A Wandering I Will Go

Oh, may I go a-wandering
Until the day I die!
Oh, may I always laugh and sing,
Beneath God's clear blue sky!

Sometimes I think I was born with a sense of Wanderlust. Perhaps it was in my family's genetic makeup. My family came from England to the American colonies in 1749 and by the 1850's had planted family trees in Virginia, Kentucky, Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma and northeast Texas. Today you'll find us in the far northwest (Washington State), the far Southwest (Arizona) . . . literally from boarder to boarder and coast to coast.  My Mom used to say that the Appleby's had itchy feet. 
My earliest memories are those of trips taken. I have shadowy memories of doing transatlantic
crossing on the Queen Mary in the early 1950's with my Mom and sister as we traveled to England to visit my Mom's family. Then there were the many "road trip" vacations with my aunt and uncle (Edna Mae & Raymond Grace). These no doubt contributed to that spirit of wanderlust.

Me at Mount Pleasant Inn in Arkansas June 1958

However, I suspect the fact that our family moved so frequently may have made a contribution as well. Seems my Dad's job required us to move from one town to another as he set up service departments for General Motors Corporation. We lived for a short while in nearly every community in southeast Texas and a few in west Texas.

Me at Marvel Cave June 1958

Since those early days God has opened the doors so that I have traveled the world and have developed friendships with people around the planet. From Australia to England to Japan; From Israel, Egypt, Turkey and Greece; From Central America and the Caribbean as well as a lot of places in between, I have seen the world. I have stood in places and seen sites that most people only read and dream about.



As a result of all that moving and traveling I came to see travel as a life journey which offered me wonderful sights to see and even more wonderful people to meet.  Augustine of Hippo is absolutely right when he said, "The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page." I want to at least take a peek at every page.

In many ways the world is my oyster . . . within limits I  have the ability and the freedom to go and do exactly what I choose. I choose to experience as much of this world as I can in whatever time I have.  I have discovered that travel enriches my life through its great life lessons in human relationships with a lot of great scenery and wonderful experiences as side benefits.

I don't care if you're a leisure traveler or an adventure traveler . . . . travel will enrich your life. I have also found that travel is far better with a companion than alone. A good travel partner is like a good marriage partner . . . the difficulties are easier to bear and the joyous times are amplified through the shared experiences along the way.

I have people when they see on Facebook where I am and what I am doing say, "I wish I had your life."  I often reply, "Believe me, you don't want my life. What you want is a richer life experience than you now have and the wonderful thing is, you can have it."  Sometimes they will complain that they can never afford to go to the places I have been and that may well be true of some. But even those can take a road trip to a nearby site or adventure. Among my most treasured moments is the hour my wife and I spent on a scenic overlook just out of Bastrop, Texas that thousands of people living their harried and hurried lives drive by each day.  It was where we shared a terrific panoramic view, some tasty homemade sandwiches and few quiet moments together.

However, for most the reason they don't travel is not really a matter of cost but of intention and planning. Most of us can have it if you plan for it. You may not read the whole book but at least you can read a few chapters.  If money is tight here is what I suggest . . .

1. Decide where you want to go and what you want to do. In short create your own dream trip. It might be a cruise, an island resort, a ski trip, or just to watch your favorite baseball team play a series of games on the road. The point is begin by planning what kind of trip you want to have.
2. Find a photo of the kind of place to which you want to travel. Get a refrigerator magnet and put it on your 'frig. Start telling friends about your dream vacation. Ask them questions like, "If you could go anywhere in the world where would it be? Or, "what would you do if money were not a consideration?" Let them answer and then share your dream trip.
3. Set the date you want to travel.
4. Develop a plan to raise the money. I remember my mother wanting to go to England and so she began saving a few dollars, and I mean a few hard earned dollars, a week. She took that trip not once but several times that way.
5. Enlist the help of a Travel Agent.

I have come to learn through travel that what Mark Twain said in his book Innocents Abroad, about travel. He stated: "Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.” Travel will make you a better person or expose you for the person you really are.



So get up and go somewhere . . . remember, you are not just accumulating miles of travel you are making memories for a lifetime.  Let's make some memories together.