Tuesday, September 13, 2011

World, we have a problem

The travel bugs bite hard, guys.

I want to go everywhere.

Not a day goes by when I don't look at pictures from one of my journeys.  And lets be real, I get it, I am one of the luckiest sonsabitches out there.  I have had some really amazing opportunities and I totally value them.

However, traveling is like tattoos, is like carbohydrates - you have a little bit and you just want more.

I spend my days trying to figure out how to get away from real life.  Planning  adventures, and plotting escapes.  A few days ago a friend posted a link for a $600 trip to Ireland.

Here's how the inner monologue goes:

"Oooh, Ireland.  I'm going.  Done.  Let's pick a week."
"Um, inner monologue? We're still paying off our last awesome trip."
"But adventure! At a low cost!"
"You do realize that you have to work sometimes, right? you can't just be on salary and also on vacation all the time."
"Yes but..."
"And for that matter, you know how it takes you 4 weeks to make up 2 weeks of not being at work."
"Yes, but..."
"And aren't you planning a trip to Rio, Cuba, Angola and South Africa?"
"Yes..."
"And possibly to Costa Rica?"
"yes."
"Its time that you realized that you cannot go all the places."
"...okay."

And so I don't go to all the places, but if we're thinking about things that we want, (which according to some, we should spend more time doing, if only to give life a little more focus), I want to travel.  I want to see the whole world and I want to write about it.  And take pictures of all the sunsets, even though they sometimes look the same.  I want to meet people and stumble through languages.  I want to be awed and humbled.  I want the challenge of new money and different public transit.  I want to find the courage to ask questions and go without a map. 

And though practicality will, for the time being, win out 90% of the time - I like knowing this about myself.  Even if it took me 26 years to put it into words.  I know that I want to see the whole world for myself.  And then tell everyone else how it goes. 

Sorry, world.  You're stuck with me as long as I can afford it. 

2 comments:

that mckim girl said...

...and Greece?

Rachel said...

oh dear god. And Greece.

She's pint-sized and amazing.