Why do we travel?

Henry Miller has this great quote, well actually he has many great quotes, but there is this one that came to me yesterday as I was looking at a map of Central America, "One's destination is never a place but a new way of seeing things." When I look at a map I am immediately astounded by the possibilities and simultaneously haunted by the knowledge that these "foreign" locations are people's homes, and thus not "foreign" at all. What is undiscovered to me, what excites me with the promise of newness, is in fact a place of culture, history, society and relative normality. What draws me to them then, what compels me to pack a bag and show up there one day?

My desire to travel in order to see, experience, and understand is no different from many travelers. But why do we do it? Why are we not content to read about these places and peoples in books or see them in some movie or documentary? I have friends and family members who have traveled to some of same places I hope to visit. I hear their stories and am curious, interested and hopeful...but why? What is it I am hoping for?

I know many travel to escape daily life, hoping to rid themselves of stress and worry. They are leaving their familiar place in order to return refreshed and rejuvenated, maybe even with a new perspective. Does that really happen? In my experience, people come back somewhat rested and sometimes ready to jump back into life, but often in need of more time away. It happens that their trip gave them time to think and what resulted is that they thought about their daily lives. Of course thinking about your work and relationships while hiking a volcano or sitting on a beautiful beach may actually provide you with the solutions you were searching for at home. New perspectives and ideas are certainly positive results of a trip, but do they rejuvenate or exhaust you? If your intention of going away was to escape, are you disappointed or pleasantly surprised?

I suppose we travel for any number of reasons and with varied expectations. I know that this trip, is not about escape, in fact it is rare that I travel to escape. More often, I travel to understand. The world is a big place, but so much of how and why we live is similar...I am curious about these similarities, and the intricate differences. I find that when I travel, I am constantly reminded of what I don't know. While it may provide momentary stress, it forces me to me to learn, to be creative, and to persevere. I find this process terribly reassuring as I go through this every day no matter where I am!

So I come back to the quote and the idea that it isn't about the destination. We may all land on the same dot on the map, but our perspectives on the moments there will be entirely our own. My hope then in traveling, is indeed to see things in a new way, leading me to ask more questions, in hopes of gaining a deeper understanding of myself and the world.