By Geetanjali Sharma
Travel, a joy to wander, witness and write about the world, has always guided me to understand life better.
In my days as a young college girl, a professor of ‘news media’ shared with us in the very start of our degree her experience as a traveller. She expressed that the most important things are not written in books but are all out there waiting to be explored, and travel is the biggest source of learning and receiving true realities of life.
Close by destinations or faraway places, travel has always intrigued me and made me want to unravel this world of chaos and doubt. With an unrelenting sense of adventure, I often get swayed by the experiences of my own people, leaving me caught between the worlds of being a checklist ticking tourist and a traveller.
The roadmap of my travel plans is more like a traveller’s mind though — impromptu and spontaneous — leading to some wholesome moments which are bound to last a lifetime.
As I scribble this week’s read for you, my mind takes a pause as my eyes look for the stroller bags, ready to be picked and packed. In my yoga pants or beach suit, cargo shorts or snow coat, no destination is safe to travel to without an extra pair or many, just in case.
I also hold a half smile thinking about my partner, still in wonder about my packing style. As tidy and organised as it may be, it certainly is too much for every trip, be it a two-week vacation or a weekend getaway. My bags will have all the necessary gear and then a little more to keep us covered, just in case.
Now, as our days to travel near, my hands itch and mind fidgets. Lists are already prepared in my head; organisers are ready to be filled and chances of me over packing are high, always have been and I believe always will be.
The fears of being stuck at a location with not many means, the trip getting extended or just running out of clothes, creep in and out of my mind in the middle of packing. Whether in a carry on or a backpack, creating space to add more stuff is therapeutic. I often question the accuracy of weighing scales and always find room to make one more pair of shoes fit in, just in case.
Travel will always have this additional weight in my plans. From home to home, destination to destination, exploring and travelling across boundaries shall always be the fulcrum of the journey I intend to live.
Even if the bags are heavy, camera is discharged, city map is lost somewhere in between, pause, look around and take a moment to gather the views from a traveller’s perspective.
In a heartbeat you’ll realise that all you really need are some comfortable clothes, a hat and your favourite pair of sneakers.
The realisation may just last that trip, and that is fine!
(Geetanjali Sharma is an author and communications specialist. She holds a post-graduate degree in international communication from Macquarie University, Australia.)
