In the famous words of St. Augustine, the world is a book, and those who don’t travel read only one page. I agree that traveling is a great means for learning, but at the same time, I know that most often, it’s a luxury. According to the Travel Effect Study, travel improves educational attainment and future success. If you’re a parent, that gives you two excellent reasons to get out and go, when possible. Ready to hit the road? If so, I highly recommend this list of awesome experiences compiled by Bryan Kitch for Afar.com.
“If travel is the best form of education, this is a Master Class. These experiences go off the beaten path, and likely outside average tourists’ comfort zones.”
On the other hand, if you are not free to cut loose at present, I have something for you, too. It begins with a story.
When I was very young, I had a lot of fun playing – often with my brother or cousins – in a small, trickling creek that ran behind my grandparents’ home. I have gotten sentimental about this particular spot in the past with my mom and my bro, and they both were quick to correct my reference by saying, “you’re talking about the ditch!”
I prefer creek, thank you very much. There, we caught minnows and crawdads, and began and ended many adventures into the forest above the homestead. Many years later, I returned to Grandma’s one late night, and on a whim, I ventured out to the creek with a cassette recorder, to capture the sound of the water’s flow in that setting. I sat there and recorded for maybe a minute, and afterward, listening to those sounds while sitting in other places as my life moved on, I was really surprised at how I felt drawn into that special time and place, and how that added something lovely to my day.
That’s the tale behind an idea I have come up with for a series of video shorts where I will share moments – maybe just 60 seconds – of stillness, with picture and ambient sound, from some of the more adventurous places I visit. Called “Rare Air,” it’s my pleasure to premiere the first episode here. Moving forward, I anticipate sharing more of the experiences I’ve captured at the Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Rocky Mountain and Olympic National Parks, among others. I hope you’ll find something inspiring and perhaps therapeutic in these videos, and that some vital aspects of life may find you through them. For new episodes, please visit https://vimeo.com/channels/rareair.
