Why Travel?

The URL of this blog, "No Such Beauty," holds multiple meanings for me.  One is that I believe in the unique beauty of every place I visit.  No two scenes are the same, and every new vista fills me with a sense of awe and wonder.  On Couchsurfing.org, one question they ask is about one amazing thing you have seen or done.  I will still never forget standing on the Mount of Beatitudes on Christmas day, looking down at the Sea of Galilee, where the sun was just peeking through the clouds.  Seeing the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbor Bridge for the first time in glorious sunlight was astonishing.  Walking through the peaceful streets of Gion after sunset was one of the most serene experiences of my life.  Every new place I visit holds new surprises and views that take my breath away.

Beyond the obvious allure of landscapes and architecture, I find beauty in the cultures and people I encounter.  No matter how radically different the lifestyles, belief systems, traditions, politics, and values, I seek the common humanity that binds us together.  In the extreme, it can be challenging to uncover that - but we all laugh, we all mourn, we all celebrate, we all rage, we all love.  With each new challenge to what I think I know, I expand my worldview and learn.  Everyone you will ever meet knows something that you do not - and I think that is beautiful.  Not to mention, when you are in an unfamiliar place, you are going to have to seek help and ask for support, which is in and of itself a challenge for this introverted gal!

The other meaning comes from a song I performed with my college choir, "The Road Home."  We performed this piece at my baccalaureate, so it packs quite the emotional punch with me.  One of my favourite lines is, "There's no such beauty as where you belong."  As an international teacher, the concept of "home" is rather fraught.  I have my apartment here in Incheon; I have my permanent address at my parents' house in California; I have my ties to my beloved home of homes, my college in Western Massachusetts; I have a magnificent friend community in Boston.  I had a similar crisis during my study abroad in Jerusalem.  My older and wiser sister gave me some excellent advice, from her own journey of self-discovery during her year abroad in Quito, Ecuador.  I can't find the message or e-mail she sent me to quote her, but the gist was this:  as you continue to travel, you move from feeling as if you belong nowhere to feeling as if you belong everywhere.  Rather than a homeless nomad, you feel like an adventurous wanderer.  As my friends scatter across the world, and my travels take me to new places, I find new homes, new communities, and new opportunities.  I am not homeless; I am homeful.

Bottom line:  I travel to be amazed, challenge myself, and find a sense of belonging.  What about you?  What gives you the urge to get up and go?