After watching movies like Before Sunrise and reading books like Eat Pray Love the notion that the purpose of travel is somehow linked to self-discovery has grown on me. The characters in these pieces often spontaneously decide to leave all they have behind and backpack around Europe for a month. They wander aimlessly through the cobbled streets of Prague, stroll along the canals of Amsterdam, and eat croissants at Parisian cafés. Often times, they stumble upon people who are just as lost as they are, and the whole story turns into a dreamy summer romance. And then, as if it wasn’t already clichéd enough, they return home changed people, crediting their newfound selves to a two-week holiday in the South of France. The truth, however, is that there is so much more to travel than self-discovery.
This is not to say that travel has no purpose. On the contrary, I feel that travel is one of the most freeing experiences people can have. It’s wondrous, eye-opening, escapist. But at its core, travel is mainly one thing. It’s fun. This may sound overly simple, insulting, even, to travel itself. How can travel just be fun? Because there isn’t really anything wrong at all with things just being fun. We’re allowed to do things just because we enjoy them, because they make us happy and help us forget about our mundane lives. There’s no need to over-analyze something as simple as travel and put it on a pedestal. It’s counter-productive and takes away from what travel really is, stripped down. It’s incredible. It lets you discover places you never knew existed, meet people you wouldn’t have interacted with otherwise, eat food that leaves unfamiliar, yet delicious, flavors on your tongue. New cultures, new sensations, a new environment. Travel is something else nothing else can give you. It sort of humbles you a little bit. Helps you realize that the world doesn’t revolve around you. And yes, it really does help ‘widen your horizons’. Having lived in the Greater China region for over seven years, I’ve traveled extensively in China, to places like Xinjiang, Gansu, and Tibet. Initially, I was under the impression that China consisted of only jiaozi, zhajiangmian, and baijiu. In reality, China is so much more than that, and I would have never discovered it for myself if I didn’t travel. After traveling to all these places within China, I started associating China with things like lamb kebabs, the smell of melted butter in Tibetan monasteries, and camels in the Gobi Desert. There is always more to things than you think, and in my opinion, travel is one of the ways you can explore that.
I love traveling, I really do. Most of my happiest memories are from the many trips I’ve taken, and especially during times like these, where the furthest we travel to is the grocery store down the road, I find myself trying to relive past holidays. I think that’s because now more than ever, we crave an escape from how isolated our lives have become. I, for one, often think back to the trip I took to Australia during Chinese New Year. Maybe it’s because it was the last time I can remember being around so many people without a hint of fear, but I think we can now agree that travel has taken on a different role. Never again will we take it for granted, and this is why I believe that due to this pandemic, some of us will see travel in a different light.
When you travel, don’t focus on making sure that the trip teaches you something. Don’t look for a purpose when there doesn’t have to be one. Focus on losing yourself in the surroundings, genuinely enjoying your experiences, immersing yourself in the trip. That’s all.
Sharanya Trivedi is a Year 10 student. Originally from India, she has lived in several countries across the world and has been in Beijing since 2017. An avid reader and debater, she is a devoted fan of the k-pop band BTS.
This article appeared in the beijingkids 2020 June issue
