Day Thirty Nine - Travel Musings

Being on the road constantly is an interesting way to live. I make friends much more quickly than I normally would at home. This is honestly out of neccesity. I'm never in one location for all that long which causes my relationships to grow at a faster pace than I am accusstomed to in a life that is static. I must trust people more than I ever have in my life. This is not a problem at all, just a fact that I have accepted and embraced in order to enrich my experiences abroad. Without the ability to make friends quickly and the trust that is required for that to happen my time on my Odyssey would be much less fulfilling and very much so lonely.

There is no better example of this than my couchsurfing experiences so far. It is difficult to predict what will happen when first walking into a stranger's home but what follows has been, and will probably always be, fantastic. I have skanked (a dance, it's not as dirty as it sounds) in a ska club with Brits, drank absinthe with a man in Brussels, learned about pizza box conspiracies from an American expat, went bar hopping until 7 AM with two Belgian gents, and discussed philosophy with the Swiss. A fairly good list I must say. And I'm just getting started! It has been over a month since I have stayed in a hostel, all my time has been spent couchsurfing. The experiences had when in the company of fellow couchsurfers are the kind that one cannot find when in hostels. It's the local experience, sometimes the bizarre experience. But the fact is that couchsurfing is always an experience. The time I spend with these people, at their home, out on the town, or seeing the local sights, is time that I will remember. Even days where I accomplish nothing but getting to know a new person better are days that I cherish.

Sure, seeing one of a kind sights are great. There is a part of me that wants to travel the world to lay my own eyes on Big Ben, the Eiffel Tower, and the Roman Colliseum. But I am learning that my main motivation for travel is to learn. Learn the amazingly varied ways that people live, learn their language, learn their customs, learn what they like, learn what they don't like, and learn what they know about my culture, if anything. This knowledge feels so much more valuable to me than having the ability to say, "Yeah, I've seen [insert tourist attraction here]."

It is because of this realization of what I am truly looking for that drives me to venture off the beaten path. I want to explore, go to a land that doesn't see many outsiders. Unfortunately for me, this can be somewhat difficult in Europe. This is a part of the world that is well traveled. But I will always be keeping my eyes and ears open for an opportunity. I will be looking to have an experience that I have never had. My quest is to challenge myself to take a risk and leave the world of comfort behind me. Sometimes the risk will not pay off and I will have unsavory days and nights. But for the bad it only takes one amazing time to make it all worth it. And when that day comes you can bet I will have a smile on my face.