Maine travels and some thoughts.
As some of you may know, I went to Maine recently for my brother-in-law's graduation. Well, not quite, since we skipped the graduation - I'd say it was more of a family reunion thing. Maine was really pretty and charming with bodies of water almost everywhere. The part that we ended up staying in, however, was rather rural with the nearest supermarket a half hour away. Perhaps that's a prerequisite for beauty - unspoiled nature can hardly be found in bustling cities. =P Overall, the vacation was a pretty chill one with one outing per day on average, and most of our time was spent bonding in the Airbnb house with home-cooked meals.
Towards the end of the trip, Jia Wern and I went down to Boston since we were flying off from Boston Logan Airport and wanted to see the city a little. I mean, Maine's lovely and all, but almost every international friend I told about Maine didn't know it was a state, what more to say Portland or Mount Desert Island. Boston? Everyone's heard of it. =P Initially, I had this idea that we could hit New York before we left but decided against it due to the sheer amount of driving we'd have to put ourselves through. We also didn't want to return the car to a different location and/or fly back from a different airport since that would be more expensive. So we kept things simple and just stayed overnight in Boston. Enough to see the city, get a feel of what it's like and do a tiny bit of shopping. Just a tiny bit. =P
And I think that's my kind of travelling, zipping through the city, noting important sights without having to trot all over on foot. I like to see new things, but mainly just to broaden my knowledge base. In other words, I want to be able to go "Ah yes, I know what you're talking about" when someone starts talking about some place. "Boston? Awful traffic and confusing roads, just like KL. Very urban, and also a tad ghetto-ey, but which big city isn't?"
That's really enough to make people think you're well-travelled. =P
When you think about it, that superficial goal really isn't worth the hassle of planning for a trip or the money shelled out on lodging and food and car rentals. That's why travelling is somewhat wasted on me. Some people get recharged by seeing a new place or experiencing a new culture, but I think I'm too easily bored. Experiencing something once is enough for me. Breath-taking scenery is the same way too - I see it, take a snapshot and I'm done. It doesn't leave me with a lingering awe or an itch to go back/experience another new experience. I'll even take reading a book set in another country over going there since there's usually more information than what a regular tourist can gather without a guide.
Also, with my Type A personality, you can bet that planning for a trip and wanting to make the most out of the time we have there takes the fun out of it. Contrary to popular belief, detail-oriented and efficient people don't have an easier time packing. It can be an all-consuming task since everything needs to be perfect and accounted for. Besides that, you want to maximize opportunities to see sights within a limited time, right? There you run the risk of over-scheduling and over-extending yourself, turning a vacation into a chore.
On that note, sometimes I feel sorry for people who have the travel bug. It's almost like they need to travel to be happy, whereas I'm happy just sitting at home and saving money. No offense to those who love travelling - everyone has their thing and travelling just happens to be a very expensive "thing" that doesn't do much for me. Actually, nothing does, except maybe getting a great bargain on something I've really wanted for a long time. =P
I think I'm most happy when travelling in and of itself is a means to an end, not the end in itself. As an end in itself, it's too expensive! However, if there's a purpose like reuniting with family or friends, then I can justify the expenditure for the sake of quality time and fellowship. Getting to see a new place is merely the bonus.
Towards the end of the trip, Jia Wern and I went down to Boston since we were flying off from Boston Logan Airport and wanted to see the city a little. I mean, Maine's lovely and all, but almost every international friend I told about Maine didn't know it was a state, what more to say Portland or Mount Desert Island. Boston? Everyone's heard of it. =P Initially, I had this idea that we could hit New York before we left but decided against it due to the sheer amount of driving we'd have to put ourselves through. We also didn't want to return the car to a different location and/or fly back from a different airport since that would be more expensive. So we kept things simple and just stayed overnight in Boston. Enough to see the city, get a feel of what it's like and do a tiny bit of shopping. Just a tiny bit. =P
And I think that's my kind of travelling, zipping through the city, noting important sights without having to trot all over on foot. I like to see new things, but mainly just to broaden my knowledge base. In other words, I want to be able to go "Ah yes, I know what you're talking about" when someone starts talking about some place. "Boston? Awful traffic and confusing roads, just like KL. Very urban, and also a tad ghetto-ey, but which big city isn't?"
That's really enough to make people think you're well-travelled. =P
When you think about it, that superficial goal really isn't worth the hassle of planning for a trip or the money shelled out on lodging and food and car rentals. That's why travelling is somewhat wasted on me. Some people get recharged by seeing a new place or experiencing a new culture, but I think I'm too easily bored. Experiencing something once is enough for me. Breath-taking scenery is the same way too - I see it, take a snapshot and I'm done. It doesn't leave me with a lingering awe or an itch to go back/experience another new experience. I'll even take reading a book set in another country over going there since there's usually more information than what a regular tourist can gather without a guide.
Also, with my Type A personality, you can bet that planning for a trip and wanting to make the most out of the time we have there takes the fun out of it. Contrary to popular belief, detail-oriented and efficient people don't have an easier time packing. It can be an all-consuming task since everything needs to be perfect and accounted for. Besides that, you want to maximize opportunities to see sights within a limited time, right? There you run the risk of over-scheduling and over-extending yourself, turning a vacation into a chore.
On that note, sometimes I feel sorry for people who have the travel bug. It's almost like they need to travel to be happy, whereas I'm happy just sitting at home and saving money. No offense to those who love travelling - everyone has their thing and travelling just happens to be a very expensive "thing" that doesn't do much for me. Actually, nothing does, except maybe getting a great bargain on something I've really wanted for a long time. =P
I think I'm most happy when travelling in and of itself is a means to an end, not the end in itself. As an end in itself, it's too expensive! However, if there's a purpose like reuniting with family or friends, then I can justify the expenditure for the sake of quality time and fellowship. Getting to see a new place is merely the bonus.
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