The Pleasures of Travelling

There are, for me, few pleasures to match that of travelling. I describe myself, I believe accurately, as a traveller rather than a tourist. Tourism has never interested me. I hope it does not sound superior when I say that I want experiences deeper and more long-lasting than tourism provides. This might sound rather strange, given that some years of my life involved me in being a tour leader in Europe, Viet Nam and Australia. However, the tours I led were cultural tours and therefore educationally focused.
When I travel, I want to learn about the nature of the country, city or village I find myself in. What makes that place the community it is? What can I learn from it to apply to my own life and in what aspects of my life. In short, what can i learn from the gift of travelling?
It has been my life, from my boyhood when I took the occasional day off school and rode my bike into the centre of London to explore, sometimes including the docks where my travel imagination was stimulated by the sight of ships of many flags and places of registration. Where had they been? Where were they going? I longed to be on board.
Later life in two armies (British and Australian) enabled me to continue exploring new places, delving as deeply as I could into their cultures, their life of the everyday. As an independent traveller and as a student, I chose places to visit and absorb. As a tour leader, I had the pleasure of sharing the learning experience with those who came with me, as keen as I am to learn.
The fact for me is, life is exciting, life offers opportunities to learn every moment, and life is for serving, sharing, celebrating and loving. Travel is one of the great opportunities.
I hope you enjoy travelling with me in "Unpacking Italy: passions of a traveller".

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