The Problem with Travel
I’ve spent the last decade of my life with travel near or at the top of my priority list. Much of my life choices have revolved around new experiences and different cities. I’ve looked to expand my food pallet and understand different cultures. I’ve moved to different cities and states. I launched a travel brand. I say all of this to paint the picture of how important travel is to me. However, there is a problem I face when traveling.
In case you need a refresher, I recently embarked on a 6-day adventure hiking Mount Kilimanjaro. I didn’t know anyone I was hiking with. I essentially entered the journey solo. When I got on the bus from the hotel to the gate of the Mountain, I sat next to a guy Ahmed. This is when the problem began to make itself clear.
We had a two-hour ride so there was plenty to chat about. Not to mention the 6 days we’d be on the mountain together.
Naturally, Ahmed began telling me all about his life.
A key element to his story was South Africa. It was where he spent some of his childhood before his family moved to Australia. South Africa was also the setting of his life since about 20.
As we continued to swap stories, his reaction and surprise became apparent as my ignorance toward what South Africa was like began to show.
There’s Cape Town, where Table Mountain stands tall like the main character it is, watching over a city bursting with color, culture, and serious flavor. The Willy Wonka candy-colored houses are practically begging for a photoshoot, while the streets hum with the smooth beats of Cape jazz and the mouthwatering aroma of braai sizzling on the grill. Locals chat over steaming plates of bobotie, street markets overflow with dazzling beadwork, and the ocean breeze carries the salty scent of adventure. Theres elephants, local wines, and surfing!
Before we had departed the bus, the declaration was made. I need to visit South Africa.
Insert 6 days of hiking, exchanging life experiences with 4 other hikers. The list of places I HAD to add to my travel list nearly doubled.
This experience wasn’t silo’d to a unique bond formed from hiking one of the seven summits. I had this experience at 2am chanting in the streets of Reykjavik, Iceland that caused me to add Norway to my list. This happened when we were in Marseille for the 2024 Olympics at a chocolate shopping where the other tour couple had me itching to visit Perth.
Hell, this even happened in our 24-hour layover in Amsterdam on the way to Tanzania, when the ladies who sat at the bar next to us starting sharing their travel stories.
The problem with travel is it opens your universe to the variety of people, cultures, and lifestyles that exist on this planet. The people you meet often have the same passions and desires which only fuel the drive to see and do more. The problem with travel is it only makes you want to travel more.