Why do you travel?

[nickfromeastryde]

Love the planning, love the memories and I love all the good and the "bad bits" that happen whilst I am away.

 

[Seat0B]

I assume your leukaemia is CML (chronic phase) or CLL. Or are you in remission from acute leukaemia? In any case, best wishes for more health and long life!

It’s hairy cell leukaemia. So a chronic one. And yes in remission which is great. Two years list chemo in September.

And I’m doing a lot of travel because life is short, there are people and places to see and remission is even shorter!

And thanks for the good wishes.

 

[Tiki]

I've been traveling for over 45 years, it's as normal to me as breathing. First it was old-school backpacker trips around Asia, South America, Africa. Then when I got into miles and points I was able to afford traveling that most lower income people could never do (also helps not having kids). The excitement of arriving at either a new or old favourite destination never gets old. There is always something new to be discovered or something old to be remembered and revisited. Taking up bird watching has added a new dimension and led me into far distant islands and rainforests that few normal travelers ever get to. But I have seen parts of Brazil, Indonesia, Peru, and other countries that are well off the beaten track and rarely visited except by other birders.
As long as I can keep getting miles and points, I will continue to travel overseas. And in my golden years, I will morph into more of a grey (bottle blonde) nomad and do road trips in Australia.

 

[LionKing]

Go home to be with my family.

 

[Flyfrequently]

I know age and other life factors can get in the way, so I appreciate what life and the world can offer.

I travel because I can. Sometimes for family, other times a break from routine but mostly for the sheer enjoyment.

 

[Pushka]

Switching the question. Why stay at home if you can travel?

 

[LionKing]

That's exactly right. As a Hong Konger, we do like travels and we want to travel whenever we can.
It is a bit of shame that I only have 2 windows each year to do travelling.

 

[Cloud9]

I could say to see new places, try new food, sample new drinks.
And it'd all be true.

But right at the crux, it comes down to one thing, at the end of the day:
To Decompress.

 

[nickfromeastryde]

Australia's a large (what I was taught at school anyway) continent but sometimes it feels claustrophobic. It's good to get away sometimes.

 

[Stealthflyer]

The why depends on the destination. I do a lot of intrastate travel because Tasmania is incredible and I’ll never be able to explore it all but I’ll give it a good go. Multiday bushwalks in Tassie are like a balm on my soul. I go to the mainland for short art and cultural fixes and to briefly escape the everyday. I’ll go overseas for endurance sporting events to test me and be part of a national team overseas, but then I’ll “recover” at the local museums, finally seeing in person great artworks I studied at uni on discoloured slides 20 years ago. Then I’ll eat and drink new things, broadening my palate and exposing me to new tastes and flavour combinations. I love seeing how other people live, cook, dress, worship (or not), speak, eat, drink, walk etc. I think it makes me a better and more tolerant person, seeing vastly different perspectives of the world. When I travel solo, I also feel like I learn a bit more of myself each time (for better or worse). Importantly, I like to escape the short days of winter for at least a week, preferably two. Like most Tasmanians, I take vitamin D supplements but there’s also something very psychologically important about my mid-winter trip to sunnier climes.

 

[hier]

Everyone travels for a different reason. What's yours?

I realise that the reason to take one trip might be different from the next. So you could also answer this question in two parts: why do you take the trips that you need to take, and why do you travel when you want to?

Now retired I travel around 6 months a year, but even working I'd be overseas 2-3 months a year. I blame my parents for my wanderlust as they had postings and sabbaticals in Europe, US and UK when I was young and many of my dearest friends are in UK and Europe. Also I'm a fan of the wonderful art galleries and classical music concerts there, so plenty to keep me busy. I'd always prefer to spend 10k on flights than on my mortgage!!