I travel because I have read about a place and want to experience that place for myself. Or because I have watched a movie and am inspired to see where it was filmed.
History is one of my motivators for travel. I want to see places, buildings, cities that I have read about in books or seen in films. Some places I have visited because I was inspired by books or movies are:
- Prince Edward Island, Canada - Inspired by Anne of Green Gables
- United Kingdom - inspired by various books by authors including Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, JRR Tolkien and JK Rowling. Also by historical figures like Elizabeth I, Robert the Bruce and Jack the Ripper, and by historical events like the beheading of Anne Boleyn, the marriage of Prince Charles and Lady Diana, and the death of Princess Diana. Also the Harry Potter films, and Stonehenge.
- New Zealand - inspired by The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit films
- Australia - inspired by the Crocodile Dundee films and the unique animals
- Thailand - I wanted to go to South East Asia and was inspired by the movie The Beach, though I did not go to Phuket, where this movie was filmed
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| Chiang Mai, Thailand |
I have traveled just to sit on a beach, or lay in a hammock. But that is not my main motivation for traveling. I want to see and experience everything I can while I am in a location, because I may not get the chance to come back again.
I had an argument with my mom prior to leaving for Australia because I wanted to go to the Red Centre and see Uluru. This was an expensive excursion and my mom was against me spending money to see "just a rock". I won the argument and added that three day trip onto the end of my Australian adventure. I am so glad that I did go to the Red Centre. It was well worth the extra money spent to get there, and I feel that I have seen everything in Australia that I want to see.
By contrast, I have been to the United Kingdom twice now. The first time I missed seeing the British Museum, so that was first on my list of things to see upon my return ten years later. I have still missed some things. I have to go back to Edinburgh to see the castle and JK Rowling's hand prints, and I have to go back to Oxford because original transcripts from the Lord of the Rings are on display in the Bodleian Library. Those are something to look forward to in a future trip to the UK.
There are lots of reasons to travel. These are just some of the things that motivate me to see the world.
St. Augustine wrote: "The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page."
~Angie
