California blog series, part VI: Travel philosophy

As per my promise, here is the sixth and final part in this mammoth series on my August trip to California, just in time for me to leave the province again - this time for a week in Vancouver with The Cord. To this point, I've spoken quite literally about noteworthy portions of the trip and the less concrete thoughts that inspired them. This one, however, is quite simply about my thoughts on travelling, impacted no doubt by my most formative experience of it. Most of all, though, I'm interested to hear other people's thoughts on their own travel philosophies and any neat stories that relate. Perhaps it will illuminate whether my experiences are more indicative of general mindsets or simply my own personality. Please don't censor yourself to brief comments out of a polite desire not to rival the actual post's length. I want a forum for discussion, remember. Not that brief comments will be scorned, of course ...

The first thing I wrote in the impromptu travel journal occurred while sitting in a neat little restaurant in the airport after I got into San Francisco - where I waited for hours because I'm apparently incapable of reading departure and arrival times right and I accidentally booked myself on a flight that arrived in San Fran six hours before Erin's (though it ended up being less, thanks to a 2-hour on-plane delay in Charlotte, followed by a vomit-filled flight courtesy of the little girl next to me).

There's something peculiar about being out of one's surroundings. I'm immediately way more perceptive to my surroundings (granted, I don't normally set the bar very high, but ... ) and everything is fascinating - the group of 20-somethings so anxious to drink that they're doing shots at an airport bar, that girl from Pearson bound to Dominican on a humanitarian project with whom I discussed ex's (at her prodding), the family beside me that I want to say is of Laos descent, but I'm far too ignorant to actually know - the father saw my burger and went to get his wife to order one. I nodded and smiled as he returned and he sheepishly asked if it was good. I assented and informed him that it was a California burger. He then scurried back over to ensure she got the right one - "I don't know. Just say California burger." - the whole family's adorable.

The details themselves are not especially important - it's the fact that I notice them at all. Though I'm not sure I am necessarily even accurate in using the term "most" in the first sentence of this next excerpt, I think I make my point appropriately otherwise.

Why do most people display a distinct aversion to travelling alone? My night sans Erin was one of my trip highlights. [Note: see part I for more detail] My time in Halifax last year was tremendous. It is in this situation of comparative solitude that one can most easily take in their surroundings. You don’t become immersed in your own life and you can actually understand a foreign locale’s overall feel much faster. I mean, don’t get me wrong. I love Erin and I’m glad we had this time together. I love people, particularly my friends, more than anyone I know. But I also love learning about the world and myself, and solitude seems to be an absolutely necessary condition for me to achieve this.

So I guess the obvious next question is, does anyone else find solitude instructive in these respects, specifically with regards to travelling? If so, why do people shy away from it? Is it just a comfort thing - the need of having a safety net? Should that be a good enough reason or should we force ourselves into discomfort with the professed aim of a truer understanding of the culture we throw ourselves into?

On a related yet different note, how do people generally approach vacations? Do you research about the place ahead of time or just go with whatever seems right when you get there?

I’m very interested in people’s philosophies of travel and how they conform to my own – and precisely what my own is. I think I like to strike a fine balance of checking out the typical tourist sites and pre-planned/researched spots and simply taking in the culture off the beaten path.

Thanks for reading. Hope you've enjoyed the series.