inspiration

slow travel

Perhaps faster isn’t better. It’s impossible to fully comprehend a place and its people without moving their speed. For most of the world, this means by foot, canoe, bus, and bicycle. Maybe the kindness of others connects those dots. Perhaps shared spaces, too: in a tent unpredictably embraced by nature, a hostel if it seems welcoming, or maybe a stranger’s sofa. Rich moments come easiest when leaning away from the expectations of familiar comfort and accepting the invitation of the unknown.

This means nontraditional tourism. The world’s most renowned sites are special and protected for a reason, but it also means turning down a crooked street away from the museum and passing on guided walks, instead hoping for a frank conversation in a park or neighborhood cafe.

learninG

Most learning occurs without textbooks. Face-to-face exchanges enhance our understanding from the classrom, showing the real impacts of policies and processes and protocols, and life beyond borders demonstrates deep interconnection that’s otherwise impossible to learn. Such lessons reflect a place as it is in a moment, capturing an idea that by definition will change, whose meaning and import may fade or flourish.

Specifically, methods of communication form a substantial cultural foundation. They enhance the exchange of ideas and emotions, though not all translate easily from one language to another, and many remain unwritten or unspoken…or both. Yet direct communication enhances our ability to access new ideas and is a fundamental component of any learning pursuit.

growth

Traveling exposes basic physical and psychological bedrock. Meandering among the masses of the globe teaches unknown fears, desires, and expectations. Finding resilience or discouragement amidst foreign confusion reveals values and ethics, a confirmation of motives in the search for basic desires of liberation, love, health, and simple joy of human interaction. Unexpected foreign friendships create cherished moments and the spirit of spontaneity along the way will encourage further relationships with people yet unmet.

Expenses

Money enables and motivates, divides and destroys. Yet it is intertwined with modern living, so even to undertake a vagabond voyage, clever budgeting is essential. Exploration is an exercise in frugality, simplicity, and solidarity beyond merely simple accounting. That said, if you think my meanders or my writing are muy chingón guey, and you want to receive a postcard from a (possibly) exotic locale, consider dropping me a few bucks. Cheers!

PayPal link below; I will gladly send you a postcard if you include a mailing address.