"Why We Travel"

One reason I travel is to experience new things.  It is good to do something that is not part of your normal daily routine.  Another reason is to learn new things about different cultures and places.  It is more fun to go out and learn something instead of just reading about it.  Another reason is to have fun.  After stress at school it is nice to get away and have no worries for a little while.  I think that some of my reasons align with lyer's essay.  He believes we should travel to learn more about the world, rather than just learn about the world through newspapers.  He also says we travel "to become young fool again". I really like his ideas about why we travel.

lyer says, "The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeing new places, but in seeing with new eyes".  I think that this means a voyage should change the way you look and the world and open your eyes to things happening all over  the world.  When we go on the trip we should be open to new things and take in all the things that we see and hopefully we will see things in a different perspective.

Lyer also says, "What gives value to travel is fear".  I think this means that when we travel we are free from all the things we normally hide behind.  A lot of people are afraid of the unknown and feel safer when they are hiding in their own little world.  When you travel it forces you to leave that world behind.  When we go on this trip, we are leaving our normal world and venturing to a place that is unfamiliar to us. 

Lyer talks about a traveler being a human "carrier pigeon", transporting ideas and culture from one society to another.  I think that travelers should share their knowledge and experience with all they visit and those they return to.  If travelers want to share their knowledge they are welcome to do so, but if travelers don't want to share their experiences that is okay too.  I think it is important to spread knowledge all over the world so that everyone is informed about what is happening around the world. 

One of my favorite quotes in this article is "It shows us the sights and values and issues that we might ordinarily ignore; but it also, and more deeply, shows us all the parts of ourselves that might otherwise be rusty"  I like that it shows that different sides of travel.  It says that we get to explore the world issues, but we get to find ourselves along the way too.

January Class Blog

My name is Megan and I go to Grayslake Central High School.  I am really shy when I am around people I don't know well, but when I am around my friends I am a lot more outgoing. I am really excited about going to Australia this summer.  I love to travel.  My family travels a lot, but we rarely go out of the country, and this trip gives me the opportunity to go half way around the world. 

I have always wanted to go to Australia. When I was little, my friends and I had a plan to go to China to get noodles then go to Australia to play with the kangaroos.  Of course I never thought that I would actually get to go.  When the opportunity came I was a little reluctant at first, but then I thought that I would never get the chance like this again.  I always imagined going to Australia and seeing all the beautiful sights.  I thought it would be fun to go across the world.  I like to travel because it is way more fun than my daily routine.  The fact that some of my friends are going makes it even better, but I really want to meet new people and make new friends.  I am glad I am going on this trip with the school because if I go with my family I don't think that I will get the same experience. 

I really want to learn about Australia's culture, the people, the places, the animals.  I think it will be cool to say that I went to Australia, but I also want to learn things about it so I can share my knowledge with my friends and family.  When in Australia I want to see how their lives are different from ours and how they are similar as well.  Australia is one of the few places that I never learned much about in school.  In class we always talk about Europe, Asia, the US, but I don't hear a lot about Australia.  Australia is one of the few places that I actually want to learn and know things about.  I want to learn as much as I can in this class. 

I am most excited to see the Great Barrier Reef because I love to see all the different kinds of fish and coral.  In pictures it is always so bright and vibrant and I really want to experience it for myself. And of course I want to see a kangaroo on this trip.  I think I would be a little disappointed if I didn't get to see at least one kangaroo, but I am not sure what to expect when it comes to the kind of wildlife we will see there.  I really want to go to New Zealand because it is where Lord of the Rings was filmed. I have seen Lord of the Rings many times (yes I love Lord of the Rings it is one of my favorite movies) and I loved the scenery in it.  I want to see the things that I have only seen in pictures in real life.  The more we get to see the better! 

I think that it is important to have some background knowledge before going on a trip.  It is good to know what the weather is like and what kind of food you will find there etc. so that you are prepared.  If you know these type of things before hand you will have a better experience and will know what to expect.  I think that another reason to know things before going on a trip is so that when you get there, and see all the things you learned about you know the history of it, and it is more meaningful.