Two of my friends at Machu Picchu
As I was coming home from my Monterey mini-vacation this weekend, I was reminiscing about my world travel adventures that seem like so long ago. The back packing, the exotic lands, the insatiable intrigue constantly runs through my veins as if I am a meth addict going cold turkey (heroin would have been too extreme). It has almost been a year since my last international trip and strangely enough I tend to feel a sense of displacement if I am here for too long (no offensive, I love Monterey). However, I’m only 24 and at this point I have tallied 12 countries, countless unique experiences and 2362 mispronounced words. I have to give the credit to my mom for making me realize the virtues of traveling at an early age (actually it was more like forcing me to travel). If it wasn’t for that push I wouldn’t have seen my first naked woman at the age of 11 on a Australian beach or walked 300 plus steps up a steep hill, at night, in the rain, only to realize the only hotel in the small Italian village was not a hotel at all, but rather, a castle. However, I believe the essence of world travel goes beyond ones’ unique experiences and instead represents the accumulation of those experiences into shaping one’s perspective. I am sure you’ve heard, “traveling the world will make you a better person”…well here is why I think that statement is true:
1. Travel forces you to be fully present- Once you’re overseas, many of your responsibilities, problems and other situations ceased to exist. Many thoughts that make up your “everyday” day are not needed to fulfill your life while traveling. Therefore, as Eckhart Tolle puts it, your “mental noise” is at a minimum and you are able to witness the true essence of what is around you (may sound corny, but true). Process this for one second and ask yourself why is everything foreign more beautiful? I want to say that most people (including myself) think that the majority of atheistic beauty in the world, have it be: architecture, landscapes, people… is far from home. Most people will argue that things that are foreign are beautiful because they are exotic, rare, etc…which I agree with. However, I think the real reason why we find beauty in things overseas is because we create a vast distance between the present moment (overseas) and your chronic thinking (home). The freedom from your mind allows you to experience the true beauty in things that are typically labeled by your ever churning mind. Simply put, it is easier to experience life in its purest from.
2. Travel helps you make unlikely friends- When you’re in your social bubble at home, you will probably notice that your friends are very much alike. They speak the same language, have the same style, are interested in the same topics, so on and so forth. When you are backpacking overseas you are pushed into a whole new kind of social strata, one which can be very unfamiliar. Depending on if your mode of travel, you are often forced to create rapport with people just to get by or remain sane. Therefore, you often create relationships with people from all kinds of different backgrounds. The best way to make friends overseas is to find a common interest. If they’re the athletic type start talking about soccer, if they’re of the opposite sex start talking about dating customs…not only will you be able to discuss a topic enjoyable to you but you will get a very unique spin on the topic. Once the foundation is set, it is usually easy to branch off to more interesting topics of conversation and sometimes more interesting groups of friends. If you can learn to make friends overseas, think about what type of interpersonal successes you are setting your self up for later down the road. (more…)
