Travel Happiness

Tongli: Tongli River TownLeaving everything behind and accepting whatever comes my way. It sounds scary on paper doesn't it? As I read de Botton's The Art of Travel an interesting quote pops out at me: “If our lives are dominated by a search for happiness, then perhaps few activities reveal as much about the dynamics of this quest –in all its ardour and paradoxes – than our travels.” Perhaps its because I don't travel very often. Or maybe its because I, as is everyone else, am just trying to get an “understanding of what life might be about” outside of daily drudgery. The idea of traveling is a romantic one. Completely changing my environment and fully accepting new situations and experiences is an art.

It's strange how I can feel so comfortable in Shanghai; how easily I can say goodbyes to my parents and friends. Traveling sets a spark in me that nothing else can. Somebody once told me that life is all about the connections you make with other people. The experiences you share and the memories you create. The way you affect others is like a medium into immortality. What better way to accomplish this than by traveling? By sharing experiences with people you would never otherwise encounter. I chose to come to Shanghai without knowing a single person. As much as I love my family and friends, I needed to travel and put myself out there. Just to see what happens.

As I type this sitting in room 503 in NYU's off-campus dorms listening to a friend enthusiastically explain his dreams about an asteroid I can't help but wonder what I would be doing if I hadn't traveled. I would labor through my daily routine and my zest for life would lay stagnant. Instead, I'm here. I am sitting on a couch in a foreign city staring at 7 students I met a week ago. I am seeing the world and I am put in a situation that I would not be in if I hadn't traveled. I have met people and seen things on this side of the world that would otherwise only exist in daydreams. I suppose traveling does make me happy. “I see my path, but I don't know where it leads. Not knowing where I'm going is what inspires me to travel it.”