Thanks for sharing this, your enthusiasm bubbles through the pages (well, screen)! It's nice to hear from someone who has clearly thought about what travel offers them. So many people simply go places because everyone else is.
My professional life has so far been entirely in travel media, but as a writer before I was a traveller, my enthusiasm for both prongs of that fork has changed over that time. Covid was the catalyst, as it was for so many. It forced me to see things differently. It was beginning to feel like the writing element of travel writing was being ignored in an obsession for clicks, and people who liked going abroad thought they could make a bit of easy money from writing bland articles. And that few people had the curiosity or patience for the good, quality travel writing. I'm planning a post on this slow and sad realisation of mine but it's taking a while. As I say... it's complicated! Either way, thanks for reminding me of the good that travel can bring :)
I enjoyed this immensely Alex, i can see the work you put into this and so much of what you say resonates loudly!
Home is a word with a feeling … I have found many too, in diverse places, not limited to that where I was born and raised. In fact that place feels less like home than any other now. It is a place I lived and loved, but the reasons for those feelings are long gone. Not that I don’t love still where I came from, of course, I still have friends there but places change when daily ties are severed and one’s feelings of love and attachment with it.
I was recently speaking to my son about travelling and was horrified to hear he doesn’t have the same desire that coursed through my entire adolescence to visit this wild and beautiful world. He has no desire for experience outside of his circle at all… I hope only that this attitude will change but of course, though he is like me in so many ways, we are not one.
Very much enjoyed this! I am looking forward to the next installments. I too had a blog for a few years that never earned me any money. But I got practice writing for public consumption and fine-tuned my subject matter, so as you say, nothing is ever wasted. Glad you are re-sharing these.
“I have many homes, and travel constantly provides me with more.”
I didn’t feel “home” at home for most of my life. Growing up in the suburban US, I recognize a lot of the homegrown “microcosm mentality” that Matthew describes. Immersion within different places and world cultures brings surprising new pieces of “home” to the surface.
Alexander, I loved this article. I grew up in a small rural town in Missouri. Many of my friends and family never left our small town. They considered a vacation to go to a baseball game in St. Louis once a year (about an hour drive). While I love where I come from, I also wanted to see the world and experience more than my rural, farming town. In high school I went on trips to the Philippines and Peru. After joining the Navy I visited the Seychelles, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Spain, Italy, Thailand, South Korea, Kuwait, Iraq, and many more countries. In every place I tried the local food and drink. I stayed away from the tourist destinations and went where locals hung out. I wanted to expand my mind and experience different things. All of it was a learning experience. After I leave the Navy my wife and I plan to keep traveling, going new places, learning new languages, eating new food, and experiencing new ways of life. Thanks for sharing your experience. It brought back a lot of great memories.
Great post, Alexander, and so much of it resonated. I've often asked myself why I like to travel and I think it comes down to observation and interaction (general curiosity); and I enjoy the process of travel as well as the destination. The greater worldview that is gained from travel. I find some people (trying not to generalise here) who don't or haven't travelled to be very parochial in their outlook. I, like you, like to ask questions - I've had quizzical looks from local guides when I've asked such things as how many people are usually in graves. Or you receive an enlightening observation on your own life - a chap in Gambia told me he felt sorry for English people (read western) as we are lonely because we all live on our own or in a small family unit. Whereas in The Gambia, households consisted of large extended families so he knew that, if anything ever happened to him, X would step in to look after his family.
My husband finds travelling extremely stressful and we now agree to play to our wishes. He is happy for me to go off and visit the places I do, and I'm happy to accompany him to Achiltibuie (a place he has a strong emotional attachment to) once a year for his annual break from the farm. Happily (in my opinion) our boys take after me. Son #2 is currently globally feral (what a great phrase) in his quest to put off being an adult as long as possible, lol
'Home' is an interesting concept. I moved around a bit until age 9, and then, once I'd left school, my parents moved a couple of times so I have no emotional attachment to any place other than my present home, and even then, if I had to move, it wouldn't be a huge wrench - it is just bricks and mortar after all. I think a sense of place, belonging and people are more important than a physical structure.
