Why Do We Travel?

Why do we travel? It’s a question we’ve been asked a lot over the last two years having given up our so-called traditional life back in Wales and set off, along with our two small children, on a meandering adventure around Europe, into Africa and across to Asia. Just us and our trusty motorhome.

There are many reasons, too many to fill these pages with now, but at the heart of the matter is an underlying desire to continually expand not only our own horizons, but those of our children. To open their eyes to a life of infinite possibility, to give them the opportunity to learn in a classroom without walls and allow them the freedom to grow in a world of endless discovery.

In living this life, one that’s not without its hardships and challenges, we also hope to inspire other people to expand their horizons, to dare to venture into the unknown and seek out new destinations on their own travels.

Why?

Because we can all be creatures of habit, we have our safe, easy destinations that we like to travel to, places where we know what to expect, where to eat and what the local shops will stock. We might promise ourselves that next year we will look further afield, that we will try somewhere new, but when push comes to shove we err on the side of caution, we play it safe and stick with what we know.

But in taking this approach, in failing to venture away from what’s familiar to us, we never discover anything new, and there’s a big world full of opportunity and adventure out there, waiting to be explored, as we’ve discovered first hand on The Big European Odyssey.

Sure, we have to take a few risks, we might not have such a great campsite at some point, or we could find ourselves in a supermarket where we can’t get our favourite tea bags or, worse still, get your motorhome stuck at the bottom of a gorge in Montenegro - but that’s a story for another day. In not taking the risks we forgo the chance of discovering something new, something exciting, something that makes us stop and go ‘wow’. That is the very essence of travel, to break free from our normal routines and discover something new.

When all is said and done life is about creating memories, the sort that we will look back on in years to come with joy and amazement. I firmly believe that a life well lived should not be measured by the possessions we have collected, but rather by the experiences we’ve had and the people we’ve shared them with along the way. In order to do that we must be willing to open our minds to a world of never ending adventure, to be prepared to travel far and wide and to discover ourselves as much as the world around us.

And so, as we arrive back in the UK to take a short break from our travels, it is our hope that, through sharing our own experiences and adventures, you will be inspired to discover somewhere new for your next trip. That doesn’t mean heading as far away as we went, although we would highly recommend the likes of Turkey, Georgia and Morocco, but being open to a new destination as you plan your next trip.

However, thanks to all that the Caravan and Motorhome Club offers its members, from excellent continental sites and the best prices for ferry and LeShuttle crossings to comprehensive travel insurance and guided tours, you can head to Europe with total peace of mind ready to enjoy your next adventure. As for us, we will spend a little time rediscovering parts of the UK that we love before heading off into Europe again. After all, travel is a way of life and life is for living, so where better to live it than in our motorhome seeing the world.