I’m often asked if I tire of traveling so much. At times, especially when dealing with stupid delays I may feel that way. Being away from home and especially my wife and daughter is tough given that most of my travel is for work. But every time I find my self not traveling for a while, I start getting the itch to get back out there. Even just a routine business trip, I do get pretty excited for most travel.
I’ve talked about my self-diagnosed addiction to travel before, and even as my family has grown, I’m still afflicted. Now I just have a little daughter to share it with.
Beyond traveling and sharing my experiences here, I enjoy reading about it; various travel magazines are usually on my list for light reading. I’ve found various quotes about travel that may help explain this disorder that I have, or at least were meaningful to me. I tried to only include quotes that I could confirm that were attributed to the author. I share the feelings many of these quotes express, and they often say it better than I could. I’m sure there are many more.
Favorite travel quotes
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.” – Mark Twain
Mark Twain is a wise man. This is one of the biggest gifts I’ve received from my travels, opening my eyes to new cultures, customs, and cuisines.
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” –Mark Twain
Another from Mr. Clemens. Some nautical references, but for someone that died over 105 years ago, the advice this line provides is still pretty current.
This quote is even older, from the 4th Century:
“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” – St. Augustine
“Our battered suitcases were piled on the sidewalk again; we had longer ways to go. But no matter, the road is life.” – Jack Kerouac
There are many parts of On the Road that I didn’t relate to, but the yearning for exploration is something I can agree with.
“We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open.” – Jawaharial Nehru
This really sums up world travel for me. Open eyes and an open mind to what is out there. The world would be a better place if everyone felt and acted this way.
“Perhaps travel cannot prevent bigotry, but by demonstrating that all peoples cry, laugh, eat, worry, and die, it can introduce the idea that if we try and understand each other, we may even become friends.” – Maya Angelou
A similar sentiment from an American poet/author. Despite language, culture and other barriers, all of us are more similar than we are different.
“To my mind, the greatest reward and luxury of travel is to be able to experience everyday things as if for the first time, to be in a position in which almost nothing is so familiar it is taken for granted.” – Bill Bryson
I’ve written about my fondness for Bill Bryson’s humor and some of his books, many of which are travel related.
“If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay at home.” – James Michener
Another author of noted travel books seems to cover some of the ‘culture shock’ that can occur when traveling. To me, embracing that part of the experience is critical.
“We do not take a trip – a trip takes us.” – John Steinbeck
A quote from Travels with Charley, a during a trip around America with his dog.
“Not all those who wander are lost.” – J. R. R. Tolkien
From the geeky part of my mind, this line from a Tolkien poem in The Lord of the Rings speaks to the desire to explore in a way I can relate.
“Half the fun of the travel is the aesthetic of lostness.” – Ray Bradbury
I couldn’t find an exact source of this quote, but it seems like it was in an article he wrote. ‘Aesthetic of Lostness’. Wow.
“I love to travel, but hate to arrive.” – Albert Einstein
The journey never ends. I never thought I would be quoting Einstein when talking about travel, but this is profound.
“Don’t worry about the world coming to an end today. It’s already tomorrow in Australia.” – Charles M Schultz
Peanuts comic strip licensed CC-BY-SA
Peanuts, always a favorite of mine even touches on the wonders of travel, or at least the running joke about the international date line.
Final thoughts
If you’d like to read some more quotes from any of these people, you can find many of their books at Amazon. That is my affiliate link. That continues to be the only way I have monetized my blog. If you purchase something there, I get a small percentage of whatever is bought. Thanks for reading, and if you want a few pennies to go my way for something you are already going to buy, I’d be grateful.
I found many of these quotes on Matador Network, which sort of inspired this along with various other sources. What are some of your favorite quotes relating to travel?
