Great call there Shelley. As a traveller you may find yourself escaping from something perhaps, but it is in the finding of what you were looking in yourself that makes independent travelling such a rush…
Can’t escape and discovery coexist? Some people need the escape as much as the discovery. Otherwise they might never leave home to discover new things in the first place.
Hi
I think both escape and discovery can exist. We were in Argentina and met a woman who had been on the road for several months, to Peru, Bolivia and then Argentina. When I asked her why she was traveling, she answered, “I don’t know” . I thought that was an honest answer and revealing. She had told us about her job and life in the USA and knew she wasn’t happy there, but didn’t know what she wanted. Fair enough. Maybe it will take her a year or more. She was teaching English and wrote me later that she had moved on to Chile. I hope she finds what she is looking for, if she is looking for anything at all. That’s an assumption to start with.
I traveled to fulfil a life-long urge I had to see the world. Of course that is far too simple and doesn’t even start to describe my reasons. To discover myself, to take some time from a busy life to just enjoy life, to live life on my own terms, to meet other people of life mind, to enjoy birds and flowers and nature and to finally see the world-renouned places, to identify interests I didn’t know I had, to experience the flavour of another culture (the “our” in flavour and colour shows I’m not using American English, and to see if I/we could do it. Just a few of the multitude of reasons.
I discovered strengths and interests I didn’t know about, and didn’t really want to escape my job, but maybe the routine of life and also the rainy Vancouver winteres. I’ve talked to many teachers, and the years just blend into one. Yes, I enjoyed every day and most students. Some people find a fascination in every experience, however often it is repeated, while others see larger patterns and then need to move on.
Far away places, with strange sounding names,
Far away over the sea . . .
Far away places, with their strange sounding names,
Calling, calling me . . .
One of the first songs I ever learned. I must have been eight and would sing it to myself and cry. I knew I was being called before I even know what it was. I crave travel, not just to see places but to see people who area different from me, and yet exactly like me – learn new cultures and new words. I’m going to discover but since I plan my trips around the presidential elections, I think I am also going to escape.
i just look for that song on youtube and let me tell you I just fell in love with it, thanks so much for posting it. I LOVE travelling and this type of things reassure me about my passion and what I really want to do in live.
To me travel is defined as an escape to discovery.
I never imagined myself to be an independent traveler one day. Not when I started out using travel agencies to arrange for flights and accommodations and in circumstances being part of a tour group. It was only during my solo trip to Luang Prabang in Laos that I became independent. Planning things as I go. Adapting as I went. Since then the travel bug has bit me hard. And for each trip I take. It is no longer one of ‘Oh! Let’s go and see so-and-so.’ It became an escape from reality. A route to discovery. =)
An Indie traveler by my understanding is an adventurer seeking new discoveries and territories. Whether it be to far-off lands or somewhere in our own backyard. As though we are seeking to find our-self through our environment and the rich cultural delights we find hidden in strange new places, peoples, and events.
I have always been an Indie traveler, I just didn’t know it until recently. The thrill of experiencing new vista’s and adventures, though seemingly an escape to some, is like a shiny new Christmas present under the tree of life, beckoning to be opened.
We better understand ourselves and others when we leave home to experience the world firsthand. Independent travel is a departure from routine -- an opportunity to learn, have fun and embrace life in novel environments and cultures.
-Indie travel is about replacing broad expectations with nuanced realities.
-Indie travel is about seeing yourself in the context of a rich and complex world.
-Indie travel is about defining your values, exploring your beliefs, and crafting your own meaning for life.
Indie travelers value...
-Options over possessions
-Dynamic possibilities over static goals
-Discovery over escape
-Interactions over transactions
-Local information over received information
-First-hand experience over expert opinions
-Mental and spiritual growth as much as physical adventure
-Private transformation over social status and bragging rights
-The present moment over dreams of past and future
Indie travelers do...
-Pack light and keep things simple
-Adapt as they go rather than micromanage in advance
-Practice caution, but not paranoia
-Know how to slow down and enjoy an experience
-Seek pleasure in simple moments and details
-Make meaningful connections and informed decisions
-Learn the economic, political and environmental context of their host culture
-Emphasize listening more than talking
-Practice courtesy, patience, humility, and good humor
-Seek to understand -- not judge or romanticize -- other cultures
-Give back to the local economy
-Share what they’ve learned with others
I once read a quote that went something like, “Tourists leave home to escape the world, while travelers leave home to find it.”
Absolutely, discovery over escape. It is the entire definition of independent travel.
Great call there Shelley. As a traveller you may find yourself escaping from something perhaps, but it is in the finding of what you were looking in yourself that makes independent travelling such a rush…
Can’t escape and discovery coexist? Some people need the escape as much as the discovery. Otherwise they might never leave home to discover new things in the first place.
Hi
I think both escape and discovery can exist. We were in Argentina and met a woman who had been on the road for several months, to Peru, Bolivia and then Argentina. When I asked her why she was traveling, she answered, “I don’t know” . I thought that was an honest answer and revealing. She had told us about her job and life in the USA and knew she wasn’t happy there, but didn’t know what she wanted. Fair enough. Maybe it will take her a year or more. She was teaching English and wrote me later that she had moved on to Chile. I hope she finds what she is looking for, if she is looking for anything at all. That’s an assumption to start with.
I traveled to fulfil a life-long urge I had to see the world. Of course that is far too simple and doesn’t even start to describe my reasons. To discover myself, to take some time from a busy life to just enjoy life, to live life on my own terms, to meet other people of life mind, to enjoy birds and flowers and nature and to finally see the world-renouned places, to identify interests I didn’t know I had, to experience the flavour of another culture (the “our” in flavour and colour shows I’m not using American English, and to see if I/we could do it. Just a few of the multitude of reasons.
I discovered strengths and interests I didn’t know about, and didn’t really want to escape my job, but maybe the routine of life and also the rainy Vancouver winteres. I’ve talked to many teachers, and the years just blend into one. Yes, I enjoyed every day and most students. Some people find a fascination in every experience, however often it is repeated, while others see larger patterns and then need to move on.
Far away places, with strange sounding names,
Far away over the sea . . .
Far away places, with their strange sounding names,
Calling, calling me . . .
One of the first songs I ever learned. I must have been eight and would sing it to myself and cry. I knew I was being called before I even know what it was. I crave travel, not just to see places but to see people who area different from me, and yet exactly like me – learn new cultures and new words. I’m going to discover but since I plan my trips around the presidential elections, I think I am also going to escape.
i just look for that song on youtube and let me tell you I just fell in love with it, thanks so much for posting it. I LOVE travelling and this type of things reassure me about my passion and what I really want to do in live.
To me travel is defined as an escape to discovery.
I never imagined myself to be an independent traveler one day. Not when I started out using travel agencies to arrange for flights and accommodations and in circumstances being part of a tour group. It was only during my solo trip to Luang Prabang in Laos that I became independent. Planning things as I go. Adapting as I went. Since then the travel bug has bit me hard. And for each trip I take. It is no longer one of ‘Oh! Let’s go and see so-and-so.’ It became an escape from reality. A route to discovery. =)
I agree!
An Indie traveler by my understanding is an adventurer seeking new discoveries and territories. Whether it be to far-off lands or somewhere in our own backyard. As though we are seeking to find our-self through our environment and the rich cultural delights we find hidden in strange new places, peoples, and events.
I have always been an Indie traveler, I just didn’t know it until recently. The thrill of experiencing new vista’s and adventures, though seemingly an escape to some, is like a shiny new Christmas present under the tree of life, beckoning to be opened.
Sometimes, escape is the necessary predecessor to discovery.