Reading and traveling is a match made in heaven. I can’t live without either, and I think more people should be excited about reading new books and traveling to new places.
If you were to research about people who have left a lasting impact on this world, you will be amazed to find out that most of them were avid readers and they loved to travel. Why? Because! Reading is food for your mind and soul. It broadens the horizons for you. Books open up a world to you that is just for you to revel and flourish in. Through reading, you learn, and by learning, you excel. I actually believe in this, and it is a principle that I like to live by. I read a lot, and it is my favorite activity after traveling.
Oh, traveling! Just talking about it with you right now is sending down shivers of joy down my body. My mind, my heart and my soul, all in unison, are urging me to set out on another journey, an adventure. Do you feel the same way about traveling to new places? Or, does your work routine not allow you to take the luxury of having some time for yourself? Haven’t we all been there? Don’t we all have places to be, work to do, chores to take care of, bills to pay, etc.? If you have traveled to different parts of the world, you already know what I am talking about. For those who are yet to set out on the journeys that will define your life, take my hand as I paint a picture for you to marvel at.
Traveling is the best and most intimate way of learning about new cultures and different people that speak all sorts of languages. Imagine sitting in a tent on a beautiful desert in Marrakech, Morrocco, watching the stars that seem so close you could just pick them out of the sky. Doing salsa with some delightful feisty dancers on the street in front of a café in Cuba. Kissing your partner on a gondola ride in Venice. Watching a theatre show at a perfectly sunlit antique stone-theatre in Santorini, Greece, while you munch on the local cuisine. How about a drive around the colorful markets of Old City, Jerusalem? Such captivating beauty is everywhere! It is waiting for you. You just need to take control of your life, and just set out on the journey of self-discovery.
And, if you can’t do that right away, you will definitely find solace in the welcoming arms of a good book. When you open that book and smell that sweet fragrance of the paper, you just know that you have opened the portal to a magical space of your own. All your worries are fading away. Worldly thoughts have become irrelevant already. You don’t feel the pain anymore, just the warmth of these beautiful words. You are now a part of the story and this story is yours. Nobody can take this away from you, it is yours and only yours.
If any of this appeals to you, just try reading a novel today, or book a vacation trip. Maybe a short one for now, just to get your feet wet. I promise you, you will never go back to your old life and its ways. Hold my hand and let’s walk together, on a journey of reading and exploring. You game?
