Grateful Traveler: A Traveler’s Inspirations to Hit the Road
Before spending the next few weeks journeying into the world of the traveler, it probably helps to know just what I mean by that word.
To me, travelers are people who navigate life with a can-do attitude, who see that proverbial glass as overflowing, who face adversity with strength, learn from their mistakes, and have an uncanny ability to meet life— with all its twists, turns and challenges—with their hearts, minds and arms wide open.
Why am I so focused on this subject?
Two reasons. One has to do with my own experience of life. I did not take to the road because of curiosity and a desire to learn about other peoples and cultures. I took to the road because I felt like I had no other choice.
After following the script all good middle-class children are expected to follow— good grades, good college, good job—I felt empty and numb inside, like I was living someone else’s American dream.
So, Los Angeles girl that I am, I loaded up my car and announced I was driving until I didn’t see smog. Seems logical enough. I was 25, had no mortgage, family or responsibilities.
But there’s a second part to this equation. At the time, I could have won a contest for the most fear-based individual on the planet: I hated to fly (still do); I was afraid of strangers; I didn’t like being alone; I was terrified of the unknown. But because doing what I was “supposed” to do was killing me, I got in my car and headed north anyway.
And now it seems many people (my own household included) find themselves where I was when I did everything I was supposed to do and then found it had no pay-off. People have worked long and hard at jobs only to get fired as the economy tanks. They took reasonable mortgages on homes they could afford, which proves to be immaterial if you don’t have a job. They invested dutifully in 401(k) plans only to see them go south. They’re scared and asking themselves, what now?
Which brings me to my fascination with the people I call travelers. Travel changed me, introducing me to strengths I didn’t even know I had.
It’s changed everyone I’ve interviewed over the past year for the Grateful Traveler series, whether that person was a parent searching for a stem cell donor for their dying child, a woman starting a non-profit to help stop poverty in Uganda, a European student taking a summer job in America, or people just out to see the world.
Abandoning the cruise-control attitude of the typical tourist (and believe me, I love travel for relaxation and enjoyment just as much as the next guy), they dug in and worked hard to understand the world at an almost spiritual level. For that reason, I believe, they have something to teach us all.
Very often, travelers will find themselves in situations where they don’t speak the language, don’t know the locals, haven’t got the lay of the land and don’t have a clue if there is any food to be had or a place to stay when they roll in after dark. For many people, this situation would, understandably, send them into a tailspin.
But for the travelers I queried, it was seen as an opportunity. They embraced the unknown and in the process, learned life-long lessons that have since helped them navigate some very rocky roads. But more about that next week …
By Jamie Simons for PeterGreenberg.com.
Read more inspiring stories from the Grateful Traveler series:
