“The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.” – Saint Augustine
I have just finished reading several blogs about why people travel- the last being by Tony Wheeler from Lonely Planet. He argues that “travel is full of pleasant surprises, but it’s also enormously important for many other reasons, ranging from economics to global relations. International trade and business become more important every day, and you won’t even comprehend the market, let alone make the sale, if you don’t know the marketplace. It’s through travel, first and foremost, that we meet and understand the outside world.”
“We can read all about other countries in papers and magazines or see them on television, but it’s remarkable how different places turn out to be when you actually visit them. The media feed us scare stories about those in other countries, but the reality is that most people in the world are searching for the same things we are – a better life, a better future for their children – and they’re only too ready to lend a hand to a fellow human being. Today, travelling to other countries is more important than it has ever been.”
Phil Keoghan, host of The Amazing Race, talks about the importance of having a passport in a Lonely Planet blog. Phil was lucky enough to own his first passport at age 2, and talks about the education of travel for the younger generations, and how as we get older, we “become more rigid in our ways of thinking. We make up more excuses. We make the assumption that we can only leave our house and go overseas if we have a lot of time and money. My whole philosophy is that imagination is your currency, not the money you have in your wallet.”
He finishes by saying “I’ve always had a passport. In a true sense, it’s a ticket to your dreams. Travel is about immersing yourself in something new, allowing yourself to be a fish out of water and just trusting that things will work out. It may not be like home, but so what? It doesn’t have to be. It’s time to get lost. The world is waiting for you!”
As most of you know, I am passionate about travel, and experiencing new adventures, whether it is travelling to India to stay in a maharaja’s palace, or walking in France on Juno Beach, or heading on a small group tour to places like Peru. I travel because for so many years I read about many of these places, dreamed about going some day, and actually decided that fulfilling my dreams is more important than playing it safe, and saying to myself “I wish……” or “someday I will travel to…….”. No matter what stage of your life you are at, seize the day! The perfect time may never arrive to fulfill your travel dreams……
Contact me for information about the trip that fulfills your travel dreams- whether it is enjoying the history of Europe, travelling on a classic train journey, heading to the Antarctica, or hiking one of the ten best treks listed by Lonely Planet. With hundreds of itineraries for every budget, there is something for each of you once you have decided to make travel a priority.
