Writer, singer, dancer, and African-American activist, Maya Angelou, once wrote,

 

          "Human beings are more alike than unalike, and what is true anywhere is true everywhere, yet I encourage travel to as many destinations as possible, for the sake of education as well as pleasure."

 

          This somehow says it all. Despite the sameness in people and cultures around the globe, this "Renaissance" woman believes that extensive travel adds much to our lives and our understanding.

      Henry Miller, infamous author of the novel, Tropic of Cancer, once wrote, about travel,

 

             "If we are always arriving and departing, it is also true that we are eternally anchored. One's destination is never a place but rather a new way of looking at things."

 

          This is an interesting take on a familiar theme. Miller says that we remain who we are, when we are traveling, but that our destinations simply give us a new or different perspective. Many other authors have expressed a similar sentiment, but phrase the concept differently. I certainly would agree that our essence, our basic self remains the same, no matter what we do or where we go, but travel does give us new information to process and digest and can certainly influence our viewpoint.

       Famous American essayist, Emerson, was obviously not a fan of travel, when he wrote,

 

              "I am not much of an advocate for traveling, and I observe that men run away to other countries because they are not good in their own, and run back to their own because they pass for nothing in the new place."

 

        It seems that, to Emerson, it's all about functioning or participating in society, and I totally reject this premise. I don't see travel as running away, but rather as exploiting an opportunity for enlightenment and education. To me, travel is a form of intellectual stimulation and a way to satisfy my curiosity about this huge world we live in. I believe that every human has an obligation to see as much of this beautiful planet and as many of mankind's stunning additions to it as possible during his lifetime. To me, travel is a quest, to learn history and Art by seeing rather than reading, to discover myself through the mirror of others. In fact, I am not running away because I am not good in my own region, but rather, the traveling makes me appreciate what I have.

     Well-known poet from Crete, Nikos Kazantzakis, once wrote,

 

           "Every perfect traveler always creates the country where he travels."

 

      This is a rather cryptic quote, and its meaning probably depends on how the author defines the term, "perfect traveler." In my opinion, Nikos is refering to a traveler who does not adversely affect his destination, but rather takes part in the culture in which he is immersed. He is probably seen less as a tourist and more like an integral part of the landscape of the place. He becomes part of the scene, much as a brush-stroke becomes part of the painting. This seems to be travel at its most authentic, but I'm sure it's difficult to attain. Unfortunately, I have never experienced this total immersion.

     World-famous anthropologist, Margaret Mead, once wrote,

 

             "As the traveler who has once been from home is wiser than he who has never left his own doorstep, so a knowledge of one other culture should sharpen our ability to scrutinize more steadily, to appreciate more lovingly, our own."

 

           Obviously geared toward her field, this statement is, nevertheless, a recurring theme in my long list of notable travel quotations. Venture out into the world, not only to become more knowledgeable and sophisticated, but also better assess and appreciate your own region or country. The contrasts among cultures creates a stark realism which allows a more discerning look at the good and bad elements within a community.

         Writer, Katherine Butler Hathaway, said,

 

            "A person needs at intervals to separate from family and companions and go to new places. One must go without familiars in order to be open to influences, to change."

 

         Katherine's recommendation then, is to travel alone, without friends and family, in order to truly be accepting of other cultures and ideas. I'm not sure I would agree that traveling alone is better than being with someone, but I can see her point, and I would certainly do it, if there were no one I could travel with. But lonliness is always a consideration, and I choose good company.

       Noted British author, Aldous Huxley, once wrote,

 

          "Your true traveler finds boredom rather agreeable that painful. It is the symbol of his liberty -- his excessive freedom. He accepts his boredom, when it comes, not merely philosophically, but almost with pleasure."

