Through the years, I've become convinced we live in this world as either travelers or tourists.  I'm not at all sure which is better, but I suspect the tourists are happier and the travelers are more wise.  Tourists come from some single place where they've sunk deep roots.  And that place, in turn, has determined who they are and how they interpret what they see.  That one place has shaped their worlds, their thoughts, and their souls.

"Where are you from" asks the tourist, expecting the answer to define the person.  And the traveler, uncomfortable with the question, may say "at the moment I live on Kauai".  When the tourist persists to ask "where are you originally from", the traveler compiles by naming the town of his/her birth.

The tourist, satisfied with this reply, can not comprehend the insignificance of a traveler's origin.  For travelers, life did not begin until "home" became a dynamic entity.  Only when those hometown bonds were severed did we truly awaken.

Travelers, on the other hand, move often and never define themselves by where they're from.  Travelers are most at peace on the road.  It’s not that they enjoy the conditions-the crowding, the confusion, the fatigue.  It's that they hear the siren song of the wanderer, the promise of a different and better tomorrow.

For a true traveler, comfort lies with thyself.  The attachment of familiar surroundings, (house, belongings) weakens as the traveler learns to adapt.  The routine rituals of a 9 to 5 job in the same town, with the same people, in the same building.....seem as stifling as a jail cell.  Is it not easier to five a life of familiarity?  A life where tomorrow is predictable?  Do repetitive behavior patterns mimic laziness, and in turn, repress creativity?

Traveling allows you to experiment with different personality types, if you so choose.  What a better way to break old habits.  Nobody knows your faults in this new place.  Start fresh!

When you travel, all your possessions fit into the maximum amount you can carry.  Doesn't matter how many material items you may have acquired throughout life, these items cannot accompany you on your journey.  The more a person travels, the more they are set free from material possessions.  If you can't carry it with you, there is no reason to WANT.  A traveler can admire things for their true beauty without the desire to OWN.

In fact, this heightened appreciation is immediately apparent at "tourist destinations".  Whereas a tourist is concerned with the photograph, the traveler will stop to enjoy the full experience.  A tourist wants to take home a picture, while a traveler is more apt to savor the moment (for stronger memory storage).  The traveler savors the experience, not merely the sight.

Travelers develop into two types-one which seeks increased human contact, and one which discovers the joys of solitude.  The latter is increasingly rare, and not fully accepted in Western Society.  The majority of travelers seek to learn form the "locals", who are tourists when they travel.  Travelers oftentimes are excellent listeners, honed by years of persuading strangers to reveal insights.  Each new person enriches our experience; their customs, tastes, and viewpoints expand our mind.  A true traveler does not judge, but seeks to understand.  A seasoned traveler is flexible in both living conditions as well as his/her set of beliefs.

For the traveler, motion creates its own meaning.  It gives a sense of purpose, a feeling of working steadily toward some unknown goal.  Airline timetables, car rental maps, passport stamps, and the steady accumulation of experiences---these are the stage props of progress.

Traveling is often meditative by design.  How often I have reviewed my life while staring out an airplane window!  Watching the clouds roll, the ocean waves break, or the sun rise on the road ahead shifts my focus from the trivial to the profound.  Instead of "what will I watch on TV tonight", I think "what would I like to experience tomorrow?"

For me, I have found comfort in myself and self-confidence as I brave the unfamiliar.  Conquering the unknown is my daily routine.  My goal is to experience all of life, rather then read about it or watch it on a television screen.

The traveler has an insatiable desire for the new.  Knowledge lurks just around the corner.  Truth lies in a fishing village a mile up the coast.  Revelation waits in some inaccessible and distant land.  Ultimate bliss can be found at the peak of a far away mountain.

See enough, do enough, and you will suddenly discover the meaning of your life.  This is the illusion.

And when you find that hidden meaning, you will stop and settle down.  This is the delusion.  Because deep down, every true traveler wants to wander forever.