“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” ~ St. Augustine (354-430)
Although St. Augustine’s insightful quote was penned in the 4th century, his words are truer today than ever before. My own experience bears that out.
I had lived a quiet and relatively sheltered life until a friend suggested we go to Europe to help escape my melancholy (A tale of romance gone wrong – Sigh!) So, hoping to party my way out of the doldrums, I headed to Europe expecting nothing more than a good time. What I got was life altering.
Within 6 months of returning home, I was living and working in London, and learning more in that year than I had in the previous 22.
My first experience in Europe blew me away. I will never forget standing under the Eiffel Tower in Paris, when the realisation of where I was hit me. It was akin to an “out of body” experience, when time seems to stand still and for the first time my life gained a certain clarity it had been lacking.
I’ve been hooked ever since.
For me, travel is not just about seeing new places and ticking off “I’ve been there” lists (although this is a lot of fun). Travel is about the experiences you can’t get at home. It’s about the sights, smells, sounds and little episodes you don’t get in your day to day life. And it’s about memories that stay with you long after you return.
It’s also about people.
Mark Twain, an avid traveller himself, said “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.” Couldn’t the world do with a bit more of that right now? Travel broadens our minds by giving us a small opportunity to walk a mile in another person’s shoes. To view things from a different perspective and remove some of the “6 o’clock news” imagery which shapes our outlook on the world and its people.
Before I travelled, I hadn’t even read a page of St Augustine’s aforementioned book. After more than 25 years of travel, I can say I’ve now done quite a few pages. But this is one book you just can’t put down, and that’s the exciting bit!