I took the first transoceanic journey on my own when I was 17 – which means I’ve been traveling independently for just over 35 years now. Although it’s also true that I’ve been logging miles on this planet practically since the moment I arrived on it more than fifty years ago.
This might have something to do with the circumstances of my upbringing, with divorced parents living in different states, and one of those parents being a commercial airline pilot. This means I spent a lot of time with my younger brother at airports, frequently shuttling between households on weekends and holidays. From a very young age, we became very self-sufficient in navigating the world without a lot of adult supervision. We were just your average Gen-X latch-key kids, but with wings.
My intention here is not to bore you with my life story, but rather to suggest just one possible source of my ongoing impulse to see and experience as much of the world as possible while I still have the privilege of living in it. I got a taste for it early and it hasn’t let go of me. I know I am not the only one afflicted in this way. I can imagine that there are countless other backstories or influences that compel many of us to strike out from the comforts of home into unfamiliar cultures and places. I’ve seen how talk of travel lights people up, either stirring indelible memories of past adventures or firing the imagination for places they still aspire to reach. A great trip is often the highlight of a year, or a lifetime.
So this is going to be a blog about travel – specifically independent travel. And to be clear right from the outset, I am talking about something quite distinct from “going on vacation.” I think that for most people, when they are able to get some time off of work, a relaxing mental break away from their inboxes is just what they’re after when they pack their suitcases. Vacations are great and necessary – finding your perfect beach (or mountain) is a glorious part of life! But what I want to share are my thoughts on travel for the sake of exploration, which can be both exhilarating and exhausting. You might say it’s the very opposite of vacation; these are the kinds of trips where you return to the office to get some rest!
I plan to dig deeper into this distinction (as I see it) between a vacation and an adventure in a future post, along with other topics that might be of interest to people who prefer to experience this great planet at their own pace and – as much as possible – without the crowds. Whether you are already a seasoned IndieTripper who shares my philosophy about travel, or someone who aspires to take your travel escapades to another level of personal challenge, I hope you will find something here that will help make your next trip truly meaningful. Either way, let’s enjoy the journey!
