“To travel is to live”, said H. C. Andersen, the famous Danish author, poet, and fairy tale teller. He was a wise man, inspiring both children and adults around the world through his enchanting stories. I don’t remember when I first heard these words, but I do know that they stayed with me. They are words that suit my idea of life perfectly. They are words I live by.
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To live is to breathe, to travel is to take in the breathtaking gusts the world sends in your direction. Travelling is much more than putting a pin on the map and experiencing through a guidebook. It is about experiencing yourself in a new setting, it is about learning, about challenging. Why yes, about living. Travelling can be many things, but one thing that it will always be is ever-changing. What we feel when wandering the busy streets, listening to the vastness of the forests, feeling the wind of the mountains, and following the rhythm of the ocean will never be the same. But one thing that will always stay the same is the essence of travelling—broadening our horizons and narrowing the distance between ourselves and the world.
When I was living in Denmark, every day, I would dream of the expanse of our planet. I was dreaming about travelling the globe because, as I thought, the fun must be hidden out there somewhere. Now, when I have moved so far away from what I call home—in terms of kilometres, cultures, and people—I realise that every day is a journey. No matter where on earth we are, we are always on the road, constantly moving from place to place, from person to person, from life to life. Some are rowing against the stream, others flowing gently with the current.
Coming back to H. C. Andersen’s wisdom, I have learnt that not only do we live when we travel. Life is a journey in itself. And if anyone knew about this, H. C. Andersen did when he picturesquely describes the journey of life, from a grey duckling to a beautiful swan, from the pigsty to the princess’s heart.
Life is meant to be travelled, and those who forever wear the wander boots and backpack are the people who truly live.
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