Saturday, May 6, 2017

Why I travel

We just got back from a quick 3 day getaway to Bermuda. This vacation will be special for several reasons - an important one being the relative ease with which it got planned. We have never been able to make up our minds about a location this quickly before. But all vacations are not like this, even the quick getaways. I usually put in a considerable amount of time researching a location and while it is eventually rewarding , it also takes a bit of a toll. So here's why it's all worth it for me!

1) A vacation is like an automatic reset. Coming back from a trip, jet-lagged and bleary eyed from the flight , I am still fresher in mind and spirit than before the trip. I have done some mental housekeeping, some consciously but mostly, naturally. 

2) I am a better employee! I am little more patient and punctilious and less likely to open Facebook on my browser ever so often :P My poor, overworked eyes and wrist also benefit greatly from this enforced sabbatical from a computer. 

3) Travelling gives me a somewhat informed point of view. I know a little bit more about the world. Before a recent trip to Sri Lanka, all I knew was that SL is a beautiful, but poor neighbor (to India), torn by internal strife till very recently. A short 5 days in the country revealed that it is not only a self-sufficient country, rich in resources, but it is also implementing eco-tourism in a way India hasn't been able to. I hope to go back to explore another part of this jewel island soon. Some years ago, we spent 2 weeks in Greece, travelling to various parts, settling in to a new round of austerity measures. It was the quiet, hustle-free time of the year, when the summer holiday goers and cruise ships have left. Chatting with locals over complimentary raki and touring their diminished markets, we sensed much of the turmoil that the proud Greek will never reveal. 

4) I get fit! As opposed to working out for a vacation, I do it while vacationing, strange as it might sound. Holidays are about waking up early (or soonish) and hitting the sights and traipsing the streets. So, hello toned legs! No resort stays where one spends time guzzling beer around a pool for us, thanks very much. Saving that for old age!

And of course, I get to explore my wardrobe :P That is high on my list of priorities, despite being last on this list. Can't appear too frivolous, no?

So, why do YOU travel?