 

          My paraphrase of this somewhat cryptic statement is that, with the freedom to go where you want to go when you want to, comes the potential that your destination will not always live up to your expectations. And I believe that this is a truth about travel that we prefer to ignore. Haven't you ever gotten to a place and thought, "What's the big deal?"  I certainly have, but it doesn't discourage me at all. I guess that results like this simply allow me to draw the conclusions that, once again, everyone is different. One person's treasure is another's piece of junk. And this is what makes the world go round!

     Psychologist and Educator, Howard Gardner once wrote,

 

             "Hitler didn't travel, Stalin didn't travel, Saddam Hussein never traveled. They didn't want to have their ideology challenged."

 

         This statement makes great sense. Travel has the effect of widening a person's world view, making them more broad-minded and tolerant of other peoples' cultures and beliefs. Dictators have no use for differing points of view, so they probably minimize their exposure to the outside world, remaining insulated against intrusions. Since most people would not brag, "What's good for Hitler, Stalin, and Hussein is good enough for me," thus, we should all try to travel in order to moderate our ideas and discard our biases.

     18th Century critic and essayist William Hazlitt expressed his equivocation about travel by saying,

 

             "I should like to spend the whole of my life in traveling abroad, if I could anywhere borrow another life to spend afterwards at home."

 

         Obviously, this man loves travel but also loves being home. He is torn between the two mutually exclusive lifestyles, so he dreams of a way of doing both. What a dilemma! As far as I am concerned, I would travel constantly and never return home, but I can understand the conflict. Home can be a very appealing place and I sympathize with those who prefer to remain in one place.

      Pat Conroy, author of The Great Santini and other books, wrote about travel,

 

       "Once you have traveled, the voyage never ends, but is played out over and over again in the quietest chambers. The mind can never break off from the journey."

 

       Isn't this so true? I relive and remember my travels frequently, pausing over special moments and chuckling about mistakes I made. Besides the typical reminders that encourage us to recall a trip, I surround myself with daily reminders. My hallway at home is lined with pictures that I took while on vacation, and as I pass by them, I remember. My screensaver, on both my laptop and desktop, contain a huge collection of my pictures and these scroll by as the computer waits for my input. Often, I simply sit in front of the screen and watch as the slide show harkens a flood of memories about places and experiences. A number of knick-knacks which I purchased in various places adorn the shelves of bookcases, end tables, and walls of my house, and serve as further reminders of these travels. Frequently, I will pull a photo album from the shelf to immerse myself, once more, a particular trip.

        Famous American poet, Robert Frost, in one of his most recognized poems, The Road Not Taken, wrote,

 

           "Two roads diverged in a wood and I .... I took the one less traveled by."

 

        This quote, from one of my favorite poets, has long intrigued me. Taking the road less traveled, in life, indicates that one ventures into territory which is not typical for his/her age or station. It means choosing the more difficult or, at least, the more unusual option. In travel, this is usually referred to as "off the beaten track," and implies going to places which are off the normal tourist route, or taking a more circuitous and possibly more dangerous route to get to a destination. Unfortunately, I did most of my travel when I was older and married. The kind of travel Frost refers to is more typically done when young and carefree, unencumbered by other people. These things can still be done at my age, but they take a true adventurous spirit and a more risk-taking perspective. 

      Mystery writer, Lawrence Block, said this about travel,

 

           "Our happiest moments as tourists always seem to come when we stumble upon one thing while in pursuit of something else."

 

          What Mr Block refers to is what I call "serendipity" and, he's right, these experiences are some of the most memorable I have ever had as a traveler. The unexpected festival or unscheduled band concert are extremely special. When we were in Venice, we strolled into St Mark's Square, in the evening, after the normal tourist hours and witnessed a spontaneous "battle of the bands" between three (3) competing orchestras. It was incredible. We were even dancing to the music in the square. What an incredible evening!

     British author and explorer, Freya Stark, wrote,

 

           "To awaken alone in a strange town is one of the pleasantest sensations in the world."

