One of the stressful aspects of travels the dreaded packing
of the bags. The trips that I have been all too lucky to be able to journey on,
this has got to be the one component of travel that isn’t all that fun.
Although, it does ignite the feeling of total excitement because you know that
soon you begin you adventure. The entire time packing the one statement that
continually pops into my head while packing is, “Your bag is overweight,” as I
add another article of clothing to the already stuffed suite case.
Before I travel anywhere I always look at the current
weather of the area and the ten-day tentative report. That way I have some type
of idea for the clothing to pack. This is the only research I allow myself to
do prior to a trip. I like to experience the culture and life first hand
without any biases or constructed thoughts. I believe taking an open mind
anywhere you find yourself in life is key to emersion and true life changing
experiences.
Besides an open mind being one the most important items I
“pack” for the trip, I also bring my most meaningful item, my camera. This is
my journaling. Through my lens of my camera I see the world in a different
light. I get to really observe what is going on around me and document the
experience. It is truly only when
I travel anymore that I am struck with the biggest amount of inspiration. This is
when the artist within emerges and explodes. It is said a photograph is worth a
thousand words, but to me a photograph is worth a million different feelings.
By looking at a photo I am instantly transported back to the time it was taken.
I can remember everything from the feeling of the sun on my skin, to the scent
of the air that consumed my lungs. As it can be seen, photography plays a large role in my
travel.
Some may think this last part to be insane, but there is one
thing that I do not use while traveling abroad. This item is my phone. I don’t
want to have any contact with the life that is all too familiar. Instead I purchase
a pay as you go phone in the country I find myself in. This way I have contact
to the friends I make along the way, but I am distant from the life I usually
live. This makes my journey so much more worth it. This provides even more of a
discontent with borders. It allows myself to truly dive into the culture and
not rely on the already known.
This obviously isn’t my entire list of must to accompany my journey,
but it is indeed the most important in my eyes.
I agree with this so much! Except where you mentioned that packing leads to some excitement. My excitement kicks in after I finish packing, before and during I am too focused on making sure I have everything to think about the adventure I am about to leave for. Open-mindedness and a camera are most definitely the most important things to take when traveling. Everything will be different; you have to be willing to learn the way of the culture you are suddenly diving into. Although, I am jealous that looking at a picture can bring that much back for you. I may remember certain aspects of the moment the picture was taken in, but I don’t remember anywhere near as much detail as you! I do agree with the idea of not using your American phone, but in my experience an international phone plan is the best way to go. All of my friends in London bought prepaid phones once we got there and they had so many issues throughout the trip. I love that you didn’t do the tangible objects you would pack, the approach you took was much more interesting.
ReplyDeleteBrody,
ReplyDeleteI really like that you don't do much research in preparation for a trip. Like you said, taking an open mind is the key to full immersion. That speaks a lot about your confidence and abilities to remain in control of yourself. You don't have to mentally prepare or read about the area before going because you want to go into the moment without any preconceived notions of where you're going. I think that's great. I also like that your form of journaling is visual. You keep pictures as a way of engraving your trips. Some people can do with words or what they remember, but you keep it visual. All in all, this was a very well thought out post. You certainly know what you're doing on a journey. I admire that immensely.