I grew up with a curious mind, and I love to wander. As a young girl, I didn't have much time for being indoors, and nature seemed to be the place to discover my small part of the world. Of course, I had no real concept of how complex, huge, and fascinating the world was about to get.
Coming from a small fishing village in the Pacific Northwest, most people were of European descent. It is an understatement to say that so much has changed since the 1960s in my hometown and worldwide.
In my early childhood, my reference to the world was my parent's subscription to National Geographic.
There was no cable television, internet, smartphone, or Google. The National Geographic magazine introduced me to a world that looked so different than my own. It further fueled my curiosity and desire to experience more. Even today, I still receive the magazine.
Travel opens minds and hearts if we let it.
I'm going out on a limb here, but in today's world, if all we knew were what we see each day on cable news, there would be places that people would not go, perhaps out of fear, ignorance, or the unknown.
These are challenging times we live in today, and more than ever, we need to understand places unlike our own and the people who live there. Where and how we get information about people and our world is critical to our future.
That's where travel comes in. It can open our hearts and minds. We don't have to go far; sometimes, it might just be across our hometown to see how others live. But, it seems we are becoming more isolated in our communities, cities, and even our country.
We don't have to travel around the world to reap the benefits.
There are all kinds of ways to travel.
Some travelers today find a need to check off as many countries as possible as a way of travel. Learning about many places is an option, but it's not for everyone.
Going deeper and immersing myself in a place or culture is an attractive option.
First, I'm not twenty-something anymore, and once you have more life behind you than ahead, you protect your time and resources like they were gold. I'm in my 4th quarter of life, and moments matter. 😉
Knowing as much about a few places is more attractive to me than rushing in and out of cities and locations. It's a form of slow travel that has been around for a while but is gaining ground as our world faces scarcity and global warming.
Travel can mean different things to all of us.
Travel can be a day at your city museum, a drive to a nature preserve near you, a city park, or an adventure downtown.
It can be crossing a state line in search of new landscapes. It can mean boarding a plane to a place too challenging to drive, not accessible by car, or a stamp on your passport.
Travel does not have to be impressive, fancy, or expensive to open our minds and hearts.
Travel has confirmed how little I know about the world.
If there is anything I have learned during my travels, it is how little I know. Travel has opened my eyes to how different we live on many levels.
Anthony Bourdain sums it up for me.
“Looking at these photographs, I know that I will never understand the world I live in or fully know the places I’ve been. I’ve learned for sure only what I don’t know—and how much I have to learn.”
This happens to me every time I return from a travel experience. My thousands and thousands of photographs have shown this to be true every time.
However, travel is personal; however you choose to travel, I wish you the best. Be safe and kind, and keep an open mind.
And remember...leave no trace.
XOXO
Marla
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