Journeys are... escape.
Sometimes, we want to leave responsibility and familiar tasks behind. When our day-to-day lives begin to stifle, threatening to close our minds and sap our energy, a change of reality can re-open, refresh, and reinvigorate our hearts and souls.
Journeys are... adventure.
Hiking in the mountains or forests of a faraway land, negotiating for unfamiliar foods in a strange language at an open-air market, arriving at a new city or town without a place to stay, are outside of normal for most of us. Adventures allow us to push our personal boundaries a little farther outward.
Journeys are... relaxation.
Whether the daily rhythm is dictated by the opening hours of museums, the closing of shops for siesta, the morning drive to a neighbouring town, or the afternoon visit to the beach, the ability to choose our agenda is liberating. A brief period of freedom from constraint allows us to return to our appointed tasks refreshed in spirit.
Journeys are... exploration.
When the path through familiar territory seems too well-trodden, we can drive down a new road, to places that are only dots on a map, and bring them to life. We can walk unfamiliar streets, experience the sights and sounds of new neighbourhoods, and add memories to the maps on our bookshelves.
Journeys are... people.
It is a joy and a blessing to meet people in faraway places, to struggle to speak their language, to eat their food, and to experience, however briefly, the rhythms of their lives. It helps us to appreciate other ways of life, different values, new types of beauty. We are better people for it.