Whatever Floats Your Boat

There are a lot of ways to travel. Some people travel with 2 outfits for 6 months, some travel with a 6-month wardrobe for 2 days. Some people sleep in tents and dumpster dive everywhere they go, like bums, and others enjoy expensive-sounding foods like paté and coq au vin at fine dining every night before going to bed in a luxury suite fit for Versailles. Some people hitchhike from city to city while others would opt for a a first class seat in a jet or cruise ship. Some people return with memories and knowledge that will have a lifelong impact, and some people return with photos and keychains. Most of us are somewhere in between, like me.

In spite of traveling pretty often recently, I never experienced any culture shock so much as I did when I returned home. I’m not talking about the culture of people, I’m talking about the culture of travel.

I had grown accustomed to traveling a certain way over the last year. I had a strict budget, couchsurfed everywhere I went, ate a lot of pasta and sandwiches, flew on low-cost airlines usually for less than 20 euros, started hitchhiking and rarely spent more than 10 euros in a day. I learned a lot about different cultures, managed to eat well in most countries and, most importantly, met a lot of interesting people. I’ve grown too, maybe.

After returning home, I was almost immediately back on the road, this time with my family and in a slightly different manner. Instead of hitchhiking or taking smelly buses, we took cabs and trains with sleepers in them. Instead of choking down a sandwich for every meal, I normally enjoyed devouring salmon or swordfish. Instead of discovering the city by walking across it, we discovered it by going on cheesy guided tours. Instead of couchsurfing, we stayed in a houseboat surrounded by a sea of mesmerizing jellyfish.

Some people who pride themselves in traveling the world on an extreme budget might scoff at this more luxurious style of travel. I understand that; it’s a lot more expensive, usually less exciting, and arguably less rewarding. But holy crap is it comfortable. Knowing when you will arrive and knowing that you have a comfortable bed waiting for you is a nice luxury, and I like luxury sometimes. Scoff away.

Related posts:

1. Why I Didn’t Study Abroad with Semester At Sea
2. The Itch