Why would you leave the comfort of your cozy home to go around the world to experience what sometimes are seemingly the most exasperating encounters? Even more astonishing, why quit a considerably lucrative job to spend your life savings globe-trotting? For me, an adventurous experience is simple; at least if not for the rest of my life, for that time when my whole being is intoxicated by the idea of travel.
Often, I get questions on whether traveling is part of my interests, perhaps because of the nature of what I do. Then, I have gotten accustomed to the next possible question ‘how many countries/places have you been to?’ Depending on my response, the questioner is always left to decide whether I am truly a traveler or not.
You see, I may not have traveled to as many destinations as would qualify me to be called a wanderlust. Yet, in any sense, I assert that traveling for me is not about how many miles I cover. An ace traveler will agree with me that whether it’s an hour’s drive to the city next door or a 10 hours’ flight to the other corner of the world, traveling is simply the ability to move to a place you want to explore for one reason or another.
In this case, I may be traveling to my rural hometown to pay homage to my folks, honoring a friend’s invitation to be with them during an important event in their lives in a nearby city or a business trip to an overseas country; for me, a step away from my normal environs for whatever reason is an epic move to travel.
Recently, a friend left the country (Kenya) to Cape Town for a business trip. However, I was completely beguiled by his ability to juggle the busy schedule and time to indulge in pleasurable activities such as a shopping spree, something that made him a freely happy gentleman. And his excuse? “I only carried a toothbrush and paste”. Such ability to "bleisure" is not only a relaxing ice-breaker but also goes a long way in enabling me to enjoy every meaning of travel.
Away from home, is where I have encountered some of my most important life journeys and personal growth. Where I have seen the richness of culture, created golden friendships, had some of my most hearty laughter and appreciated the true unconditional love of humanity. This is my rendition of travel.
