Travel Musings.

The other day, my friend asked me what my greatest fears are, in the context of Italy.

Here are some fears that immediately came to me:

1. Not making the "most" of my time. 

This is pretty general, since who's to define what's the "most" - is it the more things you said you did, or the amount of different experiences you gained, or the enjoyment of the moments? It's all relative. But my fear is that I'll have spent the time away without having enough memories to last me. I don't want to say, I wish I had visited this place, or taken the time to do that.

2. Not "prepping" enough for my trip.

I'm going to be honest -- I'm often content being the passive traveler, letting somebody else be in control and do the planning if they so wish. I've never actually prepped for a trip, besides the packing, defined as haphazardly throwing some clothing into a bag. This time around, I'm trying to look through guidebooks, learn Italian, and my goal is to make a list of "must-memorize" phrases and "must-go" places. Which there's a lot of, by the way.

3. Not meeting other people I can travel compatibly with.

I'm all for independence in traveling, but honestly, it would be nice to, you know, have someone else be able to help take pictures. Share the stress in travel. Share those one-in-a-few-years memories with. So you know you didn't imagine all of it! It doesn't sound like a very great fear, but it's a very practical one. To have someone that shares your tastes in personal hygiene, budget, interests when traveling, and to a certain extent, personality… 'tis difficult. 

As I'm writing this, however, I'm noticing how they all start with "not." I feel a better attitude should be looking to what  I know I'll gain, rather than my fears. What if they come true? Doesn't help much that I predicted it. . .