Why We Travel Part 2
If your dreams don’t scare you they’re not big enough- Unknown
I actually wrote about why we travel in chapter 21 in our new book Running All Over The World, Our Race Against Early Onset Alzheimer’s. Here is a portion of that chapter.
Travel has been in my blood my entire adult life, but it goes deeper than that. As we took self-guided tours of Venice, I realized, that certain things about travel intrigued me. I’m a planner and manager by heart. I have spent most of my adult life managing assets and find that to be a better fit for me than actually flying airplanes from point A to B safely. I really enjoy the planning part of travel and then putting those plans into action. The points of interest are nice to look at, but figuring out how to get around on my own is where the real thrill exists.
During this trip I have been asking random people why they travel, and here are some answers that I have been given:
- It’s something I have always done
- For the excitement
- To meet new and different people
- To see it for yourself
- Because my father didn’t
- Because my parents did
- Because we can
- For the adventure
- It makes for a good story to tell others
- You only live once
- To get a better perspective of the world
Another reason to travel is to learn.
As we age, our brains don’t do as well as when we were younger. Seeing new and exciting things keeps those synapses fired up, especially for folks like Catherine with younger-onset Alzheimer’s. I have noticed the difference for myself too. These memories will stay with me for a lifetime, as opposed to who said what to who on the latest TV show.
Something occurred to me the other day. That there is a more important reason why we travel then what is listed in that book. As a caregiver for someone with Early Onset Alzheimer’s, EOA, it can be frustrating sometimes. For me I use travel as a way to escape or in other words keep myself occupied with the planning and actual new views and perspective while caring for Catherine.
I have talked about previously how it benefits Catherine.
It is hard for either of us to obsess on our current situation while walking thru a botanical garden in some far flung country. Catherine and I are really looking forward to our trip to Berlin and Scotland later this month with Marathon Tours and Travel.
Berlin is particularly special for me since it was the first marathon I ran after open heart surgery seven years ago. That was only 3 months after my surgery. It is also bitter sweet since it was around the same time we came to the realization that our lives will forever be changed with the diagnosis of EOA for Catherine. We are not running the marathon this time around but will be doing the breakfast run . In Scotland we will be doing the Lockness 10K.
Berlin 2014
Covid has put a bit of hitch in our Giddyup.
The lack of socialization has negatively effected both of us. We did some travel to Mexico and Aruba this time last year but besides that we have been mostly stateside. We have nothing against the good old US of A but there is something special about the sights and sounds of a foreign land. We really miss the socialization you get when touring a new place along with making new best friends along the way. I realize the travel across the pond will be tough on both of us but hope it will be well worth it.
In the mean time we are off to the states of Washington and Idaho with Mainly Marathons to get them both checked off our Half marathon and 10K’s lists. That will be state number 39 and 40 in our new quest to run a half marathon in all 50 states. Catherine completed them all as full marathons in October of last year. I still have 8 states to go but still undecided if I am going to go down that road.