"I have wandered all of my life, and I have also
traveled; the difference between the two being this, that we wander for
distraction, but we travel for fulfillment."
-Hillarie Belloc
Con-form-ity it is a funny word actually. It implies a person who follows the set
standards of a society and does not dare to venture away from them. This person
goes down the path that has been traveled by many. However, as the famous poet
Robert Frost once wrote: “Two roads
diverged in a yellow wood, and I took the one less traveled by, and that has
made all the difference.”
During my
spring break I went on a life altering trip by myself to Italy. Along the way I
deviated from the social conformity of the tourism industry. I strongly held a
belief that the tourism industry is a very blurred line between the reality and
the accepted perception.
What I mean
by this is that there are two entirely different experiences when it comes to
traveling. One can choose either to experience a new place on their own or they
can choose to follow a guided group. The difference here in lying that the
guided group is a blurred perception, as they tell you what it is you are
supposed to be getting out of the spectacle in which you are observing. Whereas
when left up to the individual perception, one gets more out of the experience
as it is more of a reflective, self-discovery experience. As opposed to a
perception in which has already been laid out for you.
Sure I
visited all the sights that all tourists do, while in Italy, but I expanded my
horizons beyond the norm. I did what many might consider mad. I wandered down
many side streets not knowing where they would take me or what I would get out
of them. I knew that in varying down
the normal pathway, I would only grow further as an individual. I’ll admit
there were plenty of times in which I got lost and had to find my way back, but
I am better because of it. I became more self-aware of my surroundings and a
keener navigator.
As a result
of going down random side streets, I got more out of the experience in each
city as I ran into various cathedrals, buildings with unique architectural
designs and restaurants that I otherwise would not have seen and or experienced.
In many ways
I am glad that I choose just to stay in one country as opposed to jumping
around from country to country. I got more out of the experience in this way as
I got to experience a culture more thoroughly.
I am also
glad that I choose to travel alone, because I got more out of this experience
than I would have otherwise. I was able to travel at my own pace and observe,
learn and grow immensely in ways I never thought were possible until now.
I leave you with one final thought to bare and mind next time you travel : “A journey is a person in itself; no two are
alike. And all plans, safeguards, policing, and coercion are fruitless. We find
that after years of struggle that we do not take a trip; a trip takes us.”
-
John
Steinbeck
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