Travel has always been a thing I love to do. My father said it was the gypsy in me and in him. It was at a drop of a hat that he would decide to go somewhere. No matter what time of day or night, once the decision was made to go, off we went.
I'm a lot like that but since I am married, my husband needs time to plan, to think about it. Me, on the other hand, needs only fifteen minutes and I can be packed and ready to explore the next state, country, island or town. No matter what it is, I find an adventure in getting to know all about it. I don't need to read up on it or check on the weather. Just say let's go and I'm out the door suitcase in hand.
I have taken a dozen or more cruises, a half-dozen trips to Europe and lots and lots of travel in the United States. Each one has been a journey to learning something new. I learn about the areas I visit when I get there. The best part of every trip is my learning something about myself. It isn't always something new. In fact, I am reminded of my abundance on every trip. I am clear about who I am and what I love to do. it is who I am but I'm aware of it more when on a trip. I like adventure. I like to explore. I have an insatiable appetite to know anything and everything I can about all the places I've visited or have yet to see.
What is it in me that loves to travel? In planning our upcoming cruise for Thanksgiving, I observed the "high" I get once the trip is planned. I tend to start thinking about what I'm going to take with me. I gather. in mind first, all the clothes I want to take. Then I decide what I don't need to pack. This part of the adventure is exciting. It stays with me until maybe after I'm home two weeks.
So this change, this high I get when traveling isn't a negative thing. I don't believe it is and I'm claiming it now to be an attribute of mine. It's part of my personality to want to learn something new, meet new people and learn about other cultures. If I'm not going away from home and eel the desire to explorey I find something local like a new path to hike or a town to visit. Am I addicted to travel? I don't think so, although I am fully aware and into the up feeling I have when I'm about to take a trip. If it is an addiction, then I call it a socially acceptable addiction. It's like years ago when it was socially acceptable to have a martini at lunch while doing business.
Well addiction to me is when you are engaged in something that is harmful to yourself or to others. Travel has only made me a better person. I've learned to accept others and their way of living. I've learned to appreciate what I have in my country. And I'm definitely a more interesting person to those around me when I share my stories.
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