Why we travel, and old-world travel advice

Most people will tell you that they travel to get away or to see the world. However, I believe that there is another dimension of travel that gets inside you, and can change you forever.

It’s easy when we stay in one place to come to see that as the center of everything. We know there’s a whole world out there, but we see the nightly news about our city, our state, our country, and these issues take understandable prominence.

Travel gives you a different perspective. All of a sudden you find yourself in the midst of people who focus on THEIR place and their government. They couldn’t give a hoot about the Arizona budget situation, or the latest scandal in the US Senate. You start to realize that some of the “big issues” at home are just small potatoes in the world scheme of things.

Travel makes us more complex. Under the right circumstances, each time we visit a new place, we incorporate a bit of it into our own being. We are no longer the “typical New Yorker”, “typical Californian”, or typical name your stereotype here. If I hadn’t traveled to the places I’ve been, I wouldn’t be the same person I am today.

Travel also inspires a spirit of adventure and can give us the courage to take risks and make changes in our lives, like pack up everything and move across the country. Inevitably, travel will run into some sort of problem. This can actually be a good thing. It forces us to think outside the proverbial box and make quick decisions. And it gives us greater confidence that we can handle other problems in the future, too.

Sir Francis Bacon

So, while pondering deep thoughts about the reasons for travel, I came across this interesting article by Rolf Potts, with travel advice from Sir Francis Bacon, of all people!

This 17th century English philosopher was famous for his essays on travel, and Potts interprets some of his travel advice into modern English. These include:

• Seek varieties of experience, even within a single location. This is something we always focus on in our Adventurous Wench trips – giving you a variety of activities and different ways to experience a place.
• Avoid “quarrelsome” travel companions. This might make be a good reason to try out a women’s travel group!
• Look for companions who will challenge you. It’s easy to only talk with your fellow English-speaking tourists, but why not stretch a bit? The best way to learn about a place is through its people.
• Keep your journeys alive by maintaining correspondence with people you met while traveling. This is great advice! As well as keeping the trip alive in your memory, you’re building a circle of friends that you share things with.

Although these ideas were written by a man (and a long-ago man at that!), it’s obvious that they’re relevant today for the female voyageur.

World Hum: 10 Sizzling Hot Travel Tips from Sir Francis Bacon

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Travel has a marvelous ability to make our lives broader, richer, and deeper. Our women’s travel tours can help you get out explore the world. If you don’t have anybody to travel with, well… you do now!
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