"We are inundated with advice on where to travel to, but we hear little of why and how we should go, even though the art of travel seems naturally to sustain a number of questions neither so simple nor so trivial, and whose study might in modest ways contribute to an understanding of what the Greek philosophers beautifully termed eudaimonia, or 'human flourishing'." from the quirky little book by Allain De Botton, The Art of Travel.
De Botton also writes about a visit he made to a tropical island. In a travel brochure he saw a picture of a palm tree on a tropical beach. It was so appealing that he decided to make a trip to the island. When he arrived he was disappointed, even though the island was as it had been described. No. His disappointment lay in the fact that he had brought himself along on the journey, and, that included all of his internal issues.
I've been intrigued by how excited some people get when they are in a far distant country and they meet someone from their home state or home town, Oh, I do find it mildly interesting but not nearly as fascinating as an encounter with someone who is native to that far off land. Perhaps that's why, when I travel, I avoid places where Americans hang out. There are enough opportunities to socialize with Americans when I'm in America. Maybe that's some of the difference between a traveler and a tourist.
As I suggested in my Oct. 21, blog the unexpected things we encounter in travel often create the adventures and the stories we later tell.
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