When I look at dating profiles, and I see this – “loves traveling” – over and over again, I roll my eyes.
(Let’s be real, there’s a lot of eye-rolling when it comes to singles’ descriptions and photos of choice, but… I digress.)
Anyway, back to my serious question: Why does everybody say they love to travel?
Do they… really?
I recently came across a post in one of the Facebook groups I follow. A girl was complaining about her 2-week trip to Costa Rica – her clothes were never dry, she didn’t speak Spanish and had trouble communicating, it wasn’t as scenic as she was expecting – and she felt a victim of “false advertising.”
Anyway, of course I was reminded of MY trip to Costa Rica in 2016, especially the day I climbed Cerro Chato, one of the most challenging hikes in the country. Located outside La Fortuna, the Cerro Chato hike at Arenal Volcano National Park takes you up the dormant volcano and then down to the crater lake. (To leave, you have to ascend and descend once more.)
Well, when I arrived at the crater lake, I proceeded to walk/fall/sink into thick, quicksand-esque mud up to my knees… which I’m sure I looked real comical trying to wiggle out of… which was followed by a torrential downpour. I basically slid down the volcano on my butt. And you know what? I just laughed. I had mud everywhere, my clothes were sopping wet, I was tripping over roots and dodging branches, and boy, was it a TRYIN’ time… but I was in a jungle, on a volcano, in a foreign country. Having an adventure. (Anyway, behind every picture is a story.)
I believe travel should be exotic, dramatic, and a little messy. It can and should be unfamiliar and uncomfortable at times. I believe travel should make you grow.
That’s the kind of travel I enjoy, at least. Although, once in a while a nice cushy resort ain’t the worst thing in the world.
