Traveling and Books

Why are books and traveling so intertwined?  For me there are two answers to that question. The first is that books have always been an important part of the journey for me, providing a familiar touchstone when I’m away from home. In part because there is a lot of time in transit and what better way to spend endless hours on a plane, stuck in an airport or train station, or delayed somewhere in between, than in a story that transports me to another place. A good story certainly helps pass the hours… and over the years I’ve come to look forward to a long flight so that I can have hours of uninterrupted reading time.

Perhaps the more important reason for me though is the romance of the road. Stories give us a picture into alternate worlds and can ignite a sense of adventure. Movies and films can certainly provide us with images, incredible sweeping landscapes and cultures we may long to visit or avoid, but there is something magical about a world portrayed through words. It forces our minds to be creative in our interpretation of the description and doesn’t spoon feed each aspect of an experience to us as film does.

There is a romance to traveling, to seeing new worlds and cultures, to feeling like a part of something so far beyond what is familiar. I’ve been to many different countries, mostly in Africa, Asia and Europe and at times I fancy myself far more adventurous than I really am. Much like Odysseus heading off into unknown lands to explore I sometimes walk with a lighter step when I can imagine myself in a different time or in a life built on travel or tragedy that sends people off in search of answers.

At the end of the day I’m happy to return to the routine of my life a little better off for a different view of the world.

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