About the love of travel
ABOUT SERIES
They remain a dreamlike memory that returns from time to time as we carry on with our lives, jobs, families, and daily routines. The ones who grabbed our hand as we leaped into the unknown, those who magically pushed us and made us feel safe as we dove into the foreign.
Their memory, not coming from a place of sadness or unhappiness from our present life, but rather a sense of romanticizing the person we were at that time, carefree, living for the moment, constantly curious about the unknown. Here is where their faces come up as the ones who embraced that side and pushed it further, leaving us with the sense that maybe, just maybe, they made our freest version possible.
Whether it was a summer fling, a romance, or true love, the impact of the relationships that we experience abroad carry longer and deeper. Having experienced it and witnessed it in others, I’ve noticed three elements come together to create this particular intensity.
Doing before thinking becomes the rule, as we become immersed in the RUSH OF THE MOMENT, following the next hidden beach, the next speakeasy, the next remote waterfall. We become addicted to the constant flow of adrenaline that comes from not knowing what's gonna happen next, alert and ready to change courses at a moment's notice, we rejoice in this unplanned version of ourselves, with no scheduled meetings and calendar alarms.
Who cares if we found that speakeasy if we wandered around a city until the break of dawn. The consequences of getting carried away are merely a part of the experience, usually being the fuck ups and laughs shared around them what make our fondest memories.
Chasing this rush becomes our priority, quickly bringing down any walls and preconceived notions of how we make decisions, opening the door to a new version of ourselves, one that seems safe to explore only thanks to the person next to us.
THE BOND that a normal relationship takes weeks or months to achieve, a relationship abroad achieves it in days. With most of our close connections miles away, they quickly become the closest person we have, always showing up when we need them, becoming a trusted source for advice, and most importantly, eager to join us in our daily chases. Just like that, it has only been a couple of days and we’re spending most of our time together, with no responsibilities pushing our attention away we can engage in endless conversations into the night or not feel the need to rush out of bed in the morning. And since our curiosity is high, whatever they have, we want it… If we never cared much for concaves and rockers, or the connection between spirituality and sound, we seem to care now, their knowledge only further fueling that desire for the new.
The result becomes an inexplicable Bond that surprises us as it hits us, suddenly becoming one of the most meaningful connections we’ll ever have, in a span of time that doesn’t seem real. Like an acid trip, we gasp for minutes of lucidity before we slip back into a journey of heightened senses.
But like most trips, we go into this journey thinking there will be an end.
We rarely go into these relationships thinking they’ll become what they become, we go into them with the same curious approach to everything at this moment, fully open, willing to enjoy them while they last. We go into them knowing they have an EXPIRATION.
From the beginning, the end is present, it underlies the whole dynamic. We each have our plans, there’s a return to “life” date or a next destination, whatever the case, it provides a carefree and uncommitted setting that’s fun and playful. But as time goes by and the bond grows stronger, this same underlying expiration takes a different character, and the sense of enjoying it while it lasts drives our desire to do as much as we can while we can. Expiration becomes the ultimate fuel in the rapid blaze of intensity and connection.
This relationship between expiration and intensity might feel contradictory. Why should we invest so much in something that will likely end up hurting us? Yet for most, this contradiction is the actual source of joy in the memory, we feel alive in having had the courage to leap, in our willingness to ride the high to the highest while fully knowing the consequences, not letting the fear of the unknown rob us of the opportunity.
Maybe a name and a smile came up as you read through the words, maybe a couple of names… if so, you should rejoice in their memory. If the words sparked a desire to chase that feeling again or chase it for the first time, maybe it’s time to start thinking of the next destination.