ISO 200 | 50mm | f 4.0 | 1/250 sec

Traveling is a pain.  Period.  Sure, the idea of going places, seeing things, experiencing new sounds and smells is very thrilling and enough to make almost anyone’s heart skip a beat.  But let’s be honest, while all the fun is in being somewhere, the process of getting there is a whole different story.

Fact of the matter is that you can’t just spin the globe three times, choose a random spot on the map, grab your suitcase and hop on over.  There’s the issue of transportation – putting fuel in your car or buying your plane tickets.  Then there are reservations for your hotel that you have to make (unless the idea of sleeping under a bridge somewhere brings a warm fuzzy feeling to your adventurous heart).  And if you have to cross the border anywhere along your journey, you better be ready to pull out your passport and list of items to declare.  From boarding passes to identification cards to liability waivers, the whole process can prove to be confusing and a trifle frustrating at times.

That’s not to say that all of these processes are not important (many of them are), but rather to point out that by the time an individual reaches his intended destination, he is so exhausted by just trying to get there that he is unable to fully enjoy being there.  In an ideal world, travel would be simple, short, and efficient.  Delays would be non-existent, customs would be hassle-free, the stress of missing connecting flights or losing one’s luggage would be nightmares from the past.  It couldn’t be any simpler if you physically hopped from spot to spot on the globe, crossing borders and switching continents with ease.

But maybe this is all just wishful thinking; travel by nature is a complicated beast.  For the dedicated traveler, it’s just something you learn to put up with, and for those less adventurous types, it’s enough of an excuse to keep them home for good.  Either way, we can all agree that traveling is not getting easier – there will always be headaches involved.  Guess I better put my suitcase back in the closet, I’m getting tired just thinking about it…