I have been thinking a lot about why I like to travel so much. If someone says, \u201cDo you want to go to\u2026?\u201d my answer is generally, “Yes!” before I hear the destination. The act of traveling is enjoyable to me, even if I have not been wanting to visit that particular destination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the beginning of the pandemic, I had to cancel four trips that were firmly planned. I was going to go to the Czech Republic for the first time. I was going to finally visit Montreal. I was going to have another awesome trip with NumberOneNiece which would include a stay in Bonn and a plan to take commuter transportation instead of staying right by my meeting location. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Slowly, as days turned into weeks turned into, \u201cHow long will this last?\u201d I realized the rhythm of my life was going to be different. I wasn\u2019t going to travel. I didn\u2019t know when I would get to hit the road again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I missed it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At first, I thought I missed it because of the free wine in lounges at airports. (The spread at the Saga Lounge in Keflavik Airport is one of my favorites. I also love exploring other lounges because each one is different.) The truth is, when I want a fine wine, I can get it here. And I haven\u2019t stopped myself from drinking wine just because there have been many days I haven\u2019t left the house since March 13, 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then, I thought maybe it was about my company paying for my meals and my hotel rooms and occasionally my wine. I mean, there is a side of me that is super cheap. Anything someone else pays for seems like an added bonus. Looking at the numbers, I spend less when I don\u2019t travel because there are all these unexpected expenses like underwear that didn\u2019t make it into the suitcase. I have a credit card, and I am not afraid to use it \u2013 when traveling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I started to think about journeys and the different phases of a trip and what I thought of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I do not like the sensation of flying except for about 5 minutes of every flight when I marvel about the fact that people design, build and maintain these miracle machines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I do like clean sheets every night. I could do that at home, but I don\u2019t like them THAT much. Hotel rooms are cleaner in my mind than they are in reality. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I do not like being away from Husband. If I could take him with me for every trip, I absolutely would. Unfortunately, the logistics of life — his job, our kids — makes that impossible. In fact, we are just now starting to think that maybe he could come with me on one of my trips in a few years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I do like the challenge. I never feel quite so competent as when I go to a new place and succeed in having a successful trip. I pick the hotel. I rarely rent a car. Once, on a trip to Alabama, I flew to Pensacola and took a GreyHound bus for the first time in years. This was not as good an idea in reality as it seemed when I made the plan, but challenges and overcoming them are half the fun. I tried something different and realized it wasn\u2019t the best idea ever. As a bonus, my flight home got cancelled and I got to spend an unexpected night on Pensacola Beach dancing on the sand in the 70s in the middle of January.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This question has been niggling at my brain, and nothing I decided was the reason felt right. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In all phases of life, restrictions apply. Not just on airplanes. Not just in different lands and in different cultures. The restrictions of my daily life are pretty set. The house I have to keep up. The meals I need to serve. The presents I have to send. When I wake up. When I fall asleep. How it looks if I were to drink too much and walk at night singing a bit louder than I should. (Hi there Stornoway!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I remembered reading an article once about 20 years ago that traveling has always been a time where women can shed the restrictions of their cultures. Even if you aren\u2019t Paris Hilton, when you travel to another place, another culture, another venue, you experience a level of freedom. The expectations of behavior are different. The execution of a day is different. The idea that I had more options and fewer restrictions started to resonate. When I go elsewhere, I can be someone else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In my mind, I have fewer restrictions while traveling, so I want to travel. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The next time I visit the Saga Lounge, I am going to pour myself a class of Cava and remind myself that the restrictions that apply when I am not traveling are the ones I chose. I have agency in my life, and even if I chafe at the boundaries, I know I helped to set the boundaries right where they are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then, I will pour another glass and raise a toast the restrictions of travel and the freedom of going home.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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