One of the most disheartening facts I ever became aware of was brought to my attention in a small town in Italy. I made a good acquaintance who worked in a quaint cafe. I was as much addicted to my 5 euros plate of sweets, as I was to the brief conversations I would have with people inside the cafe.
One morning, when I was ordering a cappuccino, my good acquaintance struck up a conversation about a trip she was going to take to see her sister in San Fransisco, California. I was born approximately 45-minutes away from San Fransisco, so the conversation between us went more in depth than just casual small talk. She smiled about the promised good times she will have with her sister in California as she made a design in the froth of my cappuccino. She handed me the cup on a saucer and told me something that has forever stuck in my head since, "I feel lucky to travel. Many people who grow up here, never leave here. They stay, they will never go."
I found what she said hard to believe, but kept what she said in the back of my mind. Over sometime, I realized that it wasn't just the people in this small town in Italy, it was majority of all people. Traveling for many people (especially in rough economic times) has been centered around the local area or is a once-a-year vacation to somewhere further (outside a 6 hour radius). What is even more common are the people who stay around the area they were raised. Many people do not voluntarily move far from 'home;' at the least, they attempt to stay in the same state.
Why? I think it may have something to do with the need for predictability in life. It's intimidating to go to new places, it's easier to justify money spent on travel where you hear of rave reviews or where you are familiar with. There seems to be a pattern with people when it comes to places they travel, even if it is just a 15-minute drive to go out to dinner or a planned trip to travel Europe. To me, predictability ruins traveling or going out because like every day life, it becomes routine. After all, isn't that what I am trying to get away from?
An adventure is not hard to find and it does not have to empty a wallet. The key to a spectacular adventure is an open mind, not money, nor the distance a person travels.
