Echoes of the Past
Sure, traveling is fun. Living in the moment through some form of adventure is why we leave the comfort of home. Whether that adventure is staying at a fancy resort overseas, visiting a nearby national park, wandering through dangerous and foreign places, climbing volcanoes, or hitchhiking in lands where you can’t begin to understand the people or communicate with them, adventure is usually satisfying, memorable, and worthwhile.
Sometimes, travel is a form of discomfort that provides opportunities for growth and introspection, just as meaningful, if not more so. Sometimes, we seek discomfort; we throw ourselves into difficult situations to experience something new, challenge our limits, and test our ability to handle the unknown. These discomforts can change us in ways we could have never imagined, even if those adventures are marked by suffering and despair in the moment. Yet, the thrill of adventure is usually a net positive, one way or another.
From my experiences as a world traveler over the last decade, I’ve learned that something even greater lies at the core of travel — something that lasts forever and opens a window of insatiable happiness beyond the physical experience of the journey. It’s a feeling I’ve come to rely on in recent years as I’ve wandered the world. I’ve come to appreciate a side of travel that…