A lot of times I have felt like I want to visit every corner of this planet. Then, I realize it is all about keeping travel meaningful by truly enjoying your journey.
As a self-proclaimed travel lover, I have a way too long list of places I want to visit. The list grows every time I discover a new place in a magazine, newspaper, or blog. Sometimes I wonder if one day I will stop adding entries.
I am not sure if every person really passionate about travel feels the same. That long list of places to visit, bucket list, or whatever you want to call it, only shows one thing: an enormous desire to visit many places around the world. Many countries. Many cities. Many areas. In fact, some feel like visiting every corner of the world (I am exaggerating here but you get the point).
But there is a problem. Sometimes when I take a look at my list, revise it mentally, or discover a new place, I get anxious. Yes, I get anxious. I feel like I haven’t been anywhere. Seriously, I have visited about 17% of the countries in the world.
Common, that is not a lot of travel. And then, if I get to visit a country, I am not able to get to all the interesting areas. I have been to Madrid and Catalonia in Spain. But what about Galicia, Andalucía, and the Basque and Valencian countries. Plus, if I get to a city, I am not able to visit all the sights and attractions I want.
There is never enough time to go to all the places I want. Time keeps moving ahead but my travel plans are not progressing so fast. I wonder if I will ever be able to visit all those places I have dreamt about. What if I don’t have money, health, or resources? Will this ever be a reality? Feel like my head is going to explode. Have you ever felt like this?
Stop. When I start to think like this, I have to ask myself to stop. I bang my head on the wall and slap myself as an act of reminding myself to keep things in the correct perspective.
There is an important lesson I have learned after traveling for more than 15 years. It is a lesson I have to remember in order to maintain my sanity.
The world is a big place, full of amazing sights. Very few people get to really see and experience every inch of it. Even they can say: I haven’t been there. Now, I am not a full-time traveler. The reality is that there are some places I am going to miss. But this is not a race to prove something or to go somewhere just because.
What is important is to enjoy every moment and feel gratitude. If you decided to visit a place at a specific moment, please, make the most out of it. Be present and absorb every bit of it. Every moment has its own magic. You just need to look at it in the correct way.
And please, do yourself a favor. Stop the torture. Don’t think about the places and experiences you missed while visiting a place. You can always go back or have a similar experience somewhere else. Instead, feel gratitude because you were given life to enjoy those beautiful moments.
If you still want to see every corner of the world, by all means, go ahead. I still want to visit many, many places. However, keep travel meaningful by truly enjoying your journey.
How do you feel about visiting every corner of the world? Let me know in the comments section below.
David @ MalaysiaAsia says
It would definately be a dream of mine to visit every corner of the globe. So far, life has been good as I started to travel in my early youth back in the late eighties and nineties covering many countries.
Stephanie - The Travel Chica says
I have learned over the last 10+ months that I prefer to travel slower and stay in a place for weeks, maybe months. That means I may not get to all the places I want to go, but I am okay with that. I find the slow travel much more fulfilling.
Juls says
I’m totally with you, Stephanie. I’ve taken both kinds of trips. Ones where I’m only staying 1-2 days in each place, but covering a lot of ground, and others, where I stop, stay and really dig into where I’m visiting.
Slower travel is best. It’s sad that we can’t see everything, but seeing and understanding deeper is better than a quick glance in my book 🙂
Great topic, Ruth, thanks for sharing with all of us!
inka says
I fell exactyl the same and my biggest regret is my age. There aren#t all that many easr left to roam every corner of the world I want to see. Then I also stop and consider, gratefully, those I have had the plesure to see and being hell bound in dying in my travel boots.
Technosyncratic says
This is so us! We travel slowly, but we want to experience everything and travel to every new place that sounds interesting! It keeps us excited, but we also stress ourselves out sometimes with that sort of pressure. I guess it’s a balance, like most things in life. 🙂
Bino / Frameless World says
Same here, Even though I used to maximized the number of days I am allowed to be in one place, sometimes it feels like it’s not enough to see and experience everything… It’s not a small world after all. “Every moment has its own magic. You just need to look at it in the correct way.” – I’ll remember this. Thanks! 🙂
Ian [EagerExistence] says
If you ever need me to, I can slap you 😛
But, you are right: Enjoy today. Yesterdays already gone. Tomorrow never comes.
Oh, and if you are in a place, and you’re bored. Move on! There’s no point hanging around because things might get better. I’ve been to destinations and not “felt it”… so I left. And later I’ve met travellers who rave about how awesome their time was there. I’m wise enough to know that it’s the people you meet, and the context that makes the trip. No place is ever the same for two different people. I’ve even considered going back to places for a second chance. Theirs nothing wrong with that either.
I don’t have to see the whole world to enjoy it. I live in the moment, and enjoy what I’m doing now. I have my own stories about the places I have been that will rival anyone’s “oh you must go here, here, and there” stories.
rajat goyal says
its true that its my dream to see every corner of this world. Not only see but experience them, feel them by heart.. I want to lost like pirates and never want to come back… only I need a beginning. . plz help if u can