The quintessential contemporary story on this topic is ‘The Alchemist’ by Paulo Coelho, which I’m actually currently reading. I’m not yet far in, but with reviews of “life changing” from the likes of Will Smith, Pharrell Williams, Madonna and Oprah Winfrey, I’m sure it’s a ride.
I’ve gotten up to the part where Santiago expresses his great desire to see the world, tired of the monotony of herding sheep. Coelho’s writing makes it impossible not to draw parallels to one’s own life. No, I’m not a shepherd, but the monotony of life in my home country did influence me somewhat to fly the nest. That is not to discredit my loved ones who reside there, but the environment of the place itself – an air of pessimism presides over it, and I found it suffocating. So, I got out. This appearance of transformative journeys in media has been a staple for humanity. Christopher Nolan is currently developing Homer’s Odyssey for its millionth time. My favourite film of all time ‘The Warriors’ (1979) is also loosely inspired by Homer.
Why Are We Drawn to Travel
But why is it that humankind is so drawn to stories of travel – transformative travel specifically. If we ignore the fact that these are outstanding pieces of standalone media, that feature love, violence, high & low points, and everything in between – what is it that’s attracting us to these stories. What attracts us to the concept of travel itself?
A Surface level analysis tells us that it’s escapism. It’s a way for us to experience something ‘outside of the norm, or a way in which to fulfil desire without self-destructing the structure that we’ve installed in our lives.
I don’t completely agree with this. Sure, this may be an aspect of why it calls to us, but it definitely isn’t the whole story. Maybe it’s the romanticist inside of me, but I believe that its part of a deep prehistoric proto-human need to expand and explore; the same one that caused us to inhabit the far corners of Pangea before its rupture. Since this instinct continues to go through the trouble of clawing itself out from deep within a reptilian part of our brain, I believe we should humour it.
The Science of Wanderlust
There are multiple approaches that can help us find the root cause of this urge, one of these being biological. When we are born, we are all bestowed with a unique blend of genes from our parents; one of these genes is the DRD4 gene. In the hunt to uncover the truth of the urge to travel, scientists found that this sequence was found more commonly in frequent travellers than not. These studies went on to find that particular personality traits such as novelty seeking and impulsivity are explicitly linked to the gene. This gene affects roughly 20% of the world’s population. A fifth of the entirety of humanity are genetically destined to feel this desire for wanderlust from birth.
Whilst this is a significant marker for travel, I’ll bet that it isn’t the only marker that influences this particular behaviour. Much of the human genome is still a mystery after all.
The Transformational Power of Travel
If we are to take a more anthropological view into the reasoning of humanity’s will to travel, we find a host of analogies. However, the most common reason that long and short-term travellers present for their ‘why’, is self improvement.
Returning to Paulo Coelho’s Alchemist, the transformative power of travel is never to be underestimated. Many embark upon their journeys with a desire to be ‘reborn’. In bespoke tourism packages, expeditions to ‘wellness’ retreats featuring various styles of holistic healing and psychedelic have fast become the flavour of the decade for the super wealthy. On the other hand, air travel is so accessible to the masses now that the ability to engage in long form travel is no longer exclusive to the economic elite. Backpackers globally swap places, immersing themselves in cultural differences, and experiences that inevitably change the way they behave and think.
It may also be argued that the modern concept of long format travel – ‘backpacking’ – Is dominated by Westerners. When people hear the word ‘backpacker’ an image of long-haired Caucasian 20-somethings springs to mind, and the image isn’t entirely unfounded. A demographic study in Ghana found that over 70% of backpackers in the area were white European, 10% American, another 10% Australian, whilst African and Asian individuals were found at roughly 1% each. The reasonings behind this are just as numerous as the reasons behind the desire to travel in the first place. However, the contrast in international schooling practices, in both secondary and tertiary education show a disproportionate representation of both Asian and African populations.
It would be disingenuous to directly compare backpacking to international schooling; there are many nuances that cause this phenom. Opening that cultural can of worms is not necessarily the purpose my writing this.
A Deep Rooted Instinct
What I’ve been attempting to illustrate throughout this blog is that the human desire for travel manifests in a myriad of ways. I have not touched on the many diasporas around the world, or the various factors that drive immigration.
What I have touched on, is the recurring theme of transformation for travellers, regardless of their background or medium of travel. As a race, we are drawn to it like magnets. Coming in the shape of backpacking, retreats, short breaks. Even ravenously consuming media that displays it, satisfying the desire through an act of voyeurism.
There is something deep inside of us that believes that travel is the answer to whatever question is plaguing us. What this question is, is down to the individual.
EXP. believes it’s the answer. The transformational power of travel changes attitudes, challenges preconceptions and catalyses growth in ways that other activities cannot. Cultural immersion is powerful, hence why we offer opportunities to do so. SLEEEP JP.Myoko is an example of this, offering itself as a base for our community to take the plunge into something new.
And whether it’s the answer to your question? You’ll have to take the chance and find out.
