(via fuck yeah, typography)
I read an article in Psychology Today that poses a really interesting idea about how to approach traveling. The article is about the art of getting lost and how it improves not only your trip, but your worldview. The author interviewed a long-time traveller, Matt Gross, who writes for the New York Time's travel column, "Frugal Traveler." Matt, who spends most of his time traveling the world has built up an immunity of sorts to getting lost. Although instant acclimation to new places could be a good thing, Matt realized that he missed the sensation of getting lost.
"I want to get lost, because it’s hard to get lost. And, in getting lost, I am opening myself up to finding new things, places and people and experiences I could never have predicted I’d find. "
I read Matt's quote and then re-read it about fifty times. Maybe being connected is leaving me much more disconnected while traveling and possibly in everyday life? What if finding my way via GPS kept me from finding a hidden cove in Kho Phi Phi or from discovering the perfect mole at a little hole-in-the wall in Oaxaca?
The author goes on to say that he realizes that he has not been truly been lost since the age of 8, and wondered how he would react to actually being lost and what that even feels like.
"To find out the answers to these questions, I knew I'd have to reject the approach to travel that had worked for me for so long."
So he tossed out guidebooks and maps and the social networks and dove head first into a foreign place; and he finally discovered that authentic experience, which often eluded him and his fellow travelers.
(Via Pinterest)
If you want to try getting lost on your next trip, Matt suggests:
1. Head to a bus station first (you can usually find lockers to stash your bags, which leaves you free to roam)
2.Getting lost happens slowly- just keep moving further and further away from all that is familiar
3. "Expand your definition of getting lost." The meaning of getting lost can change; it is all about challenging yourself with unfamiliar places, people, experiences.
To read more about "The Art of Getting Lost" head here!
To read more about "The Art of Getting Lost" head here!
