Travel is one of my true loves. I caught the travel bug when travel became a part of my career. My first overseas assignment was a week in Thailand. This trip can only be described by the word “whirlwind”. 13 hour days at the office, followed up by dinner engagements every night. I didn’t get to see Bangkok at all so I decided to take the following Monday off work and stay for the long weekend. Those three days changed my life. Suddenly I was hooked on seeing new places.
Since then I have been lucky enough to travel a lot. Africa, Europe, Asia, I’ve spent significant amounts of time in all continents. The Americas are still on my list, but the more I travel, the longer my list gets. We have such a short life, there is so much to see.
Pretty early in the piece I realised that travel meant memories. When I understood this, I realised there were three things you needed to pack, to ensure you kept your memories for ever. So a camera, a travel diary and a pen were always the first three things I packed. I have been rewarded for my foresight. My walls are now adorned with my favorite photos of places I’ve been, people I’ve met and all those special moments. And whenever I am in the mood to reminisce, I pick up one of my journals and read. The prose isn’t 100% refined, but ahhh, the memories.
When reminiscing, I realise that it was in seeing the diversity the world has to offer, that my mind has been opened. I understand now that there is often no right or wrong, there is just different. And different isn’t bad, it is there to be respected, it is there to create thought, it is there to be enjoyed.
Then there are the people I’ve met on the way. In accepting their hospitality, their customs and generosity, my heart has been opened. Sure, they may have a different way of doing things, a different way of interpreting events, they are just people though, people like you and I. In learning to accept them without prejudice, my capacity for love and tolerance increased immensely.
Travel has been really good to me. I am a much better person for my experiences and so I write about them. Writing about these experiences means I can share the insights I have developed with people who have not been as fortunate as I, people who are not blessed with the opportunity to travel. In sharing such insights, the experiences which have helped me become a more tolerant, accepting person may help someone else do the same.
So in sharing my experiences, maybe I can promote a more tolerant and harmonious world. Why don’t you share your experiences too. Help me make the world as peaceful as we can.