My most recent travel to the Adriatic coasts and Ionian islands of Greece, generated again my feelings about the many benefits of traveling. Obviously all getting away involves at some time coming home! In the past, getting away was always more exciting than coming home, not that home did not have its own proper attributes.
Getting away, wherever you are planted on planet earth is in my mind, frankly essential to your emotional/ mental health. Sameness is just not conducive to mental growth, nor to our well-being! Everyday scenes can become a background of boredom that leads to lethargy and ennui.
Human beings, as much as they crave familiarity for security, also need new experiences to titillate the brain cells into aliveness and vitality. Sameness never challenges us, but serves to secure a systematic robotic response to our environment.
Never getting away from the ordinary routine of your lives, will cement you eternally to carving out the same rut of doing the same things over and over, which leads to atrophy. Atrophy, in psychological terms leads to a loss of energy and curiosity. Because of this, sameness breeds boredom and eventual disinterest, creating an island mentality.
Same people, same country, same language, same culture, but in some different settings may be palpable for the short run, but in the long run, at least for me , never held much interest. Our little planet, because of communication,technology, and transport, has opened vistas to us , never so easily obtainable before.
I have heard a few Americans say that because their country offers so many diverse and beautiful delights, why venture into foreign lands? Regardless of the bountiful and beautiful treasures inside the United Sates, there are and will always be other magnificent sights to behold in so many other places on this planet.
One could easily say the same for France. Although much smaller in size, France has an absolutely incredible diversity of landscapes that are in each region and are immensely beautiful. Take any corner of France, and you will find interesting subcultures and vistas to intrigue and delight all your senses.
The geographic advantage France has over America, in my mind, is because of its placement in Europe. One can find just outside its borders, six different countries, each with their own language/dialect and culture. With modern transports, air and train, Paris has become the crossroads of Europe. The possibilities of discovering multiple other languages and cultures can be had in an hour or so.
So what if you do not live in Paris or what you would consider an exotic part of the world; there are always wonderful places within your own vicentity to get away. The bottom line is that getting away is available to all, regardless of where you live!
Surrounding my own place of birth, in north-east Louisiana, there are wonderful memories of houseboating on the Ouachita river. Visiting the mysterious Indian mounds at Providence point inspires going back to another time.
Even when I was a student at LSU, which was not a happy time for me, as I never felt comfortable with the ever-present beer and football culture, I found my escapes. I would often get in my car and drive along the Mississippi levee road toward a plantation ruin, that was nestled in jungle like overgrowth, with only a few surviving pillars and a chimney left, yet I found its lonely elegance reverberating in stories untold.
There was always the call of sultry old New Orleans that seduced me with her sensual allures, plus my loving aunt Margaret and uncle Art’s camp in Plaquemine parish, where we trapped the most delicious blue crabs ever.
Living in New Orleans, afforded me many opportunities to explore the numerous plantations along the Mississippi, with Oak Alley drawing me in the most intense feeling I had been there before. Then there is Bayou Teche, Atchafalaya basin and the lovely Avery island gardens just south of New Iberia.
Up in northwest Louisiana, I found tremendous pleasures in the very mystical Caddo lake, home of the Caddo Indians, covered with huge stretches of cypress trees and lillypads, especially near Karnack, Texas. South of Shreveport was the adorable town of Natchitoches, on the Cane river, forever immortalised by the famous painter Clementine.
Wherever you are, on what ever continent, getting away will create new memories to share. Sharing those memories with those you love, especially with those who accompanied you, will build increased cohesiveness due to nostalgia.
Recent research from the Southampton Reasearch Center in England demonstrated that nostalgic memories increase one’s mood! So every time you travel you are creating memories with all the new experiences you encounter for your future mental enhancement.
Getting away to foreign places increases your cultural horizons and enriches your knowledge of historical events and geography. I have heard others confess that traveling to foreign venues, even destroyed preheld prejudices with certain nationalities.
