we get and feel comfortable, it’s usually time to move and travel again. Of course with traveling comes tiredness, maybe getting lost too, but what we learn and experience is priceless. A-travelin. That’s a song.
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Also, Yoshi plant!!!!
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Hehe, I was waiting for someone to point that out. This restaurant I went too also has Mario, Mushroom, PacMan and Space Invader plants…or table numbers. Speaking of Yoshi, I bought Yoshi’s Island a few weeks ago.
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I love leaving the country to get some sunshine to boost my happiness levels, and get a taste of some culture somewhere else. I don’t get abroad often though so focus on travelling around the UK cos our little island has a lot to offer, surprisingly! Dont feel ashamed to be who you are and what you look like – I understand you might have done as a child, reflecting on my own experiences – but you are a beautiful writer and I’ve learnt a lot from your blog 🙂
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I’ve always heard that the UK has been a dense country, a dense country with lots of shops, parks, rivers, restaurants and places to visit. Do you have a favourite place to visit there? And I heard it’s not hard to go to your neighbouring countries too like Ireland and France. But then again, it could be expensive if you factor in paying for travel and accommodation.
Thanks for the nice words, Jody. I really enjoy reading your blog too and really like hearing about your take on culture and your life in the UK. I don’t know too many UK bloggers 🙂
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Oh really? I’m fill of stories haha, and I suppose it’s not too hard to get to Ireland or France but I haven’t visited there since I was a child. To be honest, I haven’t seen most of the UK or even visited the big cities other than London, like Birmingham, Manchester or Bristol. I do love Brighton though. Where in the UK have you been?xx
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Haha, sounds like you have a lot of places to explore around you in the UK. I haven’t been to the UK yet. This year I’m working and saving as much as I can, and hopefully I will be able to do a European backpacking trip next year. I want to visit the Cadbury World place in Birmingham. Travel for chocolate 😀
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How funny, I’ve just booked tickets to visit Cadbury’s World in August, will write up a post about the trip shortly afterwards 🙂
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I am so jealous, but so happy for you at the same time! Traveling for chocolate is a great reason to travel. Think of all the chocolate you can eat… 😀 Yes, do write up about the trip when you get back. Would love to hear if you got to say hi to Freddo the Frog, and how much chocolate they let you take home.
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Haha I think Freddo the Frog and the other chocolatey characters only show up on special event days but should be fun going around the factory.. as long as they don’t put me off chocolate for life!!
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I will definitely travel to meet Freddo the Frog at some point. I really love Freddo chocolates that much. As mentioned, looking forward to seeing your post about this trip. Make sure you take photos, if they allow you!
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I travel to get out of the daily routine, to escape the boredom of seeing the same four walls everyday. That is why when I am in China I try to get around as much as possible wheras my wife wants to relax at her parents home, eat snacks and watch tv 🙂
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So true. It’s easy to get bored if we sit in an office all day. Sometimes traveling with a person who travels for a different reason can be challenging. Something’s got to give, unless the both of you don’t mind going your separate ways. I like you wife’s idea of a holiday, actually – the eating part 😀
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What you have said pretty much encompasses the reasons people have why they travel.
Personally, I used to think I travel so I can escape my sometimes routine working life but I have come upon a quote which I think best summarizes now why I like to travel…”I travel not to escape life but so that life would not escape me”. Work and travel are both aspects our life.. of our reality… but the latter allows us to recharge and discover ourselves and the world we live in. Being to be able to do so, I realize, can help us appreciate our work more and the usual life we live.
May I also share one thought about traveling that I wrote in a post before? I look forward to hearing your thoughts about this: 🙂
” I can’t put in words the feelings I have every time I go into a new place. Unlike some people, I don’t have an “after experience”—that sort of feeling that you’re reeling from the wonder and experiences you’ve had. But I always have this “in the moment feeling”: The awe of seeing something for the first time, the idea of being part of something historic and the discovery that people can be similar yet so different. It’s not the place I miss. It’s always the feeling of being in that place. I still don’t understand why I like to travel and maybe this why I want to go to new places—to understand what it is I’m looking for and to dwell in the experience of discovering something new.”
