A lot of factors helped us psyche up our upcoming travels. From movies to novels to travel articles, they all painted an image in our minds of how our trips would go down. Most of the time, we ended up experiencing a series of bumps on the road, sometimes the polar opposite of it, depending on what we expected—either such adventurous, epic failure-filled wandering or a walk-in-the-park stroll throughout the path we drew on our itinerary map.
The Oftentimes Blissful, Sometimes Brutal Reality of Travel Expectations
During my recent twenty-five-day trip to India, I actually expected the worst; I brought along dozens of anti-diarrhea medicines and mosquito repellent (my first time ever buying one). You wonder how I came into those expectations? Well, count the number of films, books, and travel articles that depicted India as one big chaotic nation BUT with cultural, religious, and gastronomical offerings to provide feasts for all senses. I got the last part right, the rest? I was surprised to experience no unnecessary trips to the bathroom even when I feasted on Indian food, had almost nary a mosquito bite, and was never harassed nor scammed.
The Unromantic Realities of the Road
Traveling in real life was not as romanticized as it was in the movies. The chances of meeting Miss Perfect on the road or at the beach in Palawan were not that high, nor did you sit beside an Emily Blunt doppelgänger on the plane. Most of the time, you ended up being sandwiched by an overweight guy and a woman who complained a lot each time you excused yourself to go to the comfort room. Though, sometimes something wonderful happened while on the road when you least expected it. Sparks of romance, however briefly felt between you and someone, buoyed by the long bus rides and scenic surroundings, whispers of conversations between each other sounded like phrases from a romantic movie. I had written about some of that here, here, and here.
Real-life traveling also did not guarantee you would end up in interesting places all the time. That was not some travel show on TV where it was already edited to show the juicy parts. Long hours were spent in bus terminals and airport lounges waiting for the next available trip out. Travel for me was brutal for the manner I traveled, which was more of a backpacker type. However, it was that daunting process which made it more satisfying when I finally reached my destination. That was the part you saw on travel shows, the best one where all good expectations were either realized or even topped off.
Shattering Expectations
So, the next time you swore all profanities to the universe and blamed yourself for how things went on to suck while traveling, cursing the bad karma on how it turned out to be a nightmare and a total contrast of your expectations, do not fret, because you actually experienced the unknown joys of journeying, only felt by travelers who had dared to exceed and prove their expectations wrong. One thing that my recent India trip had taught me was that whatever fear you had inside you, it would remain there until you learned to step out of your comfort zone and shatter your best and worst expectations of travel.
This was my entry to the PTB Blog Carnival April 2014 - Traveling: When Fact is Really Fiction, hosted by Kaiz of Where Have You Been Lately?
