SO; WHY DO WE TRAVEL?
It's a good question and not one that is immediately obvious. The Gap Year student is likely to have a widely differing experience to those of us who have taken a career break or have waited for the children to grow up. I asked a lot of my friends why they travelled and the answers I got back had nothing to do with cheap alcohol and pure, white beaches...... although I'm sure their travels included cheap alcohol and pure white beaches! Most replies centred around discovery - both of the world they live in and themselves. Some enjoyed meeting new people of a likeminded spirit, some to experience cultures a world away from their own and others simply to see it, to live it and to find adventure. As one friend simply put it "proper perspective". I think that sums it up nicely.
Originally, I travelled because I simply had that opportunity. To go, to see, to do all the things that I ever wanted to do the world over. Full of wide-eyed wonder. Maybe go back to my favourite place and live there when I'd finished. Very idealistic. But I'm a realist. As I travelled from year to year I understood that what I was actually doing (as one lovely older lady - Caroline from Canada via Carcasonne - put it) was my 'Masters Degree in Life'. I was learning about the world directly and not from any bias like TV or papers or radio. In short, not being 'told' how the world was but seeing it for myself. I didn't necessarily take part in other countries but certainly I was an enthusiastic spectator. It's the education that I got from travelling that I treasure so much...... and the 33,000+ photos ;o)
So before setting off, have an idea for why you're doing this. Not simply an itinerary but just a direction, just a feeling. You'll get to where you want to go in the end but if you've pre-planned everything before you've even left it'll just cost you more to change your mind, that's all.
Originally, I travelled because I simply had that opportunity. To go, to see, to do all the things that I ever wanted to do the world over. Full of wide-eyed wonder. Maybe go back to my favourite place and live there when I'd finished. Very idealistic. But I'm a realist. As I travelled from year to year I understood that what I was actually doing (as one lovely older lady - Caroline from Canada via Carcasonne - put it) was my 'Masters Degree in Life'. I was learning about the world directly and not from any bias like TV or papers or radio. In short, not being 'told' how the world was but seeing it for myself. I didn't necessarily take part in other countries but certainly I was an enthusiastic spectator. It's the education that I got from travelling that I treasure so much...... and the 33,000+ photos ;o)
So before setting off, have an idea for why you're doing this. Not simply an itinerary but just a direction, just a feeling. You'll get to where you want to go in the end but if you've pre-planned everything before you've even left it'll just cost you more to change your mind, that's all.