Ray Bradbury wrote the space travel and colonization classic The Martian Chronicles. He once said, “Half of the fun of travel is the aesthetic of lostness.”
Out Wandering
Now, Ray could have meant many things with this quote and statistic, but for me, I believe what he meant is that getting lost on a trip is so much more fun than following a strict itinerary.
I looooooove to travel. And, based on all of the ads for flights, destinations, hotels, food, things to do (the list is endless), I can safely state that most people love to travel too.
Some Fun Travel Statistics
What people pay:
- 83% of families will splurge on their travel destination when planning a vacation (NYU)
Profile of travelers:
- 72% of American women are taking solo holidays (Booking.com)
- 80% of families take a vacation during summer (NYU)
Where people go:
- American women rank first in solo traveling and are more likely to take three trips or more in a given year (Resonance Consultancy)
- The top five summer road trip routes are: Las Vegas to National Parks, Northern California and Southern Oregon Coast, Northern New England, Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina, and the Black Hills in South Dakota (AAA)
- Road trips represented 22% of vacations taken by American travelers in 2016 (MMGY Global)
This Isn't New
What I am doing isn’t new. Individuals and families of all ages, sizes and incomes travel near and far for weeks or weekend getaways. They go with or without kids. And they use planes, trains, automobiles, boats and buses to get there.
Traveling the Americas and Canada in my converted Sprinter Van is how I like to wander. For me, a general direction for what I’d like to experience, I use curiosity, intuition and the flip of a coin to guide me to the details.
Where In The World Is Kirsti?
You will currently find me Out Wandering in the Southeastern United States. During my Radical Sabbatical in October 2019, I fell in love with the Eastern Seaboard because of the ocean waves, the multitude of lighthouses and beautiful sunrises.
Places like Nags Head, Virginia Beach, Cape Cod and Washington D.C. are some of the places I will spend more time experiencing in the coming months.
If traveling is something that you’d like to do more of, then go! Plan the trip or just start driving and see where you end up. It doesn’t have to be a long or expensive trip; some of my best experiences happened right in my hometown of Dubuque, Iowa. The essential thing to remember is it’s not the destination that matters as much as the experiences we have along the way.I hope you will follow along and I will inspire you to follow your dreams.
When you return, come back here and share with us in the comments more about your voyage.
And, off course, sharing is caring.
If you’ve enjoyed this post, please create a positive ripple and email it to a friend or share it on Facebook.
Forever Grateful!
Kirsti
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I am an influencer of optimism, positivity & love. By acting on my dreams, I hope to inspire others to do the same. Being where my feet are means that we live in the moment with curiosity, creativity, courage & compassion. Live your happiest, best life. You’ll find resources and stories mostly on subjects like travel, van living, exploring, yoga, and photography on this site. It’s my hope you will be inspired to do something you’ve always wanted to do too. Say YES, take that first step. |
Follow along! Kirsti’s vision is to enjoy life with passion and curiosity. Kirsti Out Wandering aspires to exemplify well-being in mind, body & spirit, giving unconditional love to self and others, and pursuing all of the wild possibilities life serves up while living full-time from a sprinter van. She offers a monthly roundup that includes stories and tips on travel & exploring, van living, self-care, photography and service.