Being an avid traveller myself, and with doubts about the selection of places in the book titled 'the 1000 places to visit before you die', that when I stumbled upon this article while on one of my many I-want-to-escape-somewhere mode, it dawns on me the silliness of the 1000 places book.

 

I begin to think of late that travelling shouldn't be about quantities, how many places you've visited, i've been to so and so..., but about the stories and impressions you've gathered, the jovialness of companions, and the impact it has.  These are what made the trips memorable.

This I say with respect to trips which I've been to just to visit the place, eg a weekend away in Brussels or a lone trip to farmers market.  The former was interesting as a getaway, but whether it made any impact, i would be inclined to say 'no'.  Meanwhile the loneand no-frill trip to farmers market a few stops away on the London tube was enjoyable, much so because it was so lively and met an old lady selling oysters.  The sight of her hand severely covered by bumps and warts due to continual exposure to the oysters and sea water is something I won't forget easily.

 

So the article talks about 7 travel stories you should be able to tell before you die.  they are: travelers should be able to tell a good bus story, bathroom story, airplane story, animal story, hotel story, food story and guide story.

 

Don't think I've made it to all 7 yet

(got the food (Fat Duck at 200quid),

 hotel (communal bath (even if female only) onsen in Japan or robbed in Spain?)

animal (snake farm in bangkok))

 

... it only means I have to do more travelling, no?

 

 

 

 

"How to help the young children is to show them how to have a vision for their own future," she said. "They don't have that. Because if we are poor we need to develop ourselves to get a better future, not just give up and get some money easily."