Reflections of a Travel Addict
Posted on 09. Nov, 2009 by Andrea in Travel
“For my part, I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel’s sake. The great affair is to move; to feel the needs and hitches of our life more nearly; to come down off this feather-bed of civilization, and find the globe granite underfoot and strewn with cutting flints.”
Robert Louis Stevenson
For me, Stevenson’s words encapsulate the romance and adventure of travel of a bygone era and I’m filled with awe of those Victorians who, without the aid of breathe-easy fabrics and anti-malarial tablets, opened so many of the paths that today’s travellers take for granted. But instead of leaving their comforts behind, 21st century tourists find their feather-bed of civilisation is waiting for them when they arrive.
With barely an inconvenience or a sweat stain, people can routinely venture to exotic locations where they can lie around a pool in the amorphous uniformity of five star resorts, ordering food and drink with the flick of a coloured wristband and gazing out on vistas that bear no resemblance to the world beyond their hotel grounds.
So, have the convenience of commercial airlines and the spread of global tourism taken away the thrill of travel for all but the most dedicated of backpackers?
I’d like to think not.
For me, travel isn’t just a physical re-location it’s a state of mind too. It’s about opening up to a different culture, a foreign landscape, an alien way of life and embracing its differences and in order to do that, you have to not just travel to a place, but travel within it. You’re never going to experience the adrenalin rush of climbing Sigirya or becoming immortal in China’s Ghost City from the comfort of your hotel sunbed. You’re unlikely to face an aggressive ape about to charge you from the pool bar or get asked to dance by a seven foot tall Masai Warrior at the hotel disco.
You don’t have to spend months on the road to experience the addictive thrill of travel, you just have to leave your feather-bed of civilisation and walk the granite paths of the globe to find adventure and the real spirit of travel.
For my part, I’ve travelled a great deal and not nearly enough. I have a list of places that I have never been to and that beckon to me like Marley’s Ghost.
It’s a list that gets longer every time I read a novel or watch a movie or stumble across a photo and find my imagination fired and my curiosity roused. This is the shortened version of the list of places I’ve never been to that currently call to me: Vietnam, The Arctic Circle, Borneo, ShangHai and Tibet.
Where do you want to go next?
Andrea Montgomery
Freelance feature/travel writer and author of 2 travel guides, Andrea is a compulsive blogger and Tweeter with an annoying tendancy to behave like Head Girl (presumably because she never got to be one).
15 Responses to “Reflections of a Travel Addict”
Leave a Reply
What is Sparkle?
It's a busy community, it's a lively chat forum, it's friendship, it's speed dating, it's romance, it's finding mates, it's arranging events - it's Sparkle..
Sparkle takes social networking and online communities to a new level, letting you find people with shared interests and engage in captivating online activities.
Phil
09. Nov, 2009
Re : “You‚Äôre unlikely to face an aggressive ape about to charge you from the pool bar”
You have obviously never stayed in an 18-30 hotel in Las Americas?
Rachael
09. Nov, 2009
LOL Phil!
Great blog Andrea, really enjoyed it. I fancy Borneo too and, rather less challenging, New Zealand. The scenary just looks amazing. I’ve never met anyone who has been there who didn’t love it.
Judith
09. Nov, 2009
Lol Phil. !
I haven’t travelled much at all!! There are lots of places I would love to go to but I think my number one, since I did a school project in Primary School, would be Bangkok. Second would be an authentic native american reserve…
Andrea
09. Nov, 2009
Phil, thank you for that spectacular upstage
and you’re quite right, I never have stayd in an 18-30 hotel in Las Americas!
Rae, yes New Zealand is one I’d love to explore and isn’t it uncanny…everyone I know who’s been loves it too!
Judith, Bangkok is fabulous, if massively polluted. Travel on the river is definitely something I could get used to on a daily basis and the floating markets are brilliant, and the Royal Palace and, and, and…. You must go.
Phil
09. Nov, 2009
Sorry Andrea
One day I will share my memories of an 18-30 holiday in Majorca.
Suffice to say – riding backwards on a donkey whilst drinking cheap plonk and singing “Here we go”.
Not my finest hour.
PS New Zealand is my choice too – although I am now nearer to a Saga special than an 18-30
Jack
09. Nov, 2009
I still want to surf down the Mekong River from the back of a gun boat to the sound of ‘Can’t get no satisfaction’ (maybe I’d update the song to Kasabian’s ‘Club Foot’). Don’t think it’s likely to happen, but I could live with siiting on any boat floating down the Mekong and forgetting the surfing.
Mike
09. Nov, 2009
hI Andrea,
I would love to travel more and I have a few places I would love to see, l enjoy citys and would love to go to New York and also see a lot more of America.
Berlin has always sounded exciting, I´d love to sample the underground nightlife there.
I look forward to reading more of your travel stories.
Andy Montgomery
10. Nov, 2009
Cheers, Mike. I love New York too. We spent the Millennium in Times Square celebrating the new century as it arrived, every hour, in a different part of the world. It was the most sober New Year I’ve ever had because of high security which meant if you left the square you couldn’t go back. It was a 12 hour marathon alcohol-less party!
Berlin – oh yes please! It looks like an amazing city – uber cool.
Allan Moore
11. Nov, 2009
I found the picture at the head of this thread interesting.
The Masaai Warrior group depicted in the picture performed at Eden for a few days in the summer as part of a Europe wide tour, and I even had the “priviledge” of being dragged onto the floor to join in with their performance in a section where they dance (OK jump, lol) with members of the audience, (mosly children). I suspect they picked me partly because I am a volunteer at Eden and was in uniform. I have to admit though that it was great fun and they are a very happy troupe, always smiling, despite having little in a material sense.
I am still wearing a necklace they sold me.
The one in the middle of the pictured grouping, has an amazing falsetto voice, and his diction is perfect despite the speed at which he sings his part.
Andrea
11. Nov, 2009
Hi Allan,
Wow, how fantastic to have seen the group at the Eden Project and even better, to be a volunteer there. I’ve only been to Eden once but was blown away by the place. When I went there was an African a capella group performing and they were brilliant. It was such a nice, festival scene down there.
I’ve only ever encountered the Masai in Kenya and I think they are the most beautiful race I have ever seen.
Allan Moore
12. Nov, 2009
Yes, Andrea, right on both counts, it was a fantastic experience but then so are so manny of the things that happen at eden, I love the place and feel it is a great privilege to be able to volunteer there. The educational work (Eden is an educationaly charity) is fantastic and internationally famous now. We get schools visiting our educational centre (The Core) and the dedicated classrooms and playgrounds are in pretty constant use in term time, with coach loads coming from all over the Continent as well as the UK.
There are a couple of pics of the Masai troupe on my Facebook page, where I have a lot of pics of Eden including some videos I have started taking recently.
Andy Montgomery
13. Nov, 2009
Heading over to your facebook page to take a look…
Neil Haggart
18. Dec, 2009
That’s my Clan Tartan they are wearing…….
Andrea
18. Dec, 2009
LOL That’s brilliant! Can you see any family likeness?
Neil Haggart
20. Dec, 2009
Not really, unfortunately red hair and fair skins don’t take a tan…