Are We Traveling, Vacationing, or Adventuring?

411 words, < 3 minutes

Traveling is the process of moving from one place to another. Sometimes we see new things and have new experiences that give our brains a massive hit of dopamine that makes us feel great. Who doesn’t want more of that?

Traveling gives us a temporary break from the routine of our everyday lives, but moving around doesn’t mean we get anywhere. After a short time, even traveling can feel like running on a treadmill. No matter how far we travel or how hard we run, it can all begin to seem the same. Our ever-expanding expectations gobble up newness like Cookie Monster eating cookies. Everything new becomes routine if we take it for granted.

Devouring new experiences isn’t the only way to travel. As Proust described, discovery is not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.

Vacations are different from doing the hard work of discovery. Vacations are traveling without progress, and they are supposed to be easy. They are a short-term attempt to escape from our routine instead of moving towards something. Vacations are like walking on a track. We know the end, and soon we will be right back where we started, maybe a little more tired and sweaty. Breaks are nice, but it won’t be long before we’re dreaming of longer escapes and a future that might just be a slightly bigger track.

Traveling can be about more than moving in circles or on treadmills. Movement is good. Movement with progress is even better.

Travel helps us frame our lives in new ways. With curiosity and gratitude, travel expands our horizons and stimulates the neurons in our brains that change our perception of the world and what is possible.

If we approach traveling with curiosity and gratitude, we find wonder all around us and realize that it’s not as much about where we go and what we do, but the connections we make within ourselves, with friends, and with the places and people we meet.

Connection requires curiosity, and curiosity is choosing a direction that sends us on an adventure into the unknown.

Adventuring into the unknown with purpose is when traveling gains velocity, and we leave the treadmill and the track to discover a new path, one that is full of challenges, connections, and different types of fun.

Then gratitude, not newness, sustains wonder on our travels and at home, and those connections keep us going and growing.

Because, travel is mostly in our heads.