Exotic May Be Just A Spin Around The Block

Reading travel blogs is an escape or chance to daydream for many people. Exotic locations, sun or snow chasing as a lifestyle, or the chance to laugh at other people’s misadventures without having to be uncomfortable. Writing them is much the same. The regular days don’t find there way into the narrative. Uneventful trips to the market, a unremarkable journey by bus, or another pleasant stay at one more nice hotel aren’t anymore exciting to write than they are to read. It doesn’t mean that regular routine and life doesn’t happen when one travels, it just doesn’t entice readers the same way. Who wants to pull back the curtain to find out life is life regardless of location or motion. Glamorous and different aren’t the same thing. Getting into a comfortable and safe Ford Fiesta or Focus for a quick zip to the store may not induce cringes like a story about Turkish Hammans but it is far more common regardless or where you are in the world.

Photo Credit: justDONQUE.images

This is not to pick on the Ford Fiesta and Focus, because I am fan of the cars. I was quite fond of my Ford Focus when I owned it a few years ago. A solid road trip car for a run to the mountains or my regular commuting around the city. It is just that sort of reliability that we seek sometimes in our travels. Adventures are wonderful, but can be exhausting. Even worse than exhausting is when they become mundane and there is no more excitement in them. It is a real risk for some travellers and that is why comfortable and safe is not a bad thing, it just doesn’t make it to the front page of the travel blog very often.

Photo Credit: oladybug0

The real point of this now nearly rant, is that, while the exotic of travel blogs is great for escapism, it really should be taken as an inspiration to find the exotic closer to home. Not everyone wants to sell everything they own, leave their family far behind, and go in search of uncomfortable adventures. I believe everyone is capable of it, I just don’t believe everyone needs to want it. Adventure can be getting in your Ford Fiesta, heading to the supermarket armed with a recipe for a dinner you’ve never made or eaten before, and trying to navigate an unfamiliar section of foreign ingredients. Worst thing that can happen is you create something inedible and you resort to ordering a pizza as a backup plan. Best thing is you find out you have a knack for a new cuisine and fall in love with different flavours.

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