
Getting out of the city is expensive, getting time off isn’t easy, and there’s the very real threat that when we eventually return, life will be exactly the same. Temporary escape is alluring, but it’s all part of the pursuit of elusive happiness, which seems increasingly out of reach. When I think about the real reason I want to travel, it’s mostly because of what I’m able to notice when I have an excuse to be really, truly present.
I realize that for most of us, we script the things we say and edit the things we do. The Youtube videos we post, the Instagram photos we upload — these are all exaggerated versions of ourselves and we do it simply because we’re afraid that people won’t accept us and love us for who we are. But by doing so, we’re trading our short-term insecurities for long-term happiness.