I cannot emphasise the need to experience life for more than what it seems within our own precious microcosms. While the clichéd wanderlust bucket lists flood my daily feed, I can’t help but think of the numerous occasions when I had fussed over capturing the best angle for a photograph and risked totally missing the purpose of the exploration altogether. Social media has totally changed how we see and experience the world we live in. We need to veer away from the ocular-centric hegemonic nature of travel (a bane brought about by tiresome, self–indulgent social media platforms) and re-experience the world with all our senses.
Experiences shape us in many ways. One of the most important purposes of travel is to query the norms in our own social circles. Experiencing distant cultures create a greater appreciation of the diversity of life and lifestyles across the planet. Very often, the people who travel with us are so inspired by the possibilities of what they’ve experienced that they begin to reshape their minds and lives, questioning the status quo within their own spheres of influence. There is much to be learned through travel and exploring these cultures with an open mind is the first step to seeing opportunities for change in our lives.
Good Travels is a celebration of the diversity of life across the globe. It encourages explorations off the beaten path. It sieves out experiences that are commonplace in some cultures yet new to others; an anti-tourist of sorts. It shops for ideas and experiences. It craves a good vernacular meal with aromatic flavours. It dwells in the heartbeat of the city and her people. Travel with us, as we recount the many experiences, weird, wild and wonderful, that have left an imprint in our minds of the possibilities of a world beyond our own.
