Get To It

I think Travel is a lot like Style. It is a personal reflection of who you are as an individual. And each person has a unique Style. A unique approach to Travel.

I see this and I get the travel bug every time.

Let's take Ben for instance. This guy is 100% action from the time he wakes up until the minute his head hits the pillow (and of course he falls asleep immediately...how?!). A typical conversation with my husband goes something like this: 

Him: "Hey babe! I've got a three-day weekend next week. Where are we going?" 
Me: "Ummm, well, I'd thought that it would be nice to stay at home and sort of relax. You know, since we got back from our previous trip yesterday."

As our date of (another) departure approaches, my nerves slowly coil themselves into tense springs, ready to explode at any moment. I obsess over the lightest possible packing method, plan our route to the last detail, and fall asleep thinking about how much I hate packing for three in one suitcase. I worry about leaving the house clean, do last minute loads of laundry, and, the night before we leave, I usually have a teensy weensy panic attack because Ben just wants me to sit down, relax, and watch an episode of The Wire instead of worrying or packing. His response to my fretting? "You've got plenty of time!"

Ben is the Energizer Bunny of travel. And I'm not so bad myself. I just need a good recharge, where Ben just keeps on going. We make a good team, actually, because I balance out the insanity in him and he pushes me to relax and enjoy life moment by moment. We've developed our own travel style...types of places we prefer to stay (apartments via Airbnb), what we like to see (historical sites or food-related attractions), our own pace (walk walk walk explore explore explore eat eat eat), and things we really have no interest in (guided tours for instance).

The look Mac will give you if you suggest staying home this weekend.

Here's the thing, though. That's just us! My good friend, Leah, and I were talking the other day. We have different travel styles and we both know it. And she made the excellent point that people just travel differently and that that is just fine! She is right. When I read travel blogs or articles, I am often really intimidated by that person's Travel Approach. The person that intimidates me the most is the laid-back-yet-effortlessly-chic traveler. Gah. One, I'm not laid back. Two, although I dream of looking super fashionable when I travel, often I'm rocking whatever I have that is mildly in fashion (that I own) and some shoes that are comfortable (if unfashionable). But I always feel like I should look a certain way, relax a little bit more, and be more savvy at this because, after all, we do this a lot!

There's no right or wrong way to travel. As long as you are respectful of the host culture, avoid being rude to locals, and leave flora, fauna, and national treasures the way you found them, you're good to go. Granted, a desire to blend in and experience the true culture of the place never hurt anyone.

By plane, train, or automobile - it doesn't matter where you go, just that you do.

If some of my friends traveled with us, they would not like the way we travel. They would never choose to prioritize the things we do, stay where we do, eat what we do. And guess what?! That's great! The point is, just travel. Just get out there and do it, wherever you are, no matter how small the day trip or how grand the destination. It doesn't matter if you're visiting Tishomingo, Oklahoma or Paris, France. It doesn't have to be expensive or exotic. It doesn't matter if you have children or not (granted, they make the process infinitely more complicated...but still worth it). It doesn't matter if you are the super laid back crunchy traveler with the cool yet annoyingly massive backpack (there should probably be commas and hyphens somewhere in there, but oh well). It doesn't matter if you want to lay on the deck of a cruise ship and not move for seven days. It doesn't matter if you couldn't care less about history (well, maybe we should have a chat). Who cares if you're not effortlessly chic in Paris (trust me, I agonized over this one...how do they do it?!). You're traveling. You're getting out into the world and experiencing part of it you haven't before. Well done. Now get to it.

'til next time.