For eight years, I was a travel agent. The business was in the same small rural town in which our family lived. Folks there were not terribly sophisticated, and I am not saying there is anything wrong with that. There were many people who were going on a tropical vacation for the first time, their first cruise, their first vacation to Mexico, or what they would often say was their first "real" vacation. That usually meant one that didn't involve visiting relatives. I enjoyed introducing them to the world of travel, which is one of my passions. It was fun, to send someone somewhere for the first time, and have them come back and tell me how wonderful it was. It was great to see people get bitten by the travel bug, and to plan their next trip and the next and so on.
When I say I love to travel, I mean I really love to travel. It doesn't have to be expensive, or exotic. Anyplace but here, you might say. Not that my "here" is bad. I live in the San Diego, California area, for goodness' sake. My "here" is paradise. But I love to go places. So travel is definitely a passion of mine. Somewhere different. Somewhere I've never been before.
It is not that way for everyone. I think many people would say they love to travel, and they might love the idea of travel, but some really don't like it or enjoy it all that much, and they definitely don't love it like I do or have a passion for it the way I do. I discovered this when I was a travel agent, and I saw how uncomfortable some people became with the idea of leaving the familiar. It sort of surprised me really, because I thought that money might be holding some folks back from a vacation, but that wasn't it at all. They had trouble stepping outside their comfort zone. They couldn't seem to just let go and let it all happen.
No matter how well we plan, things do go wrong from time to time when we are away from home. Customs agents are not always friendly, back-slapping kinds of guys. No matter how carefully you pronounce and then spell your last name, those people at the hotel desk might decide they have never heard of you. Diarrhea. While not all of it is pleasant, having a pleasant, go with the flow attitude about it, and a sense of humor will help.
Go with the flow. Have a sense of humor. Not be surprised if something goes awry. Step outside the comfort zone. Let go and let it happen. It sounds like the things that make for a good travel experience, come in pretty handy in everyday life. And whether it's traveling or just plain living, to fully and completely enjoy it, we need to love it and have a passion for it.
Susan
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Here in the Midwest the towns are filled with people who are very uncomfortable stepping outside that comfort zone. Most of the ones who are not have moved elsewhere. We've met people who were sent on business to Bologna (the center and source of northern Italian cuisine) and ate mostly at McDonald's. That said, the older I get, the more I want comfort on a vacation. Often it feels much better to remember having adventures in an exciting place than to be there at the time. It's best to do some real traveling when you're younger, if you can, so you know what to expect when you're older, and are not as easily thrown. I'm not done with adventure travel yet, but now that I have the resources, it is important to me to at least have a comfortable bed at the end of each day.
ReplyDeleteI think you have shown the difference between emotional comfort and physical comfort. A cozy bed is always a good thing.
DeleteItalian food in Italy. Perfect : )