Travel now not tomorrow

  Sometimes we read a sentence that resonates. Many years ago, in a Paul Theroux book, I came across a description of travel as being full of great inconvenience interrupted by the occasional epiphany. The words made me stop reading, although I can no longer find the quote or remember the book it came from. For me, travel is often not glamourous, or absorbing. It is made up of much waiting around for boats, trains or planes and then dragging luggage behind me while searching for a particular street while trying not to look like I'm a stranger. And during this turmoil, these moments can be interrupted by a joy that comes from something as simple as interaction with a stranger or catching sight of an ancient ruin, building or sunset. What gives us the epiphany is personal. I won’t bore you with mine. Paul Theroux, for me, is the master of description when it comes to why we travel: “The wish to travel seems to me characteristically human: the desire to move, to satisfy your curio...