Thoughts on travel

[xiphias]

We are going to Italy this summer. We should have bought our plane tickets already; we haven't. Lis wants me to take on some more responsibility for this stuff, as I'm the person who's home during the day and generally have more free time than she does.

I don't want to.

Because I hate travel.

So, Lis asked me just now if I'd go through the Rick Steve's Guide to Rome, just to look at things that I'd find fun and want to do.

"Just so you know," I told her, "I'm now feeling nervous and scared."

"Why?"

"It's related to travel; I'm feeling fear and discomfort with the idea of even looking at the book for Rome."

"Hmm. How would you feel if I asked you to look through things for Western Mass, Lenox and the Berkshires and all that?"

"Um. . . let's see. . . bored and resentful, but not nervous and scared."

"I'm just trying to understand I work out the parameters.

"Yes, I understand that."

"How about New York City?"

"Also bored and resentful, but no fear yet."

"DC?"

"Now I'm starting to feel the nervousness."

"But when you WERE in DC, you enjoyed it."

"Yes, I know. Okay, I'm starting to feel scared and dizzy."

"Alright. Why don't you go sit down. Are you feeling too out-of-it to blog this?"

"No, I think I can do that."

"It might be a good idea to document this, just for future reference."

So I did.

Comments

[hobbitblue.livejournal.com]

Can you do the mental split of "planning a dream holiday I'll never take but I'll see what's out there" while conviently ignoring the fact you'll be travelling? Travel is scary but I usually get so caught up in the wow factors of seeing what's out there that I can kind of gloss over the details. Maybe start with the fun dreaming parts first?

[xiphias.livejournal.com]

Ah -- but, see, I hate BOTH parts of travelling -- both the GETTING somewhere and the BEING somewhere parts.

If I could be somewhere for just an hour or two, then that would be fine. I like new things, and I like new people, and I like new foods and new experiences. But I HATE new places.

My dream holiday would involve staying home. And having lots of people from all over the place coming by and telling me about different parts of the world, and maybe looking at maps and seeing pictures and cooking foods from all over the place.

So long as I didn't personally have to GO there.

To me, the dreaming isn't fun. I mean, yeah. There are things in Italy that are going to be cool to see -- Castel Gandalfo, Bruneschelli's Dome, all sorts of cool things.

And, if I'm going to be in Italy, and I'm going to see those things, I'll enjoy them.

But I don't want to see them.

Being there, and seeing them, I'll enjoy it. But I do not, now, look forward with any pleasant anticipation to the experience of doing so, even though, intellectually, I suspect that I will enjoy the experience.