-Martin Buber
I hem and haw, as I am not an exuberant traveler, but I enjoy the smells and colors of different places. Like a dog sticking her head out the car window.
Italy smells of sweet wood smoke and the light reflected off the country has a 24-karat gold sparkle to it. At home, I love the smell of the salty ocean and looking at the pure blue of the sky when the vog decides to go south.
On this upcoming trip to the east coast, I'm going to places I have never been so my senses are in for a surprise. Author Alain de Botton has a short video on his website entitled Holidaying at Home. He offers that what makes a fulfilled traveler has less to do with the destination and "much more to do with the way that you're looking at what you've come to see."
Sounds a lot like life. We can look at things as they appear to us and react and report our experiences. The places, and our reactions, remain the same as long as we remain fixated on what we see. That would be like sight-seeing. We could, however, decide what it is we wish to see and feel and it could be different everytime. That would be more like conscious travel.
Now if I take this trip in the spirit of what I have learned in the past few years, I would think first of all of the feelings that I'd like to experience. I would not anticipate anything but appreciation for a safe and comfortable flight, the joy of seeing the smiles of friends and family, and the freedom of sticking my head out the car window to smell the air and absorb all of the colors.
A strong case for travel, yes. I still need one for my clothes.
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