Monday, November 30, 2015

traveljo - why do we travel ?

After cancelling 2 trips - New Zealand which was on top of my bucket list, a dream trip, and Barcelona which was falling perfectly during Christmas holidays, I have come to realize that I have lost my traveljo. I have started using expressions like "quality over quantity"! Which does not make sense for travel, its all about quantity of visa and passport stamps and borders crossed. This was a perfect summer, and instead of running off to Alps every sunny weekend day, I was comparing "pay-off".

All this got me thinking why do we travel? Is there something like too much travel? I wonder how many people travel just to escape the realities of life. When you are at a strange place, strange people, life's problems also become estranged. At that moment there are simpler problems like where to eat the next meal, when to catch the next bus, where to go and where to stay - roti, kapda aur makan aur transportation. Where is the line between traveling to relax and traveling to run away?

Or are travellers just this set of people who are on quest for more knowledge, more information, to know the world! Or is it just about bragging rights. Of course I want to believe the second - its all about quest for knowledge, knowing the different cultures, how people live, knowing the world. Most avid travellers don't stay locked in 5-star hotels, following set itineraries. They venture out, mingle with locals, enjoy the different way of life going around them.

As I prepare to spend a restless (travel less) Christmas week for the first time, I hope 2016 brings more travels for me, even if it is to escape life's problems.

2 comments:

Sanjukta K Sahoo said...

Why you had to cancel your X-mas trip ? Was it due to the debate between relaxation and restless exploration ?

Tulika said...

No no, nothing that profound. Just decided that fun vs time + cost ratio is not that high. After seeing so many European cities, Barcelona seemed like a combination of them. Same for New Zealand, seemed like a combination of Switzerland and Iceland!