Two Travelers

Two Travelers

There are 2 travelers heading to a foreign land.

Both really want to make the most out of their journeys.

Both have 60 days to accomplish their journey.

The first traveler reads countless blogs and internet posts about the foreign land he is about to visit. He reads numerous first hand accounts by first time travelers and he makes a combination to do list based off of all the accounts he reads and sees. He looks on lots of travel sites and books a best price guarantee on everything he reserves for his trip. He loads up his itinerary on his phone and feels confident about his journey. When he arrives in the foreign land his phone dies halfway through his first day and he spends most of his first 24 hours in his super affordable hostel on the wrong side of town. After charging his phone and talking with some other travelers, they band their information together and wander around the foreign land in search of the experiences offered by the land’s history, culture, and scenery. Occasionally their phones have service and they reference travel sites and blogs while updating their social statuses. Over the course of 60 days they see a lot, but the journey is disjointed and they have tended to keep to an area they have become familiar with. 

The second traveler reads up on sites like the first traveler but he sets himself up with a local guide that has the highest rating and even a reference from a friend that used the guide on a similar trip. From the moment the second traveler gets off the plane, his immersion begins. Greeted by his guide at the airport, he is immediately whisked away on a local route to his accommodations in the heart of the cultural center. He hardly has time to put his bags in his room before going to eat at the top rated local restaurant followed by the 5 top rated viewpoints in the area. The rest of his trip was packed with daily adventures and memories to last a lifetime. 

Which traveler had the best experience on their 60 day journey into a foreign land? The traveler that wandered and squandered their vacation away? Or the traveler that utilized an experienced guide? Obviously the second traveler. But equally as obvious, the second traveler spent more, right? Obviously. They spent more wisely. Time is non-renewable. You don’t get moments back. However, you can make the most out of the moments you get. There are times to wander and wonder and muse that not all who wander are lost. But to wander on towards a goal, or to waste vacation time trying to figure out how to best utilize your vacation, we can agree that is an egregious waste. It is always time to learn, but it is best to learn how to make the most out time–the moments we get.