Sometimes, it is not the destinations we remember, but how we arrived. As travelers, we are always so preoccupied with destinations. I want to go here. I have to see this and that. However, I didn’t fall in love with destinations at a young age. I feel in love with traveling to them.
My first memories of traveling are in the back of a blue suburban. Sometimes under the cover of night, my four other brothers and sisters and I would pile into this monster of a vehicle and head out where our parents had planned for us to go. From exploring the U.S. north, east, south and west, road trips were the standard for Guese vacations.
Absorbing the road trip as I sleep
In a little over a week, I will be making a road trip out to my sister’s wedding in California. As I discussed with my mom where I had been as a kid out west on road trips, she asked me a number of questions similar to, “Do you remember the cabins at ____?” and, “You have been there! Don’t you remember?”. The sad thing is I don’t remember the destinations of my traveling youth as much as I remember getting there.
I am told I would count endlessly in the car, perhaps just to annoy everyone. I am also told I enjoyed pinching my brothers and sisters on long car rides, thus acquiring the nickname “the red ant”. I think I became my traveling self on these road trips, throwing my whole personality and passion into the process of travel.
Early on I became focused on packing. I loved it so much I started hosting “shows” before a road trip to pretend audiences. I loaded up my walkman with all of the latest Linda Ronstadt hits. Yes, belting out songs of being wronged by love at four years old is incredibly wrong, but I didn’t know what I was singing. The road was ahead. The car window provided hours of activity. Getting up early to hit the road, the cooler in the back, stopping for picnics, those are the moments I remember. I don’t recall the destinations. I recall traveling and how much I loved it. I have found the benefits of travel are not just to see places and meet people at destinations, but rather the joys of travel also come through actually getting to those places and people.
The long and winding road that leads...somewhere.
Traveling breaks up routine
Everyday, I wake up and head for the computer to begin my work for the day. The simple act of traveling, not just getting to destinations, allows you to break up that routine. Perhaps the mind can remember these breaks in routine almost better than the destinations themselves. A simple road trip, train ride or plane ticket can give you this act of doing something different as the day goes on.
Challenges are plentiful
If you haven’t flown in some time, the whole process can seem like a challenge. Going through the airport once, I watched as an older woman couldn’t understand the whole metal detector process and liquid limits. She clearly hadn’t traveled in awhile, as her granddaughter apologized to me for the delay. Travel, from packing to booking tickets makes you do things you might not be prepared for or know fully how to do. However, once you have figured out driving on the left in Ireland or the mysteries behind airport security, there is a great sense of accomplishment of the self.
You can run, but you can’t hide
Traveling truly brings out the things I like and don’t like about myself. I am forced to face them, whether I want to or not when I travel. My upcoming road trip will no doubt bring out my love for wacky roadside attractions and the like, but it will also bring out my lack of patience for endless hours of driving. Not to say a destination can’t bring out your true self, but the act of moving from one place to another presents scenarios, problems and paths where you can’t hide your personality. You can let loose on the open road.
Stranger observations prove insightful
While I always secretly hope the seat next to me on an airplane will be empty, when there is a passenger next to me, I am also enlightened on people as a whole. As you travel, you aren’t just opening yourself up to meeting people from one destination, but from all over. A simple act of kindness from one stranger giving up a seat for another occurs daily throughout traveling means. Conversations with strangers as you wait for connections are often the most memorable. Sure, you can people-watch at a destination, but while waiting to get to that destination, there is much to see.
The lost "soles" you meet on the road
What is one of your most memorable traveling experiences that has nothing to do with a destination? Have any tips for my upcoming road trip to California? Share your thoughts below.
Great post! I love the pic of the “lost soles” 😉 perfect! Drop me a line when you get to Cali if you have time!
Suzy, excellent post! You have hit on something I have said for a long time – Travel is a mindset, not where you are going, how far away from home you travel, or how long you will be gone. The best memories and experiences often aren’t the destinations themselves but the people we meet.
I actually love routine in my life. However, travel is the one of those ways I use to break up routine. It’s why I live and breathe it every day.
Couple of other things – you never told me where you were going in California for your sister’s wedding. Will you be in my area? Also, you finally cleared up something on my blog. Months ago, the search “Linda Ronstadt” led someone to my blog. Now I know why! 🙂
Don’t miss the chance to drive through Arizona and New Mexico. During a road trip, those are my two favorite states to visit and the scenery is so interesting in my opinion.
Meee too! I JUST did that trip, from LA all the way to New Orleans!
Such a poignant post Suzy. I have very similiar childhood memories ( as well as the number of siblings)and you describe it perfectly!
Piling in the back of the truck, when it was still legal, brings back some memories. I agree that the road was sometimes more interesting than the destination. Great post, thanks for sharing!
I couldn’t agree more with this!! I just love the feeling of getting in a car/on a plane/train/walking and making my way somewhere. Yes it can be annoying and frustrating sometimes, especially with things like delays and airport security, but I enjoy the whole process. Great post =)
A very interesting post. It made me think! You’re right– it’s really not about where we go, but the experiences we have along the way. I remember being on a plane from Azerbaijan to China. The plane was mostly full of Russians, but I ended up next to this Chinese girl. I couldn’t speak any Russian, but I could speak Chinese. So I made friends with this Chinese girl, and we played cards and she gave me her juice! It was pretty memorable.
Great post (despite/also because of the awful/awesome pun at the end)! I think my family road trips growing up were a big part of my current love of travel as well.
A great read! I wholeheartedly agree with everything above. The excitement of going somewhere, including the processes of packing, planning, getting in the car, etc., is enough to make the destination almost unimportant.
I secretly want to like to have the seat next to me on the plane filled with an interesting person so I can learn something new about the world. I love transit days for us when travelling, it the time that you get to reflect and observe the world around me. Usually you can to see how others travel to and get an insight into the locals as well 🙂
Just this morning I was thinking about a road trip: I’m trying to carve out a few days to take a trip through the American midwest this summer and one of the things I remembered seeing years ago in western Kansas was “The Garden Of Eden” strange little road side attraction about 30 minutes off the interstate. I always calculate taking more time to get to my actual endpoint otherwise I am completely frazzled and impatient with myself because I am “behind schedule”. I also can’t let myself think about the extra time I take. Have a safe trip!
One time on a road trip out west I needed to stop and find a picnic table to cook my rama noodles on. A sign for “Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Monument” came into view. I figured they would have a picnic table, so I stopped. What I did not expect was a huge beautiful gorge. As a Colorado girl you are probably familiar with the park. I had never heard of it before as it was my first trip out west.
I don’t remember much of the destinations I visited as a kid either. But, like you, I remember getting there. My mom took us to Paris once and all I remember is how I was trying to read a map in the car and we would continuously get lost in the city and it took us hours to find the Eiffel Tower – which incidently I don’t remember seeing. I do remember staring at the map though 🙂
I remember holidaying in the UK as a kid. We’d go camping and pack the car up with just about everything we could squash in. In Turkey, we love the overnight inter-city buses. The type that feel like they’re never going to end. It makes the world feel like a much bigger place.
Julia
Great post! Really love this one.
Great post, Suzy. I totally agree- some of my favorite travel memories are when we got lost or held up in transit.
Where in Cali are you headed? What route are you taking- We’ve come to Cali from almost every direction, so let us know! And, if you are in L.A. we want to meet up!
Nice post. The first part reminds me of how my son used to(and sometimes does now as well) trouble us during our long drives.