Regarding the previous seminar we’ve had, the whole thing was revolving around the question of “Why travel?”. First, there is no way a question, a topic like this can be fully covered with just some personal thoughts, because when people share an opinion, they tend to make it one-sided, and that does not represent the whole. So back to the topic of Why Travel, I am going make some personal points and connections about the topic, but it does not represent everything about this topic, it’s just from my own perspective.

  Traveling provides you a chance to step out of your comfort zone. Nowadays we can literally “travel” around the world and enjoy it through internet and social media. However, visually experiencing things are different from physically doing it. People start to get way to comfortable surfing on social media instead of trying to bond with the world. You’ll get a peek at different kinds of cultures and societal norms and amazed by the similarities and diversities of the cultures around the world.

  One of the most important reasons of why travel is immersing yourself in the local cultures. Very often, it becomes easy for us to form judgments and opinions on different races and cultures based on what we read online. But through traveling you’ll be able to acknowledge human beings in a way that no classroom or book ever could. This time you can judge them all you want, except with your eyes not the others. 

  With overpacked schedules and a never-ending to-do list, we become way to focused on ‘what’s next’ so that we forget to live in the present. Traveling is a great way to break away from this cage and embrace the beauty of the Earth. While traveling requires you to stay motioning, it helps you focus on the adventure ahead, like where your foot’s going to step onto, instead of the boundless future, which might be too much for your brain to take. 

  Through a person’s life, you watch the people come and go, even the ones closest to you can’t be by your side all the time. But during the process of interacting with them is when you receive the essence of the world, and that might be what’s considered the meaning of living.

  Journey and home is one of the most significant themes in J.R.R. Tolkien’s novels. For Bilbo, journey is even more crucial. At the start of The Hobbit Bilbo had no desire to leave his home and travel into danger’s path, he is indeed more content where he is, home. But once he has to step onto journey due to all kinds of reason, he slowly discovers the meaning of traveling. Sometimes the outcome of the journey really isn’t the most important thing about it, it’s the process, the things you that you comprehend, the people you met on the way that truly matters. Says the quote “Wherever I lay my hat (that’s my home)” from Marvin Gaye, he finds a sense of belonging and comfort in the temporary relationships he forms, as opposed to a physical location or a traditional idea of home. Wherever you are, as long as you find the place bonding with you, that’s home. 

  These were some of the thoughts that I didn’t really get to share during the seminar last week. It was my bad that I didn’t share them at that time, but it sure would be an advancement if we can maybe start the seminar at the beginning class or as soon as possible next time? So that more people would have time to digest up the questions and make more valuable answers, as to the students that weren’t able to share would get more chance if they hesitated. Just some personal suggestions.

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