In the third century, Augustine of Hippo says, "The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page", and though I doubt St. Augustine knew about the carbon footprint of airplanes, the quote has since been used as proof that travel is a virtue. And not only is travel virtuous- it teaches us about ourselves, it expands our horizons, and allows us to be our #authentic selves.
I think there's some truth to this idea- I really do. When I arrived in college, unsure of who or what I was, the semester abroad programs to Ecuador and England taught me that I was capable of much more than I thought. Slowly, travel became my identity, and with the advent of social media, my "brand". I felt I needed to travel in order to live fully, and if I'm honest, I looked down on others who didn't travel.
Adventurous Living Became Exhausting
Of course, attaching one's identity to an expensive activity is not financially or emotionally sustainable. When I couldn't travel (as an adjunct professor, I was too poor) I felt that I wasn't good enough, and worse, that I wasn't truly living.
When I finally did find full time work, I happily traversed the globe again. But now I had a new problem... too many choices! As we know, an overabundance of choices can be overwhelming and lead to dissatisfaction. I compensated by trying to pack as many countries into each trip as possible, dragging along a tired but willing husband.
You’d better believe I posted this one
Eventually, I began to wear myself out as well. My thoughts on travel revolved around two points: first, we bought an international scratch-off map, and scratched off all of the countries we'd been to. Night after night, I'd stare at that map. There were so many countries left to do! How would we ever get through them all- or even half of them? Second: those pictures were going to look awesome on Instagram.
Living for Values, Not Likes
When I learned that taking a plane was the worst thing that I, as an individual, could do, I was shocked. I didn't think I could stop traveling- in fact, I'd just gotten back from a trip to Brussels to meet with European leaders and learn about the European Union. It was great for my career, and great for my school. How could I stop?
But the longer I sat with the idea and learned about the gravity of our climate's situation, the more I realized that my "brand" was out of alignment with my values. I understood that travel was not virtuous, but part of the problem created by a privileged few.
If trashing the planet was "living authentically", I didn't want to do it anymore.
Testing the Commitment
My values were put to the test when I was offered a position in Shanghai to teach English for the summer. It would have been a boon- both for my career and my adventurous side. Once again, I began to wonder how many other countries I could scratch off that map if I lived in China for a summer. Could I visit Japan? Finally hit up Tibet?
But Flightfree has given me a reason to say no. A reason to stay local, to sit in the stillness of my life and make decisions that are more meaningful and valuable to me as a person, and not as a brand. I can't tell you what a relief that is.
And honestly? That's the most #authentic thing I’ve done in awhile.