But I realize that maybe that’s not what I tend to talk about. My excitement and passion for travel shines through so brilliantly that it tends to eclipse all else. I gloss over many of the hard bits, or I don’t mention them at all. Plus many events that were quite difficult at the time seem funny or interesting in retrospect. Even as they’re happening, I try to see them as all part of the adventure, and that attitude carries through even when I’m back home.
So yes, the process of travel is intimidating, and not just if you’re a travel newbie. It takes a certain amount of energy to get started, and at this time in my life when I’m getting more settled and am dealing with lingering physical limitations, I have that energy less often than I used to. And while I’m not overly intimidated by travel to Europe anymore (which wasn’t always the case), I’m still easily overwhelmed by contemplating trips to other parts of the world. (Exotic diseases are my bugaboo. If the ailments I read about in the medical part of the guidebook are too disgusting, I lose all enthusiasm for visiting. I’m also convinced that I will get malaria in many parts of the world because mosquitoes love me soooo much.)
I didn't have a digital camera when I was in Sweden, so a photo of Norway is going to have to do...
Still, it is through the discomfort that transformation can occur, which is why I love it in spite of itself. The first non-English-speaking country I visited by myself was Sweden. Very modern, almost everyone speaks at least some English there, the food isn’t too crazy. I’d arranged to stay in a dorm room in Stockholm, so I even had a place to head upon arrival. I went out and about my first day, and I was so overwhelmed by being alone in a foreign place that I went back to the dorm and hid. I’m not even kidding, I hid and watched TV and cooked food in the dorm kitchen and felt miserable. I thought I’d made a terrible mistake, and it took all my willpower to eventually leave the safety of my room and continue my travel adventure.
On top of the world... in Switzerland.
Fast forward two months and I was in Switzerland, also alone, but completely transformed. It wasn’t that I was so much more comfortable, but I knew I could rely on myself. I had more confidence, I had seen amazing places and met a huge array of different people, and I had survived. I had faced up to the strong surges of grief I still felt over my mom’s death, and I had finally found a measure of peace around it. I was a different person, and to this day I believe that those two months are among the most important experiences of my life.
So is travel amazing? Yes, but it’s not for the weak of heart. It can be dizzying and terrifying, tedious and stimulating, painful and healing, and no matter how carefully we plan, travel will turn out differently than we expect.
What is an amazing travel experience you’ve had? Or, if you haven’t traveled much, what destination are you eager to visit?
The Practical Free Spirit 
In my opinion, the more you do it, the less intimidating, and more “exciting” it becomes, to a point.
After travelling through countries such as Sudan, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Yemen, Syria and the like, I was still really intimidated flying into Afghanistan in 2009, but not enough to not go, by myself. As you travel you acquire confidence, and with that confidence comes an understanding and reasoning to not be intimidated. People are just people, no matter what language, religion, color or region of the world. It’s nothing to be intimidated about, but more something to try and understand and absorb.
Flying into Myanmar last year, I think I have almost conquered the fear and intimidation, being so used to big guns, lots of military and bad situations at this point, barely even noticing the AK’s being pointed at me, laughing with the customs officers…
Good post,
John
I think you’re right–practice makes it easier. Hence my relative comfort in Europe vs. locations in Africa, Asia, etc. Practice can also help with trip planning and logistics.
It sounds like you’ve been to some truly amazing places!
Haven’t traveled much but tomorrow, i’m going on a tour bus to SF. It should be interesting since my dad said I had no sense of time.
I love the idea of traveling–going to unfamiliar places, having new experiences, experiencing the cumbersome climate, having interesting stories to tell.
After all, I had the experience of having someone jumpstart the plane. We’re all seated and was about to take off, when all of a sudden, the plane stopped and the emergency lights lit up. We’re there for 3-4 hours, I think. Finally, someone came and brought a jumpstarter to start our plane. It’s scary while you’re there but it’s a good story now that I’ve landed safely and got on with my life.
I often don’t wear a watch at home, but I find that I like to wear one while traveling to keep track better.
Wow, I didn’t even know that jumpstarting a plane was an option! Yes, the weird stories are the best. 🙂
Hope you have a great time tomorrow in SF. Sorry our weather isn’t better for you.
It does take some getting used to. 🙂
A friend of mine just shared a great quotation about this topic, and I have to share it with you guys!
“What gives value to travel is fear. It is the fact that, at a certain moment, when we are so far from our own country…we are seized by a vague fear, and an instinctive desire to go back to the protection of old habits. This is the most obvious benefit of travel. At that moment we are feverish but also porous, so that the slightest touch makes us quiver to the depths of our being. We come across a cascade of light, and there is eternity. This is why we should not say that we travel for pleasure. There is no pleasure in travel, and I look upon it more as an occasion for spiritual testing.”
—ALBERT CAMUS, from Notebooks 1935-1942
I totally agree with this, from what little travel I’ve done. It’s like deciding to be in a story for a time, with all the conflict and potential character changes that come along with that.
Yes, it’s like setting out for a real adventure! Makes me feel like the heroine of my life.
Hong Kong was a life-changing experience, much like yours, since I’d never been outside my home town for more than a weekend beforehand.
I want to see Japan, Iceland, the British Isles and Italy. Also Luxembourg, just so I can walk across a country in an hour.
Yeah, Luxembourg would be cool. There are just so many amazing places to see!