The Travel Bug
Travel and you will see them,
sit and they will come to you. ~ African Proverb
In the last piece I asked, why do we fly? We considered our environment, the hassles, and many travel horror stories.
So why do we put ourselves through it all? One friend coined it, spending ‘hours in a tin can’. The plane part can be anywhere between total pleasure, with fine free flow and flat beds, to ‘screaming babies and restless legs hellacious’.
It’s simple. Travel is for many, addictive. We know that adventure awaits upon arrival. We keep wanting more.
Our life seems to revolve around travel and experiencing different places. We have spent many years living in different countries and that compels you to get out there and see; locally, regionally, sometimes further afield. It’s all part of the journey.
The travel bug bites in stages. First there’s the planning. When I’m on plane travelling back from somewhere, I am always looking at the inflight magazine, starring at a map and wondering ‘where can we go next’? Does anyone else do this?
Next, after all the planning, there’s the getting there. I can recall some particularly cool arrivals.
Arriving by boat in any city is special. Most cities look spectacular from the water. It’s a ‘big Bond moment’, reaching your destination by speedboat.
The view of somewhere like Hong Kong from the water is epic. Reaching the East African shores of Lamu was our most ‘other worldly’ arrival; an ancient, historic Swahili port. The vista was like an antique postcard.
And then there’s landing at CPT airport, always an occasion. That first glimpse of the Mother City is unbeatable. Spectacular Table Mountain, one of the natural wonders of the world, comes into view and informs you that you are landing somewhere exceptional. I’m in awe of that view and have never tired of it. Even after countless journeys in and out of Cape Town, I’m always elated to see that mountain as we descend.
And it doesn’t end there. After cruising at low altitude over the city’s mighty mountain, Beagles meander by your feet in the arrivals hall. They busily sniff passengers’ bags; truly, the cutest security officers in the world, and also my favourite breed of dog. It’s a unique, Mother City welcome.
There’s a particular fresh feeling that you get when arriving somewhere completely different. A rush of adrenaline; New smells, new foods, new words. It is all addictive.
And sometimes, in that fabulous dish of the ‘unfamiliar’, there is reuniting with old friends; Familiar faces, with silly signs who greet you after a long time apart.
For us, meeting up with people is a big motivation to travel. We are lucky to have friends and family on almost every continent. After working in different countries, you end up with people in many ports, and there is always someone to catch up with somewhere.
We just got back from Vietnam. We had gone to meet a couple we know in Ho Chi Minh City; one friend from Peru, the other from Ireland. We worked with them in the Middle East and attended their wedding a few years ago near NYC.
On the weekend, another friend flew down to meet us. He’s French, lives in Hanoi, and will soon move to China. We worked together in Kenya. Special reunions. Jolly international friendships.
So for all the hassles, why do we fly? Do we move to escape? Do we move for the sake of moving? Do we move to reunite?
Why do you travel?
