What It Means To Travel
If at one point in your life you are asked (or just asked yourself) this question and consulted Google right away for the answer, you will get this:
"Travel means something different to every person in the world. People may have similar reasons for traveling, but they are always just a little different than the next traveler."
source from huffingtonpost
And else where around the vast internet universe, most of it will say how travel means to them in an emotional sense. So allow me to elaborate on that more - not just emotionally, but physically, mentally and spiritually as well.
To travel is...
to step out of your comfort zone - because you are not at home where you know every corner so well. So start socializing with the locals - and be polite.
to embrace the inevitable traffic in all possible modes of transportation - land traffic isn't a surprise but flight and ship delays are some things you need to deal with, a lot.
to ride the most unusual vehicles - have you seen a motorbike carry more than 5 passengers?
to eat food you may or may not understand - yes, it's not only language you have to understand, but the flavours that reach your taste buds as well.
...whether it is edible or not - they say it tastes like chicken - why does everything taste like chicken?
to wake up early, very early - I don't know what could be worst than missing your flight you have planned for months.
and to wake up late the day after - got drunk perhaps?
to meet people - Because you don't have a GoPro or a high-quality camera to take that picture perfect moment, so you asked a fellow traveller to take one for you and asked him to tag you in facebook =P
to find yourself in places you are not supposed to - have you heard of the Sexy Ping pong show in Thailand?
to be paying a fortune for someone to push you off a cliff - the price we pay to fall and not die
to lose your stuff (at some point) - Even though you are not a clumsy person like me who makes it a stupid habit to forget stuff (unintentionally), at some point, you are bound to lose something. At the airport through security check-ups, your left earring might have fallen while swimming..trust me, I know a lot about losing stuff...
to learn hand signs the hard and wrong way - not everybody can speak English and even if they do, not everyone can comprehend everything that is coming out from your mouth.
to eat the hotel's free breakfast - and eat a lot so you wouldn't have to eat lunch - gotta save money
to collect hotel shower gels and shampoos - if bold enough, you can take their towels and blankets as well
to take hot showers that are cold - I am sure red means hot, right?
to use the toilet without tissues - which is common for most Asian countries
to use a toilet bowl with complicated buttons that look like the control panels of the Death Star or any alien spaceship - how can there be so many buttons? and why is there a shower head attached to a toilet bowl?
to learn how to eat without using spoon and fork - chopsticks are too mainstream, try it with your hands
to get lost - how about you try asking for directions?
to run out of cash - you can always try fire dancing, I heard they get good tips!
to get scammed - because the world is not made of sugar and spice and everything nice
to lose hope with humanity - because some people are just selfish, inconsiderate liars who love to use people
to restore hopes in humanity - and then there are those who are just exactly the opposite of the above mentioned (thumbs up to you guys!)
to sleep in all possible positions in all possible places - sitting, standing, at the seashore, at the airport, etc etc etc
to realize that tigers are way bigger than what you expected - because they are!
and to know how they actually smell like - smells like wildlife to me
to be resourceful - try cooking rice in a bamboo
to realize that you really have to start exercising - a surprised 2000-step hike will get you thinking at the 50th step
to live without WiFi - or any connection at all
to show off your beach body - if not, just show off your swimwear instead...
to shop till you drop - everyone is waiting for their souvenirs
to haggle - it's a talent I tell you
to get sunburnt - put on sunblock - says your future you
to exhaust the number of songs in your playlist - because you are in a 7-hour bus travel
to learn how to say thank you in another language - and "it's too expensive" could be helpful too
to curse in another language - it's fun to know too
to be culture shocked - it is not every day you see a ladyboy you know?
to get sand all around your body - and in places it's not supposed to be
to get a tattoo - temporary or not - doesn't matter really
to see different sunsets and sunrises - doesn't get any better than that
to appreciate home - because there is no place like home
and at the same time don't want to go back home - the dilemma
but still happy to be home to see your pet dog/cat - or your love one if you don't have a pet =]
to watch all the pictures you took - and find a new profile picture
to pack and unpack your luggage - a task not everyone is keen to do
to plan the next trip - and to replenish the used up funds
To travel is to know the world is so wide and diverse that makes everything you know look just like the table of contents of a book you are about to read.
There is just so much more to life that traveling can define - and that for me is what it means to travel.
