I witnessed a number of travel phlogs in these past few weeks popping out as their authors rekindle their love for travel one photo at a time. One has truly made me a true follower. Theirs remind me the pleasure of wandering even I am just staring at my computer doing plainly nothing.
But there is one thing I think saddens me about traveling…These are the goodbyes we have to bid after we finally found the connection we were seeking when we arrived.
It is when you know that as you enter a new land, you know you are also bound to leave these places soon. 3 days is never enough so you always hunger for longer stay. The next travels tend to be longer and you being more of a challenger for the unknown. You tend to be keener. You realized that you can leave your touristy attitude away then act like a local. You realized that there is more to a luxurious hotel, hopping at bars, following a tourist guide for the entire travel and souvenir shops. You realized that traveling means meeting people, being immersed in each of the new places, riding the public buses and eating street foods. You realized that traveling is not really about spending a lot in order to learn about the country or a new city but it is about exploring what is already there: things and places that do not require a chunk of your hard-earned money. You realized that ability to travel is not about showing what you have but showing to people what the world has. You also realized that traveling is a way to learn new things, things you know you would never know if you will not try to check those in the other side. You know traveling widens you. You start to love each places, sometimes loving one more than the others. At the end of the travel, you realized that the place is not foreign anymore to you. You realized it is loving you back. You know you already have the feeling of belongingness.
But..you know there is an end in every adventure. Goodbye is for people who truly had experienced first times with the place. But as the travel photographer Mitchell Kanashkevich puts it, Despite everything, the travel bug that bit you says “The show must go on”.
Curiosity Beyond 