Many people talk about their love of travel, few follow up with action.
There seems to me to be a perception in American culture that traveling for fun is the domain of the very rich. Sure, we vacation, but traveling to me is greater than vacationing.
A vacation implies a break from life, but I don't look at travel in that light. To me, travel is a part of a well-lived life, not separate from it. I do not travel to party, though my Couchsurfing adventures have introduced me to a few parties I otherwise wouldn't have gotten to experience. I do not travel to just check out museums, though I do love seeing the culture that a city chooses to display and highlight- in the same way I love wandering the streets of Seattle and stumbling upon a small gallery, or taking refuge in the Seattle Art Museum after a stressful day of work- these are parts of a successful trip, but not the raison d'etre.
I see guided tours of a city like a visit to a museum. I love history and most guided tours are simply a history lesson of the place you are currently standing in. Sure, I could research the history of a city and the destinations I'm interested in, but personal stories from a guide about the city they live in now is a part of the tour experience, and gives a perspective on how people relate the history of a place to their present. One tour I recommend to everyone who visits me in Seattle is the Underground Tour. A fun-filled hour that gives the best flavor of Seattle's founding and a perspective on how locals currently see our city. It's tour I go on myself every few years.
Travel is about experiences. I travel to connect myself with the world outside my apartment. And I do come from somewhere, Seattle if you were confused about the title. That history influences my perspective of the world and, if you know anything about Seattle, gives you a little understanding of that perspective.
