I love to travel. I think it’s safe to say that most people do. However, there is always a feeling of false or misleading identity whenever I tell people how much I love to travel. That is, what I’m trying to say is I haven’t actually traveled much. I’ve traveled to most of the states in the U.S. and I’ve ventured into Canada (mainly Ontario, Montreal, and Toronto), but that isn’t impressive because I live twenty minutes from the border.
After I tell people about my love for travel they usually ask where I’ve been. This is the part where I stutter and feel embarrassed for making them think I’m actually well-traveled. “Well, I haven’t actually traveled out of the States and Canada, but I really want to…” is a phrase I’ve said many times. I usually get a nod, maybe even a pat on the shoulder and an “I’m sure you’ll travel someday” line. The best response is when people tell me where they’ve been. When asked where I want to travel most, I usually say “Everywhere! It’s so hard to choose.” In reality I’ve wanted to visit Norway for a few years now but I mostly keep that to myself. Why?
I had a conversation with a young lady at a wedding in California this summer and she told me about her travels to the Middle East and India. She went on to talk about how amazing the trips were and how cool it was to go to non-traditional countries and be diverse. I suddenly felt stupid and uncultured. I automatically tried to impress her by talking about a potential trip to India I would have taken this January that fell through. I was secretly quite relieved the trip got canceled. I shouldn’t have to feel guilty or uncool for wanting to go to a less diverse country.
A friend of mine is currently spending this semester in Ireland and I’m quite jealous. She just recently posted pictures of her trip to the Cliffs of Moher, and suddenly I found myself looking at all the Instagram pictures posted that were located there. I was living vicariously through other people’s social media posts.
“If you really want to travel so badly then why don’t you just travel?” I ask myself this question at least once a month. I get asked this question often as well. Why don’t I just travel? Maybe I just don’t want it enough… Except I know that is complete bull. Money and opportunity is the biggest obstacle. I purposely chose a major that requires study abroad credits (International Studies) so that I’d have to travel somewhere and maybe even get a scholarship or financial aid! I also don’t want to go by myself. I’m constantly asking if people would travel with me. Even a cross-country road trip would be a blast, but do these conversations really go beyond the idealizations and fantasies of life on the road with good people?
I have this terrible fear that I’ll pick the first opportunity to travel, even if it may not be a place I really want to go to, just for the sake of traveling at least somewhere and then it’ll end up being the only place I’ll ever travel. This kind of fear makes me question if Norway is really the place I want to go. What if it’s the only place I’ll ever get to explore? I think I’d be okay with that. Norway is so beautiful and I’ve fallen in love with the folklore and mythology-- not to mention it’s where my ancestors are from.
I’m an uncultured, white, American girl with very little exposure to the rest of the world beyond my hometown. All I want to do is travel and learn about other cultures all over the world (which is why I am also majoring in Anthropology!) and maybe a more non-traditional country would make me cooler or more cultured and diverse. However, I know where I really want to go and, if I just work hard enough, I’ll eventually get there.
If you happen to be in the same metaphorical boat as me, just know I am a willing and enthusiastic travel buddy! Sure, I’m broke, and maybe I’m taking max credits and working a part time job, but my dreams are my priority in the long run. What gets me through the longest weeks and the depressing, why-am-I-doing-all-of-this nights is the reminder that someday I will get to travel all over the world and accomplish my biggest goal. Don’t give up on your travel dreams. The harder you work for them, the more rewarding it will feel when you are beholding the Great Wall of China, checking out the hipster underground in Berlin, reveling in the beautiful scenery in Banff or posting Instagram pictures of the Eiffel Tower. The world is such a big (and small) and stunning land of exploration and life-changing experiences. Life is too short to just sit around and dream about it all. Work hard and go where you want to go. It will all work out.