Wonderful Sunday Sip!!! I feel that travel is what you make of it. It can (and does) enrich your life in ways that can't be done at home. You could read all you want about a place, but until you go there you won't really understand certain aspects of life there. Sure, it is a tiny sliver of what life really is for the people that call your travel destination home, but it is a sliver of light that I believe can't be found in your own home.
Thanks! I agree that travel does enrich our lives. When it does change you, as it sometimes does, it isn't instant. It takes time for the experience to sink in and bubble up in new and surprising ways.
I break down travel into two categories for me: quick hits vs in depth. Quick hits are things like cruises with packaged tours. Usually good for checking off bucket list items. Also useful reconnaissance for a planned more in depth trip. The in depth trips offer more opportunities to actually meet people and see things not in the guide book. After my wife passed away I was able to spend a month hiking through Ireland. Lots of “L” roads, local pubs, getting lost and asking directions. Got to walk the streets of the town my maternal grandmother was born in. Since then I’ve done similar hikes through the north of England and Iceland. I really feel like I came away with a good understanding of the places and people on those trips. I was thinking about doing The Camino de Santiago at some point but, having remarried, priorities have changed.
I’m very curious about the Camino de Santiago but I fear the window for me to walk it is past. I recently listened to Andrew McCarthy “Walking with Sam” in which he shares his journey walking it with his son. He made it sound dreadful. Much of the trail is now in areas that are now along expressways, through urban areas or industrial parks.
We met some lovely people in Ireland. Some were locals, many were Americans in pubs doing pretty much the same thing we were doing, looking for local culture.
Sorry, Agnes Callard… hated it. The conflation of ‘travel’ with ‘vacation,’ is true for some but absolutely, definitely, not all.
My heart sank here too, Brenda!!
I think Callard’s piece says more about why we feel we NEED to take vacations (ie. escape our lives) than it does about the value in experiencing the novel, let alone the sublime. Yes, there’s plenty of soul-affirming experience to be had in our local environments, but I’m sorry… nothing can match the sensory inputs and neural connections that come with experiences outside one’s own commonplace.
This fired. Me. UP! 😆
I love your take, and… that video made me lol and nearly spill my coffee in my laugh. Best narration EVER. 💞
Yes, Anges “got my goat,” as they say. But I’m like, wait, what can I take away from it? I’m wired to document, collect data, and observe details, so I often forget to be fully present in the moment. So I should thank her for that reminder.
@Chuck Marshall called a wet dish rag! Talk about getting fired up, which was her goal.
The video! Ha. I wish I’d had the wits to video us lost on the habitrail.
You may be even more of an optimist than me, Brenda… I do so love your taking sour grapes and making wine. 😆
Reading both pieces just made me relive and re-appreciate all the incredibly formative travel experiences I’ve had over the years, and for THAT, I sure am grateful! 🫶🏻💕
I agree the country roads are pretty nerve racking, especially at night and when things are foggy. I loved the video, and thank you for the reminder of the beauty and pleasantry of Ireland!
Wonderful Sunday Sip!!! I feel that travel is what you make of it. It can (and does) enrich your life in ways that can't be done at home. You could read all you want about a place, but until you go there you won't really understand certain aspects of life there. Sure, it is a tiny sliver of what life really is for the people that call your travel destination home, but it is a sliver of light that I believe can't be found in your own home.
Thanks! I agree that travel does enrich our lives. When it does change you, as it sometimes does, it isn't instant. It takes time for the experience to sink in and bubble up in new and surprising ways.
I break down travel into two categories for me: quick hits vs in depth. Quick hits are things like cruises with packaged tours. Usually good for checking off bucket list items. Also useful reconnaissance for a planned more in depth trip. The in depth trips offer more opportunities to actually meet people and see things not in the guide book. After my wife passed away I was able to spend a month hiking through Ireland. Lots of “L” roads, local pubs, getting lost and asking directions. Got to walk the streets of the town my maternal grandmother was born in. Since then I’ve done similar hikes through the north of England and Iceland. I really feel like I came away with a good understanding of the places and people on those trips. I was thinking about doing The Camino de Santiago at some point but, having remarried, priorities have changed.
I’m very curious about the Camino de Santiago but I fear the window for me to walk it is past. I recently listened to Andrew McCarthy “Walking with Sam” in which he shares his journey walking it with his son. He made it sound dreadful. Much of the trail is now in areas that are now along expressways, through urban areas or industrial parks.
We met some lovely people in Ireland. Some were locals, many were Americans in pubs doing pretty much the same thing we were doing, looking for local culture.
Sorry, Agnes Callard… hated it. The conflation of ‘travel’ with ‘vacation,’ is true for some but absolutely, definitely, not all.
My heart sank here too, Brenda!!
I think Callard’s piece says more about why we feel we NEED to take vacations (ie. escape our lives) than it does about the value in experiencing the novel, let alone the sublime. Yes, there’s plenty of soul-affirming experience to be had in our local environments, but I’m sorry… nothing can match the sensory inputs and neural connections that come with experiences outside one’s own commonplace.
This fired. Me. UP! 😆
I love your take, and… that video made me lol and nearly spill my coffee in my laugh. Best narration EVER. 💞
Yes, Anges “got my goat,” as they say. But I’m like, wait, what can I take away from it? I’m wired to document, collect data, and observe details, so I often forget to be fully present in the moment. So I should thank her for that reminder.
@Chuck Marshall called a wet dish rag! Talk about getting fired up, which was her goal.
The video! Ha. I wish I’d had the wits to video us lost on the habitrail.
You may be even more of an optimist than me, Brenda… I do so love your taking sour grapes and making wine. 😆
Reading both pieces just made me relive and re-appreciate all the incredibly formative travel experiences I’ve had over the years, and for THAT, I sure am grateful! 🫶🏻💕
I agree the country roads are pretty nerve racking, especially at night and when things are foggy. I loved the video, and thank you for the reminder of the beauty and pleasantry of Ireland!
Thanks! I’m so glad we made the video, I’m not great with videos 🎥. We had a couple foggy mornings, so surreal.