Love of Travel
How old was I when I first discovered my love of travel? It’s a question I’ve been asked several times over the years, and it is such an easy answer for me to give. My earliest memories are of wanting to see the world. See, I grew up in Gold Hill, North Carolina—way, way, way in the country. When I say country, I mean without a neighbor for miles and only farm animals to play with during summer vacation. It was our own little corner of the world, but I wanted to see so much more of it.
My best memories of these years usually center around the excitement I felt when the Rowarn County Book Mobile pulled up our long driveway. You can say that my love of reading began around the same time as my love of travel, because I would check out the maximum number of books every single time and I would spend days on end reading stories about faraway places. Looking back, I can still see the pictures in the books showing The Great Wall of China and the Leaning Tower of Pisa. I may not be able to recall the names of each book, though I wish I could, but I can still see ever photo so vividly in my mind.
Beyond my love of the Book Mobile, there was my piano teacher, Mrs. Brothers. She would take an around-the-world cruise every summer during her break from teaching piano, and she would always bring back a gift from her travels for every piano student. While I, of course, loved the present, I was always more excited learn about where she had traveled to, what she had done, where she plans to go next, etc. I would dream up all the exotic places she visited in my mind. It was always my favorite time of the year during piano lessons, when Mrs. Brothers returned each fall. In fact, I still have the little angel she bought me all those years ago!
There is a word in German that I think accurately describes me better than any English word can… Fernweh. This word translates to “farsickness” or a longing for far-off places, especially those you have not yet visited. Many like to use the term “wanderlust” but I think fernweh is more appropriate for me. It’s not a lust; it’s a longing, one I’ve always possessed and one that I continue to feel even after traveling to a total of 76 countries with my husband. One day, we hope to reach 100!
While the current situation regarding the Coronavirus pandemic has slowed us down for 2020, we are looking forward to continuing our exploration of this beautiful world in 2021, and so should you! My love of travel began over a half a century ago, but yours can get started right now. If you have an interest in traveling and would like more information on the services I offer, please call me at 704-990-5457.
Until next time,
Beth
