Travel, leave as you wish
At 18, when asked about your ideal, you say you want to travel the world. At 22, after finishing college, you say you'll travel after finding a job. By 26, with a stable job, you say you'll travel once you buy a house. At 30, with a house and a car, you say you'll wait until you're married to travel with your wife. At 35, with children, you say you'll travel when the kids are older. At 40, with grown children, you say you'll wait until you take care of your parents. In the end, you haven't traveled anywhere.
So, in life, you should have at least two impulses: one for a love that makes you reckless, and one for a spontaneous trip. The essence of travel is not just movement; it's about awakening your soul and finding the spring of life. The joy of traveling lies in the unpredictable events and unexpected scenery along the way. The delicious food you taste, the inspirations that spark, the embarrassing moments, the laughter, the beautiful encounters, the mistakes made, and the regrets left behind all contribute to the charm of travel.
Standing in a strange corner, looking at ancient architecture while raindrops fall, you hear the echoes of history. Watching a white cloud drift in the wind and listening to the gentle sounds of footsteps on the ground, you imagine the city’s past. A single shot, a scene, a piece of history creates a profound beauty.
Only when traveling alone can you truly hear your own voice. It tells you that the world is wider than you imagine. Your life has exits; you will discover you have wings, able to fly without anyone's permission! Sometimes, travel is just to add a bit of randomness to life, breaking the monotonous routine. Money can always be earned back, and daily pressures accumulate, waiting for the right moment to be embraced with joy. Whether it's staying at a new hotel or taking a flight to an unfamiliar destination, imagining that you once rested in a city or flew over an area makes those places feel less strange.
Travel can also be a release of feelings, like a fish underwater longing for air before a storm. Leaving one city for another, regardless of the feelings these cities evoke, we always hold a sense of hope and curiosity for the unknown scenery. Travel satisfies our desire to peek into the unique rhythms and facades of each city. The world is a book, and those who do not travel see only one page.
A friend once said, "If you give me the meaning of travel, I will go far away!" Perhaps the meaning of travel is to leave oneself behind and seek oneself. Travel brings you back to a natural state, allowing you to rediscover things you've ignored, and these are often more meaningful than daily life. It becomes a journey of inner experience. Departing, returning, then setting off again—each cycle of starting and ending leads you to examine yourself, recognize the world, enrich your life, and understand the truth of existence.
Travel is a shift in space over time, no matter how vast that change is, you know you will eventually return. However, returning is different from never having been. The most important aspect of travel is not the outcome, but the process of letting everything go and experiencing the moment. As the saying goes, "Life is like a journey; it doesn’t matter where you end up, but how you enjoy the scenery along the way."
Travel is not just about your feet and eyes; it’s about your heart. True travel is a life attitude that doesn’t depend on the destination or the length of stay. It’s about leaving the familiar environment to explore the unknown and experience a life you’ve never lived. You never know who you will meet or what dialogues will unfold tomorrow; everything on the journey is uncertain—this is the greatest allure of travel. Like the beauty encountered by Kawabata in Izu, the happiness found by Sanmao in the Sahara, the inspiration touched by Su Tong in Jiangnan, the shock experienced by Annie in Motuo, and the insights gained by Su Dongpo at Chibi—what you gain from travel is much more than mere scenery.
The meaning of travel can be the tender affection in Chen Qi Zhen's songs about love, or the weathered mindset of having sailed through thousands of sails. Life is short, and if you're not careful, what was once within reach can become distant. Travel is about seizing every wave of life and weaving it into beautiful memories that will light up your barren years to come.
For me, the desire to travel stems from wanting to hear the voice of my soul. True travel should be like wandering, allowing both soul and body to drift, much like Jack Kerouac, a representative of the Beat Generation, who traveled across America—he was a true traveler, a genuine wanderer, and a truly free spirit. Only then can we break free from the complexities of life and touch our deep inner selves, akin to gazing at the starry sky. Someone who has spent their entire life in one place and finds contentment is undoubtedly narrow-minded, just as I once was. Later, when I found myself wandering alone in Beijing, I suddenly understood the meaning of travel: it is a shortcut to understanding life, an opportunity to touch the real face of the world. Mundane life is like a web; once a free-spirited soul, it now feels exhausted. Travel allows us to escape that web, like a breeze drifting across the plains.
Taiwanese writer Li Xinping said, “Travel is the awakening of the soul; it’s breaking habits. Travel is an art of life distribution, a mixed process of renewal.” I hope that one day I can, like Li Xinping, experience the lavender fields of Provence in a dreamy haze, scoop up fine sand on the beaches of Maldives, row a small boat with my lover through the winding canals of Venice, or have the most romantic encounter in Paris.
Don’t end up like Otsu Shuuichi, who in "25 Regrets Before Dying" mentions: “Not traveling to desired places, not meeting loved ones, not understanding the meaning of life, not enjoying good food, not thanking those we love, not doing what we wanted, and not achieving our dreams…” Therefore, don’t fill your life with regrets. One day, you’ll realize that the only wealth you truly possess is your youth. While we are young, let’s walk the roads, climb mountains, and bask in the sun.