I Wander to Not be Lost

A vacation for many is a time to relax, sit by a beach, and sip a frozen drink. That actually sounds pretty good right now as the world is in quarantine. Americans are facing a complete lockdown. No travel outside of the United States. This makes me more than anxious. Not because I had plans to go anywhere, but because if I wanted to, I couldn't. I'm much more of a free-spirit than I allow myself to be. And, when I take vacations I unleash that little magical nomad that has to hide the rest of the year. Travel is my antidote to the mundane. It's my liberation from daily expectations. It's the closest to magic I can achieve.

When I talk about my travels, I can feel my eyes twinkle. Travel provides my core need to wander, to explore, and to be free. Shamefully, I'll admit I can be pretty judgmental on how people travel because I feel many miss the boat on the experience of an adventure. There is a difference between a casual annual vacation and an actual adventure. Casual vacations by the beach sound wonderful. They're relaxing. And, as I mentioned earlier, I think this sounds wonderful. But what makes my heart skip a beat is planning an actual adventure. My inner Bilbo Baggins comes out every single time I plan.

What are the differences between a vacation and an adventure?

Vacations:

• Relaxing location 
• Access to tourist activities like shopping, entertainment, and restaurants
• Usually well known and very accessible 
• Commercial appeal 
• Cookie-cutter and common 
• Easy to plan 

Adventures: 

• Not relaxing in the sense of lying around and sipping pina coladas, but relaxing in the sense that you are "away" from the "known"
• You'll struggle to find tourist activities and have to rely on local establishments--that's part of the fun! 
• Off the beaten path and sometimes off the grid
• You won't find brochures on them at the travel agency
• Requires research and risks
• Time-consuming to plan
• You'll probably come back tired

So, why would anyone take an adventure over a vacation? Because there are some of us that need to explore. Our daily life is so predictable that we just want to get away from people, tourist traps, and bullshit. We want to drive around mountain ranges. Take a hike to a waterfall, wade in crystal clear waters, feel the rain hit our bodies in the middle of a hike, stumble upon wildlife (and if you're crazy like me, talk to them). 

Adventures fill my soul. And, these days, my soul feels pretty empty. I don't necessarily mean in a spiritual sense but in the enjoyment of my everyday life. As I sit on my couch and admire my framed photography from my past travels, I can smile looking at each of them that was based on an adventure. I can hear the sounds, smell the air, feel the wind. I'm taken away as one of the Pevensie siblings from the Chronicles of Narnia. 

As I deal with these quarantines like the rest of the world, I'll work on planning my next adventure when the time is right. As the famous quote from J.R.R. Tolkien goes, "Not all who wander are lost," I'd like to add that I wander so I'm not lost. And, right now, I'm feeling lost...so I need an adventure.