What's your rendition of travel?

Why would you leave the comfort of your cozy home to go around the world to experience what sometimes are seemingly the most exasperating encounters? Even more astonishing, why quit a considerably lucrative job to spend your life savings globe-trotting? For me, an adventurous experience is simple; at least if not for the rest of my life, for that time when my whole being is intoxicated by the idea of travel.

Often, I get questions on whether traveling is part of my interests, perhaps because of the nature of what I do. Then, I have gotten accustomed to the next possible question ‘how many countries/places have you been to?’ Depending on my response, the questioner is always left to decide whether I am truly a traveler or not.

You see, I may not have traveled to as many destinations as would qualify me to be called a wanderlust. Yet, in any sense, I assert that traveling for me is not about how many miles I cover. An ace traveler will agree with me that whether it’s an hour’s drive to the city next door or a 10 hours’ flight to the other corner of the world, traveling is simply the ability to move to a place you want to explore for one reason or another.

In this case, I may be traveling to my rural hometown to pay homage to my folks, honoring a friend’s invitation to be with them during an important event in their lives in a nearby city or a business trip to an overseas country; for me, a step away from my normal environs for whatever reason is an epic move to travel.

Recently, a friend left the country (Kenya) to Cape Town for a business trip. However, I was completely beguiled by his ability to juggle the busy schedule and time to indulge in pleasurable activities such as a shopping spree, something that made him a freely happy gentleman. And his excuse? “I only carried a toothbrush and paste”. Such ability to "bleisure" is not only a relaxing ice-breaker but also goes a long way in enabling me to enjoy every meaning of travel.

Away from home, is where I have encountered some of my most important life journeys and personal growth. Where I have seen the richness of culture, created golden friendships, had some of my most hearty laughter and appreciated the true unconditional love of humanity. This is my rendition of travel.