Points to Ponder for Travelers

One Man’s Vacation is Another Man’s Home

As travelers we sometimes lose sight of the fact that the place we are visiting isn’t just a vacation spot for everyone. Sometimes the locals aren’t necessarily welcoming of tourists with cameras or strangers coming into their private spaces. Money might buy lunch but it doesn’t always buy you an open invitation, and in some places the locals just don’t want visitors roaming around and poking their noses into their lives. The residents may be concerned that their special places will be harmed or altered by crowds of tourists (rightly so) and can even become hostile if they feel invaded.

Take as an example the 2000 movie The Beach, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, in which an adventurous young man travels to Thailand following a strange map, and finds himself in the midst of a utopian community on a remote, untouched island. Ironically, the actually filming of the movie initiated a disastrous impact upon the isolated Thai island where it was made. The beautiful island of Koh Phi Phi was transformed from a peaceful paradise into a noisy, commercial vacation hot spot that has now become completely overrun with crowds of tourists. Sometimes it’s the travelers themselves who change the places they visit into something unrecognizable from its original splendor.

The search for someplace off-the-beaten path can lead us to untold adventures and marvelous experiences in our travels. Just always remember that the place you are visiting is still home to someone else, and have some respect for their privacy and their culture.

No Two Destinations are Ever the Same

Anywhere you may roam you will always find that each place is unique. You can treasure the experiences of your traveling adventures and find your bliss in exploration no matter where you end up. It really doesn’t matter if you are going to an island resort in Thailand, or to a major city like Paris or London, or even just up the coast to your nearest local beach for the day, your destination is always to somewhere unique.

Those who enjoy the adventure of going to see the world can understand the true value in the characters and qualities of each and every different city, village and town. From incredible scenery, to cultural events, to native foods, a visit to a new place gives you something special to appreciate wherever you go.

You Can Learn Something New with Every Journey

Any day that you aren’t learning- you aren’t really living. Traveling gives you boundless opportunities to learn, allowing you to achieve new heights of spiritual growth and emotional maturity through the expansion of your knowledge. It’s a fascinating world that we live in, full of wonder and amazement with each new discovery.

Whether you are climbing the Eiffel Tower or climbing Mt. Everest, you can learn many things, from patience and endurance to enlightenment at the marvels of mankind’s engineering capabilities and of nature’s bounty. Touring war memorials in Normandy teaches us respect for heroic defenders of freedom, and strolling through the art galleries of world class museums in New York or London shows us an entire world of culture and creative expression. A thirst for travel and exploration can teach you as much as you ever learned in school, as long as you keep an open mind to the potential life lessons that accompany every journey.

Even the Best Laid Plans Can Change

Of course it’s always good to have a plan, as long as that plan is flexible with plenty of room for spontaneity. Experienced travelers know that you can’t always stick to a strict itinerary if you want to really enjoy an interesting new location. You can create a schedule, follow a map, make reservations and impose rules on your traveling plans, but without a little flexibility you could really miss out on great opportunities to just follow a whim.

Someone you meet could tell you about a great antique shop on the next street, or a fantastic little bistro with a tasty menu, or maybe a great hiking trail just up the road. If you ignore these interesting tidbits of information in favor of sticking to a prearranged plan, you are shortchanging yourself. The best traveling adventures are usually the ones you just happen across that were never part of the original plan.

“Must-See” Attractions aren’t Always the Best Attractions

Just because a certain attraction is world-famous and draws massive crowds of visitors doesn’t mean that you won’t have just as good a time visiting some local sights that aren’t so famous. Of course you can’t consider a trip to Paris complete without standing in line to climb the Eiffel Tower, but once you’ve checked off Eiffel from your list of “must-see” attractions in the City of Lights, you should do a little local exploration. Wandering through the streets lets you see the true charm of a city like Paris.

You can settle in for some people watching at a sidewalk café, or find a lovely little treasure in a local flea market. Take a walk in the park, follow the sounds of music and laughter and find a fun little pub, and make some new friends. Look beyond the lights and the famous tourist attractions, and you could find yourself having a better time on your travels than you ever imagined.

Article author: Cathy Jones