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That is such a great quote. “Travel so that life would not escape me”. I really need to save this one, it sounds so meaningful, and it is. You’re right, sometimes in life we can’t have it all and can’t have fun all the time. Some of us don’t get the chance to pursue what we love doing and so have to take on any boring job to make ends meet. So when we do get the chance to travel, we always look forward to it and make the most of the trip. Things are always unpredictable when we go traveling; sometimes bad things happen and I think it is these moments that remind us how lucky we are to have boring yet comfortable daily everyday life routines.
“in the moment feeling” versus “after experience (feeling)”. And “the feeling of being in that place”. Never thought of feelings that way, but you’re so right. Sometimes when I am on the train back from a new town in Melbourne or on the plane back from somewhere I really enjoyed, I feel empty, hollow. But not sad or missing what I’ve just seen…more like something has been taken away from me – the feeling of being in an almost unreal place. So I think your thought sums this all up very well.
Do you have a link to that post? When I read that quote, I felt like I was reading something in a book. So well written, articulate and above all, thoughtful and true. You should write more 🙂
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Spot on again. I have nothing but utmost respect and awe for you. So wise beyond you years. 🙂 I agree that life will not always proceed the way we want too Sometimes we don’t have the luxury immerse ourself in doing just the thing we love….especially if there are people and circumstances on the line. I for one is a living testament to that… but that did not stop me from trying to travel because I realized that if I would not do so, I’d die wondering or regretting what it actually feels like to do something for myself. 🙂
And here’s the link: http://thoughtfulpaper.wordpress.com/2012/09/27/travel-diary-quick-cebu-getaway-part-2/
It was from a travel post way back in 2012. I’d love to write more but it’s bit hard to squeeze in between grad school and work. I also write a lot of technical stuff for both So my poor brain hardly has enough space for creative or casual writing these days. 😦 my outlet these days have been mainly photography. 🙂
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Travel is always a luxury, so it’s best to try to enjoy every moment. You are so right, circumstances are out of our control, usually all of the time. So if things go wrong on our travels, best to stay calm, work things out and enjoy the rest of the trip. You sound like a go-getter, doing anything that comes along, good on you. I am trying to be like that, telling myself I’ve got nothing to lose.
Thanks for sharing that post. I actually liked reading it, and your Cebu photos turned out very nice, especially the last sunset photo. Great photography and good luck with work and grad school. Time, just like travel, is precious. And thanks for your nice words, Mila 🙂
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Hmm. Yep, I am a go getter but not exactly doing anything that comes along. Because if you view it that way, it’s as if you don’t say “no”… Let’s just say… I don’t let good opportunity pass. 😉 I am excited to take and share more photos! I got a new playmate! 😀
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Another reason why you can travel, is to improve your photography skills. I think when we travel, we usually feel more creative – there’s just this whole feeling of freedom that comes with traveling. New places, new people, no expectations, no boundaries. So yes, go out there and take more photos 😀
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Travel certainly broadens our horizons. I enjoy the destination more than the actual travelling, but there is always that feeling of excitement, even at the overcrowded airports. 🙂
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I agree, travel opens up our eyes to new sights, experiences, food and lifestyles. Being on a plane, car, train or bus to a destination can be boring. But you’re right, the physical traveling can be exciting. For instance, you might get upgraded to business or first class at the airport if you dress nicely and be very polite 🙂
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Like you, when I was young I was forced to travel along with my parents to live in different countries. I’ve done a lot of travelling for business. I have to admit I’ve been to some awesome places and other places that would have never crossed my mimd to visit. But normally, travelling for work is sooooo tiring that at the end of the day, often all I want is to have dinner and then sleep (boring me…). Now I just would like to feel settled down in one spot so that I can travel solely and purely for the enjoyment of it. I still can’t wait for that day to 100% arrive.
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PS and of course travelling opens our minds, etc. you know I don’t need to go into that.
