Travelling is the Way of Life

There’s a curious spirit within us, a craving for new challenges and exploring the unknown. There are thousands of different ways around you which can take you on thousands of different adventures. Each one teaches you something new. Somewhere you fall in deep and you learn to hope, not giving up and trying harder. Another way teaches you cautiousness and obedience. Somewhere you follow and listen. And then, somewhere, you resist and run away. From each direction you see the sunrise, but from a different angle. The fall will anger you and make you cry, the second fall will make you laugh. One flight between the stars will touch you, the second won't mean anything. One obstacle will be painful and harmful, the next decision will be full of love and happiness. Each path will provide some kind of experience. One fist will kick your butt, another will embrace you and protect you.

Each direction has its own story, its own lecture. But if you stick to one spot and don’t try anything, you learn nothing, meet nobody, and discover nothing new. You just freeze. You are empty. There’s no purpose. You don't live. You’re familiar with only one universe, but around it are so many universes which want to be seen and known. There's no breeze on your check, no pointy rocks under your feet, and the heart isn’t beating of adrenaline. You don't reach the tops of mountains or breathe in the air, which fills your lungs with life. You don’t experience that feeling when you sit on a stone wreckage, looking at the flowing river beneath you flowing into the sea, or clouds that touch the horizon, or the unknown, hidden behind the curtain of gases and rays, drawn only by curiosity. Is it not exactly the essence of humanity to breathe with nature and admire its beauty?

I was lucky I could travel a lot with my mom. Due to her fear of flying, we picked a bus at the travel agency and travelled across Europe with a group of jolly travellers. The Czech Republic, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom... I got tired of just sitting on a Mediterranean beach. Even today, I prefer to go to the mountains or spend time at a peaceful lake, rather than spend the whole day at the beach, sunbathing. I rather go somewhere where I can be among the shade of the plants, in the silence of the forest where only bird-singing can be heard, and the trickling water. Pure and green nature, city centres and sights attract me more. Also, museums, galleries and medieval streets.

Our high-school sports teacher has repeatedly provided us with PowerPoint presentations of his trips during substitution hours, showing us his travels by bike. He stayed in small hostels or at friendly hosts’ homes. As part of the optional sports days, students could also choose cycling trips around Slovenia. On these travels, you don’t see only the world and other cultures, you also get to know yourself, gain self-confidence, meet new friends and have new experiences.

When I get my motorbike licence, I would like to find a group of enthusiastic bikers and travel across Europe. Travelling on foot or by bike can be too hard. I would like to visit the Scandinavian countries, Iceland, Ireland, Siberia, Alaska, mainly because of the wonderful nature, and, partly as a joke, before the glaciers melt. I would love to look up with wonder at the northern lights. Exotic and hot countries don’t really interest me. I prefer to be alone, and in the peace and quiet of a cool forest. We can soon expect spacecraft and holidaying on the Moon as was promised to us. But until then, we’ll have to wait a little longer.