Who is by your side

My sister sent me a card that says: ‘It’s not where you are going, but who is by your side’. Now I always do care about where I am going, really, but I agree that a trip is much more worthwhile when you have a best friend (my sister) by your side. I’ve taken trips by myself, which was fine, also, but the best memories are made when I’m traveling with someone.

Alone

I love being by myself. Alone, but never lonesome. When traveling I can make plans to do and see the things I find interesting, which don’t necessarily interest my travel companion. On the other hand, nothing beats sharing experiences while traveling with someone you care about. It all depends on what kind of trip you make.

Aspen, Colorado

When I go ‘home’ to the place I lived for so many years, I like to be by myself. I’m not going on vacation, I’m going home. I’ll meet up with friends and do the things I always enjoyed so much while living there. As, when I want to write, I’d like to be alone. For one, I’m not good company when all I want to do is write.

Trips

There are a few trips planned already. This week I will visit Newcastle, UK, with a good friend and a few weeks later I will enjoy the beach in my favorite Dutch town, Egmond aan Zee. The rest of my travels in spring will have to be through reading and writing.  It’s a funny thing about reading a book that you can travel places without spending any money.

The journey is the reward

To use another one of my favorite quotes: The journey is the reward. Now I know you don’t have to take this literally, to get to your goal is half (if not all) the fun. But for me, even in a literal sense I can enjoy my journey. There’s times I will take the train to the other side of the country. Yes, The Netherlands are very small, it takes about three hours form one side to the other.

Train

I love train rides. I sit near a window and gaze out over the meadows and all the water. In the meantime I scribble stuff in my notebook. Which I usually throw out at the end of my trip. But sometimes something sticks. The clickety clang, the smells, the whispers of the other travelers, it all adds up to the experience of traveling.

Itch

And when the itch gets too much, I take the train to Schiphol, our international airport in Amsterdam. I grab a coffee and sit somewhere to enjoy the hustle and bustle. The frantic, nervous passengers, the worker-bees cleaning, the beep-beep of the luggage carts, it’s all music to my ears. And I dream of far away places when a flight to Dubai is called. Next time I will be on that plane. Or maybe I will visit Capetown. And I’ve never been to Stockholm. Next time…