I was twelve when we went on holiday to the baltic states. My dad spontaneously promised my uncle that he could visit the house he was born in a few years before World War II. The only problem was that the house was now officially on russian territory and we could not get a visa. So my dad bribed a border guard to let my uncle, me and himself on our bicycles across for the day. We spent a couple hours driving around the border town, but in the end my uncle found the right street and shortly after that the house. It made his day. By then we were quite lost though. So after pedalling around for a bit and not really getting anywhere, my dad stopped at a police station and asked for the way back to the border.
I still remember this story and so many others. And they are probably part of the reason why I feel the need to visit other countries. It wasn’t always like this. In my late teens I hardly went travelling. I didn’t really miss it. I was in love for the first time and that was enough for me to stay back home. My life seemed to be set. Finish school, go to university, marry my highschool sweetheart, get a job, a dog and a few kids. Then she left me and I had no clue what to do. I just wanted to get away, so I decided to just save up some money and go travelling. As soon as I stepped out of the airport in Bangkok on that first big trip and got enveloped in that hot and humid air I felt at home. Being there just felt right. The uncertainty of what was to come, the sense of adventure in the air, the simplicity of the travelling life, the fascination of the unknown cultures, the freedom to do whatever I wanted. All the things I knew from my childhood holidays and the reasons why I continue to travel now. The split up was soon forgotten. There are of course negative aspects to a life mostly spent travelling as well, but for me the positives outweigh the negatives and I am kind of addicted, so I need to get my regular fix… Why do you travel?