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Travel with our minds, every day. You know it 😉
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I would imagine traveling for work is not tiring, but exhausting! Sometimes you take the red eye flight and rush to your work the second you get out of the airport. I always wonder how businessmen and women who travel often for work manage to look wide awake and sharp when their on their work trips. Maybe it’s makeup. But I guess the upside to traveling for work, as you’ve referred to, is actually going to an unfamiliar place. It doesn’t take much effort to stop for a minute and look around you while you’re there.
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Gosh once I had to make this trip from Barcelona to Singapore, I left at 8am from Barcelona one morning and got to Singapore at their 7am the next morning (unable to sleep a single wink in the plane), went to the hotel to leave my suitcase, did some tricks with make up (lol) and instantly went to a company for ME to give them training. I was so tired, I really don’t think it was the best training session I’ve ever done in my life… And then I wanted to eat all the Chinese food that got in my way, but my stomach had jet lag and just refused! uughhh that one of the reasons why travelling for fun is better, you can sleep a little then eat all you want 😉
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That is one long trip, 24 hours in the air. You can actually make it to New York from Singapore in that time. The training session must have went well, since I’m guessing you made it through (obviously) and no one pointed out that you had a sleepy face 😉 Food and travel. Haha, sometimes I travel to a certain place – overseas or somewhere in Melbourne – for a dish or snack that I want to eat and when I get there…I’m either too full or I’ve lost my appetite for it. It always becomes an uncomfortable eating experience.
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Very well written blog post about the various ways we travel! I enjoyed reading it.
I love to travel by train. My favorite part of the train ride is looking out the window to see all of the different places I’m traveling through. Taking the train enables me to enjoy the journey…it doesn’t feel rushed. I also like to travel via photography. It’s fun to learn about different locations by looking at other’s travel photos and vice versa…people can go on a virtual journey through my photos too!
Happy traveling!!!
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I love to travel by train too! When I’m on a long train ride, like you I love looking out the window to see what’s out there. Don’t want to play with my phone or read a book or listen to music like most of the other passengers. You’re right, this doesn’t feel rushed. Finally, I can describe how I feel when I am traveling by train, thanks to you 😀 my worst nightmare on a train ride is actually sitting next to someone chatty…and they chat to me non-stop. But if that does happen, I think I’ll try to see the positive side to it: someone being nice and just wants a friendly chat.
I like your photos on your blog, always very sharp and you seem to capture the finer moments in life. Thanks for your nice words, Miki.
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You’re welcome Mabel. Thank you for following my blog!
It’s so fun to see the different sights during a train ride. I guess someone who is already familiar with the area might choose to read or play with their phone, Perhaps those are the people who tend to get chatty because they don’t realize the journey may be a new one for you. A short friendly conversation doesn’t bother me but if it drags on or seems negative, I’ll excuse myself and head to the snack bar or something like that. 🙂
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That’s a very good observation, chatty people not realising you’re new to the area. Or maybe they just find chatting as their natural way of entertaining themselves. Another reason why I like to not play with my phone on the train is that I can observe people on the train. Yes, that sounds weird but I love observing body language and clothes and guess where that stranger’s from. The hard part of this is avoiding eye contact with them 😉
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I love traveling not just for the learning experience but for the “opening up” that comes with being away — like a boost of creative energy that comes from suddenly seeing things differently. And, shame on people for teasing you for being multi-cultural. It sounds to me like a great advantage in life!
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It’s not surprising creativity strikes us when we travel. Being creative is about coming up with something new. And when we travel, most of the time we go somewhere we don’t know, so naturally that jogs our minds to come up with imaginative thoughts. Being away, we leave behind the comfort of our homes and the onus is on us to take care of ourselves, and I reckon this makes us ready to be open to new ideas and think about anything.
I can’t see how being multicultural is a bad thing. We’ve all got so much to learn from different cultures and perspectives.
