‘Not all those who wander are lost…’ – J.R.R Tolkien
We all think about travelling, we all daydream about being somewhere exotic, as far away from the mundanities of normal life (and I use that term loosely) as possible. Away from routine, away from the grey, often uninspiring settings in which we somehow have found ourselves permanently stuck within.
We tell people about our plans to travel, to see the world, explore the unknown and to take that life-changing risk of which shatters the comfort of regularity and regime. For some, these dreams are often somewhat transparent, lacking motivation, even if they do have a sense of sincerity to them. In a way, to travel is more of an idyllic head space – a place to yonder in order to keep yourself sane in a form of escapism from the more dreary of backdrops that encompass you.
Very recently I came across the admirable story of a certain Mike Spencer Bown. Armed with the ambition to explore every crevice of this floating piece of rock that we inhabit, he set off for what was to end up as a 23 year round trip, finishing with the consumption of a pint of Guinness in Ireland. Where Mr Bown differentiates himself from fellow travellers is his conscious effort in completely immersing himself in his surroundings, earning him the title of The World’s Most Travelled Man – a title which I believe he deserves. When reading about his globetrotting adventures, one can only feel enthralled and to a certain extent, envious. When interviewed, Bown criticised the hollow imitation of the concept of travel, marred by those who comfortably fly between major cities, lusting over tourist attractions and socialising with fellow homebodies.
In accordance with Spencer Brown’s travels, I too am slightly impatient and restless, often finding myself tapping my foot at my desk in the office like a madman – suppressing the urge to pour my instant coffee over my keyboard, run out screaming and jumping on the next outward flight. Although, whenever this image of liberation enters my thoughts, my spirits are suddenly dampened by the image of arriving penniless at the airport, walking around aimlessly and sweating profusely in my shirt and slightly oversized blazer; the adrenaline rush having worn off somewhere during the twelve hour stop-over in Beijing.
The concept of travelling and ‘finding yourself’ as it were, is somewhat bathed in pretentiousness and lukewarm cliché and now finds itself falling victim to the cruel hand of social media. ‘Instagramming’ yourself posing next to a doped-up specimen of wildlife chained mercilessly to the ground, while your hollow, pearly white smile and perfectly sitting hair highlight the standard of your hotel – is far removed from my image of an itinerant existence.
Smile for the camera, please?
There is just something very void in travelling across the globe to seek home comforts. Ignorance and an unwillingness to break away from the familiar is a way of interpreting this extremely common situation. It is arguably an attribute most commonly associated with that of the British, probably stemming back to deep-rooted, inherent imperial attitudes. To have embarked on a voyage to the unknown and the exotic, only to possess the expectation of being catered to with a full English breakfast and a slightly broken attempt of your mother-tongue, lacks the sort of substance that defines the term ‘broadening of the mind’.
It is this misuse of the concept of travel that brings me onto my next specimen of investigation. With the arrival of the latest ‘Sun, Sex and Suspicious Parents: Thailand Edition’ gracing our television screens, it can be assumed that what was once an idyllic, tranquil and culturally enlightening haven, now boasts a party scene that resembles that of the Greek Islands. A highly concentrated mass of adolescent odour comprising of accelerated hormones, stale cigarette smoke and sticky Malibu residue stings the nostrils slightly when picturing the scene. One can only wonder what corner of the Earth will be targeted next. Jaegerbombs and fishbowls in Peru? Lads on tour chugging pints in the Himalayas? Hopefully civilization will have eradicated itself by then…we shall see.
Kultural K-Hole
Getting up and travelling is rare for the majority of humans. I sit here myself, secretly jotting down notes while I pretend to monotonously enter squiggles and shapes that form numbers of significance into fields of cells which someone has named Excel. My back arches unnaturally and the vessels in my eye balls pop from concentrating on an illuminated black mirror in the middle of a busy office, suited up and playing the role of a sales and marketing intern. Oh how the mighty have fallen. I need to get out.
Having only ever inhabited the domains of Harrow and Southampton during the twenty-two years of what is a semi-conscious state of being (I won’t delve into my thoughts on perceptions of reality just yet), I feel as if I am long overdue a drastic change in surrounding.
The Promised Land
Albeit that not everyone possesses that burning desire to explore, experiment and wander, which in my opinion has only been softened somewhat by the lacklustre of familiarity and security. It boggles my sometimes overactive, over-thinking, copiously-curious mind as to why people are content with staying put. The thought of permanent residency brings a chill to my spine and I pity those who take pride in how long they’ve stayed in their respective corner of the world, slowly decaying in an invisible coffin – to live and die in one spot.
And then as I ostentatiously think of myself as having a broader, more excitable mind, more in tune with the natural human yearning to explore, I realise that not everyone is the same. Not everyone is fuelled by the thought of travel. What exists is an intrinsic fear of the unknown, the dissimilar and the abnormal, evident throughout the history of mankind. To conquer these fears we must embrace accept, and explore. Conversely, indigenous tribes still exist in remote locations on the globe, completely unaware of the outside world; surviving in a microcosmic sample of humanity and society. It is difficult not to envy their apparent unawareness of the turmoil of life in the 21st Century modern world, complete with seedy politics, growing terrorism, iPhones and the likes of Justin Bieber. So deeply ingrained into the natural wonders of the world they are, that any sort of exposure would be heart-breaking.
Chaos and spontaneity are things which should be anticipated and pursued, not avoided. So I urge you to travel, to throw yourself into the unknown, and immerse yourself into the unfamiliar. Don’t sit comfortably on your sofa watching the weird and wonderful elements of our planet via lit-up pixels while the indentation in the sofa deepens and swallows you whole. Experience these things first hand. View the world from a different perspective and awaken your numbed senses. Allow your eyes and ears to be tingled with interest, curiosity and bewilderment.
Lame, I should just get Tumblr
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