Immerse Yourself

|"A Traveller sees what he sees, the Tourist sees what he has come to see."

G. K Chesterson |

I have been struggling with trying to determine if I want to travel because I can or because travelling is a great escape from reality. I went on a trip down to California earlier this year with a friend I graduated high school with - it truly was a trip to remember. Now, how this trip came about…

During Christmas the weather was disastrous. Snowed for days. The roads were nearly closed. Cabin fever hit. It hit me hard. I called my friend cried, "let's go. right now. to Mexico. right now." If the roads would have been great, I would have spent the next five or six days beside the pool at a resort. Since the roads were horrendous we waited and planned a trip. So for my nineteenth birthday, her and I spent it at Disneyland. What a time. When they say, "The Happiest Place on Earth," they really mean it. One day we were walking and we saw this lady. pouting. We both looked at each other and agreed we had no idea what the heck that was. I found a little slice of heaven. I had completely forgotten about the slump I was going through at the time. 

After coming home and the hype of the trip died, even getting off the plane I realized that my problems were still there. I had put life on hold for fourteen days. 

I have gone through some pretty complicated things over the last five years which has helped me grow tremendously. But I struggle to see that the growing I did was beneficial. I have decided to finally start dealing with my baggage. I have this huge nagging at my heart to travel. There are so many places I want to go. food I want to try. people to meet. conquer fears. find me. love me. The last five years have greatly manipulated how I view myself. I've lost the ability to truly love myself. I'm a very honest person, but the irony of it is I have no idea to be honest with myself. I have put my life on the back burner. My life is left on simmer when I should be living life as a rolling boil. I've lost the ability to enjoy what I used to enjoy. Slowly, I am finding those things. 

Growing up I have been very fortunate to be able to travel the places I have. So, maybe travelling is something that has naturally been placed in my blood. This sudden desire is not something that came out of no where. But as I deal with my issues, I still battle to find whether or not I am using travelling as an escape. The quote I opened up with is something I had read not too long ago while I grappled with this travel bug and I realized that I was definitely a tourist in California. I really, truly enjoyed my trip do not get me wrong. It was fantastic finally catching up with someone I hadn't seen in almost two years. But I was definitely a tourist. My desire is not to be a tourist. My desire is to be a traveller. Go somewhere with an idea of what I would like to do, but let the wind take me where it does. I was just reminded of some friends that have been weighing very heavy on my heart today. They have had the opportunity to travel to Cuba a few time over the last year. I love just sitting and listening to their stories. They sleep at the resort but much of their time has been spent wandering the city or crawling into the back of the cab and paying the cab driver for the day to show them the city. They truly have seen and tasted the country of Cuba. They have tasted the best cultural food in some of the most unexpected places. They have met the most wonderful people. They have made friends with the Cuban people. People who are looking forward to their next visit. They are travellers. This is what I want to do. Go without a plan. Find what I enjoy. laugh. cry. giggle. eat. drink. build memories. dance. sing. I want to immerse myself into culture. people. history. I want to hear life stories. If there is something I enjoy the most, it is hearing and listening to the stories of people's experiences or lives. I guess in my time, I have just seen people, whom I am very close to, change people's lives by just sharing what they've done or been through. 

It has been made clear to me. There is a fine line of being a traveller or just a self-absorbed tourist. It is what you are willing to do. Travelling should not be an escape. It should be diving face first into what is ahead without a plan or fear. Learn through what's ahead. the food. people. land. history. experience. love. stories. 

Just Go. Enjoy. Learn with an Open Heart. Immerse Yourself in Adventure. Explore. Get Lost. Experience.