Traveling requires a lot of energy. But, as I work my butt off to plan every moment perfectly and lug my oversized baggage through a crowded airport of pissed off people, not a single regret passes through my ecstatic little brain. Spending too much money to fly across the planet with the potential of crashing to my death (praying this never happens to any flight) is second nature for me. The trouble has always been worth the experience. And, I wonder – why? Where did my deep sense of wanderlust come from? And, why are so many others, like me, plagued with a burning desire to explore?
It has been a full month since I’ve returned from Greece so I’ve had ample time to reflect on my experience. Now that the post-vacation halo has worn off and I’ve run out of photos to post, you could say I’ve had an epiphany of sorts – my wanderlust could be a product of my digital upbringing.
What I like to refer to as “the interweb” has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember (keep in mind that I have a horrible memory). I was the first of my friends to have a computer and an early participant in social media. I’ve always been immersed, some might say overly engaged, in the digital world. Today and every day for the past few years, I scroll through photos of beautiful scenes from around the world. Influencers with millions of followers boast about their perfect adventures, building the travel culture in my feed to an extreme.
It seems that if you don’t travel, you’ll miss out on the biggest bandwagon of this generation. But, I’ve realized that although this may be the motivation for some, it’s not for me. My digital immersion has definitely inspired my worldly pursuits, but it doesn’t fuel them. I don’t travel simply for Instagram likes or bragging rights. My goal is to make memories, not to make my followers jealous.
Traveling to a new place is worth the trouble for me because, despite the lure of a beautiful Instagram feed, a photo is not enough. You can’t experience a place through a screen, no matter how far you zoom in. You can’t define a moment or place as your own until you are standing in front of it, experiencing what it means to be there. You will not understand the magnitude of a landmark or the customs of a people unless you walk alongside them. I travel because of the internet, yes, but I also travel because I know that the experience is one of the best things you can spend your money and energy on.
Although the trials and tribulations of traveling are worth putting up with, it does not mean they don’t exist. Unlike travel influencers, I don’t need to stage a ruse. My life is not, and my vacations are absolutely not perfect. For anyone that has an extreme case of wanderlust, like me, use this highlights and lowlights guide to Greece as inspiration for your next trip. For I wish it to be as memorable and as trouble-less as possible.
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