Arriving in Reykjavík, Iceland
- G.K. Chesterton
When you think about it, travel isn't very convenient. It involves packing up a select number of items into one smallish luggage (which never seems big enough) to take with us somewhere far away from home. We leave behind comforts, conveniences, and familiarity. We trade it for adventure, waiting, traveling, and exhaustion.
Traveling and going on adventures is an inconvenience. Even for us in the modern day, we have to deal with delays and waiting at the airport, missing a train, going through security, dragging our luggage down (and even worse, up) stairs.
Some of us love to travel, and are well-equipped with the tendency to overlook the inconveniences because they love the adventure so much.
Others of us dislike travel, and would much rather stay at home. But sometimes travel is necessary for work, or for family matters, or even just to get away and recharge.
What if we thought more like G.K.Chesterton and turned something that could be an aggravation into something filled with possibility?
Can we turn something negative around on its head? Can we imagine the inconvenience of adventures rightly considered? How should it be considered? I like to think that every trip is open to a whole array of possibilities.
- Consider how much we can learn in our travels about others.
When I travel, one of my biggest goals is to learn as much as I can about the place I am going, the history, the story, the people, and the culture. I read books, do online research, and I study maps. I want to spend time there experiencing the culture like a local. I don't want to go there expecting to eat all the same foods I am used to, or having all the same conveniences. Often I find that their food is better, and their conveniences more efficient. I love seeing from their perspective the neighborhoods and nature. I always feel privileged to experience just a little bit of that.
- Consider how much we can learn in our travels about ourselves.
By learning more about others, I examine myself and find out more about my own beliefs, attitudes, and perceptions. When I travel, I am taken out of my comfort zone in so many ways. I believe it is good for us to be placed outside our comfort zones, as that is when we learn and grow.
- Consider how much we can learn in our travels about God.
Through all these things, if we reflect and pay attention to what travelling has taught us, we learn more about God, as His diverse creativity in the creation of this world. Through the perspectives of others, visiting holy sights, meeting people who are very different from ourselves, and appreciating the beauty of the world we live in, we are more aware of God's presence in every place.
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