What does traveling mean to you?
"Travel means something different to every person in the world. People may have similar reasons for traveling, but they are always just a little different than the next traveler."
source from huffingtonpost
And else where around the vast internet universe, most of it will say how travel means to them in an emotional sense. So allow me to elaborate on that more - not just emotionally, but physically, mentally and spiritually as well.
To travel is...
to step out of your comfort zone - because you are not at home where you know every corner so well. So start socializing with the locals - and be polite.
to embrace the inevitable traffic in all possible modes of transportation - land traffic isn't a surprise but flight and ship delays are some things you need to deal with, a lot.
to ride the most unusual vehicles - have you seen a motorbike carry more than 5 passengers?
to eat food you may or may not understand - yes, it's not only language you have to understand, but the flavours that reach your taste buds as well.
...whether it is edible or not - they say it tastes like chicken - why does everything taste like chicken?
to wake up early, very early - I don't know what could be worst than missing your flight you have planned for months.
and to wake up late the day after - got drunk perhaps?
to meet people - Because you don't have a GoPro or a high-quality camera to take that picture perfect moment, so you asked a fellow traveller to take one for you and asked him to tag you in facebook =P
to find yourself in places you are not supposed to - have you heard of the Sexy Ping pong show in Thailand?
to be paying a fortune for someone to push you off a cliff - the price we pay to fall and not die
to lose your stuff (at some point) - Even though you are not a clumsy person like me who makes it a stupid habit to forget stuff (unintentionally), at some point, you are bound to lose something. At the airport through security check-ups, your left earring might have fallen while swimming..trust me, I know a lot about losing stuff...
to learn hand signs the hard and wrong way - not everybody can speak English and even if they do, not everyone can comprehend everything that is coming out from your mouth.
to eat the hotel's free breakfast - and eat a lot so you wouldn't have to eat lunch - gotta save money
to collect hotel shower gels and shampoos - if bold enough, you can take their towels and blankets as well
to take hot showers that are cold - I am sure red means hot, right?
to use the toilet without tissues - which is common for most Asian countries
to use a toilet bowl with complicated buttons that look like the control panels of the Death Star or any alien spaceship - how can there be so many buttons? and why is there a shower head attached to a toilet bowl?
to learn how to eat without using spoon and fork - chopsticks are too mainstream, try it with your hands
to get lost - how about you try asking for directions?
to run out of cash - you can always try fire dancing, I heard they get good tips!
to get scammed - because the world is not made of sugar and spice and everything nice
to lose hope with humanity - because some people are just selfish, inconsiderate liars who love to use people
to restore hopes in humanity - and then there are those who are just exactly the opposite of the above mentioned (thumbs up to you guys!)
to sleep in all possible positions in all possible places - sitting, standing, at the seashore, at the airport, etc etc etc
to realize that tigers are way bigger than what you expected - because they are!
and to know how they actually smell like - smells like wildlife to me
to be resourceful - try cooking rice in a bamboo
to realize that you really have to start exercising - a surprised 2000-step hike will get you thinking at the 50th step
to live without WiFi - or any connection at all
to show off your beach body - if not, just show off your swimwear instead...
to shop till you drop - everyone is waiting for their souvenirs
to haggle - it's a talent I tell you
to get sunburnt - put on sunblock - says your future you
to exhaust the number of songs in your playlist - because you are in a 7-hour bus travel
to learn how to say thank you in another language - and "it's too expensive" could be helpful too
to curse in another language - it's fun to know too
to be culture shocked - it is not every day you see a ladyboy you know?
to get sand all around your body - and in places it's not supposed to be
to get a tattoo - temporary or not - doesn't matter really
to see different sunsets and sunrises - doesn't get any better than that
to appreciate home - because there is no place like home
and at the same time don't want to go back home - the dilemma
but still happy to be home to see your pet dog/cat - or your love one if you don't have a pet =]
to watch all the pictures you took - and find a new profile picture
to pack and unpack your luggage - a task not everyone is keen to do
to plan the next trip - and to replenish the used up funds
To travel is to know the world is so wide and diverse that makes everything you know look just like the table of contents of a book you are about to read.
There is just so much more to life that traveling can define - and that for me is what it means to travel.
What does traveling mean to you?
Ban wa lagi ka nagpost sa baguio-sagada nmu nga trip? ��
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