People say they like to travel, but I wonder if they really mean that. They like to see far away places, engage in cultural activities, meet exotic people, explore, eat, drink, party, photograph, post, make and document memories, of course they do! But do they like TRAVEL? Do the gritty hours of uncomfortable transportation, unglamorous logistics, planning, preparation, and the limiting physicality of a tired body have value of their own? Do I even like travel in this hyperrealist sense?
I have been thinking about the pros and cons of travel in response to the IES Abroad-sponsored field trips to Tuscany and the Amalfi Coast we took a few weeks ago, and now we are off once again on Fall Break.
Certainly there are positive aspects to being in a position when your travel has been planned for you: no worries spent on finding meals, lodging, or transportation. However, there is a certain lack of accountability, and depending on what kind of traveller (or person) you are this can be a positive or negative thing. I’ll definitely talk more about travel and how it relates to studying abroad in future posts, but this is really just an excuse to show some pretty pictures from Paestum, Amalfi, and Ravello [see pictures...].
Elisabeth Hawthorne
<p><span style="color: rgb(29, 29, 29); font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; background-color: rgb(237, 237, 237);">I’m your standard artistic mutt, head on the ground, feet in the clouds, brought to you by a serious case of wanderlust. Small-town Minnesota girl, ex-expat of Singapore, international traveler, art history major, varsity fencer, opera singer, aesthetics junkie, curious soul, gelato votary, far from home at Haverford College in Pennsylvania, making distance and immersion my teachers during a year abroad in Rome, Italy. You can follow along as I happily consume art and carbs in la bella città, but be warned I might not stay in one place for long!</span></p>
