People travel for a variety of reasons. Some eventually want to experience something different again and are looking for a bit of a change and distraction from work and everyday life. Others may travel only out of courtesy and because they want or perhaps even have to accompany someone. And then there are those travelers who set off to distant and famous destinations in order to be able to check them off their list and then later to be able to always and everywhere tell about their great tours and discoveries.
But in so many cases people tend to forget the most important thing. They leave their heart at home. They follow the heads and the travel guides and trot after all those who seem to have exactly the same goal. So many famous and popular places are targeted and reached without detour, just to be photographed and unfortunately left again much too quickly. Most of us lack not only patience, but also time. And that's why we want to see and experience as much as possible and reel off exactly the same program. Next to each other but not together.
Me too, I am not immune to such behavior and have also walked along many well-trodden paths. Most of the time I felt quite well and got to see a lot. Much more than I would have seen at home. But there have been enough moments when I've realized that I'm not actually following the path I want to follow. I was following the path that others had chosen and laid out before me. The path of least resistance is usually not the path our heart would take. On the contrary, if our heart were allowed to decide which way to go, we would take endless detours and repeatedly find ourselves in dead ends and then get lost all over again. And at the same time our heart would leap for joy and excitement and we would finally feel truly alive again. Alive, because we can decide for ourselves whether to go left or right. And whether to continue straight ahead, or whether to simply walk back and take another look around.
Especially when traveling, the shortest and fastest way is rarely the right one. The more time you take, the more you also get a feel for the place you're in. And you develop a sense of your surroundings, such a healthy curiosity, which makes you suddenly want to know and understand so much more about everything around you. A feeling that allows you to lose yourself in space and time and also to fall in love for each and everything.
Of course, few of us have the time and opportunities to just travel in the blue and see where we end up. A little planning and organization can not hurt at all. Fortunately, in this day and age there is enough helpful information and hints about where to find something interesting to see and experience. It seems I've managed to develop a bit of a feel for planning my travels, and for combining all sorts of different places together.
In the last two years, we have had to limit ourselves mostly to our own and the neighboring prefectures, but we have been lucky enough to explore some new territory and discover some wonderful places. My little family is the best team in the world and I can't think of any better travel partners. Our curiosity and interest in all that could happen around the next bend has driven us and repeatedly shown us how beautiful and fascinating our planet can be. And mostly it wasn't the famous and much described destinations that millions of other travelers have been drawn to, but rather local spots and regions of the country where we really felt at home.
Most of the time, the journey was the destination, and I have to admit that often I was the driving force behind our travels. But an honest and happy smile or even just a satisfied and relaxed look on someone's face showed me many times that I didn't take the wrong turn. Even though there might have been a little bumping in between and sometimes we didn't know exactly whether the road in front of us was the right one. But our hearts were jumping with excitement and at any time we were sure to be alive.
We will continue to try to enjoy this life while discovering even more of this wonderful planet. There are still so many unique destinations, and hopefully in the future we will be able to expand our radius again. But even though we'll be limited to our immediate and intermediate surroundings for a while, I am sure we'll experience quite a bit there as well.
Because during my travels, by no means I will forget my heart at home. I will make sure to put it at the top of my suitcase. And as soon as it starts beating and jumping wildly with excitement, I know that I have come a little closer to my destination again.
I'm already looking forward to being able to get going again. When and where to will probably come up all by itself one day. Maybe we'll even run into each other on the way, and then we'll hopefully have a little time to spend a few moments together. And to share some of our stories with each other.
Please let us not forget, wherever
we travel, let us protect our
beautiful planet and let us only
leave footprints.
Love and Respect!
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