Travel
"To travel is to live." "Those who don't travel only read the first page of a book." "Travel is the..." Blah, blah, blah. Cliche travel quotes that people often read and feel some type of connection to an open road, a one way ticket, or a beach front Bali bungalow. I want to define travel. I want to tell you my thoughts, from the perspective of a traveler. Let's talk.
So, to give more context, I’ll start with some of my background and how my perspective has changed. I was in the corporate world for three years before having an opportunity to pick up a camera and go full time into photo and video. It was a STEEP learning curve–I literally spent a month in Greece and can't use any of the footage. That was almost three years ago. Flash forward to now and I'm working with different types of clients doing a variety of services in the marketing space but it was a long journey to get here from my time in Greece. I had just quit my job and packed my things into a 65L pack and a camera bag.
At this point in time, I believed all of those cliche travel ideas. I used to buy into the idea of white sandy beaches and travel as a luxury or something only "influencers" could do and maintain for the rest of their lives. I was always comparing my life to other people’s, saying things like "must be nice" or "I wish I could do that." So, I went for it. I quit and headed into the unknown of trying to understand the travel landscape, while also teaching myself how to become a camera ninja. I spent about 3 months in Europe and then had to come home for some weddings, where shortly thereafter I would head back out, this time to Asia. I spent around 15 months in Southeast Asia, covering roughly 10 countries. I came home to surprise my family for Christmas after finishing my Divemaster certification with every intention of spending as little time in the depths of a Midwest winter that I could. Then covid happened.
So, my job working back in Asia doing underwater photography and swimming with mantas on the daily was over. My beach hut and sunny days, canceled. My waking up to the sound of the ocean and driving motor bikes, gone. (Ok, we get it Matt). Initially, I was upset, of course. I had lost the ability to do the thing that I had a passion for, traveling. Taking on the challenge of moving to a completely new area, with a new culture, new language, and a group of completely new people. I loved the feeling of coming off of a plane and seeing a new country and taking that first deep breath of the unknown. Yet, there I was...canceled.
That was almost 8 months ago in March of 2020. The reason I'm writing this article is because, after reflecting on a year where most people would say that I didn't "travel", I want to define travel for myself. When most people look at the idea of travel, they only look at one aspect of it—the physical movement. They believe that traveling is only possible with the buying of a plane ticket and the stamp of a passport. This is where I disagree. After traveling for almost 2 years, living in two bags, and filling a passport, traveling is so much more than just leaving. I think that the biggest takeaway from this year is embedded in the other aspects of travel. The ups and downs of trying something new, facing a new skill, experiencing new culture, attempting something you fear, and many more. To me, these lessons don't need a plane or a beach or a manta ray 15M underwater.
My good friend and infamous, Drew aka “Deatherton”, once said, "It's not about where you live, it's about how you live where you live." That sentiment resonates with me as I bring this idea to a close. We often find ourselves in a pool of complacency. Longing for the idea of "travel" or something new. Yet we choose not to push ourselves in our own capacities. We have all the tools of travel right here in our cities, states, and respective countries. Maybe a short road trip, maybe a new cooking class, maybe your first solo time to a movie theatre. Your ability to travel is not tied to that ticket. It comes in many forms, shapes, and sizes. Traveling is an idea that revolves around your ability to continually push yourself into something new, into something challenging. To take a step, no matter how small, in the direction of the unknown. So when someone says,"To live is to travel"... I disagree, to live is to grow, whether that’s half way around the world or just down the block from your home.
On purpose,
Matt