My New Passport Arrived
I just got my new passport in the mail. I’m excited. Do I have any trips planned? No, but that’s not the point.
The point is, I can go places. And I love travel. Travel opens up the world.
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.” – Mark Twain
I love Mark Twain on so many levels but I think this quote sums up how I feel about travel as well.
And it’s not just traveling to other countries. We can learn so much traveling shorter distances. Leave your house and visit another town, city, or state. Go to the mountains, the coast, a lake, or an art museum. You all know I spent 7 years on the road with my dog Moses, traveling all over the US. The people I met and the experiences I had were priceless.
On every tour the goal was to take time off and visit places that I wanted to see. From spending a few days on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, to driving down on the Florida Keys. On one tour I drove 8 hours out of my way to see an art exhibition in Cincinnati. It was a traveling show and that was it’s only US stop. I loved it and would do that again in a heartbeat.
I don’t understand people who say to me, “I can’t see how you can travel so much. I like to be in my own bed every night.”
I enjoy being home in my own bed, but not all the time. I want to see new things, meet new people, try different foods, and wake up in places I’ve only read about. I know my bed is still going to be there when I come home.
When people say travel is scary, I don’t disagree. It can be. It’s also rewarding and gives you a totally different attitude about people in other countries as well as other parts of the US.
Was I ever scared on the road? Sure, mostly by weather, rarely by people. Was I ever uncomfortable? Yes. No doubt about it. Was I ever uncomfortable enough to never travel again? Absolutely not.
We have a limited time on this planet so why don’t you want to take in as much of it as you can? See new things, visit places you’ve learned about through reading, and sit down and have coffee (or tea or wine), with someone from another culture. You will be amazed at what you find out if you listen.
I have no desire to go on a cruise ship. That’s not the kind of thing that interests me. I want to wake up in a new place and go for a walk. Meet local people and just hang out.
In any of my trips whether on tour or vacation, I always leave some open days with nothing planned. I want to see where the day takes me.
I’m looking forward to breaking in this new passport. Maybe not this year, maybe not next. Who knows? I will still travel around the US, but I’m looking forward to the day when I can hop on a plane and head off on a new adventure and meet a bunch of strangers who will hopefully become friends.
I always tell students (and everyone else), get a passport and figure out where you want to go. Then start saving your money so you can do it.
Palm Springs Sunrise
I have a lot to learn and experience before I get off this ride. Thankfully I have a new passport.
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Posted on August 31, 2021