Traveling also increases your social network, where keeping in touch in made possible by the multiple social networking sites, such as Facebook. Sharing with strangers, generally is more productive, as I have found there is less inhibition in revealing more of who you are, such as fellow air passengers sitting next to you.
For me, I am always on the lookout for any new culinary tastes and food products to bring home. I should have a suitcase just for that alone, as I am noted to stuff as much as I can of whatever country’s wines, foods, cheeses to prolongue my vacation once home.
Goinging home can be something you look forward too or not. I must admit, before I moved here, that each time I left France to return back to Louisiana was difficult for me. Before I emigrated here, I would try to come here every year or two, but as soon as the plane took off I would be tearful at the aspect of leaving. Perhaps my tears brought me back.
In my own case, having lived here as a student inoculated dreams of moving here to live later on. Going to a much desired place and then returning are valuable insightful indicators to where you may really want to be.
Home is after all, where your heart is, and this may not be your place of birth. All of us can honor, and embellish our birthplaces with the utmost of respect and meaningful memories, but it may not be where you are meant to live all your life, nor where you will flourish to all your potential!
Returning home from travels, I have a momentary sense of newness with my own home, as if suddenly I have just arrived! Then there is of course the luxury(if you have a good mattress) of your own bed!
Getting back into your regular routine, has its own pleasing moments, as well as your dietary regimes.. As much as I love eating out, I also really love returning back to my own kitchen, creating my own delights, that I might have missed while away.
For those of you, who had to leave your furried family members home, which happens more in America, due to less pet friendly hotels and restaurants, coming home is always a joyous time to see our loving animals again!
Once home, you can recreate and prolong your vacation, by drinking wines from that country or creating dishes you tasted while there and sharing memories. I was reminiscing with one of my children recently, about a European trip I took with them to celebrate my first year in practice, way back in 1985. Reliving those long ago moments brought back much joy and memories of those very precious moments.
All in all, getting away provides you with a treasure chest of memories, that you would have never experienced before and yes, even going home can bring the above mentioned rewards too. Sacrificing money and time to go may be a pinch at first, but the rewards are too numerable to never embark out of scarcity of funds, as saving for and preparation are the key.
Our lives are too short, and our planet earth is too small, to not to take advantage of discovering the marvelous other places on other continents and shores. It is actually a transfusion of joy that keeps on giving many years later through our memories and nostalgic longings to share over and over. Bon Voyage!
Very nice, Cherry–Certainly wonderful that you and I have been able to travel and experience so many places and people of the world–I liked to remember those places in South Louisiana that you mentioned–and I know I feel about Montreal –when departing–as you feel about Paris–And just think of those 3 French cities together–PARIS–MONTREAL–NEW ORLEANS–what a combination–Take care–Herbie–
Thank you Herbie. It is a blessing indeed to have the opportunity to travel to these wonderful places on earth. Getting away for a day anywhere you live is wonderful too, as I hope my post demonstrated from my own past escapes.
Travel is a wonderful experience. I attended a commencement exercise when I was about 19 or 20 where the speaker said that he was going to say something the parents did not want to hear. He told the graduates not to get a job. He said travel. If you cannot afford it, get a menial job, save some money, then go where the money takes you. When you run out of cash, do it all over again. He said that you would learn more than you have so far in your life. Most importantly, if you don’t do it now, you may never have the chance to do it again. How true. I did not understand what he meant at the time…I do now. How I wish I had taken his advice. Your last paragraph says it all.
Thank you Eddie for your wonderful comment. The speaker you mentioned certainly offered a lot wisdom concerning travel. Book learning alone is not enough to fully comprehend our planet. Experiencing
other cultures first hand opens us up to multiples vistas that enlarges our understanding on multiple intellectual levels as well.
Traveling on a shoe string might be challenging, but it is fun. In France, there are many monasteries, where you can stay for in lovely surroundings, for very little money. For me traveling is just plain essential and worth every penny I might spend. Memories are forever!