As February ends, I take a look back and realize just how hectic the first two months of the year has been, and it seemed to just keep getting worse as the weeks rolled in. These past couple of weeks alone, it was the run-up to our City’s annual flower festival, and the influx of tourists and travelers is something that we’ll definitely never get used to.
Why do we travel? Why do you travel?
Better yet, do you travel?
And I’m not just talking about those trips where you’d have to board a plane with your passport in hand, or cross time zones. That trip to the next town or city counts. Any trip that will take you out of, or away from, your usual “habitat” counts as a trip or a form of traveling, at least for me.
So why do you, huh?
Some would probably say to relax or “unwind”. Maybe others would go on about learning something new or experiencing something foreign to them. Or maybe they just want a change of scenery.
I remember reading or hearing somewhere before how “traveling” has become a status symbol, more than a stress management mechanism or a learning experience. I suppose social media is partly to blame for that. Geotags and hash tags that are travel-related practically fill my Instagram feed whenever I remember to log onto my account and check out what’s happening in the world.
All of a sudden, wanderlust became trendy.
Well, I can’t speak for other people. In fact, I won’t. They have their reasons, I have mine.
A Mass of Contradictions
I like seeing new places, learning new things about those places and its culture and environs. I get a sense of satisfaction when I get from point A to C as earlier planned and mapped out in an itinerary.
I enjoy walking and pounding pavements until the soles of my feet are burning and my legs are aching. My finger’s constantly clicking away using my camera, not caring that I have zero photography skills but I still wanna take photos sobackoffthankyouverymuch.
I am cautious about, but not entirely averse to, losing my way in a maze of streets and walking around in circles until I realize that I’ve been reading my map wrong.
But when the work day ends, I prefer heading straight home. In fact, my definition of a “night life” is being at home before the clock strikes 6:30 or 7, at the latest. (It’d probably be a half hour earlier, if not for the horrendous traffic.)
During those times that I decide to take a walk or a stroll anywhere, I have my ears plugged with earphones, no doubt looking my anti-social best.
If I am to name my three main reasons for wanting to travel or go on a trip when the opportunity arises, I’d have these three:
- CHANGE
A change of pace; a change of scenery. Maybe I won’t be able to get a breath of fresh air (literally), but it certainly would be “new”. My short attention span always thanks me for these.
- STIMULATION
I totally understand the appeal of not having any plans and being generally aimless, but once in a while, I like to challenge myself to be more proactive. And nothing keeps me on my toes and raises my antennae than being in a strange place with no one to rely on but myself.
- RECALL
It’s like there is a portion of my brain that records the things I see and experience in my travels, and they are just there, for me to do with as I da*n well please. It’s like a treasure trove of memories; a box of secrets that only I (and my travel buddy/ies) know. And it’s always a pleasure to dig through them one, ten, twenty years later.
Let’s talk about traveling solo…
Now some people are more vocal in letting me know what they thought about traveling solo.
Technically, I have traveled by my lonesome several times before, although I have yet to do an entire trip on my own. But that’s definitely in my plans.
Going on trips with other people – family, friends or even strangers that you just met purposely for that trip – can definitely be fun. The more, the merrier. Won’t argue with that.
But what I appreciate about hitting the road on my own? Two things, mostly.
- A bit of anonymity
No one knows me. I’m just one in a crowd. No one gets in my business, and I won’t get into anyone’s. I don’t have to care what strangers think.
- A (forced) sense of independence
Because you’re alone, you’d have no choice but to take the reins yourself, and not rely on anyone else. In case some part of the trip goes south, you won’t have to go through the inevitable rigamarole of pointing fingers, because you’ve no one else to blame but yerself.
So the next time you are faced with the prospect of traveling, and there’s nothing life-threatening holding you back, give it a shot. Then you’d at least get a small understanding of those who love it.
And when you are faced with the possibility of going at it alone, don’t worry. Monopods and selfie sticks are made exactly for these times. (Well, maybe not exactly, but you know what I mean.)
South Korea, one of my Happy Places
So the photos I posted throughout this entry were taken from my most recent trip to South Korea, definitely one of my happy places, and one of those places I’d love to go back to again and again (because there’s just soooo much to see and discover!).
Consider this post as my opening salvo to my new SoKor blog series. It was a trip planned several months in advance, with the Vietnam trio having to be whittled down to a pair. This time I had to make that trip from Baguio to Incheon all by myself, wait for several hours for Rog’s flight to arrive from Canada, and from there, we headed to Gimpo to catch our flight to Jeju.
And here we started another adventure. I cannot wait to talk about the things I experienced throughout this week-long trip.
Before we do, here are a couple more pix I want to share.
The Pyeongchang fever was starting to heat up, and it was still months before the actual event.
Getting closer to Jeju, I literally felt my heart pounding in excitement.
We’ve arrived!
Oh, and check out my T-Money card (my transport card) which literally allowed me to ride and go places in Jeju and Seoul. I couldn’t ask for a better-looking T-money card, really. 🙂
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