Why do we go to the places we go?

...sometimes our motivations can  seem to make so much sense. I guess as long as there's a goal, there's focus. we get something done. But is ticking off a list of '10 places to see in the states' really a true-to-yourself way to travel? Of course not!

I have a map, which I've had for a few years, and I put stars on each country I visit. The stars at the moment are mostly clustered around Europe, and central America, with a couple in the states, china,  and Australia. I actually  feel really bad about this; I want to go to Russia, to spread my stars out. Maybe Canada too, and Argentina. what desire do I have to go to these places? None at all actually, oh but the map would look so much better with the stars spread out.

So yes, I love to travel, and of course this is a travel blog.... But sometimes I have to question my motivations... and  travelling to 'say I've been there' (to who exactly, and why?) should not necessarily be a reason to go there. Just like the way some people seem to 'go out' for the night for the sole purpose of staging a sequence of photos to prove they had a good night, meanwhile so busy taking photos that the night in question passes unnoticed.

Do not let your trip pass unnoticed, simply because it was somewhere you thought you should visit, or because a guidebook told you to. Go where your heart tells you, or even where the next bus is going. Be spontaneous, and don't worry if you miss a 'must see'. Instead see a 'rarely seen'. Some of the most amazing experiences I have had have been places I've ended up, not where I've planned or been advised to go.

 

Good Luck!

                                          A beach Jahzara and I ended up at in Honduras