I’ve been going through a tough time lately in my personal life. It’s not something I can share about here … but I’m okay, the people I love are okay, and it’s going to be okay.
That said, this rough patch is starting to make me reflect on the way travel can be used to get through tough times just like these.
It’s not always possible to go vagabond when the going gets rough – but just the promise of a future trip is something that can help us get through.
For me, it’s a tour I booked last August that doesn’t take place until March 2018: my daughter and I are going to Vietnam!
It started as an attempt to plan an intergenerational journey with my dad and the planning ended with just the two of us signing on the dotted line. We’ll catch dad on the next one.
Ah, Vietnam! For twelve days my little girl and I are going to eat noodles, swim, visit monuments and historical sites, sleep on a boat, take an overnight train and hop a puddle jumper over rice paddies. We’re going to practice our French if we can, and eat all the pho. Did I mention there will be noodles?
When I get through a long day of teaching and come home to a pile of marking – only to be faced with another personal hurdle – I go over to the G-Adventures site and read through our itinerary.
Travel gives us hope. It gives us something to look forward to. And, yet again, I’m reminded why I work in the best industry on earth.
Tourism Nerd 