Alain de Botton is an expert on many things, especially Proust so I was excited when I discovered by accident his thesis on "The Art of Travel". I soon discovered that the author is really not fond of travel and the work consisted of essays on other distinguished travellers rather than his own experiences which were rather dull. Why? Many people love to travel and look forward to their annual pilgrimage to foreign fields. Mr Botton is obviously not one of those. Mr Botton, like me has to travel for his job.His job takes him to many interesting places but when it comes to travel as a recreation and an end in itself, it is obvious he finds the task beyond him. In my job I have to travel. Being in the theatre, my life is one round of travel to places of interest and some not. One cannot help being a tourist when one is forced and I do take advantage and see the sights but like Botton I am not good at going on holiday. What does one do when the only reason for visiting a place is because everyone else does? How does one fill in the hours when one is not visiting the local sights? Hotel rooms are always a disappointment, and one is bereft of company unless of course one is having a romance and that makes all the difference. A toe tingling love affair, legitimate or otherwise could make Bradford as inviting as the Pyramids. I am with the old French aristocrat who liked the thought of travel but chickens out of actually going and stays at home. Today one can go anywhere on RU-vid so why bother with the travel and expense - just see the good bits. In Madrid, a Spanish explorer successfully worked his way to and around South America which proves my point that it is better to have mission when one travels rather than just the travel for its own end. Wordsworth lived in The Lake District. He did travel abroad a bit but returned to his home. He wrote about his home not foreign parts. This bit was a quick introduction to the poems of Wordsworth which Mr Botton does rather well. Lastly a visit to the South of France sent me to sleep so I never found out what happened there! Did I enjoy it? Yes, and I shall replay the bits I missed. Like Mr Botton I am not a good holiday traveller. I need to travel for a purpose and the delights of my surrounding come as a bonus. I had been hoping Mr Botton would deliver the secrets of "The Art of Travel" but it seems to have defeated him too.
That’s simple. You like to travel with purpose? Next time you go for a holiday, before picking a place make a bucket list of things that would scare you. Not in just the “BOO!” Kind of sense. I mean if you have a fear of getting into confrontation for example, go somewhere where you can challenge a boxer to a fight. If you have a fear of being in a large social events, go to a rave after winning that fight. It’s important to make the list before you pick a spot. Feel free to add or change what ever you would like to the list, but it is important to add at least one thing that will send you out of your comfort zone. It could even be something that doesn’t scare you at all, but is still out of your comfort zone. Ex: all day spa day. And on your way from place to place or from thing to thing, pick out a vary picturesque road to travel. It all has to be in the same location however. (Walking distance if possible) (Start small with the scarier things I would also suggest) (Also know your limits and try not to go in over your head. Ex: starting a gang war, when you don’t even know how to throw a punch) Hope this helped. P.s. no matter what you pick, so long as you know you may enjoy it have it in mind.
