“The best journeys answer questions that in the beginning you didn’t even think to ask.”
It is always good to have a getaway for a couple of days, say maybe a long weekend, staying at a lavish hotel by the beach with white sand and clear blue sea, perhaps this is the most relaxing way to recharge your body from the intensive living in the city. However, I would call that a vacation rather than a journey to me.
My holiday style, is not only about physical relaxation, but about self-brainwash. Forget who I am and integrate into local culture, doing interesting things that are so different from my day-to-day life by getting both my family and myself into a totally different pace.
Travelling is also about learning new things, just like the old Chinese sayings, "Traveling thousands of miles is better than reading thousands of books.” My recent visits to Sri Lanka and Nepal are quite influential to my mind and way of thinking. The visiting of different temples had calmed me a lot, they have the power of mind and soul restoration. I especially like travelling with my kids, they can enjoy these kinds of holidays and cope with hours of cars as long as they are discovering new things. Looking at the positive way of living of the people under the post-earthquake Nepal, it really touched my heart deep down. I knew myself became different after going to these two countries, rich from a human perspective, a more opened heart and an inspired mind.
Of course, travelling should not be limited but expose to different kinds of culture and uniqueness. I’ve always been fascinated by the art of nature, surprising me with different faces. My visit to Bolivia 15 years ago and skiing experience in Japan a few months before both re-energized and strengthened me, making myself more connected to my family with joy.
A travel journey is not only about visiting places and taking pictures, telling people where you have been. Discovering the uniqueness, diverse and traditional cultures of different countries by disconnecting yourself are what really make you learn and grow. Ultimately, discovery your inner self, that’s how you gain knowledge out of the books and a true getaway is.