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Rick Steves: I'm Traveling, Even Though I'm Stuck at Home
For the past 30 years, Ive spent every summer abroad in Europe. Now Ive realized that traveling isnt just a pastimeits a mindset.
For many people, travel is a way of life. When not on the road, we dream of being on the road. As we fly home from one trip, were planning the next. That certainly describes me. And yet, several months into the pandemic, Ive realized that the essence of traveling requires no passport and no plane ticket. A good traveler can take a trip and never leave her hometown.
For the past 30 years, Ive spent four months in Europe each year, writing guidebooks, producing travel television, and leading bus tours. Since mid-March, Ive slept in the same bed. Ive eaten dinner at the same table with the same person. A weekly venture to the supermarket is my big excursion. Theres nothing in my pockets, nothing on my calendar, and the only things Im wearing out are my favorite slippers. Im home for my first Seattle summer since 1980.
Stuck here, Ive been pondering a big question: Why do I travel? When I was young, I sought out vacations on which I could have fun checking iconic sights off my bucket list. As the years went on, I realized that I traveled more to get out of my comfort zone, to find who I was in the immense scheme of things, and to fly home with the best souvenir: a broader perspective. Since March, Ive tried to apply this mindset to my current situation. Ive found that I can satisfy my wanderlust with sightseeing highlights just down the street and cultural eurekas that I never appreciated. Before the pandemic, I didnt think to savor the little, nearby joys in the same way I did while abroad. To be honest, I ignored them. Now I notice the tone of the ferrys horn, the majesty of my hometown sunset.
Similarly, while I enjoy sampling new cuisines abroad, Im lost in my own kitchen. I never cooked until this yearliterally never made pasta, never used olive oil, never cared that there are different kinds of potatoes. Now, like someone experiencing the delights of Europe for the first time, I thrill at the sensation of a knife cutting through a crisp onion.
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/08/how-we-travel-when-we-cant/614800/
For many people, travel is a way of life. When not on the road, we dream of being on the road. As we fly home from one trip, were planning the next. That certainly describes me. And yet, several months into the pandemic, Ive realized that the essence of traveling requires no passport and no plane ticket. A good traveler can take a trip and never leave her hometown.
For the past 30 years, Ive spent four months in Europe each year, writing guidebooks, producing travel television, and leading bus tours. Since mid-March, Ive slept in the same bed. Ive eaten dinner at the same table with the same person. A weekly venture to the supermarket is my big excursion. Theres nothing in my pockets, nothing on my calendar, and the only things Im wearing out are my favorite slippers. Im home for my first Seattle summer since 1980.
Stuck here, Ive been pondering a big question: Why do I travel? When I was young, I sought out vacations on which I could have fun checking iconic sights off my bucket list. As the years went on, I realized that I traveled more to get out of my comfort zone, to find who I was in the immense scheme of things, and to fly home with the best souvenir: a broader perspective. Since March, Ive tried to apply this mindset to my current situation. Ive found that I can satisfy my wanderlust with sightseeing highlights just down the street and cultural eurekas that I never appreciated. Before the pandemic, I didnt think to savor the little, nearby joys in the same way I did while abroad. To be honest, I ignored them. Now I notice the tone of the ferrys horn, the majesty of my hometown sunset.
Similarly, while I enjoy sampling new cuisines abroad, Im lost in my own kitchen. I never cooked until this yearliterally never made pasta, never used olive oil, never cared that there are different kinds of potatoes. Now, like someone experiencing the delights of Europe for the first time, I thrill at the sensation of a knife cutting through a crisp onion.
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/08/how-we-travel-when-we-cant/614800/
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Rick Steves: I'm Traveling, Even Though I'm Stuck at Home (Original Post)
demmiblue
Aug 2020
OP
Fritz Walter
(4,290 posts)1. He made this video almost two weeks ago
A pay-toilet at home? And only four squares of TP per visit? Where'd he pick up that idea?
While I've been self-isolating, I've been binge-watching his YouTube channel because I hope to travel again next summer (my vacation this year was cancelled).
Thanks for posting this story.
lucca18
(1,239 posts)2. Love this video. So true!
Dem2theMax
(9,637 posts)3. Thanks for posting the article. And I love the video.
He looks great with a beard!
He has the best job in the world. Getting paid to travel. He seems so serious when he's doing his videos, but his books are hysterical.
I'm making a travel bucket list. Now I have to figure out how to win the lottery.