I was a late bloomer in the travel department, not getting
my first passport until I was 21 years old and not leaving the country until 22
– New Zealand – 2.5 hours away.
I hit my travel stride at 26, adding stamps to that passport
like something that adds things very quickly.
I once worked with a woman who judged people based on
whether they possessed a passport or not.
Almost as if a person possessed no value whatsoever if they had not
travelled. Once, on a work trip, she and
I, plus a non-passport owner workmate sat down to dinner. Somehow the conversation turned to travel and
I sat in utter silence as she literally berated the poor homebody non-traveller
for not having left the country. It was really
weird and actually mean.
I have a question.
Has anyone else experienced an increase in trepidation in regards to
travel as they get older? As you’re well
aware, I’m forty years old. Where once I
would take on the world in a single bound, with little to no forethought or
planning, I now find myself slightly anxious when preparing to travel.
I’m off to Peru in July.
I speak Spanish, so the language shouldn’t be a barrier. All of my flights and accommodation is booked
and my spending money saved. There’s
very little for me to worry about apart from getting the best shot of Macchu
Pichu that I can. And yet, I worry. What if something happens to me while I’m
away? What if I’m robbed? Or there’s an earthquake? Or volcano?
What if the plane crashes? Or the
train?
Maybe it’s because I need vaccinations before I go. Maybe because it’s a new continent for
me? The unknown? I don’t know.
I’m just hoping that once I’m there and in the moment, the fear
disappears and I let it all envelope me, reminding me of why I need to plan the
next trip, and the one after that, and the one after that.......