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I love to travel and I travel because it makes me really happy to see new places and experience things outside of my comfort zone. A breathtaking moment stays with me forever and I believe those moments will be the ones that I will go back to whenever I feel sad or in doubt. I always prefer to spend time and money on experiences. This is a wonderful post Mabel, glad you dropped by mine so I get to read yours too. 🙂
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It’s funny how some travel moments will always stand out for us. For me, one of these moments is traveling to Melbourne’s countryside in the west by train, seeing nothing but barren land and cows everywhere. Nothing too scenic but the simplicity of my surroundings struck a chord with me. When I revisit this scene in my mind, it feels like I’ve just been there yesterday. That is interesting that you’ll spend time and money on experiences. I’m sure they are experiences far and wide, and near and dear. Experiences come in all shapes and forms.
Thanks for your nice words, Angie. I hope to see more of your travel moments 🙂
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Why? All the above. Sometimes you’re forced to do it, and other times you choose to do it. All part of the fabric of life. Mostly after I travel, I need more time off to recover/catch-up from the travelling. 🙂
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Life. We can use life to reason everything. I am like you too. After each trip overseas, I need at least two weeks to readjust. My body never treats me well after a trip. Too tired.
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I once flew to Boston, with a one hour stop in SF. Awful, because I have trouble sleeping on planes.
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Sounds like a 24 hour journey. A one hour stop isn’t much, no time at all to get out of the airport, let alone the plane or terminal. But I bet Boston was enjoyable. Me too, can barely sleep in the planes. The stuffy air keeps me awake.
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Great post as always Mabel 🙂 I hope you’ll have time and enough money to travel to all the places in the world you would like to see!
I have to save money for my next holidays. Australia is still on my travel bucket list 😉
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Money, like a job, is hard to come by. But with good saving skills, a mountain of money will build 🙂 Someday, I think I’ll make it to all corners of the globe. Hope one day you’ll visit my part of the world, you won’t be disappointed 🙂
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So many reasons to travel! I have travelled for adventure and for work and admittedly occasionally to run away! Now I travel to visit family in the other side of the world – the joy of reunions and the hear-rending goodbyes… Thank you for sharing your ideas. They made me think about my own travel experiences.
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Yeah, there are endless reasons to travel. Seems like you travel quite a bit and don’t seem to tire of it. I guess you always find some way to make it fun. Does Monty usually tag along? Because traveling with a pet would be interesting. Maybe he’s the kind who prefers lazing around 😉
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We usually leave Monty at home with a friend who housesits for us – I don’t think he’d like flying so much as he gets car sick quite easily! : )))
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That sounds wise. That makes two of us – I get car sick quite a bit (dizziness) but it hasn’t stopped me from flying. I’m sure Monty misses you a lot when you go on your trips 🙂
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I have met with many travelers, they all said that travel is not so glamorous, and I agree. You do it because for all the reasons you list, and the world is a book 🙂 Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts!
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“travel is not so glamorous”. So glad you brought this up, Amy. Have to agree with you there. Travellng, we wait for transport, can’t find food when we’re hungry, cold showers…the list goes on. But there are always good surprises along the way that make up for it, and you said it again: “the world is a book” 🙂
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Traveling is so addicting! I love seeing new places and experiencing different cultures. We only have so many days on this earth, and I hope to see as much of it as possible! For me, it is always difficult coming back home, especially after living in Korea. I didn’t realize until I was on an airplane surrounded by English speakers how nice it was to NOT be able to understand every conversation going on around me!
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Oh yes. When we’re enjoying ourselves seeing the sights and meeting people in a new place, it’s hard to tear ourselves away from that. It feels like one big party, or one great dream. The positives of travel usually outweigh the negative, in my opinion. If anything goes wrong, usually the locals are ready to help and make us feel better. Haha, it IS nice not being able to hear every conversation going around you. Sometimes you just don’t want to listen to someone else’s life 🙂
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I love travelling, but now I can’t afford it like I used to when I was younger & single. With a kid and a wife I can’t travel in the same way that I used to either: no more crazy drug & alcohol benders in foreign cities 🙂
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When we’re single, we have less responsibilities and maybe that’s why we travel, to make the most of this opportunity and our youthful desire to try new things.
Sounds like you made the most of your younger days, I salute you for that. Hoped you remembered most of it 😉
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Oh yes, great memories! Met a lot of interesting people! (some would probably call them scary).
