Raring to Go

If you’re any bit as restless as me, you likely have travel on your mind all of the time.  As I’ve passed some of the young age “landmarks”-turning eighteen, moving away to college, becoming a college graduate, and entering the job market-I’ve struggled with this at an increasing rate.  Taking one trip only seems to fuel the need for another.  The search for the next location and a reason I can pass off as logical for making the trip begins almost immediately.

Neuschwanstein Castle-Germany

My desire for international travel began at a young age when at thirteen I took a three week tour of Europe with a group from our small community in connection  with EF Educational Tours.  I spent months convincing my parents it was worth using my entire savings account to go.  To this day I stand by that decision.  It was on this trip that my independence began to take shape.  I went on the trip knowing four people-the leader who was a teacher at the middle school and his son who was a classmate of mine, one of the boys who was a friend of my brother’s, and one of the girls who was also a classmate of mine.  I didn’t know any of them very well nor the others to any extent and thus spent most of my time on my own whenever it was possible.  I enjoyed my fries and sweet mayonnaise discovery in the streets of The Netherlands and Belgium, exploring the magnificent lace shops in Brugge, all the chocolate one can fathom in Salzburg, and the myriad book shops of London.  The power and majesty of Ludwig II’s Neuschwanstein and his grandfather Maximilian’s Hohenschwangau in Germany are in their own category.  I can still remember the contrast of the yellow stone walls of Hohenschwangau against the brilliant blue clear skies.  Those three weeks allowed me to experience the countries of The Netherlands, Belgium, France, Germany, Lichtenstein, Austria, Switzerland, and England.  In the ten years since that trip in the spring/early summer of 2000, I’ve had the chance to revisit most of those countries-experiencing some of the same cities and adding to the list with some new ones, too.

Hohenschwangau Castle-Germany

It’s hard to look back at that trip without a little bit of nostalgia because of the changes I experienced at that time.  When you take a trip that evokes emotion or some decision-making I think it is worth reflecting on—just don’t let yourself dwell on them and become your bar for all trips to equal or surpass.  No two trips can ever be compared nor should they.  Trips are made at different times in life and under different circumstances, so even if you go to the same places with the same people you are apt to notice different things.  Enjoy all of it and allow yourself to be led and influenced by what you experience-in moderation.  I’m definitely NOT saying we need to become the world around us-there is too much negativity and evil in the world to do that, but if we don’t allow ourselves to be impressed by the world we have just tipped the scale too far in the opposite direction.  Not sure how to effectively and efficiently allow this to take place?  I’ll leave you with a couple suggestions for the day:  Journal and Photograph.  They each deserve their own entry-at least!  J