Escaping Pandemic on the Wings of Travel Memes

Day 259, Staying at Home

Sunday, Dec. 6, 2020; Fort Smith, Arkansas

The longer I stay home, the more I think about travel.

I’m not really a “deep thoughts” kind of person. So I don’t spend a lot of time wondering when or where I acquired this passion for travel. Perhaps my wanderlust comes from a childhood of frequent moves.

The pandemic has put the kibosh on my plans to spend much of 2020 living on a cruise ship, but my Facebook feed offers a steady stream of travel memes and reminders. They mostly come from the Travel Quotes community page, but my fellow world cruisers are quick to share their thoughts as well. Many involved humor.

Travel is so much more for me than checking off a list of countries, or a bucket list.

What I miss about not traveling is the chance to see what the world looks like and how others live. In experiencing their lives, my life gets changed in the bargain. Mark Twain is among those who have observed this:

Travel changes not just me, but the way I see the world:

Anthony Bourdain went even further in describing the way travel changed him:

Speaking of Anthony Bourdain, he is one of a number of well-known writers and travelers to write an introduction to one of “The Best American Travel Writing” series. Jason Wilson edits them every year, and I’ve enjoyed checking them out from the library to pass “pandemic time.”

But when I don’t have the time or inclination to dive into a book, a meme can send me right back to the journey, as Pat Conroy wrote:

And once again, I am reminded of how I have changed:

After all …

And if you are lucky …

I’ve always been drawn to the life of a storyteller, first as a reporter and editor, then later even asking “What’s Your Story?” on my public relations company’s website

Perhaps Winnie the Pooh summed up my travel passion best:

He also put into words my feelings of uncertainty and disappointment as our world cruise came to an abrupt halt in Perth nine months ago.

And once home …