TRAVEL!

  The journey. The adventure; the discovery. The escape! The experience.  You know, there's just something about putting feet on your dreams and getting out there! We all have places we long to see, to visit, to explore....what could be more rewarding than going there? Or what could be more disappointing than never going?
   I love travel. Everything about it, the whole deal. From dreaming, to researching, to planning,  to booking, to packing, to boarding...and ultimately to  arriving, there's nuthin' about travel I don't love.  The sights, the landmarks, the food, the newness, the wonder of being in a place outside the everyday routine bring such a lasting joy to the soul!
   Now people travel for all sorts of reasons: for work, business matters, family matters---sometimes of necessity, at others times by choice.  It's a great thing!  I don't mind telling you, I genuinely pity those who never venture more than 25 miles beyond their home environs! There's a whole wide world out there: how can anyone be content with seeing less than 1% of it their entire lives?

Jamaica, no problem!

   Let me say up front I don't do as much travelling as I'd like!  Thus far, I've been to about 22 of the Fifty States. I have to qualify that by saying that a few states we just passed through on our way to other states, maybe stopped for gas or lunch, but didn't actually stay and do anything.  So they kinda don't count! But I've actually gone places and done things in all the New England states, as well as New York, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Arkansas.
   Internationally, I've been to Canada, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Rumania, Sweden, and briefly, Austria.  I've been above the Arctic Circle in the lovely little city of Kiruna, and below the Tropic of Cancer in the Caribbean. I've yet to cross the Equator! O, when will I reach the Pacific???

Las Terrenas, D.R.

   Why go to these places? I went to Sweden to visit the land of my Anderson ancestors. I travelled to Arkansas to meet my Mother's side of the family, and to learn a little about her country way of life. Romania was a church Missions trip.(Now I can proudly say I've been to Transylvania!)  My wife always wanted to go to Jamaica, so we chose that for our honeymoon destination.  I had always wanted to see Cape Hatteras Lighthouse; another member of my family had always wanted to see Kittyhawk.  So one summer while visiting my sister in Virginia, Laura and I took the trip to North Carolina's Outer Banks, and crossed those dreams off our bucket lists.
   Other places I'm yearnin' to go are: San Francisco, Hawaii, New Orleans, Puerto Rico, and the Pacific Northwest in this country; and  Ireland, Cuba, Morocco, and Tahiti outside the U.S.
   So what I'm saying to you is: if there is somewhere you've always wanted to go, don't just talk about it, do it! Make it happen ! Save up for it, look for deals, connect with others who've always wanted to go there too and make it a trip! You can find inexpensive places to stay if you're willing to be a tad adventurous, and book outside the ALL-INCLUSIVE HOTEL.
   And remember what Matt says, "It's not an adventure if there are no risks!"  One of the great things about travel is the challenge it brings (like trying to figure out how to use the ATM in another country!) and the growth it inspires in you. It causes you to dig down deep inside yourself and find strength and resolve you never knew you had! Sometimes it will test your very faith!

The Brothers in Vermont

   What about the expenses? To me, the memories, the pictures, the stories, and the experiences (including the surprises) are all worth far, far more than whatever sum you paid to get there and back! You come back a different person! Who can put a price tag on that?
   Whether by plane, or train, bus, boat, or car, get out there!  'Cuz there are things you just can't see or do in your own little backyard!  I think of some of the places I've been--- Bar Harbor, Montego Bay, Lake Champlain, Vienna, Boston, Gotland Island, Times Square,  the Samana Penninsula, all so different, so unique....so unlike anything around here! I would have missed so much by staying in my own familiar settings.
   Ok, travel ain't cheap; it's not always easy. But it does something to you, something good. I know not all people love it. But for me & my family, travel is definitely one of the things we love aobut life!