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I travel to see amazing things, nature is the top of my list and we in US are fortunate we have many natural wonders available to us by driving without risking our lives. When we travelled out west to national parks I heard so many different languages spoken around me.
Wish I could've seen more of Europe but unless some miracle happens I won't because I positively HATE airplane travel to get there and Covid has made that even more of an obstacle. I'm OK with that. We now live near the Blue Ridge and take 2 to 3 hour trips and see such beautiful waterfalls and mountains. In October went apple-picking right off Blue Ridge Parkway and I'm making apple tarts for Thanksgiving.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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Curiosity and the fun of exploration. I've never been to any other countries except for Canada and Mexico, but have been to 44 states. One could spend almost their entire lifetime exploring their own state. Most recently we did a road trip to Tillamook Oregon and then down the Pacific Coast to Eureka, CA. We have been in Washington state for 28 years and have still not been to Walla Wall or Pullman.
Curiosity and the fun of exploration. I've never been to any other countries except for Canada and Mexico, but have been to 44 states. One could spend almost their entire lifetime exploring their own state. Most recently we did a road trip to Tillamook Oregon and then down the Pacific Coast to Eureka, CA. We have been in Washington state for 28 years and have still not been to Walla Wall or Pullman.
You live in a rich area near Seattle, and yet you have never traveled overseas?
I envy you. You're going to have the time of your life when you explore a foreign country on another continent. There is nothing like it.
Travel broadens the mind and widens my horizons. Teaches me about other cultures, customs, habits and behaviors. Makes me more aware of how people operate in different countries. Improves my knowledge of foreign languages - yup, I love conversations with the natives, and try their cuisines.
I also like to explore the local nature and history.
Every journey makes me smarter and more life experienced.
Those of you who travel at your own expense, on your own time -- what, in your gut and heart and soul, leads you to travel?
Moi, I learned to read phonetically reading the names of places on maps. When I got my first stamp collecting kit, I dove in head first. There was no place to go but -- everywheere.
I can't imagine NOT traveling. Staying in the same place all the time? Just no. I need variety, new experiences, new sights, smells, tastes.
As you did, I wanted to travel to new places since I was a child. I read encyclopedias. I read National Geographic. I'd check these places on maps, to see how far they were from me. I can't even imagine spending a year in my home and going nowhere. How boring!
I grew up in a traveling family, in the 60s and 70s. My dad flew and owned a small plane. My mother was a TWA flight attendant when plane going across country had to refuel in Kansas City. Free travel was one of the reasons why she wanted to be a flight attendant. I followed in her footsteps for a couple of years in a less glamourous domestic carrier.
Road trips are so interesting and educational! I love those, too.
For me the question is instead - Why would anyone NOT want to travel?
I travel because I love going places. Love learning about different cultures, meeting people, experiencing different things, and etc. Have been travelling abroad since I was 10 years old. It's maybe somewhat genetic because my Mom always love travelling overseas. I've been to 41 countries and only 25 states so far. I no longer like land vacations like when I was younger. I never liked road trips. Ocean going cruises are what I love. Being at sea is maybe the most pleasurable thing for me.
I have about as many reasons as there are places. A wedding, education, a world heritage site, ancestral village, world-class cities, scenery, and whatever comes next.
Before I go, I don't really know why I'm going, but when I get cack, I always feel that it was worth going. I go, with no more of an agenda than, Well, let's see what happens. I make no preparations, just get off the plane and see what happens.
Yes, I'm a "collector", but not competitive, except with possibilities. I know how many countries I've been to, and I know how many there are, and I'm competing only with my limitations.
I had a good friend, grew up on a farm got Ag degrees, worked as consultant. Travel when he can, which was a lot. Several times a day, he'd pull over, walk into a field, and taste a handful of soil. Everyone senses the world's variations in a different way.
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