Our Changing Reflections on Travel

On May 12, 2020 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Blogging, Travel Tips4 Comments

We have written several times over the past three to four years about how travel has impacted our lives. Looking back at the way we have viewed how travel influences our lives is as interesting in some ways as the actual travel has been. It is important to reflect upon the actual act of traveling as it is the experiences that come from travel. Here is a chronological look at the different articles we have written about travel in general.

Sitting at a Restaurant in the Alhambra Palace in Granada, Spain

January 2016 – Shared Travel Memories. One of our early posts where we discuss traveling as a couple.
Lighthouse on the Northern Coast of Africa in Morocco
July 2017 – Do You Have a Specific Travel Goal. We shared our thoughts on having very specific goals for our travels and what we would consider to be our ultimate travel goal.
View of the Prague Castle Complex
August 2017 – There is Always One More Place to See. No matter how many places you go, you can always find different countries, cities, regions, or specific sites that you would like to visit.
At the Louvre in Paris
November 2017 – Every Trip Makes You a Smarter Traveler. We looked back at our first out of country experience and how different we travel now than we did then.
Ancient Temple in India
February 2018 – How Do You Choose Your Next Travel Destination? We discussed the different ways that people use to pick a place that they would like to visit.
The Streets of the Old City in Cairo
February 2019 – What Do You Hope to Get From Traveling. Regardless of the reason for your travel, it has an impact on you, so we explore the benefits of various travel styles.
Paddling in a Small Canoe in the Amazon
March 2019 – Our Traveler Evolution. Exploring the various phases our travel style has gone through over the years.
Standing in Bran Castle (Dracula’s Castle) in Transylvania
June 2019 – How Does Traveling Make You Feel. Sharing the emotions that come with traveling.
Temples of Mahabalipuram
February 2020 – What Was Your Wanderlust Moment? We looked back at the trip that influenced the way that we have traveled since that experience.
Halong Bay in Vietnam
March 2020 – Travel in an Uncertain World. In a world where things are continuously changing, travel is often impacted, but especially in today’s world.

Some of Our Favorite Landmark Photographs

On March 23, 2020February 9, 2021 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Blogging1 Comment

We often look back at our photographs, usually when writing about a place that we have visited, but often just to consider displaying in our home. We have a digital frame that does a slideshow of our pictures. One of the famous landmarks that we don’t have here is the Statue of Liberty in New York City. We do have photographs of the statue, but they were taken pre-digital camera days and we haven’t gotten around to scanning them to our computer. Everyplace that we have visited has a special place in our hearts, but these photographs are ones that most recognizable to almost anyone.

Empire State Building with Statue of Liberty in the Background

Can You Travel to a Location Without Changing It?

On September 11, 2019 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Blogging, Travel Tips2 Comments

People often talk about wanting to leave a place exactly the same way that you found it so that it is preserved for future generations. While it sounds like an ideal goal, there are a lot of factors that make that pretty much impossible. We have been fortunate enough to have visited a couple of indigenous villages that try to remain as untouched as possible, but just our arrival to their village will leave an impact. It isn’t limited to remote locations, every place that you visit, your presence and the decisions that you make have impacts that you are likely unaware of.

Napo Wildlife Center in the Yasuni National Park

For example, when we went to visit an Embera village in Panama, our guide purposely took us to one of the further villages that isn’t visited as often. Our decision to buy or not buy crafts can change the prosperity and status of the village compared to those in the area. The fact that they are selling crafts to tourists is a change to their lifestyles. How they see us dressed, the conversations that we have with them, the information that we share, all had potential consequences long after we left the village. The women of the Embera villages now where tops when they previously didn’t just because of the tourists that were visiting them and conforming to their cultural norms.

Even when going to major cities, the decisions that we make to visit a particular site or not visit can determine whether a site remains available in the future. There are places where visitors are starting to be limited because of the concern over the damage being caused such as Machu Picchu and Everest Base Camp. Even the conversations that you have once you return home, the places that you recommend, the off-the-beaten path locations that you describe can have determine whether more people return in your wake.

We all know that traveling changes us, makes us world citizens, but we don’t often think of the impact that we make upon the places that we visit. We aren’t suggesting that you stop traveling and there is nothing wrong with trying to limit the changes that your visit will cause, but it isn’t possible to visit a place without leaving a footprint. Have you ever thought about how your travel has changed the world instead of just how it has changed yourself?