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Glad to hear you remember your travels. I’m sure those scary people thought you were scary anyway. Travelers. So many different kinds.
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A thought provoking post Mabel. I travel to learn and experience. I feel like a sponge that wants to soak up every language, every new scene, every culture. I’m an addict to travel. 🙂
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Thanks, Sue. You sound like a sponge who gets bored easily if you are just left in one place 😉 Sometimes it’s hard to what’s our favourite reason for travel, and favourite thing that we did on our travels. Depends on the place and what you wanted to do, I suppose. For me, I find the best travel moments are talking to locals.
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I do love talking to locals wherever I go Mabel. You get a truer sense of a place I find.
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You should know that better than me since you’ve been to more places than me 😉
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I think I’m about 30 years older too 🙂
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30 years older than me…about right. Not surprised, you’re wise 😉
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Thank you Mabel. Aging does have its benefits. 🙂
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nice read 🙂
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Thanks, Bipasha 🙂
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Traveling is fun. The preparation always excites me – booking a flight, reserving a hotel, checking out what’s hot and the must-tries, reading tour reviews, finalizing the itinerary, etc. I feel good whenever my passport gets stamps especially in countries I visit for the first time. Sometimes, I count the total number of stamps, an evidence that traveling is addicting! Lol.
Traveling is educational; there’s always something new wherever we go. Lessons are not always by the book. There are things we learn by our experiences.
Traveling makes memories. Memories that cameras can not capture… stays in our hearts forever.
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I have never met anyone who has said traveling is NOT fun. I want to met someone like that one day and hear it for myself why is that the case 🙂
I love your last line. Traveling makes memories…memories that stay in our hearts forever. Traveling, we not only physically experience new surroundings but soak up a whole new range of feelings that can’t be felt anywhere else. And yes, lessons too we learn on the move. Such wise words you have there to add to this discussion 🙂
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Maybe one of us used to have unpleasant experiences from our previous travels – missing luggages, passport theft, different reactions from food intake, getting lost, being overcharged by locals for being a tourist, discrimination, etc. But still, these experiences are the lessons we learn from exploring 🙂
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“these (unpleasant) experiences are the lessons we learn from exploring”. You are so right, and say it so well 🙂 We can let unpleasant experiences overshadow out trip, or deal with it, learn from them and see the positive in the place around us. I’m sure you’ve got your own share of not-so-nice travel stories, but in the end everything turned out okay 🙂
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To me there is nothing better than traveling ~ the key reasons: adventure and learning. The thought of traveling somewhere can put me into daydream, and that immediately prevents any type of gloom settling down on me as there is always some excitement around the corner. Even if it is just to a different city, there can be a change of pace/lifestyle that is a culture in its own right, and that is fascinating to see and experience. Often, my favorite parts of traveling is just kicking back in a coffee shop somewhere, or on a park bench and watch the people and their lives…traveling just puts me at ease. So many options when traveling that it just excites my mind.
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Getting into a daydream. That’s precisely the danger of traveling too. We might love what we see out there in another city, love it so much…up until the point we forget about the beauty of our home and where we’re from. But I don’t think this happens too often, as it’s our roots that determines the way we see the world, differently.
Love how traveling is relaxing to you, just sitting around somewhere and watching the world go by. I love to do that too. Travel isn’t just confined to going to an obscure area, bending over backwards to reach the top of the mountain and having a physical adventure. It’s sensory, an emotional one too. No wonder it’s exciting.
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Hi, Mabelle.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on my recent blog posts. I want you to know I value them not only because they came from you, a “writer” that I really look up to, but because every word you say and write comes with a lot of sense. Every time I read a blog post here, I couldn’t stop. You weave your words in a way that readers will sure get to the end. You know what I mean.
Anyway, my love for traveling came in late. Nevertheless, that love is intact now. I couldn’t see myself stopping from setting foot on different places. As long as I can walk, I will travel. I owe a lot of life changing experiences from traveling. The very first moment I summited, the very first time I embarked on a solo travel, the very moment I appreciated the magic of nature, the very first time I crossed a monkey bridge, the very first time I saw a rare plant species…and the very first time I wrote about each of those experiences.
