We travel because variety is the spice of life. We seek a break from our pattern of life that may be mundane. We want an adventure to stimulate our senses, or simply to relax.
Some prefer to be alone with nature during a hike or mountain climb. Others prefer to relax at a beach. The reasons may be varied but they share a sense of change.
When I read the majority of travel blogs there seems to be a concentration on hotel and flight reviews. These are indeed important pieces of travel but for me it’s not the reason for travel. The main purpose for travel for me is interaction. Not just interaction with the new environment, but mostly interaction with the people and real culture that exists today.
I have learned to avoid the tourist traps. I would never travel to Africa to go to a tribal dance show tailored for tourists. I find no pleasure going to Hawaii for a luau. I’m not knocking those who enjoy this, it’s just not for me. These events are expensive and I leave it feeling exploited and empty.
It’s my primary goal to get out into a foreign land and get as close as I can to how people live, interact with their environment, and how they view the world. It has changed my view of the world as well as taught me how ignorant I really am.
The stories I share here will focus on my interactions with people and the environment. I have learned that we only grow through interactions.
When I was a young engineer I disregarded topics related to philosophy as a waste of time. I thought we change the world through math and science but what good is philosophy? I’ve learned we may become more aware of our world through science, but science and math seek the same thing the philosopher does. To understand the deeper meaning of the world.
For me, interactional travel makes us wiser. Relaxing in a nice hotel or beach may regenerate us, but it does little to make us grow.
The faces of those I have interacted with around the world:
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