The Magic of Travel

What is it about getting ready for a trip that is so magical? Is it just the anticipation of escaping the drudgery of everyday life? Is it biological? Perhaps endorphins pump into the bloodstream with the mere thought of new adventures and new horizons.

Whatever it is, the ability of a planned trip to render worries and problems less important to us is a happy development. What once caused us to obsess and stress ourselves out is suddenly overshadowed by thoughts like, “what am I going to pack?” (if you are a woman) and “when are we going to get there?” (if you are a man).  I’m not saying we don’t stress about what to pack. We surely do. I’m just saying it’s a different kind of stress. It’s a fun kind of stress, if you know what I mean.

We can even believe that we actually get more for our travel money than the usual seven days and six nights, if we add in the days leading up to the trip that pass in a fuzzy blur of anticipation and last-minute preparations. And then finally, the day arrives when we are off! That feeling when your plane takes off, or the car pulls out of the driveway, or the cruise ship drifts away and land recedes into the background, is liberating and exhilarating. The thought might be, “All of my troubles are left behind and my entire vacation stretches out before me.” There’s nothing else quite like it. If that feeling of lightness and shedding of worries could just be preserved, life would be a whole lot easier and more enjoyable.

The next time you plan your dream vacation, remember that feeling and make sure you savor it and enjoy it. It’s one of the things that makes travel so magical.