Over the past several weeks, I've been loving @ericvancewalton's prompts for the #memoirmonday initiative, and when I saw the latest question posed, I couldn't help but jump in.
What's your favorite way to travel and your most memorable trip?
An immediate, off-the-top-of-my-head answer was often. As often as I can. I don't really mind the method of travel per se, as they all have pros and cons. Road trips, and really, anything earth-bound, is great for when you want an adventure. Or when you want to forget yourself. Some of my favorite cathartic experiences on the road have been on long rides in cars, buses or trains. Planes are easier, of course, but probably one of the worst ways to travel, in terms of style. They're quick, but they're crammed, uncomfortable and just have this inane numbness to them. Maybe it's the clouds, but you just can't feel that "new me, leaving the past behind" thing on a plane. Or at least, I can't.
But really, I'll take any trip I can. The longer, the better. I love trips that aren't finite or at least not set in stone. When I'm on the road, I like fluidity. I like keeping my options open. I like being in a place for a longer while, so I don't feel pressured to "get the most of it" and can just exist. It's nice, existing in a foreign place. It raises questions. And answers.
I like travels that bridge together multiple places, multiple countries. I like breaking down long itineraries and getting to explore layover cities. I was bummed recently when, courtesy of WizzAir, my planned layover in Milan this august got canned. But then, it also meant I could save a bit of money for HiveFest, so it all works out in the end. But I love being in a place a little longer than the traditional holiday three days or five days or whatever. I like being there long enough to notice little changes, like a building being redone or a shop reopening. Little nowhere things that make up the life of a community.
As such, naming a favorite trip feels impossible. Instantly, I'm drawn to my months-long trip across Europe a couple years ago. It's got that sprawling, exploratory, cathartic vibe. It had all imaginable transport methods, which was nice. And yet, it's not my favorite.
My favorite, if you're asking right in this moment, was for my seventeenth birthday. It was supposed to be London for a Motorhead show. My mom had the tickets and everything, but then that terrible December happened and there were no more Motorhead shows.
So we thought we'd do something else. It was a strange feeling. I don't think I'd ever acknowledged death so keenly as when Lemmy died. Not at that age, at least, and January 2016 was a bit of a slow and sorrowful month, which ended in a long, beautiful sojourn through Germany and Tuscany. Which, in the end, wasn't so bad. We got to see Nuremberg and Berlin, as well as Pisa. My birthday, as well as several days around it, were spent in Florence, right near the Duomo. And for some reason, it's preserved in my memory as this great thing of beauty. As elegant outfits and museums and parks and ice cream.
It's a great mish-mash of a memory, as all trips should be remembered, and right now, I'm putting it down as my favorite.
That has been.
But between you and me, my favorite trip is the one I've yet to go on. Always. Can't go looking at the past too long, or you'll trip and fall on your face. And I do plenty of that, already.
"Often" and "The one I've yet to go on" are perfect answers! I've been watching the YouTube channel Zane Travel and I REALLY need to make it to Asia. A month in Japan (Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto) followed by another couple of weeks in Thailand sound about right. A good friend of mine is from Lao and I'd like to see that too, maybe in a separate trip.
Credit: shaungerow
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