Travel and Learn

I am sitting in the airport in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The trip is over. It’s time to go home. We took a trip with dear friends for their family wedding. The festivities were wonderful, the scenery was breathtaking, the experience was incredible. It’s with much sadness we access our boarding passes and prepare to head back to Georgia.

What made this trip so special? First and foremost, the friends and relationships. The laughter, the shared stories, the memories we rehashed and the new memories that we made. Being with our friends made the trip. Second, the location. One of the most stunning vistas I’ve ever seen. The majestic Teton Mountains in the Grand Teton National Park. New adventures around every corner, a winter wonderland. Third, the sense of really getting away from it all. Being a world away from home. We experienced snow and freezing temperatures, while a quick check on the weather app showed warm conditions at home. Home was lightyears away. The news was turned off. We were unplugged.

 It was such a wonderful trip.

Do you like to travel? I really love to travel, although I can’t say that I am a highly seasoned traveler. I haven’t traveled to many places, but I have enjoyed all of my travels very very much.  For me, travel is an escape and an opportunity to learn and experience new things. My friends will laugh if they read that, because, after a particularly disappointing wildlife tour where our private guide droned on and on with every detail he could think to tell us about the Jackson Hole area, I announced to our group, “I’m not here to LEARN anything—I just want to see the animals!”

So, I take it back. I AM here to learn. When I travel, I broaden my horizons.  I explore different customs, try different foods, integrate new words into my vocabulary. Terms such as “butte, glacial debris, moraines, sagebrush…” I see how other people live, how they adjust to the environment during changing seasons. I hear how the economy has been affected by this and that. I learn how much it costs to live here compared to there. I see how the locals react to tourists and how tourism affects their lives. I see what geographical differences there are. I search for differences in nature—different plants, different wildlife, different weather. I try to take it all in. I try to understand and appreciate the place that I am visiting.

How sad if someone never ventures away from their home. If they never see how the other people live. If they never explore a different perspective or a different way of life.

In 1971 my family took a cross-country vacation. It was an extensive adventure in which our 4 member family drove the 'woody' station wagon, pulled the pop-up camper, made memories, and tolerated each other's annoying habits (think Chevy Chase in National Lampoon's Vacation) for 7 weeks. We traversed thousands of miles to see America. That was my first visit to Jackson Hole, Wyoming. All I remember about that visit was how impressed I was with the majestic beauty of the Tetons in summer. Here is my family in 1971 admiring the mountains, and here is me preparing for a rafting trip down the Snake River.

Back to 2022.....OK, now I am on the plane. We are flying over the Teton Mountains with its jagged peaks and the Wyoming Range with its rounded crests jutting high into the sky. I love the bird’s eye view of the mountains. While you cannot necessarily tell how tall the mountains are, you can see the depth of the mountain range. There are magnific mountains behind mountains behind mountains behind mountains. There are mountains as far as the eye can see, each covered with significant amounts of snow. It is truly incredible.

After flying over rugged terrain, our plane just passed over a very small town nestled at the foot of a mountain. As I peered out the window looking at rooftops and pencil-thin lines of roads, I thought for a minute how nice it would be to cast a sprinkling of fairy dust out of the window to land on the little town. From my sky-high view, I imagined blessing the inhabitants of the town with good wishes. Since that was not within my capabilities, instead I whispered a little prayer that the people of the tiny town would enjoy happiness, lift each other up, and support their community. It’s amazing what one can imagine when looking down from the clouds at 32,000 feet.

All you people who keep your airplane window closed for the entire flight—I don’t understand you.

As one can see looking out the window of a plane, travel broadens your horizons. Traveling by Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (favorite John Candy movie) opens you up to new adventures, new ways of thinking, and new experiences. I highly recommend that you get up off the couch and go somewhere. It’s good for you.

And, lastly, I’ve learned that travel can test you to the limits. On many a trip something invariably goes wrong. Travel can challenge you—how do you deal with things that go wrong when you are in an unfamiliar place? Many mishaps have occurred on my trips, and I have, at times, handled them with grace and wisdom, and at other times with outrage and disappointment and negative energy. There were hiccups on this trip to Jackson Hole, but most of them are not my stories to tell. Those involved rolled with the punches and carried on with positive solutions and positive attitudes. Mere molehills on a fantastic trip. My biggest hiccup of the day was my laptop screen going all wonky in the airport. Looks like a trip to the Geek Squad repair counter is in my future.

What’s in your future? Have you planned any trips? Will you travel to a favorite location or to somewhere new? If you are looking for an outdoor playground, may I suggest Jackson Hole, Wyoming? Support your national parks: Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone National Park, which is an hour or so to the north.  Now in Spring, the winter sports are winding down, but it won’t be long before the summer activites of hiking, mountain biking, and water sports kick off. If you are not as adventurous, there are many low impact activities, too. And the view ain’t bad. Not bad at all. Be sure to bring your camera.

Wherever you decide to go, I say Just Do It. Broaden your horizons. Travel. Go. Tell me where you went. And let me know what you learned.