I must admit that I’m really enjoying the act of traveling. For most people, transit time is often considered a necessary (and often frustrating) sunk cost needed to reach a destination before they can “officially" begin enjoying themselves. Granted, I’m only on week three of a fifty-two week-long trip across the world, but every time I change cities, I become genuinely excited to figure out transportation, find the bus station, and spend the day in transit, because at the end of the day arrive in a brand new city! Where do I get dropped off?" "Where’s my hostel?" "What’s the city like?" "Who will I meet?" "What is there to do here?”
I imagine back home my parents are shuddering to think this is what I enjoy about traveling.
Even when I traveled for work in New York, the process of booking tickets, hotels, etc. and getting to my destination was always entertaining... what I did for the next 12 hours after I arrived, however, is a completely different story (but that's a different blog post). Still, the simple act of moving excites me to no end and I really hope that it stays that way.
Since leaving the US, I’m constantly reminded of the old adage by Buddha which states that, “It is better to travel well than to arrive.” While there is still a great deal of time left on my trip, with each day that passes and every city I visit, my appreciation and understanding for the simple phrase deepens. While my end goal is still to reach Japan, it isn't the point of my trip, it's the act of getting there and the people I'll meet along the way that excites me.
Otherwise I should have just booked a flight to Japan from Portugal.