I love to travel. It started for me early in my career when I had to spend a week in Thailand to help a client upgrade their IT systems. The week was very hectic,- hour days at work, social business invitations after, I didn’t have a lot of time to myself at all. I ended up taking a day of annual leave though and staying in Bangkok for the weekend and the following Monday. Those three days opened my eyes. Thailand was such a different world to what I had in Melbourne, Australia. I was hooked, I needed to see what else the world had to offer. I’d officially caught the travel bug.
Since the Thailand introduction to the world, I’ve been sent to Africa, Europe and throughout Asia. My business trips were not where is ended though, with all the mileage points I accrued, I continued to travel in my spare time. I simply love seeing new places and meeting new people.
Pretty early in the piece I realised that travel meant memories. When I understood this, I realised there were three things you needed to pack, to ensure you kept your memories for ever. So a camera, a travel diary and a pen were always the first three things I packed. I have been rewarded for my foresight. My walls are now adorned with my favorite photos of places I’ve been, people I’ve met and all those special moments. And whenever I am in the mood to reminisce, I pick up one of my journals and read. The prose isn’t 100% refined, but ahhh, the memories.
When reflecting on these journeys, I can see how much my mind has been opened by the experiences I have had. In witnessing the diversity the world has to offer, I have become a wiser person, a better person.
Then there are the people I’ve met on the way. In accepting their hospitality, their customs and generosity, my heart has been opened. Sure, they may have a different way of doing things, a different way of interpreting events, they are just people though, people like you and I. In learning to accept them without prejudice, my capacity for love and tolerance increased immensely.
Travel has been really good to me. I am a much better person for my experiences and so I write about them. Writing about these experiences means I can share the insights I have developed with people who have not been as fortunate as I, people who are not blessed with the opportunity to travel. In sharing such insights, the experiences which have helped me become a more tolerant, accepting person may help someone else do the same.
So in sharing my experiences, maybe I can promote a more tolerant and harmonious world. Why don’t you share your experiences too. Help me make the world as peaceful as we can.
Damian Papworth likes to submit travel articles to immortalise his travel experiences
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