Point A to Point B (and beyond)

People have traveled since the beginning of time. All great stories involve someone leaving home to go on a journey that often leads to that person finding his or her place in the world. Rizal did it, the Beatles did it, and so did Steve Jobs. Now, with a more connected world and with more efficient transportation systems, there are growing populations of travelers everywhere.

I’ve always wondered why people travel. From my encounters with individuals from all over the globe, I’ve found that though enjoyment is a huge part of traveling, many people do not merely do it for fun, but often for more profound reasons like expanding the human experience, shaping the world, and getting to know oneself in the process. The first time I traveled on my own, I wanted to do just that: find myself. What I’ve discovered, however, is that you cannot be found unless you first see yourself lost. Also, self-discovery cannot be achieved by merely looking within oneself. You can’t really know who you are without learning about others and the world. Now, when I travel, I draw a map to get lost so I can “find” myself again. And interestingly, whenever I do, what I find is that I’m actually creating myself. At the end of every trip, I always meet an upgraded version of me, created by each new place explored, friendships built and experiences lived.

Connecting people

Photo taken by Bjorn (a.k.a. The Social Traveler) from Belgium when we met two years ago while I was sketching the Brooklyn Bridge. Photo by The Social Traveler

One of the greatest things about traveling is that it makes the world both bigger and smaller at the same time  bigger because there’s so much of the world to see, plus you realize how many possibilities there actually are in life, and smaller because as you meet people, you’ll see how everyone is connected and that no one is really a stranger. For instance, a few years ago, I was living in Venice and one of my co-workers from England turned out to have attended the same university as a Singaporean friend I’d gone to an art camp in Brunei with. Moreover, in 2010, I was in New York and I met a guy from Belgium, Bjorn Troch, also known as The Social Traveler. He had just begun touring the world when he ran into me while I was sketching the Brooklyn Bridge. Then at my exhibit opening in Makati last month, I met Cathy Williams from Melbourne who also had an encounter with The Social Traveler while he was doing the Australian leg of his trip. The three of us are looking forward to reuniting in Manila in June.

After two years, Bjorn is still touring the world. With no travel books to guide him, he relies on the kindness of people to get by. He’s gone hitchhiking, skydiving, glacier trekking, and was even adopted by an aboriginal community. Now, he’s gearing up to be social in Southeast Asia. His latest adventure involves cycling 5,000 kilometers, through five countries namely Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and Hong Kong on a tandem bike while helping five charities along the way. In this social experiment, he will be depending on people willing to pedal with him and take him from point A to point B and beyond. Check out www.thesocialtraveler.net for more information on Bjorn’s expeditions and see how you can help him continue his journey and finally make it to the Philippines.

It’s travel season once again. I have friends whose itineraries stretch from Mount Pinatubo to as far as Mount Everest. I’ll be packing my bags a number of times myself. What about you? Where are you headed this summer?

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E-mail: katrinaanntan@yahoo.com / www.katrinaanntan.ph.