Why We Travel

This essay resonates with me, as I imagine it does with most of us, in that Iyer describes so well the notion and sensation of being a traveler rather than a tourist. He talks about needing to both see and feel a place if one wants to truly experience it. A nice distinction that I think he made between tourist and traveler is on his first page. He writes, "...a tourist is just someone who complains, 'Nothing here is the way it is at home,' while a traveler is the one who grumbles, 'Everything here is the same as it is in Cairo -- or in Cuzco or Kathmandu." He goes on to talk about the cultural exchange that occurs when people travel, discussing his coming from California to Cuba.
Another thing that really resonated with me is the line quoted from Camus, "what gives value to travel is fear." I think this is true. It makes you vulnerable, and provides ample opportunity for self-discovery and global learning.