“Everywhere is within walking distance if you have the time.” ~ Steven Wright
All avid fans of hiking or long distance walking share something in common. They understand that you must walk to truly experience and see a place. Sure, a car or bike will get you there quicker and allow you to see more places, but those modes of travel don’t allow you to see more OF a place. In our modern world where everything seems to move at lightning speed, is it no wonder people are craving slow travel? In a world driven by consumerism and the desire for more, is it surprising that someone like me would seek travel that focuses on meaningful experiences rather than a sightseeing checklist?
Slow travel doesn’t mean you move at the pace of a sloth — it’s a mindset, a different way of looking at vacation.
“A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step” ~ Lao Tzu
Eric & I have enjoyed traveling together since we first met, but what really solidified us as a serious travel duo was the year we spent living in Delaware. Eric’s first job out of college was with a Taiwanese company whose American base was in Delaware. What was supposed to be a six month training ended up being a full year, so we made the most of it. I didn’t have a car & wasn’t working during that time, so I would spend the week planning trips for the weekend. We would rent a car each weekend because the company car they had loaned us could only run a few miles before dying. Plus, it smelled like soy sauce because a previous tenant had spilled a gallon of soy sauce in the front seat & never properly cleaned it. Quite often, we’d get the same rental car, a red PT Cruiser — we LOVED that cruiser!
For these next few posts, I’m taking a walk down memory lane. Early in our marriage, Eric & I lived in Delaware for a year & boy did we have some adventures! I kept notes & emails from that year, & it’s amazing to see how much my perspective of our experiences during that time has altered. The best example is of our experience in the town of Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania, where we stayed at “the house of misery.”
