What makes you travel?
This isn’t some existential question about finding yourself or discovering new horizons. Some people have a travel type: the extreme adventure seekers, the beach bums, the international shoppers (yes, really, just ask the flocks of Brazilians at Santiago’s malls). So I’m curious, what tangible sights or experiences get you out of the house and headed toward a new destination?
I don’t know that I fit into a specific category, but there are definitely thing that do and don’t attract me. Beaches aren’t it, despite my self-diagnosed tanorexia. I LOVED our honeymoon in Aruba and anniversary in Hawaii, but there’s just too much world to see. I get antsy if I spend more than a few days just lying in the sun, feeling like I’m wasting my vacation time relaxing instead of discovering.
The great art museums of the world don’t call to me. While a recent bachelor party for a friend of Rodolfo’s was specifically planned around where to find the best party casino, I couldn’t care less about gambling. And while I’m up for adventure, you won’t find me heading to some far-flung place just to jump off a cliff.
Obviously one thing I do like is food. I went to Capitán Pastene just for authentic Italian food in the south of Chile. And we visited Santa Cruz for the area’s wine and food, which counts under the overall heading of gastronomy. Even when eating isn’t my primary motive for a trip, the first thing I look up online is must-eat restaurants – forget the must-see sights, I want to know where to get good, local food.
I don’t just eat though, guys, although it may seem like I do at times. I also dig historical spots. I could try to blame this one on Rodolfo the history major, but I minored in classical civilizations, so I think it’s on me. While you won’t catch me in art museums, history museums are a different story. And if you’ve got an old building, whether perfectly preserved or falling into ruin, I’m there.
The real draw, however, is usually something intangible. I mean, I’ve seen nothing historical and eaten nothing noteworthy in Patagonia, and I’m still crazy about the area. And my dream trip is an African safari, which features animals and natural beauty, two things I like but don’t always pursue around the globe.
As much as I may try to break down my thought process, when it comes to travel, it’s all still one big adventure. Heading away from home into the unknown is a break in your routine, but when you travel a lot, those breaks can start to form their own routine. Sometimes it takes a little bit of shaking things up to put the adventure back into travel. As long as that shake up comes in the form of being out voted and sentenced to a luxurious beach in Hawaii, as it did in my case last year, I think I’ll be just fine.
So, what gets you traveling?
I recently did a blog post on a similar topic http://aroundtheworldwithrebecca.blogspot.com.au/2012/09/what-travel-style.html and I agree there are so many reasons I get drawn to a location, and it’s usually a combination of history, food, culture, the great outdoors and rest. It’s fun to see which trips have been for which reason. At the end of the day if I haven’t been there before and it meets one reason I travel then it goes on my wish list – hence my long list!
Those sound like great reasons to me!
This is such a great post.
I don’t know what gets me travelling. As far back as I remember, I’ve always wanted to see the world. I’ve just had this inbuilt longing to see new countries and the way people live in different cultures. I definitely like to “do as the locals do” but I see so many backpackers attempt that and hold themselves in an almost higher regard that I try to steer away from the pretentiousness of it all. I’m also a big believer in never missing the great touristy landmarks. As low-key and ‘off the beaten track’ as I like to keep it sometimes, I’m not going to go out of my way to miss something like the Taj Mahal, the Tulum ruins or the Eiffel Tower because they’re tourist landmarks. What would be the point in that?
I very much agree with both sides of what you’ve said – you’ve got to take advantage of local knowledge while at the same time living it up as a tourist.
Curiosity!
Your answer is so much more succinct and yet no less accurate than mine!
I love the way travel inspires and surprises me. We went to Iceland for my husband’s 40th and, to be honest, I wasn’t that excited to go there. But I was so awe struck with how beautiful and other worldly the island is. The contrast of my preconceived notions of Iceland combined with the reality of the place made it one of my favorite vacations.
I’ve seen photos from several different trips to Iceland lately, and it looks gorgeous. Now of course I want to go there too!