Thanks for sharing this, your enthusiasm bubbles through the pages (well, screen)! It's nice to hear from someone who has clearly thought about what travel offers them. So many people simply go places because everyone else is.
My professional life has so far been entirely in travel media, but as a writer before I was a traveller, my enthusiasm for both prongs of that fork has changed over that time. Covid was the catalyst, as it was for so many. It forced me to see things differently. It was beginning to feel like the writing element of travel writing was being ignored in an obsession for clicks, and people who liked going abroad thought they could make a bit of easy money from writing bland articles. And that few people had the curiosity or patience for the good, quality travel writing. I'm planning a post on this slow and sad realisation of mine but it's taking a while. As I say... it's complicated! Either way, thanks for reminding me of the good that travel can bring :)
I enjoyed this immensely Alex, i can see the work you put into this and so much of what you say resonates loudly!
Home is a word with a feeling … I have found many too, in diverse places, not limited to that where I was born and raised. In fact that place feels less like home than any other now. It is a place I lived and loved, but the reasons for those feelings are long gone. Not that I don’t love still where I came from, of course, I still have friends there but places change when daily ties are severed and one’s feelings of love and attachment with it.
I was recently speaking to my son about travelling and was horrified to hear he doesn’t have the same desire that coursed through my entire adolescence to visit this wild and beautiful world. He has no desire for experience outside of his circle at all… I hope only that this attitude will change but of course, though he is like me in so many ways, we are not one.
Time will tell…
Very much enjoyed this! I am looking forward to the next installments. I too had a blog for a few years that never earned me any money. But I got practice writing for public consumption and fine-tuned my subject matter, so as you say, nothing is ever wasted. Glad you are re-sharing these.
“I have many homes, and travel constantly provides me with more.”
I didn’t feel “home” at home for most of my life. Growing up in the suburban US, I recognize a lot of the homegrown “microcosm mentality” that Matthew describes. Immersion within different places and world cultures brings surprising new pieces of “home” to the surface.
Loved your post - thanks Alexander!
Alexander, I loved this article. I grew up in a small rural town in Missouri. Many of my friends and family never left our small town. They considered a vacation to go to a baseball game in St. Louis once a year (about an hour drive). While I love where I come from, I also wanted to see the world and experience more than my rural, farming town. In high school I went on trips to the Philippines and Peru. After joining the Navy I visited the Seychelles, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Spain, Italy, Thailand, South Korea, Kuwait, Iraq, and many more countries. In every place I tried the local food and drink. I stayed away from the tourist destinations and went where locals hung out. I wanted to expand my mind and experience different things. All of it was a learning experience. After I leave the Navy my wife and I plan to keep traveling, going new places, learning new languages, eating new food, and experiencing new ways of life. Thanks for sharing your experience. It brought back a lot of great memories.
Great post, Alexander, and so much of it resonated. I've often asked myself why I like to travel and I think it comes down to observation and interaction (general curiosity); and I enjoy the process of travel as well as the destination. The greater worldview that is gained from travel. I find some people (trying not to generalise here) who don't or haven't travelled to be very parochial in their outlook. I, like you, like to ask questions - I've had quizzical looks from local guides when I've asked such things as how many people are usually in graves. Or you receive an enlightening observation on your own life - a chap in Gambia told me he felt sorry for English people (read western) as we are lonely because we all live on our own or in a small family unit. Whereas in The Gambia, households consisted of large extended families so he knew that, if anything ever happened to him, X would step in to look after his family.
My husband finds travelling extremely stressful and we now agree to play to our wishes. He is happy for me to go off and visit the places I do, and I'm happy to accompany him to Achiltibuie (a place he has a strong emotional attachment to) once a year for his annual break from the farm. Happily (in my opinion) our boys take after me. Son #2 is currently globally feral (what a great phrase) in his quest to put off being an adult as long as possible, lol
'Home' is an interesting concept. I moved around a bit until age 9, and then, once I'd left school, my parents moved a couple of times so I have no emotional attachment to any place other than my present home, and even then, if I had to move, it wouldn't be a huge wrench - it is just bricks and mortar after all. I think a sense of place, belonging and people are more important than a physical structure.