Why I Love Travel

July 2012—Cha Jones

"If you want to know yourself travel alone, if you want to know someone else travel with them, if you want to know your own home go make a home in another country.“ Travel Proverb

"I travel not to arrive but to see things from a different perspective. I travel because it gives me the freedom to wonder off the beaten path and find exactly where I am supposed to be. I travel because I am not a person who wants the world to define me, but I would rather define what the world is to me."

I recently had the pleasure of traveling to Martha’s Vineyard with a very special person in my life. I had no expectation, and yet it was one of the best trips I have ever had. The second night there we had the satisfaction of seeing a double rainbow right outside our balcony, it was so amazing. For me, it was confirmation that I was where I needed to be.

Just last night I watched a movie entitled, “The Art of Travel,” and it reminded me that my life is not about following a path that has a predetermined and defined outcome. I cannot live a life that has been measured and assessed to qualify for what someone else deems “successful.” I would rather live my life being significant. I enjoy the finer things in life and like having many comforts. I do not like backpacking in the wilderness and eating out of tin cans or exploring unusual foods that are questioned to be edible. However, I love walking off the beaten path and finding my way on my terms, and travel is that for me. Travel is the door that gives me insight to self-exploration.

I travel not to arrive but to see things from a different perspective. I travel because it gives me the freedom to wonder off the beaten path and find exactly where I am supposed to be. I travel because I am not the person who wants the world to define me, but I would rather define what the world is to me. I enjoy being able to wake up and make decisions that were not planned in advance. I love being able to change my mind and come to a new conclusion. However, I respect those who need to follow a predetermined and well planned out course. I have complete admiration for order and I really hate chaos, it really bothers me. I like things having a place. However, I have found the harmony in allowing things to be whatever they are without definition.

I recall that there was a time in my life everything had a well planned out execution, but around twenty-five the corporate job and the watch that required I be at a certain place at a certain time changed. I no longer feel compelled to be defined by what I do or what others qualify success as. I am successful because I live the life I desire to live. I am successful because I give more than I take without expecting anything in return and I am successful because I am being true to myself in all that I do. 


In March, I had the pleasure of being at Oprah's Life Class in St. Louis, Mo where T.D. Jakes spoke about Living With Purpose  (http://www.oprah.com/oprahs-lifeclass/Full-Episode-Oprahs-Lifeclass-with-Bishop-TD-Jakes-Video) (you can catch me on the right, the first person in teal on the first row...I'm just saying!) I will never forget he said, "When you are living on purpose you will not have to chase your provision, but your provision will chase you." However, many people believe they need to chase money and end up being so far away from their purpose that they can't be successful or be significant in any way. Travel allows me to be on purpose and it helps me give back to others by sharing what I have done or seen. I personally could not imagine living vicariously through someone else eyes, but I do understand that there are some people who will never take the leap of faith to see for themselves what I want to see firsthand. 

I travel at a speed that allows me the opportunity to smell the flowers, enjoy the blessings and the challenges that life introduces.  Sure there are things that I aspire to accomplish and to have, but life seems enjoyable now that I am not racing against time and competing to be better than someone else. Now, I compete to be better than I was yesterday and to accomplish what my heart feels is the mission for my life. I realized that the destination is death and the journey is not about dying, the journey is about learning to love myself, my life, and the people around me. I love that as I am able to travel and see the world, and I learn to love more and more about me and what is important in my life.

We all have the right to travel in a way that defines who we are for ourselves. For many people that means traveling to the local store, the next community, or to a big city, and for others it means being able to see the world. Traveling, even if it is only to your nearest neighbors home, allows you to see things from a different perspective. It gives you the opportunity to get out of the enclosures of everything that is normal for you and look at things in a different light. That is why I love to travel!