Traveling and Taking a Step Back

Sometimes when traveling, you can just get caught up in the excitement of it all, the sites, capturing the moments, and documenting it all. You get so caught up that you miss some of the best moments. 

I have found that if I try to hard to see it all, I miss a lot of it. Trying to get in all of the most well known sites, and not trying to discover the ones that not many know about, but that can be some of the hidden treasures. Most times when we travel its because we saw something somewhere that made us want to go to that place. A friends post of eating cheese and drinking wine under the Eiffel Tower, or almost petting an Alpaca in Machu Picchu. Seeing these things makes us want to do the same, but what about doing something different. Thats the hard part, taking a step back from what everyone knows to trying something not many people do. 

In most places the locals can be civil and very welcoming, so never be scared to approach them. Try learning some terms or phrases and just make them comfortable with possibly spilling some secrets. It’s the best way to do it. When I was in the Galapagos we befriended a local surfer named Khalifa, he was quite the character let me tell you, from his beaded dreads to his stories that made him laugh more than us. He took us to some of his secret spots on the lovely Isabela Island, the secret beaches with the best swells, and also the shops that would give us the best deals on dive trips or bike rentals for the day. Things I would love to share, but I think that if you want to learn, go find Khalifa and ask him yourself. Then when we got back to the main island, we stayed at a cute little hostel and befriended Jenny. We had breakfast with her every morning and she shared with us a driver who could take us to see the giant galapagos tortoises, and a spot on the side of the road that not many know about where we could check out a huge crater. You just gotta take a step back and ask questions, befriend the locals, and not go to the first place on the list for everything, thats usually where everyone goes. 

Also don't forget that during travel there are things to see too. In a plane you could be flying over the alps and if you are lucky and get a window seat, don't forget to look out of it. If you taking a train through the Paris countryside, don't forget to look outside, what you see might just take your breathe away. So if you decide to download that next episode of Orange is the New Black, maybe don’t. Music and the scenery outside can be your entertainment, or maybe just the scenery.

Take a seat and take it in.

Another way to step back is to limit the number of point and shoots you take. Yes pictures are great, but who really looks at them when you get home. Some families make slideshows and some people make videos of their trips, and yes sometimes you shuffle through them to show a friend. A couple are okay, but if you take pictures and videos of every moment during your trip, did you really experience it? Not really, you just saw what the screen saw. I found out the hard way how easy it is to take too many photos. One good one can be enough, just make sure its good. Cameras don't need to have 400 pictures of you standing on one legs leaning with the Tower of Pisa. It’s really not necessary. Then when you have that one good picture put the phone or camera away and just look with your eyes. Really look, who knows if you will ever get that chance again. Pictures don't do justice to the real thing. I took a picture of a gorgeous snow capped mountain peeking out of some clouds, and when I went back I was a little bit sad at how it looked. Seeing it in person it was magnificent and alive, the picture was great but the memory was better. 

So next time you have your phone in front of your face, just remember to put it down for a second too. You wont regret it.