GOTTA KEEP MOVIN'

I’m hooked. Yes, I admit it. I can’t look through a travel magazine without catching a mild case of wanderlust. Sometimes it’s more like a fever. For instance, a recent issue of National Geographic Traveler made me want to pack a bag and take off for Tuscany, Belize, Australia, St. Petersburg - Russia, not Florida - and, of all places, Brooklyn. Yes, Brooklyn, New York.
I walked across the Brooklyn Bridge last year with a long-time buddy of mine on a glorious fall day. It’s something I had always wanted to do but never found the time on my all-too-brief trips to New York. The experience is still fresh in my mind. What a magnificent bridge, certainly my favorite. And the view of Manhattan from the middle of The Bridge is breathtaking, like a scene from a Woody Allen movie. I highly recommend it. I also recommend reading “The Great Bridge” by David McCullough, for a healthy dose of its fascinating history.
Of course, the sole purpose of those magazines is to make you travel. And it works. There are so many places to go, and - so it seems - new destinations are being uncovered every year. As though the Earth were getting larger. Ever hear of Anticosti Island in Quebec? North Ronaldsay, Scotland? How about Saba, a volcanic island near St. Martin? Me neither. But those are recommended places to visit.
Two years ago my wife and I went to Brazil. Last year we headed for China. And yet, I feel as though I’m a homebody. Don’t get me wrong. I love being at home, with my wife and golden retriever and two parrots, but there’s the conflict. When I’m at home, I feel I should be traveling. I know I’m missing out. I can be enjoying a relaxing day on our deck when the phone rings, and a friend says they just got back from Machu Picchu or Easter Island or the jazz festival in Montreux, Switzerland. Where was I? Why didn’t I go there? What am I doing sitting on a deck enjoying myself?
Part of the answer is money. I can’t afford to go everywhere. Secondly, I don’t really want to. Let’s face it - the song is right. It’s nice to go travelin’, but it’s oh so nice to come home. So the conflict remains, probably never to be resolved. I guess if we traveled anywhere we wanted, as often as we wanted, we’d get tired of it. Maybe it’s best that a trip is something special, holds out a little magic to alter the pace of the everyday. Which means I’m no longer going to worry about missing out.
Anyway, that’s how I see it.
Hmmm, I wonder what’s on the Travel Channel tonight?