"Travel is one of the finest and most life-enhancing stimulants to good health, happiness and longevity."
That's what my grandfather told me with a great grin when he was a remarkably active man of 75 and I was a wide-eyed young schoolboy. At the time he was off, once again, with my equally sprightly grandmother, on yet another cruise, on this occasion in the Mediterranean and along the North African coast. They both lived long and exceptionally happy lives together, sharing all their adventures and experiences with their children and grandchildren. And they always seemed to glow with that special inner light that comes from people who live their lives to the full. And I remember one more thing my grandfather told me as we poured together over copies of his National Geographic magazines and I fantasized about all the journeys I too hoped to make one day:
"We each only have one short life y'know - and our purpose here, as I see it, is to learn, to grow, to love and give - and to be happy --very happy -- celebrating all the wonders of this wonderful place. Our earth-home."

Travel can be whatever you want it to be

Most Mature Travelers ('MTs' from now on) have possibly enjoyed a wide range of vacation trips during their younger years. Many may have begun in their teens as backpackers, hikers, and youth-hostellers during their 'bargain budget-basement' travel period. Then as time progressed, incomes grew, children came along, and the focus of travel possibly became a little more upmarket and, inevitably, child-centered.

Now, for most MTs, that period has also passed and - so it's time to travel for yourselves again! It's time to reward yourselves for all your hard work, your caring and generosity to your children and others, and your good fortune in having survived so far intact and - I trust - relatively healthily.

"Travel," as Aristotle said, "opens every door!" And, as an almost constant traveler and travel-writer, publisher and editor, for the past 30 years (my grandfather's wanderlust spirit certainly took hold in me!) I can indeed confirm the truth of the great poet-philosopher's words.

Travel can be whatever you want it to be. If you only expect a little sun, maybe the makings of a tan, and a week or two's rest and relaxation without the routine of cooking, housekeeping and gardening - then, all being well, that's what you'll get. But travel has so many other dimensions too - exploring unfamiliar places; getting fit through energetic activities; learning about new cultures and peoples; expanding your mind and sensitivities at museums, galleries and historic places; taking 'special-interest' educational vacations focusing on such areas as archeology, ecology, painting, cooking, etc. etc.

Perhaps most important of all though - travel also has its soul-nurturing side too - it's inner journey dimensions which stem directly from all the outer adventures, explorations and experiences. As America's beloved naturalist-philosopher, John Muir, once wrote about the essence of his own travels: "I only went out for a short walk and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I realized, was really going in... "

Travel - preferably the kind of travel not too rigidly confined by tourist schedules, group itineraries and 'controlled experiences' - also has the potential to release whole new aspects of your personality. New interests, new talents - even 'new selves' you never knew you possessed rise up almost magically. This is the most mysterious quality of travel - it's ability to stimulate 're-births' within you and to expand the boundaries of your lives almost beyond recognition.

Lawrence Durrell wrote: "As a traveler covers the ground outwardly, so he advances fresh interpretations of himself inwardly," and that great contemporary traveler and writer, Paul Theroux emphasized: "Discovering something new in myself. That to me is the essence of the travel experience."

"The challenge of travel"

BUT! And it's a big 'but.' Whatever you expect or demand from your travels, from a three-day suntan quickie to an arduous 20-day trek in the Himalayan foothills, there are always those niggling fears and frustrations that can ruin even the most rigorously-planned vacation.

Very often the primary concern is cost and value - how can you ensure the biggest and best 'bang for the buck' (or fun for your franc or most for your mark)? Or - better still - how can you get far more than you actually paid for - how can you get to be treated like royalty when you're really a budget-traveler; how can you fly first-class at economy prices, and how can you arrange to end up in one of the best suites in your hotel when you've only paid for a no-view, no-loo, no-room, room?

"Rip-offs" and "scams" are another major cause for concern. Fears about the reliability of your travel agent, your travel company, your chosen airline, your hotel, your car-hire company - you name it! There's always the lurking suspicion that someone may be pulling the wool over your eyes or enticing you into signing your own disaster warrant, thanks to unreadable contract micro-type and mysteriously looping (and loopy) legalese gobbledygook.

Then come the petty niggles and embarrassments that plague all of us - the whole confusing world of tipping (from the almost obligatory 15% restaurant tip in the USA to nothing at all in Japan where tipping is considered offensive!), visas and vaccinations, and all the myriad and often very strange cultural do's and don'ts in unfamiliar countries.

All these, and many, many more issues (such as: the best times to travel; protecting your rights and your safety; avoiding thieves; finding the best bargain 'Penny-Paradises;' the confusing world of 'upgrades;' using websites for information and direct purchases; health concerns; dangerous places to avoid like the plague - they may even have one! - and, for 'splurge-travelers', how to find the 'best of the best' of everything)... all will be dealt with in this TRIP TIPS series.

My aim is to ensure that all your travels will, from now on, be satisfying, rewarding, stress-free, healthy, safe, soul-nurturing - and, particularly, "self-discovery"-filled experiences.