Why We Travel

As a full time traveler, I tend to forget how amazing it is to be on the road. Currently, we are staying in Mt. Shasta City, California. We have been here for three weeks, and will be here for a few more before heading south to Arizona. Yesterday, we began to plan our southbound journey. This involved planning a route, determining how much time we would stay in each area, and booking RV sites. About half way through this exercise, I found myself in a state of giddy excitement, reminiscent of Christmas morning from my childhood. Later, as I reflected on my excitement, I realized what makes a travel so inspiring… and why we should never overlook the opportunity to start a road-trip of our own.

I noticed how my excitement grew as we examined the road map, Google Maps in this case. With each city, area, landmark, state and national park that we pointed to as we traced our route along the I5 corridor, my voice increased in pitch and volume. By the time we reached “Giant Sequoia National Park”, my voice was a nearly inaudible girly squeak, more akin to an early 2000’s NSYNC concertgoer, than my usual manly bravado. I was gushing with excitement as I began to imagine all of the great things that we would see and experience. Small mining towns, vast mountain ranges, quaint villages, and giant Sequoia trees!.. Oh my! Upon further reflection, it is great to realize that even while living as full-time travelers, planning a new road-trip is still rewarding and exciting. So what makes it so great?

I believe that we humans’ have a natural desire for exploration and discovery. It’s coded into our mind, body and soul, as if it were some ancestral memory passed down from generation to generation. It is our nature to find new things, gain new experiences, and bare witness to the beauty and grandeur of our world. Yet somehow, most of us ignore this predisposition. In our modern world, we find ourselves bound by routine as we re-live our day-to-day activities as life on repeat. We call it “responsibility”, “duty”, or simply “Life”. But that is a denial.

A road trip is our modern day version of Columbus sailing the ocean blue, or Neil Armstrong stepping on the moon. Well, maybe not so grand, but certainly the potential for discovery and experience exists, albeit on a much smaller scale. Road trips remind us that our World does not end at the boarders of our commute. The journey, no matter how long or short, will include new sights, sounds, people, accents, traditions, food and culture. We may discover a new amazing restaurant, or lay our eyes on a natural wonder we could only dream of. We may meet someone who inspires us, or become the inspiration to others as we dive head first into a new experience. Either way, travel presents an opportunity to grow. And I believe that that is what makes it so great.

Deep down we all want to grow. Not just grow older, but to grow in experience, courage, knowledge, wisdom, and spirit. In our busy lives, travel, is often our only chance to grow as it places us in unfamiliar places, in unexpected situations, and sometimes with unknown people. As we embark on our journeys, we gain a new sense of freedom, and exhilaration that remind us that we are indeed alive. It is the difference between making a living and living for a living. There is an instinctual acknowledgement that occurs within your mind and body that as a human you are a traveler, and your mission is to discover the world surround and the person within.

So as you conclude this post, let your imagination flow. Ask yourself, “Where do I want to go next?” Begin to plan your journey, and allow the feelings of excitement and anticipation to swell until you too feel that primordial urge. Give yourself the opportunity to grow, to be present, and to discover something grand about the world, and yourself.

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Thanks!
Zach