I travel because I believe my voice through my blog has an audience somewhere out there. That my stories can inspire, if not enlighten, those people to embark on a new endeavor. Be it climbing mountains, skydive, take pictures of countless nature wonders, etc.
I travel because the world is a book and I don’t want to read just a page.
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Better late than never, that’s always the phrase you hear. It’s hard to get bored when we’re traveling as what we see can change our perspectives in an instant, maybe our lives too. Traveling, we get to see nature, architecture, people, cultures…endless things to see and yes, it can be addicting. I don’t know what you mean by crossing a monkey bridge, but it sounds like a lot of fun and I hope to do it myself someday.
Every travel and every journey is different. Even if we travel in groups, it’s different too as each of us probably likes doing and seeing different things on our travels. So all of our stories will be different. I notice that your blog has very bright and vivid photos, full of life and positivity – inspiring me to get out and about more often to see the beauty out there.
Thanks so much for the nice words, Sony. I am truly touched, and am also very touched that you’ve stuck around my blog from the beginning. Me, writer? I still have a lot to learn about words and writing. “I travel because the world is a book and I don’t want to read just a page.” You say it so well and have a way with words, like you do with your photos. Keep traveling.
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Another beautiful post, Mabel 🙂
Enjoyed the post and all the discussions here 🙂
Yea, answering to your questions…. I just live to travel, what more should I say 🙂
Travel really helps my photography, but nothing gives me more joy than exploring a new place, it need not be a tourist attraction or an exotic place, but even a nearby hill top or a unseen village road satisfies my thirst 🙂
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Glad you say you like exploring more than taking photographs on your travels. It’s always refreshing to soak up our new surroundings with our own eyes and senses when we get the chance – you get to not only experience but feel the culture and what’s going on around you. When I travel, I tell myself not to focus too much on taking photos. It’s bad enough that I spend a lot of time in Melbourne taking photos and sometimes walk away from places here feeling I didn’t see anything.
Thanks for your kind words again, Sreejith. I also like your happy faces. Award for most number of smileys in comments goes to you 🙂
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Thank you so much for the award, Mabel 🙂 It comes naturally while I write.
The grin on my face just jumps to the keyboard and stays after a sentence 🙂
Taking photos while traveling is a huge topic, which has been discussed in millions of places in the web and the perspective changes from person to person, right?
To me, if I get a few good shots, I don’t mind spending how much ever money, time, or effort in exploring a place. It gives a feel of satisfaction 🙂
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No worries, Sreejith. Well deserved award. If I’m having a downer of a day and I see a comment from you with smileys, my day gets brighter. Seems like you feel happy writing, maybe you should pursue that.
You’re right. Taking photos while on the move is a big topic (don’t know if you’ve written about it). It’s a topic that tends to change, depending on where, when and how you’re traveling. So you’re right, many perspectives to this topic. I’ve just started taking photos wherever I go, so maybe one day I’ll write about it 🙂
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Travelling is such a wonderful facet of life when it becomes a compulsion we miss the very essence of travelling. It is a process of self-discovery. It is a process of exploration. It changes our perception and perspective. There cannot be better learning than the travelling, it teaches us and it questions our assumptions.
You are right, it unwinds us and yes, we get lost and escape into another world of excitement. So much to see on this world and we have one life, it is such a paradox. Perhaps contradictions are the foundations of our existence.
With the digital camera in hand, we needn’t have to store everything in our limited memory bank…we can capture and preserve the pictures. Travel photography is a fun element that has been now added to our travel itinerary…
Happy Travelling!!!
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Spot on – travel “is a process of self discovery…exploration”. With travel, we never know what we may find. We never know what’s around the corner. What we see next will most likely captivate us and the people will meet will probably challenge the way we think of the world with their own languages and customs.
You are so right. With a digital camera we can capture places and when we look back at the photos, we’ll probably remember what we learnt so much more clearly…and we might realise something else about out adventures at home. Every picture speaks a thousand words.
Happy traveling too, Nihar!
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