Marks in the World

for those returning

"Travel changes you. As you move through this life and this world you change things slightly, you leave marks behind, however small. And in return, life – and travel – leaves marks on you." – Anthony Bourdain.

Why is it that we travel? To see the world; to learn about a different culture or language; to find solace in a distant place; to visit museums, landmarks, and landscapes; to experience an adventure; to seek a better future; and, ultimately, to discover – to discover ourselves.

Whether we know it or not, every trip we take and everywhere we go, we learn more about ourselves. People are in constant change and evolution; humans are a very complex species that never stops learning new things about themselves. As we discover more about the world around us, we discover ourselves further.

Many of us think that, wherever we go, nothing changes. After all, life goes on and everyone has their own lives to worry about. What we sometimes fail to recognize is that we are always socializing with others and our interactions mark those around us. How we greet those who help us during our stay, how we go out and consume local food, how we start a conversation with a stranger while waiting to arrive to a certain destination, how we smile to those around us, and how we are willing to help another tourist take a picture.

Our travels forge and construct our character. We desire for so much, long for so much, that we don’t take time to think how we affect those around us too.

During my few travels, I’ve had some interesting encounters. Plane seat neighbors who just want a shoulder to lean on, a group of kids who want to play tag, joining a girl in search of the Mona Lisa, bonding with a Spanish teacher about the wonders of Sevilla while everyone around us wanted to shop, trying to figure out public transportation in Amsterdam to get to the Van Gogh Museum. And so many more, but with those encounters I’ve learned: people always need someone to hear them out; life is too precious to waste it worrying, play a little and be a kid at heart; to depend on others; what matters most is not the materialistic things, but the memories; it’s okay to mess up and laugh about it.

My memories at each place that I visited have marked me in many ways, and I know that I at least marked others along the way. Even if for a brief moment, we were mutually connected.

Traveling is wonderful, but everyone has their own definition of travel. You don’t need to take a plane or a boat to say that you traveled. Going to a different place, state/province is traveling. And everyone has their reasons to go, yet it’s important to once in a while acknowledge that what we discover – wherever it is we may go – will mark us and those around us. Your mark says a lot about you.

The world is the reflection of society, and society is the reflection of ourselves. Take time to meet yourself in your travels. Enjoy your essence and mark those around you. Every one needs a little bit of you in their world.

My #somethingdifferent of the day is to be more intentional with my

interactions so that my mark is always positive.

What will be your #somethingdifferent?

– Ciana Isabel