I came across an article this morning by an American philosopher basically arguing that travel doesn’t change us.
In her Case Against Travel she argues that we see and do things and have experiences on our travels, but at the end of the day we return home and continue to be the person we are, and do what we have always done.
I guess that’s true to a point.
But I disagree with her notion that it has no impact on our lives.
It’s a change of scenery.
It’s good to take a break from the everyday.
Whether your travel is about lying on a beach, doing cultural tours, walking, camping, doing every touristy thing there is to do…
It’s a holiday.
It’s about our wellbeing.
That in itself can change us.
But it’s even more than that.
Last week I was in a conversation about travel and the impact it can have on us.
Just talking about it I got goose bumps and a bit emotional.
How then, has this not changed me, if it affects me in this way?
I’m still me, but I’ve experienced something that stays with me.
Fortunately the comments on the article are very much in disagreement with her too.
One person wrote about his aunt who refused to go on a walk to see a natural landmark, because she’d already seen it in a picture.
That reminded me of my Dad telling some friends he’d visited Uluru.
One woman said she’d been there too, but couldn’t be bothered to get off the bus because… ‘it’s just a rock’.
I cried when I touched that ‘rock’.
I had a picture of it on the back of my bedroom door for many years as a child, not knowing if I’d ever actually get there.
I remember saying to my husband one day just how much I’d longed to see it.
His response was perfect – ‘well let’s go then’.
We’ve been three times now, each as magical as that first time.
We’ve recently been watching a three-part series on the ABC called The Kimberley.
It brings back so much of our travels there in 2018.
The colours, the gorges, the ranges, the birds, the sounds…
The awe of standing on such ancient land (according to National Museum Australia the oldest rocks in the region were formed more than two billion years ago).
Yup. Think that affected me too.
When we travel I love to stop and breathe it all in.
Mindfully noticing what I can see, hear and feel.
I love meeting fellow travellers.
For example, talking to a couple in an outdoor Artesian Bore Bath in Lightning Ridge.
Does that make it touristy?
Maybe.
But I’d rather be with like-minded people wanting to travel and see things.
(That said, there were plenty of locals in the bath too!)
Going back to the comments on the article, I noted many people citing this quote:
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness…” ― Mark Twain.
Although Twain himself has been criticised for prejudice, I think the sentiment is correct.
How can we expand ourselves without experiencing different places and cultures?
Without trying different foods?
Without learning about someone else’s history?
I can’t wait for our next holiday in a few weeks time.
We’re not travelling outside of Queensland, but there are still places to visit, things to see, learn and do, people to meet.
In the article the author says: “If you think your own travels are magical and profound… deepen your values, expand your horizons… note this phenomenon can’t be assessed self-personally”.
I’m not quite sure what ‘self-personally’ actually means.
But you know what? I’m pretty darn sure I can!
And that’s my Case For Travel.
Ann 🙏