A strong desire to travel: Wanderlust.

Whether you dream of leaving footprints along the Appalachian trail or you prefer to race along the rings of Saturn, the desire to travel is an innate part of who we are. People have and will always be transient beings. From the beginning of time, when travel was a necessary means of physical survival, tribes chased after herds of animals to new lands. Travel is different today; it feeds the soul, nourishing our minds with adventure, understanding, and hope.

Throughout literature, academia have continually used etymology to understand and remember the importance of words. In this case, wanderlust can be directly translated to, “a desire to wander” (I know, you never would have assumed that). But in all honesty, the act of wandering has a tendency to be taken advantage of or forgotten: especially when traveling. Until recently, most of my surroundings that were known to me. I lived in a small town and I ventured mostly into the realm of literature, and I was perfectly satisfied because around every page was the possibility of a hidden treasure. In today’s day and age, there isn’t much that remains hidden, but there is the opportunity for the lesser known. Take music for example, there is just something incredibly pure about a sound that is being played for the sake of expression rather than to please the masses.

There will always be monuments to great tourism, places that are a must-see if you are able--the Eiffel tower, Tower of London, Stonehenge! However, what about the forgotten house on the inconspicuous lane that influenced masters of art or literature? There will always be more to see, but never forget fate and the places you wander towards.

I have currently been in London, England for ten days and my soul is alight with wanderlust! The atmosphere of new and unusual experiences have created dreams and ambitions to counter two decades’ worth of previously thought-up ones. I am living what I once read about, and I see the appeal of the gypsy way of life, recognizing mementos that transcend space and time to allow any place to be home. There will probably never be an establishment that will rival the exuberance in the Gadsden Public Library; however, by wandering through the shelves of a library in each new place I visit, there are remnants of home that spark in my conscience. The same can be said for family and friends because while it is never the same, their relationship to you never falters. For every time you think, “wow, they would love that” or hear their voice in your thoughts, you keep them with you. Dorothy said it truly, “there is no place like home” but she never needed special shoes because you can always go home, just as you can find a bit of home wherever you go.This ideal has led to a surprising lack of homesickness and culture shock, while creating more opportunities to wander as I travel. The world is both real and fantasy, so find the doorway to satisfy your travel desires.