This completely caught me off guard. One because I don’t see my travels as a form of escape and two, because this came from someone who is normally very supportive of my desire to see the world…every inch of it. And if someone who is honestly supportive of me feels that I’m using travel as an escape, I can only imagine what others who do not know me terribly well must think.
 |
| Running towards or running away? |
For me travel is a passion, it is something I regularly pursue, it is something that I prioritize over many other pastimes but it is definitely not a way to escape my problems. Whether my trips are 2 weeks, 2 months or even 2 years, I’m doing it out of a love for the road and for foreign cultures. I am doing it out of a desire to stand on a high sand-dune watching the sun rise over the Namib desert, or to try okonomiyaki hot off the grill in Osaka. Sure I can listen to great samba music on my ipod at home and dance around my living room, but if I have a chance to dance at an all night party in Rio de Janeiro, why wouldn’t I go?
I tried to explain that I have friends who love to cook. Their TV is always turned to the Food Network, they spend money on expensive cookbooks and speciality cooking classes, they may even one day open their own restaurant. Other friends love sports cars and will go to any length to read up on them, discuss them for hours online and save every penny to eventually buy one. My desire to travel, to spend money on plane tickets and hotel stays and to sacrifice things (like a regular paycheck from a steady, but dull job) in order to experience even a few days in another country speaks to what drives me, but it doesn’t mean I’m “running away”.
The very definition of traveling means leaving your home and all the good and bad things associated with it in order to experience someplace else, so someone might see a continual need to move as a way to escape and avoid problems. I guess I can understand that. Also, I’ve looked over my blog posts from the last few years, and I have more than once referred to my need to “escape” the work cubicle…so I may have unintentionally perpetuated that view from time to time. But as I see it I’m moving towards a passion, not running away from a problem.
I’ve always told people that as much as I love to travel, I also love living in Los Angeles and I’m not ready to totally pack up my things and hit the road for good. 6 months, even a year, on the road? Sure…but I still will call LA home and look forward to returning.
For those of you who enjoy traveling at any cost, do you ever get accused of using it as an escape mechanism? If so, how do you combat this? Or is travel actually a way for you to escape from things at home? If so do you find it helps you or that it just delays things? Let me know your thoughts.
Timely and thought provoking post!! I am moving to South Korea in February. I will be a first time expat! Whenever I think of my big move, I feel that I am running towards something. Not away from anything.
Thank you for commenting. Best of luck in S. Korea! I hope you enjoy every bit of what you’re running towards!! What will you be doing there?
Planning a trip to Paris involves a lot of factors, like transportation, food, and accommodations. Next to travel expenses, accommodations are the most expensive part of a trip. In order to save money, visitors should consider staying in Paris apartment rentals rather than hotels that charge enormous rates per night. It will help you save money for other areas of your trip, like dinners at amazing Parisian restaurants.