With over 18 pinned destinations, seven international trips, 40 reviews and countless travel photos shown, Annamaria Volpi is bringing her love for wanderlust to Sosauce. In her piece below, Annamaria discusses why she loves to travel, the people she’s encountered along the way, and how traveling continues to influence her life.
Anna Volpi
Why I Travel
I bought the plane ticket for my first “big” trip during my lunch break. I went back to work and told my co-workers: “I’m leaving for Bali in a month. Not sure when or if I’ll be back.”
It wasn’t a completely impulsive decision. The deeply nurtured desire to travel had been living in me for years, and the time came when a collection of situations provided the optimal launch pad for my first adventure abroad. I was living in Los Angeles; heartbroken, paying too much rent and finished with school. So why not? Of course there are always reasons to not travel, there will always be, but sometimes one must ignore that little voice of reason and follow the voice of instinct. So I sold all my belongings and packed a backpack. What a stupendous decision that was. Some people have accused me of running away, others have admired me, and my parents were worried and then proud. There are many reasons why I travel but the one that stands above the rest is curiosity. I’m in awe every time I learn something new about how people live. Simple details like a handshake, a way to wait for the bus, or how to drink coffee are truly fascinating to me.
There is much that I learned while traveling. I understood what my basic needs are, what my greatest wants are and what my flaws are. I feel that knowledge is good enough reason for anyone to travel. Something else that I learned is that there is not just one type of traveler, but a myriad of people traveling for different reasons, and therefore creating an endless list of ways to travel. Nearly all the people I met that were working as volunteers had the intention of traveling afterwards. No one regretted giving their time and commitment; they all said that it brought them closer to the native culture and that it was a profound learning experience. Travel for me is not vacation; it’s discovery and learning – and therefore empowering.
Traveler Encounters
Sadly, a person who travels is not always as mentally open to the world as one might think. There are hundreds of people that I have exchanged words with while on a bus or at a lunch table that left me with nothing. Although I tried to appreciate them and accept our differences, I had to file them as “empty travelers.” I came to mentally hand out this term to people who just leaped across the surface of a place, without swimming into its deeper waters to appreciate its uniqueness in the world. These were generally young people who were on a gap year with a group of friends and continued doing the same things abroad that they did at home. They went to the most popular bars and hangouts, got drunk and had a grand old time. Nothing wrong with that, there is no wrong way to travel unless you are harming someone or something, but I just couldn’t get into that mindset. I tried. For a couple of weeks I danced the night away with foreigners in hip clothing at the Western style clubs in Southern Thailand. I’m not going to lie, I had fun, but it got old very quickly and I had to leave the small group I had found and go into Cambodia by myself to find my path again.
I also encountered ignorant travelers – people who not only brought their own ways with them, but also did not attempt to engage in any cultural exchange. For example, I was repeatedly stereotyped for being half American (my other half is Italian). A guy who didn’t even know my name once called me ‘stupid’. I really didn’t expect this kind of behavior from a fellow traveler, as everyone should appreciate differences and get to know someone before judging them. It was a sad truth to learn.
Why Others Travel
Some people travel with a clear idea of what they want to accomplish. These were people that made me feel as if I wasn’t giving back enough. These were people that were working as volunteers in one way or another. Some were stable in one place, others would volunteer for a little while, travel a bit, move on to another place and volunteer some more. Hearing the stories of various volunteers, I realized that everybody has something to offer. English is very valuable and there is no school that will refuse a guest speaker. Even if you think you don’t have any special skills, there is always a way to help out a community.
For some people travel is business. I remember Luis and Maria from Spain. Twice a year they would travel to Thailand and buy clothes, jewelery, purses and trinkets that they would then re-sell back at home. I met another man who was on his way to India to buy silver, and a woman in Bolivia who was buying alpaca wool to bring back home and sell at who knows what mark-up.
Another important reason to travel is to educate children. There is no greater gift that a parent can give their child – the appreciation of cultures and languages, foods and lands. To open their eyes, ears, mouths and minds to the beauty that lies everywhere. I think that cultural anthropology is a subject that should be taught starting in elementary school. Knowing and appreciating the world and its many different colors is the only way that we can raise children that are aware and appreciative of diversity. I have traveled alone, with partners as a couple, and now I am a mother. There is nothing in this world that I want to keep from my son. I wish to show him every inch of this Earth.
There were people traveling for short periods, some for longer, some alone and some in groups. I met a couple of foreign exchange students, some young people and some old. Whatever your reason, objective or mode of travel, keep those feet moving but also keep your mind moving. Offer what you can and accept what is offered to you.
Travel is what naturally runs in Anna‘s veins. After studies in theater, anthropology and photography, she lived out of a backpack for a couple of years in various countries. She is now on a baby making break, but will be back on the road as soon as possible with the added passion of a mother introducing her child to the World.
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One of my favorite travel articles we’ve published to date.