What Got My Attention
I have never been good at explaining my thinking. Gut instinct is often the closest I come. As I move through life, however, I realize it's more likely a series of compressed experiences that lets your brain recognize patterns faster. And while bias and prejudice can certainly distort the patterns we react to, the more you've experienced while traveling, the more information your 'gut instinct' has to work with.
This is a common theme I'm seeing lately, people who want to travel but don't want to look like travelers doing it. I can relate to the idea that you should consider how you want to travel even before picking a destination, and that no one is locked into one style. Sometimes I want to see everything on my list, sometimes I want to wander and see where the day takes me.
While airlines haven't yet settled on consistent rules, it's up to us travelers to take precautions and think about how we pack for safety, not just weight. I'll also make sure all my devices are fully charged before getting on a flight, in case I can't use my power bank onboard.
One of the first cemeteries I wandered through on my travels was Recoleta in Buenos Aires. It was not only a welcome break from sightseeing, but it also felt like I'd found a different way to experience a bit of history. The line is real between curiosity and treating grief as scenery; check the local customs first, as some are active sacred spaces, but cemeteries can be worth a thoughtful visit.
Maybe travel doesn't slow time, and sometimes travel itself can become routine. But I agree that paying more attention gives your mind more to grab onto in a time of life where there are fewer firsts. It creates more novelty, more points of reference and more memories to hold onto, and maybe that's what makes life feel a little longer.
Worth Knowing
- France is set to be overtaken as the world’s most-visited country by 2040 [Time Out]
- Is 'Tiny Tourism' the antidote to mass tourism? [BBC]
- What is Slow Travel? 7 Reasons it will change the way you see the world [WeRoad]
- It’s Official: PBI Is Now DJT as Palm Beach Airport’s New Code Takes Effect Today [Johnny Jet]
- September and October are no longer the cheap time to book that trip [TheStreet]
- Google officially integrates hotel booking into AI Mode [Travolution]
And Things Around the Edges of Travel
- 50 beautiful quotes and captions about scuba diving & the oceans [We Did It Our Way]
- Follow Flights, Trains, Theme Park Rides, and More from Your Desk with These 14 Fun Live Trackers [Frommer's]
- Hiking Norway's heavily monitored Russian border [BBC]
- The Art of Vacation-Maxxing: How to Do More with Less [WeRoad]
- Modern life is stressful. Could freediving help? [Adventure.com]
- Surviving an Attempted Street Mugging in Girona – What I Learned [The Broke Backpacker]
- These Shocking Documentaries Will Make You Reconsider Travel [Fodor's]