What does vacation look like to you and what is it worth?
Some tourists seek hiking trails while others need a beach with nothing on their agenda or simply tasting cuisines. Either way, it’s an inherent compulsion for us to want to get away. We often make plans to spend our hard earned money for what we envision to be the perfect escape but I wonder how often we got what we were looking for.
Furthermore, where does that yearning come from and what will satisfy the travel itch?
Speaking for myself, it wasn’t until my first trip that I realized I wanted more of that. Kind of like getting a tattoo, it was addictive but the biggest value of each trip may have been in the experience itself and less about the destination.
Travelling is more than just a vacation; it’s an adventure, escaping the norm, a cultural experience, a journey of exploration and even a passion. While it can be a goal to visit a foreign place as much as possible, I’ve been reflecting on what always pulls me back to the same place (Portugal) and what’s the best part of it all. After so many visits, I have come to a conclusion of what that may be; angles.
Visiting abroad is much more than eating great food, partying, making friends or adding to a collection of magnets. It’s the nostalgia of stumbling upon views. To travel is to discover new things that contribute to any perspective, bringing home new insights on how to live life.
Whether that be recipes, language or movement, it all adds something to the toolbox of understanding. With that, sharing stories that describe those angles are always a bonus for good conversation.
When I look back on the trips I’ve taken, there’s something that defined each experience to encapsulate the feeling it brought me. Those were the themes that made each trip unique like a colour palette on a movie, yet for Portugal, it always feels like a stroke from the same brush.
Specifically Madeira and the Azores feels like my home away from home. Heritage there appears to me in black and white until brightened with colour as I discover pieces of where it all began and how I arrived there. Reconnecting with my roots is unlike any other feeling, and the most impactful on my outlook.
With each trip, I try to make a point of documenting my journey and those memories emerge as a thorough overview of what made it important. In my opinion, that’s the most valuable part of going anywhere and presents a question that everyone should ask themselves; how does your travel experience make you a better person?
Regardless, vacations are always great! Beyond the adventures and a feeling of timelessness, there’s something that makes each voyage encapsulate a propensity to a far away place. The Portuguese call that saudade.
Looking back on my time in Portugal, I am grateful for the people I’ve been lucky enough to share time with, breaking bread and getting lost together, for those are the connections that make memories to last a lifetime! However, what I return home with is a lot of personal growth and saudades of finding a deeper meaning of myself. Those angles are something you can’t put a price on.
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