If I Had It To Travel Again…
My first travel forays felt so adventurous. And they were, for me. I’d never lived in a city large enough for public transportation until my 20's. I didn’t get a passport until my 30's.
So obviously my 40's are different. That’s how it works. We grow up. Some would argue that is bad, but maybe those people haven’t torn their 40 year old MCL jumping off a waterfall. I digress.
I will never forget Iceland, and I will never go back. It was my first country outside North America and it felt like discovering that the world is a globe. I didn’t fall off the edge. If I go back to that beautiful place it will never have the same power and majesty as it did with my childlike eyes.
Years later, I’ve taken a train 14 hours through Hungary and Romania with nary an English speaking soul.
I’ve spent hours in a Turkish hammam lying on a heated white marble slab wearing nothing but disposable panties. Surrounded by women of all ages from all countries, none of whom understood the system. Somehow the masseuse would decide on her next victim, signal you over, then scrub and rinse you until you no longer remembered the feel of dirt. Then the hot oil massage began. I’d book a flight just to endure this torture.
I’ve also perfected my Eiffel Tower photo and remarked, in person, that both the Grand Canyon and the Panama Canal are very large and impressive holes. In the ground. Yay.
My point is this: there is at least one iconic (read: touristy) thing that I still MUST DO everywhere I go. I’m okay with that. I’ve skipped them entirely and felt their absence upon my return.
I do not, however, need to check off the whole list. I no longer need my trip to replicate what a “European Vacation” is supposed to look like. I’ve spent six weeks in Europe.
An admission: I’ve never set foot in Italy. Museum lines reduce me to an angry, sobbing mess. I can’t eat wheat right now (though it’s supposedly temporary) and I’d have to skip the delicious food. Italy is on everyone and their brother’s “must see” list and I have no intention of seeing it any time soon. It’s not for me.
Some things will never be for me. Or you. Not only is that ok, it’s how it should be.
I started my travels eschewing the double decker tour busses because I was too good for that. You know what? They’re a riot.
Most of my travel mornings are spent having coffee and the local breakfast somewhere I can relax and watch the public. “You’re wasting time!” No. I’m enjoying it.
Before I visited Paris I looked up the ten best, most famous chocolatiers in the city. I walked, deciphered the subway, and found them in all different arrondissements. My trip was my own.
If I had it to travel again, I wouldn’t change a thing. People gasp that I avoided The Louvre like plague. I spent a week in NYC without the Empire State Building or the Statue of Liberty. Instead I have selfies with the lions outside the library and a great story about some guys who were HORRIFIED I’d never tried Pakistani food. They swore it was better than Indian food. It was definitely quite good.
And next time I go to NYC, I will (once again) time my visit around the warehouse sale at Barney’s. Travel your way. They are your memories. And if you’re lucky, your red leopard mermaid skirt for 75% off.
