Just read an interesting blog by a traveler who touched on some ideas I have thought about quite a bit myself and agree with wholeheartedly. Most Americans travel the world as if they're on the Amazing Race (a show I love to watch but not to adhere to as a travel philosophy.) checking off things on a to-do or to-see list. Most modern travelers don't spend anytime soaking up the ambiance or the culture of the place. They're too busy running around like madmen from tourist trap to tourist trap taking pictures to document that they've seen something interesting. They also forget that the journey is a huge part of the experience.What's worse are the inane travel stories that issue forth upon their return. Most of the stories are mere descriptions of sights we already know are cool and awesome. We don't need the same old description of the Eiffel Tower or the Taj Mahal. Tell us something we don't know or at least bring us a new slant.
This blogger said travel stories should fit into seven categories...
1.) Bus Stories
2.) Bathroom Stories
3.) Airplane Stories
4.) Animal Stories
5.) Hotel Stories
6.) Food Stories
7.) Guide Stories
Tell what happened to you at the famous sight...or what happened to you on your way to and from the sight. We can all see the Parthenon in a picture. We can read about the Pyramids in a textbook. Tell us about the experience. And when you focus on the experience...it makes traveling more than checking off things on a list...it becomes a metaphysical journey connecting us with the human experience.
