It’s a little after 8am.
I’m at one of my favourite cafes, in my favourite spot, drinking a cup of dark roast coffee (in a mug – save the planet) and sporting one of my favourite blazers. It’s nautical themed, there are anchors on it. The sun is shining, there’s a cool, light breeze.
This is an incredible Friday morning.
All of this mushed together has put me in the mood to sit here and put what’s in my head down on paper (or screen technically), but into words nonetheless.
I don’t do it enough. For me, for you, for whoever. So, what better time than now?
Today I’m pondering the question that makes up the title of this post:
You can travel the world, but where does it take you?
There are so many ways to tackle this. Four and a half years ago when I set out on my first around the world backpacking adventure I never could have predicted how full that experience would be. Stunning cultures, new friends, delicious foods, belief altering lessons, excruciatingly long bus rides – it was quite the year.
Setting out on that flight to Auckland, New Zealand I had previously been to four countries, one continent and never travelled solo.
As I type this, I’ve now been to 69 countries on 6 continents.
That baffles me. Every. Single. Day.
Beyond the obvious answer that travel ‘takes you to this place and that place’, it’s safe to say there is an extensive list of places you won’t find on any map. They sit a little deeper below the surface. Places you can go to without even realizing it.
The Other Side of Your Beliefs
No matter how open minded, accepting, ‘spread love, not hate’ you are, at the end of the day we all have beliefs and opinions. There have been times, in far away lands, that I’ve encountered situations and ideas that challenge my own beliefs. Being the odd one out, the opposing opinion, the ‘wrong’ one, I’ve been forced to examine what I understand as ‘right’ and the side of an argument that I sit on. There have been a few times that I walked away with a different perspective, and a few times that my perspective was simply reinforced. In all of these scenarios I’ve learnt travel’s important role in making us check-in and better understand what we believe, offering breadth and insight.
The Hearts of New Friends
Although a great deal of my travelling has been solo travel, I should say that’s not a completely accurate description. You are rarely alone when you travel. Even if you’re not an extremely outgoing person like I am, you will constantly find yourself meeting new people. In hostels, on trains, hiking, at sights, on the beach, restaurants. Everywhere. I’ve met many of the most spectacular people I know on my travels. These people have become some of my dearest friends, invited me into their homes, shared laughs and secrets, taught me about their cultures, and given me a place in their hearts and minds. These friendships overcome distance and time between reunions, nurtured by Skype and email and social media. (In fact, this morning’s coffee and writing was triggered by my friend Ben and him telling me how badly he needed a coffee. I couldn’t bring him one so I figured I’d enjoyed one with him in mind, but boy-oh-boy, what I’d give to show up at his office right now with a black coffee and have a proper catch up. Miss you Ben). Travel takes you into the lives and hearts of others and brings them, into yours.
The Inequality of Your Equal
We are all equal. Well, we should be all equal. Each person on this planet should be afforded the same opportunities and shot at ‘life’ that the rest of the world has but travel very quickly shows you this is not the case. Too many times I have visited a place where the imbalance of global wealth, education, safety and health were so significant that I found myself debilitated by guilt for the lifestyle and privileges I too often taken for granted back home in Canada. Now, I should mention that for North American standards, I did not grow up with a silver spoon in my mouth and money was earned through a lot of hard work and spent very carefully. However, when you are sitting in a hut with someone who is surviving on only one dollar a day, you can’t ignore how messed up ‘opportunity’ and ‘privilege’ really are in this world. Travel has helped me revaluate the life I have been granted and my responsibility in re-balancing the global scale of wealth, education, safety and health in an effort to alter the unequal reality of my equals.
The Fear of All Fears
Everyone has fears. Everyone. For the most part, we are aware of the fears that we have and many of us attempt to either actively avoid or tackle them. There have been many fears that I’ve been able to overcome or at least challenge through travelling, such as my fear of heights, flying, the dark, and so on. The thing is, I’ve also discovered some of my deepest fears; fears I never knew I carried. These fears were hidden deep within and scare me more than all my previous fears combined. I’m still don’t understand whether travel helps to fix these fears or worsens them but I suspect I’ve yet to travel far enough to find the answer.
The Purpose of You
I’m on this planet for a reason. So are you. We all have something we can contribute to the world and those around us because everyone’s purpose is significant. Travel has helped me recognize that understanding my purpose and putting it into action is a priority. It has also taught me that there is a strong correlation between my purpose and travel. I could go on and on about everything travel has taught me, things I never learnt in school or lessons only experiential learning can give you but even your purpose is not travel related, the experiences and personal growth travel offers can help you unearth the reason you are here on Earth. (Sorry, I couldn’t help myself…pun intended).
While I do believe travelling has significantly shaped who I am today, I’m left wondering what to do with it. The people and places I’ve visited have gifted me so much and I feel a duty to return those gifts.
Yes, travel takes you to unbelievable destinations around the globe but it’s those places you can’t necessarily see with the human eye that return home with you.
I’d loved to hear your thoughts on any of these above points, whether it’s the relationships you’ve built, the lessons you’ve learned or the purpose you’ve discovered.
