The Psychology of Travel

Posted on September 23, 2013 by Abril

Oh travel, travel, travel… One of the things that moves me in life, both literally and metaphorically. The extraordinary discovery of people and places thru exploring and adventure. A source of happiness and inspiration for me.

How fitting then, that right in the middle of my travels, I stumbled upon the Grand Hotel exhibition at the Vancouver Art Gallery. An exhibit focused on travel and the role of hotels in this industry. Full of historic and curious facts, photos, vintage memorabilia, and some creative art installations. All nestled in the beauty of the neoclassical building that used to be the main courthouse in Vancouver. What an enjoyable afternoon I spent there.

You may not know this about me, but I love history, ever since I was in grade school. So of course I fully enjoyed reading all the interesting information displayed all across the exhibit: the facts and stories about iconic hotels around the world, the history they brewed within their walls, their social and cultural impact, their legacy on design and architecture . However, my favorite piece of information talked about the psychology of travel, stating that “The travel industry is predicated on our innate desire for escape, for an outlet to abandon the monotony of our daily existence in favour of adventure and the opportunity to revamp our identities, even if only temporarily.”

In my experience, I have found this to be true. I can’t deny my innate desire to escape and reinvent myself thru travel. I just don’t agree that travel allows us to do this only temporarily. At least in my case, travel has left a permanent mark in my life. It doesn’t only allow us to escape whatever circumstances we’re trying to leave behind at any given moment, it forces us to face the one thing we can never really escape from, ourselves. It is getting lost in travel and the world, that we often find ourselves. And yes, it does present an opportunity to “revamp our identities” by showing us who we really are, and most importantly who we want to be. Travel is not just a journey of discovering the world, it’s also a journey of self-discovery. What we find on such journeys are no temporary treasures, but ones that will last a lifetime.

Now, more than two months into my latest travel adventure and as much as I have loved every second of it, I’m ready to close this chapter. I feel forever grateful for the opportunity to come and go and live thru all these experiences, but as much as we like to fantasize about abandoning “the monotony of our daily existence”, nothing can replace the comfort it gives us. Just as excited as I was when first embarking on this journey, I’m now looking forward to my return to the familiar, the routine, the ordinary.

As usual I leave you with the corresponding photos. I hope you enjoy them and that you feel inspired to travel and to share your thoughts on this subject.

Travel: Victoria

Posted on September 19, 2013 by Abril

Have you ever felt like you have lived many lives in your short not-even-over lifetime? Because I have, for many years. I look back at certain periods of my life, and they seem to have been a whole other life, a lifetime ago. Usually, these chapters of my life are well defined by specific events, situations and locations, and have a clear beginning and end. They are all so different from one another. The memories of them sometimes feel like I’m watching a dream or a movie, and I find myself trying to grasp the fact that I’ve actually lived thru them all myself.

The most recent experience with this sensation relates to my time in Canada, which has kind of taken me by surprise. It was barely a month ago that I was still in the northern country, enjoying a lovely weekend in Victoria with my dearly beloved…how can that feel like a lifetime ago already? It feels like such a different life, so far removed from where I stand now. Perhaps it has to do with so much happening in such a short period time; perhaps it’s all this coming and going that messes with my perception of time, of movement, of life, making me feel at times even disoriented; perhaps it’s just the nostalgia of knowing such a wonderful summer, a lovely time in my life, even if ever matched or surpassed by others (they do say the best is yet to come), is after all unrepeatable.

They also say that to remember is to live again, so as I share my photos of the Butchart Gardens and Victoria’s downtown with you, I can almost go back in time and relive it all. Unfortunately for you guys, my photos don’t come even close to making Victoria, the gardens and all of their beauty justice. Actually, I don’t think any photo ever will. Nonetheless, I hope you enjoy them.

Look of the Day: Essentially Seattle

Posted on September 4, 2013 by Abril

I am so behind with my blogger duties, and with the unofficial end of summer already here, the pressure to get caught up has only gotten worst. So bear with me my friends as I attempt to keep up with sharing my summer adventures with you.

As you may already know, during my stay in Vancouver, I took a quick weekend trip down to the Emerald City a.k.a Seattle. One of my closest cousins (funny fact: I happen to have around 50 first cousins!) lives in this gorgeous city with her husband and kids, so this trip was more about spending time with family than exploring. Nevertheless, we managed to do a quick tour of some of Seattle’s must-sees, like the Space Needle and Pike Market. Luckily, Luzma (my cousin) has no problem being around a camera, in fact she’s awesome posing for it, but this time she volunteered to be behind mine to help me shoot a Look of the Day.

I am so happy to finally get to feature my beloved cognac backpack here on the blog, which I bought especially for my summer travels. I had been wanting a 90’s style backpack for a while, and this studded one from Aldo was love at first sight. It has been my loyal companion for the past 2 months, and I foresee us living happily together for many years to come.