“Stuff your eyes with wonder…live as if you’d drop dead in 10 seconds. See the world.” —Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451
Bradbury was writing science fiction, but his words could be a perfect tagline for a travel company intent on luring customers. Of course, not everyone travels to experience wonder and open their minds. Some people travel to visit family, while others travel to the same place year after year because they like knowing what to expect. There is no wrong reason or way to travel, but those who do set out with a desire to learn and be spellbound highly recommend this mindset.
Sights that leave you speechless
Bill and Julie Collings don’t wing it when it comes to travel. Along with their travel companions, Bill says, “We plan way ahead and research the areas we are going to travel. We spend time investigating how best we can experience the destination up close and personal.” For them, travel isn’t just about seeing a specific site. “[It’s about] immersing ourselves in the culture, being present with locals and our travel companions, and experiencing nature, culture, and history,” Bill says.
One destination that was especially mind-opening was Greece because of its vast history, he continues. You almost can’t walk anywhere in Greece without seeing something that dates back thousands of years. “We experienced this trip with a group from our church, and we retraced the journey of the Apostle Paul,” Bill says. And it wasn’t history alone that left them with a sense of wonder. “This location was home to the most beautiful beaches and landscapes, like a classic painting,” Bill adds. “The color of the Aegean Sea leaves you speechless.”
Other locales that left the Collings in awe include Portugal’s Douro Valley, the world’s oldest demarcated wine region and a UNESCO World Heritage site; and Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada, with its turquoise glacial lakes and majestic snow-covered peaks.
The Collings’ adventures have focused them in ways they didn’t expect when they first began, they say. Travel has expanded their ability to dream, while also bringing them closer together because of these shared experiences.
Roads less traveled
Traveling with the explicit goal of opening your mind doesn’t have to involve far-flung places or costly flights. For the past several years, Darin and Mindy Jett have been traveling with a camper, often seeing sites in the US that don’t get the love that more popular places receive — and doing so with a very reasonable budget.
The Jetts always had the idea of RVing in the back of their minds, but the 2020 pandemic and the death of Mindy’s dad made them prioritize trips together. Although they considered purchasing a new recreational vehicle, Mindy says, “We stumbled on a vintage 1976 Airstream Argosy that was pretty well taken care of but needed some upgrades. We ended up spending much less initially, even with the upgrades. Plus, it really has a lot of character and was more our vibe!”
Darin says he didn’t get to travel at all when he was a kid, so there were places he knew he wanted to see, such as Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons. But he’s also been blown away by some under-the-radar national parks like Great Sand Dunes in Colorado. “It has a huge sand dune area in the middle of nowhere that has been there for around 12,000 years due to some very specific geographical and weather conditions,” he says.
One of the benefits of traveling by camper is the fact that it doesn’t cost very much to see some stunning locations. “We can definitely travel cheaper compared to air travel and most of the time cheaper than by car,” Darin says. “With how I’ve built the electrical system in our trailer with 800 watts of solar and 560 amp-hours of lithium batteries, we are able to run the AC and heat as needed anywhere we stop.” On their trip to Great Sand Dunes, for instance, it cost them $20 per night with stunning views from their door and campfire.
For the Jetts, traveling has also meant expanding their idea of entertainment. “We’ve learned to make our own fun, especially when it comes to documenting our travels,” Mindy says. “We take lots of selfies so we don’t just have all landscape photos. We seek out roadside attractions on our long drive days, and I like to take photos of myself reading in pretty places which I title, Where in the World is Mindy Reading?”
The Jetts saw the World’s Largest Belt Buckle in Abilene, Kansas, and if that doesn’t expand your mind and leave you a little speechless, then perhaps nothing will.
By Carrie Vittitoe
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