I would have thought that after travelling to 41 countries and living overseas for 4 years would kill off my wanderlust spirit, but it has done the opposite. It’s only gotten stronger. I have become more determined to see as much of the world as I can.
This is an issue in that my husband only wants to visit three European countries repeatedly: Italy , France , and Spain. It’s for the sake of food, he is a highly desirable fine dining chef and these are three of my favourite countries. But there’s so much more out there. And this is why I travel solo.
These past 5 days I took a brief holiday to Riga, Tallinn, and Helsinki . I never once dreamed going to these three spots in the world. This makes the trip even more valuable. I am superceeding the travel goals I have set for myself long ago. Each country I visit, I try to not just look how things are different (architecture, people, clothing, language, customs), but I also try to envision what I can compare it to. What are the influences from the world I know so far? For example in Tallinn, yes there is the German influence of the town square but the newer renovations give off a Copenhagen /Los Angeles vibe.
I admit the older I get and the more I travel , the less research I do. I learn at the bare minimum “thank you.” I may watch some travel shows at home (thanks Rick Steves and Anthony Bourdain). And it isn’t until I am at the airport or the hotels does the true research start.
Perhaps I should be scared when visiting a new place , but somehow I feel confident and comfortable. Maybe this is a false sense of security, but oddly I feel the world is my home.
I did the 23&me DNA test recently, and what I discovered is that I am almost every ethnicity . The entire map of the world was highlighted except Russia and Greenland.
So perhaps when I visit all these countries, I just am visiting my people. I did learn I am 5% Balkan. Who knew? There’s comfort everywhere I go that these are my people. What a novel concept!
With wanting to see as much of the world I can, I may not just be desiring to learn about what else is out there , but what lays inside .
“The privilege of a lifetime is to become who you really are.”-Carl Jung
It Only Takes A Smile 