Random Thoughts- Why do people travel?

Why do you travel? is one question everyone around me and everyone I meet ask me. As I have mentioned in my 'About me' page that I have an 'intense internal compulsion' to travel. When I say this some people get suspicious and some think I am crazy. Whatever the case may be I become a mysterious woman ... but then isn't it a valid and interesting question- Why do people travel? And we definitely get different personal opinions on traveling! There might be many posts in many blogs on this. I thought of putting my perspective together on this topic ... 

Travel gives an opportunity to 'get lost' in the unknown and sometimes to 'find themselves' on a voyage of self discovery. Leaving the present world of ties- of work and home, people want to experience the not-so-familiar world. New place, new sights and new taste! No rules, no restrictions, no limits! No one knows you and hence no one judges you! But, leaving conventional life behind and to embrace uncertainty takes courage. Be it a short vacation or a long term travel it takes some amount of hardship to survive in  uncertainty! Some travel for the taste of the hardship for it makes them wise and awake. That hardship pictures even the strength of our relationships too.

Travel also helps to 'elevate the emotions'- life crisis is another reason which makes people to escape from the present situations and people often wander for distraction. Like the book/movie Eat Pray Love! As we go on learning about new places, cultures and food our mind relaxes and our thoughts take a detour from the routine. I am not sure we really can use travel as a therapy for our failures or disappointments but for sure it is a distraction and definitely travel makes us wiser!

Now-a-days travel also has become a fashion. Travel is a great topic to keep the conversation going. People add countries and cities to their list as collectives. Well, tourists want to see the monuments, gardens, nature and wildlife during their short vacations. They want to taste food at different restaurants. Most of the times collection of photographs becomes the main achievement. But, I am not talking about the short vacations here, but that too is travel :)

Some people travel for the 'experience itself'. Yes! for that experience of movement- of being mobile! They need some kind of get going thing ... Then people who are vagabonds for lifetime! They live out of a backpack, or a suitcase for little sophistication. It is exciting to lead a life without past or a future by heading into aimlessness. Living on the edge fascinates them. They travel around whenever they want wherever they want.

Since my childhood I had traveled extensively in India- the theme being pilgrimage. As a grown up I started to go to places around the globe with smaller groups and then solo. When I returned back to India and started my backpacking trip around I was seeing my own country with new eyes. As I went through the hardship of living the life of locals I sharpened the edge of my life. I started appreciating my home town more. 

But, this life isn't for everybody. It is not as cheesy as it sounds. Why would I say that?- the most difficult thing is to accumulate the courage to cut the ties, get rid of the attachments with the family, and that beautiful home. And only few enjoy the bliss of solitude, for most of the crowd, solitude often brings depression. The world which looked full of opportunities and fun filled surprises will feel like vast emptiness. When one learns to enjoy the open solitude while sharing his/her happiness with family and friends frequently in person or over any medium, the long term travel becomes enjoyable! -in my opinion :)

Why do you travel?
---

Leave a comment to share your beautiful thoughts :)

Related Articles-More on my Random Thoughts.

If you want pictures please ask me :)
---

Scrapbook- A Travel Blog by Kusum Sanu is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.