Recently I’ve been pondering my travel aspirations with a more serious and ambitious mindset. Being a part of the travel geek community it’s pretty difficult NOT to be truly bitten by the travel bug. But in addition to this, my mind has wandered into the cultural realm that Sosauce users constantly present to me. I’ve been thinking about places I want to see and what exactly I’d love to do. As a young person with relatively no globetrotting experience, I have very little to base my travel game plan on. But a few things stand out: my love for film, music, and novels. These have always left an influential mark on my life and there are certain movies, books, and songs that particularly have always reminded me of why I want to travel the world.

So in the last few weeks I tracked my footsteps back to find my own path in the travel world. My first step was re-reading one of my favorite novels by one of my favorite authors, “You Shall Know Our Velocity” by Dave Eggers. Eggers is known for his fantastic book, “A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius” but also most recently, his work in the indie flick “Away We Go” and this fall’s “Where The Wild Things Are” (honestly, the man can do no wrong). If you didn’t get a chance to read my short review on “You Shall Know Our Velocity” I’d suggest doing so to learn how much of an impact Eggers’ novel has had on my outlook on not only traveling, but life itself. YSKOV is a great read for those who enjoy spontaneous, risky adventures around the world. No real itinerary to follow, hopping from country to country in a matter of days, and losing yourself in another’s culture and society, not knowing where you’ll end up next and with who is what this book is all about. When I read YSKOV, I was pushed even further into the idea of “socio-cultural journalism” where I would move to another destination, investigate and document the injustices of a society, and become active in relieving those issues while increasing awareness to the masses. This has always been a hidden passion of mine I guess you could say. I studied Journalism in high school throughout college, but have been writing ever since kindergarten really. I’ve always had an interest in covering important issues abroad but never had the courage to pursue it. Some (but not most) who know me have heard me mention my interest in volunteering in India to combat the exploitation of young women. It’s an issue that immediately resurfaced once I read through “You Shall Know Our Velocity” because the protagonists face constant ethical paradoxes throughout their journey. Like them, I don’t know if my presence in India will enhance my experience while demeaning the children’s, or if my good deeds will be welcomed by all. Nonetheless, the book has taught me to appreciate the world with wider, open eyes. As for India, I’ll get there one day, and I intend to fulfill that dream.

“Lost In Translation” is another feature that has always touched me. Aside from being a fan of both Bill Murray and Scar Jo, this movie is just… really good! The entire concept blows my mind. Finding indescribable, meaningful love in perhaps the worst time (or best depending on how you look at it) of your life in an unfamiliar country is something I’m sure all of us girls have thought about at one point in our lives. Perhaps you’re off in the Caribbean and think “What if” when you see an attractive male run by on the beach. Or perhaps you’ve found yourself completely alone with no one to share your incredible trip abroad with. Or maybe you’re more like me, a complex mechanism battling with heart and mind unable to find true love. I believe there’s a lot of myself in both characters in “Lost In Translation” – constantly soul searching, trying to do what’s right but what doesn’t make you really happy, and feeling like your heart has had too much. I love this movie because it makes me feel like I have a chance. That maybe the person I’m meant to be with is waiting to find me in a foreign land, that love cannot be defined, and has no boundaries. For love, I would travel the world.

Ahh, Minus The Bear, one of my favorite indie rock bands today. I believe they are the quintessential soundtrack for every traveler. Their sound is beautifully constructed, stories of girls and summers around the world, and lyrics to transform anyone to a devoted listener. When I listen to Minus The Bear, I oddly enough think of YSKOV too. I think they go hand in hand. Minus The Bear shares songs about young love, timeless friendships, and memorable encounters with people from the corners of the world. I listen to this band and immediately want to drop everything I do, grab a backpack, and scour the ends of the earth with my best friends. They elude travel – every song is a different story with a different setting with different people. One of my favorite songs by Minus The Bear is “Pachuca Sunrise” from the album pictured above. It’s a song about missing someone special back home and wanting to share what you are experiencing with them. It’s incredibly catchy, beautiful, and (more importantly for me) makes you want to dance. There’s something very sexy and enticing about this band as well. Enjoy the video below and see if Minus The Bear doesn’t make you want to get out and travel too.

These are all the things that come to my mind when I think of travel. They continue to inspire me to make that leap and become that globetrotter I’ve always wanted to be. What books, songs, or movies inspire you to travel?

Read more posts by Alisha

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 30th, 2009 at 12:01 PM and is filed under Community Interest, Travel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.