On Travel

Famed pyramids of Cairo, Egypt. "Stolen" from a friend's Facebook album

"Ang gusto sana namin, lagi kaming makapagtravel nang sabay."

The words of a friend who got married fairly recently just left a mark on me. How many Filipinos are able to travel at least twice a year, at least for leisure? 

I bet, a lot of households have not even been outside the outskirts of the Metro (wherein a plane ride is deemed practical than a silly aircon bus) and hell yeah, what more beyond Luzon? outside the country?

Budget constraint is the number one reason. Hell, why travel if you're struggling to feed yourself a decent meal three times a day, yes? Next is... come on... this perhaps is my BIGGEST frustration. Visa application. If check out the websites of those "big guns", you'll see a lot of heartaches regarding VS application -- property, business, bank account, proof of blah blah. Yeah, believe me, browsing VS application process on the internet has been a hobby since last year. One country have different requirements than the other, less or more difficult maybe but one thing's quite the same -- for an average Pinoy like me, visiting a country needing Visa SUCKS.

Whew!

But you know what? It's free to dream! Well I think, dreaming's all I can do for now. 

Why am I bringing this all up? Maybe "Eat, Pray, Love" is the reason. Yes, that Julia Roberts film. 

I want that! You know... being gone for a year just wandering and enjoying places and culture. I win ll not stay in hotels. I'd stay in hostels! HAHAHA. Or in a simple, cozy and little apartment or flat or room wherein I can cook! Yeah, I think the second's better than the first. What else? Oh here it is! As much as possible, I  will minimize booking tours. I'd make friends with fellow tourists (or locals) and I'd get lost and discover the place! I'm sure to make many, many friends out there.

Everytime I see updates on my Facebook timeline of recent travels, I couldn't help but smile. I hope that these people get to write something about these travels too. While pictures entice my senses, I'd love to hear stories  too. How was the trip, were they able to mingle with the locals, did they get drunk, did they hook up with someone etc. 

Travel... a dream that's just taking a lifetime for me to realize. But I am a hundred percent super hopeful :)