The Real Joy of Traveling

As a substitute teacher I often introduce myself by telling my story in under four minutes. I deliberately include details about my education (I have one bachelor’s degree, one master’s degree, one graduate certificate, and a couple of other certificates). I also include some facts about having traveled (I have been in 28 countries and lived in four). This often feels very narcissistic, but I do it so the students know that I am serious about teaching, and that I am a qualified teacher. 

After my introduction, the question I get most often is, “What is your favorite place?” My answer: “Mosco, Switzerland, Burundi, and Cheyenne. My favorite place is right here, right now, with you.” I explain that I think what makes any place special are the people you are with. And if you make a deliberate effort to be present and enjoy the people you are with, even Cheyenne can be a wonderful place. I don’t think many students believe me. 

TRAVELING ISN’T JUST ABOUT TRAVELING

However, I am more convinced than ever that traveling is about the people you travel with and the people you meet along the way. I have just finished spending a few days in Oklahoma City (OKC). I came to see some close friends and play in a low stakes amateur poker tournament. In addition to enjoying my friends who live in OKC, my friend, Brian, flew in from Denver to play poker and enjoy OKC with me. Brian and I have traveled together before and have had many adventures in Africa and Europe, but we have not traveled together for eight years.  I had a great time in OKC, and my heart is full. I could be wrong, but I don’t think OKC is a big tourist destination. OKC doesn’t boast of great mountain views, sandy beaches, or fabulous entertainment. But there is no place I would have rather been. 

TALKING TO FRIENDS

I spent hours–literally hours!–with good friends remembering the past, wrestling with difficult philosophical ideas, talking about family, dreaming about the future, and sharing hilarious videos. In between these conversations we played poker (I was victorious, placing first out of fourteen, and won just over $100), attended a Sunday School class and worship service, visited the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum, and ate at some great local restaurants. But it wasn’t what I did that made the trip great, it was the people I was with and the people I met. 

TALKING TO STRANGERS

I was not surprised by the deep conversation I had with friends I have known for years, Dexter, Ashley, and 

Brian. But I also had a great time with folks I met for the first time. There was a couple in the Sunday School class who were visiting for the first time who had lunch with us.  There was Steve, Michelle, and Nicole, whom I met at the poker game. Although I don’t think we have much in common, I felt a good connection as we made small talk between poker hands and during the dinner break. I met Ralf, who owns a small business; he had lunch with me and shared his life, and he allowed me to share mine with him. I met Sarah at a Bible study and she shared, in a very vulnerable way, the pain of a hard and difficult day. And I met Barbara, a woman about my age who was staying with Dexter and Ashley for a few weeks. We bonded quickly, talking about theology, family, and the good life. I was only in OKC for a couple of days, but I returned to Cheyenne with a handful of new friends I hope to see again.

Playing in the poker tournament was fun (and winning a thrill); visiting the memorial was moving; and eating was a culinary pleasure; but it was the people who made the trip so meaningful. We could have done anything and eaten anything, and it still would have been wonderful.

PEOPLE ARE THE POINT

In the next twenty years Debbie and I hope to travel more. But it will not be because there is something we want to see or do; it will be to see family and friends. You can only talk for so long, so I hope to take our kids and grandkids camping at the Grand Canyon, explore the rides at Disneyland, and enjoy watching them play sports or participate in the school play. I want to return to OKC, Red Wing, Minnesota, and Lafayette, Louisiana, and I want to play more poker and enjoy local restaurants. But the point will never be the poker, the Grand Canyon, or Disneyland; the point will always be the people we are with.

I pray that you will get a chance to travel, across the street or across the world, and as you travel, near or far, you will always enjoy the people you are with.