The Value of Travel

Its 8:45 am, I am standing on the famous wall around Old Town Dubrovnik, Croatia, (AKA King’s Landing). It has started to drizzle and as I turn the corner and look out over the water, I see a beautiful rainbow. Stopping to take in the sight, and enjoying the increasing rainfall, I am reminded why I love getting an early start to my day. The people on the wall with me are all starting to make plans to exit, or find shelter, and rushing off to get out of the rain. So the unusually sparse crowds have become even thinner, allowing me the time to take in all of the beautiful sweeping views and a few dozen selfies. However, as the rain stops, and I look down into old town, I notice the crowds have arrived, by the thousands, flooding the tiny streets and jamming up the narrow walkways as they try and take in the sights in the few hours they have off ship.

This was the moment that I felt that distinct conundrum that hits every traveler and so-called “free spirit”. Am I making this worse? Am I part of the problem? Here I am, spending a quick few days hitting the hot spots of Croatia, staying in hostels and playing my part as the tourist. Not only that but now, I am formulating a post to share my experiences so that other people might follow my lead, and add to the madness. Is this what I really want to promote? This feeling only intensified as I made my way to Split, and then Plitvice National Park. The crowds were intense, and beyond that people were actually lining up for those coveted selfies and Instagrammable moments. Is this what travel has become now? Indiscriminate photography, and the slowly destruction of human interaction?

This seems like the opposite of what I was searching for when I decided to visit places. I wanted to find like-minded people, who were willing to step away from their phones, and have conversations. To find those tiny venues, where you hear the local language, and there are 4 items on the menu. The most valuable moments weren’t the ones where I was staring up at the Eiffel Tower, but in the meals where I learned a new word. Or in the stories that were retold through gestures and a patchwork of mispronounced words. It was the people, and not the places or sites where I found my connection and joy

So my advice to you is, travel, make your lists, see all the places, but don’t forget that the photos are not the important bits. It is the conversations, the gesture, and the multilingual conversations, those are the treasures of travel. Instead of following my footsteps, follow my conversations, make your own global connections. Show up on the doorstep of an acquaintance and spend time with them. These are the experiences that make travel worth it and special.