 

          I agree with Freya; it is certainly a strange sensation, to wake up in an unfamiliar location, and then, once you realize where you are, there is a wonderful sense of satisfaction. It's like you're saying, "Oh, yeah, we're in ..., how cool!" At this time, by the way, because your senses are heightened by the new surroundings, you will notice things you might otherwise ignore. Your powers of observation are enhanced, another aspect of the joys and benefits of travel.

        Muriel once stated,

 

            "The journey is my home."

 

         This concise statement seems to say it all. Life is a journey and it changes day after day, thus home is not a stable place, but rather a state of mind, fraught with dangers and experiences. All we have to do is adapt, in order to continue on the journey. Sure, we will have setbacks and periods of time which are extremely stressful, but, if we treat life like a journey, we will be in a new place tomorrow, and perhaps things will be better.

          For those of us with true wanderlust, we are content when we are traveling, just as others are content when they are in a familiar environment. We prefer the unfamiliar, and derive our enjoyment from the excitement of dealing with new people and new places. Join me on this journey, by searching my website for chronicles of trips-past or ideas about future trips.

     Well known Danish writer, Peter Hoeg, once wrote,

 

           "Traveling tends to magnify all human emotions."

 

        This quote expresses something that travelers often experience, a heightening of the senses when in a new place. It perhaps explains why travel chronicles frequently use superlatives when describing destinations or activities. Physiologically, it may be due to the increased production and release of adrenaline, the flight-or-flight hormone, which heightens the bodies responses. Whatever the mechanism, I totally concur with the author and look forward to more stimulations, soon.

       Imagine, a quote about travel from the founder of Islam!

 

               "Don't tell me how educated you are, tell me how much you have traveled."

 

          This statement seems to indicate that even Mohammed equated travel with education, echoing a tenet long held by many. In other words, book learning is no substitute for the sophistication and knowledge derived from experience and that experience is best obtained by traveling to new locations and exposure to new ideas. This great religious leader measures a man by the extent of his travels. What an endorsement for my wanderlust! 

 

 

As is evident from the quote below, the famous composer, Mozart, was greatly impressed with his own talent, when he said,

     Jewish theologian and philosopher, Martin Buber, expressed the following:

 

               "All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware."

 

        This quote is a favorite of mine, since it hints at one of the most enjoyable aspects of travel, what I like to call serendipity. During so many of my trips, some of the seemingly most insignificant places or stops along the way turn out to be the most memorable.  For instance, when we were in Spain, in the city of Seville, we had some time on our hands. So, I suggested that we take a short ride into nearby Portugal. We had not planned on this at all. I, who always does extensive research prior to a trip, had not even considered learning Portuguese or even carrying a guidebook or phrasebook. When we entered the country, we relied on speaking Spanish or Italian, which thankfully was understood by many. Anyway, we had a marvelous time! The first village we came to was having a festival, with music on the main square, and many, cute shops, open even on Sunday. We thoroughly enjoyed our time there, as well as in Faro, a bit further west. These delightful little interludes are often the best things about travel, and they are not that unusual.

        The Iranian poet, Saadi, once wrote,

 

               "A traveler without observation is a bird without wings."

 

        This is so true. Only those who carefully look at places and objects get the real story. Others miss, oftentimes, the most important aspects. All things are richer with scrutiny. The late commentator, Paul Harvey, is a perfect example. He made a career out of the "rest of the story," giving listeners more detail about daily news stories. To carefully observe requires an unhurried pace, so structure your travel so that you have the time to devote, to get the most from a destination. This situation also makes a good case for hiring a knowledgeable guide, or, at least, for extensive research prior to a trip.

    The former prime minister of India once stated,

 

           "We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm, and adventure.  There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open."

 

          This is a great endorsement of travel! I also believe that the world is full of wondrous places and things to do, and that it is human to seek to see and experience these things. But, as Nehru says, we must have our eyes open, and I would add our hearts and minds as well, in order to receive the full benefit of these experiences. Go out and enjoy the world!