As a child growing up in Greece, my favorite poem was "Ithaca" by the Greek poet Cavafy. My sister Agapi and I recited it long before we could properly pronounce the words or understand its meaning. It begins:
When you set out on the voyage to Ithaca,
Pray that your journey may be long,
full of adventures, full of knowledge.
Some of my happiest moments came through travel. I still remember the excitement of my first trip out of Athens -- a visit to Paris when I was 11 -- and the indelible memory of my first taste of the world outside my homeland. And I have the most amazing memories of my first trip to America, when I was 16, as part of a program called the Experiment in International Living, and of my time, a year later, studying comparative religion at Visva-Bharati University, outside Calcutta.
Today, much further on in my own life's journey, I have a fuller sense of the rich wisdom of Cavafy's lines. And the long journeys that carry us toward our own Ithacas don't necessarily have to be long ones. There are adventures and knowledge to be found very close to home -- actually, without even leaving home. Maybe it's because I travel so much for work but, for all the allure of distant and exotic places, there is still something even more magnetic to be discovered in my own backyard.
Even before The Great Recession, "staycation" -- which the New York Times called a "tarted-up pseudoword" -- captured something real: our collective realization that adventure and discovery don't have to involve boarding a plane. And that there is no correlation between the recharging benefits of a vacation and miles traveled.
Maybe it's the rushed, hyper-connected, always-on aspect of our lives that has led us to appreciate the joys of unplugging and recharging at home. And there's no better time than these waning days of summer to redefine travel by pausing, reflecting, and looking around our homes and hometowns with fresh eyes before we gear up with our next big travel plan taking us to a faraway land.
A fun way to start is by buying a guidebook for the place you live (and, of course, checking out your local Patch). You'll be surprised at the number of amazing local destinations you never knew about, the landmarks you see every day but never visit because you've always dismissed them as tourist traps or have seen them so much you no longer give them a second look. And, though it may sound strange if you are not going anywhere, go ahead and set a budget for your time off -- and enjoy the satisfaction of realizing your vacation money goes a lot further when you don't have to spring for plane tickets and hotels.
Part of the benefit of a vacation comes from breaking routine, getting out of habits, and experiencing the world around us in a new way. The essence of travel is not found in the number of stamps in our passports -- to really travel is to better understand a place through exploration and effort.
As an added benefit to exploring near home, there's no threat of lines, delays, TSA workers grabbing your junk, or the myriad inconveniences of air travel like having an Airbus 330 grounded for 5 hours due to a stowaway mouse.
This summer, with all of HuffPost's new launches and international expansions, I've had no time for a "traditional" vacation. So I created my own vacation here at home, with weekend massages, facials, yoga classes, and explorations of my new neighborhood.
I realized, for example, that I live just blocks from the High Line, New York's magnificent park set on a former elevated train track. Or, tucked away on a small street, the Cherry Lane Theatre, where I just saw a beautiful new play, Manipulation. Then, Cafe Cluny, where I discovered the best pistachio ice cream (with real, whole pistachios inside) -- better than any pistachio gelato in Capri.
Just around the corner from HuffPost's new office is the legendary McSorley's Old Ale House, which did not admit women until 1970, and whose gas lamp chandelier was covered with World War I-era dust until April, when the city's health department demanded that it be cleaned off.
I made a conscious effort to see my home neighborhood with fresh eyes and those nuggets of rich local history were my immediate reward.
All in all, my travel-less vacation has left me with more time to unplug and recharge, meditate, and enjoy one of my favorite things: piling up all my work and staying in bed on a Sunday morning, making calls and answering emails. It's a quiet reminder that when it comes to travel, the journey to knowledge and adventure need not be long.
For more unique, informative and inspirational takes on travel both on the home front and abroad -- both redefined and traditional -- be sure to check out HuffPost Travel, Gadling, and, for great deals and to book a trip, AOL Travel.
Follow Arianna Huffington on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ariannahuff
Jonathan Duke: Get Off the Grid This Labour Day Weekend
Sunday's August 28, 2011 dedication of the King Memorial in Washington DC which falls on the 48th Anniversary of the March on Washington is a fitting tribute to one of America's most spiritual, enlightened, wise leaders; Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
The memorial is a 4 acre memorial site on the National Mall with a 30 ft sculpture of Rev. King by Chinese artist Lei Yixin and a 450 ft long granite wall inscribed with 14 quotations from King's speeches and writings. One of them "We shall overcome because the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice."
All of us who were privileged to be alive and touched by this spiritual giant will remember and celebrate this extraordinary spiritual, enlightened, compassionate, courageous leader during the dedication of this memorial site in our national capitol and hope his legacy will inspire all Americans to be guided by the spriritual wisdom that enlightened him.
I was lucky that my parents pushed me to include friends of ''differenÂÂce'' into my circle and rememeber my very first best friend being a jamaican immigrant .
We had a large house growing up , but I remember playing over at his cramped apartment more often . ( a bonus for the luxurious smells and delights of the food ..lol )
Now . later in life and having a little bit of success , I try and go out of my way to employ as many of those same immigrants that I grew up with long ago.
Indeed we are all products of our environmenÂÂt and I thank my parents , but I also thank Dr. King and so many others that showed the way..
I'm new to the Experiment myself, but what I find most remarkable is how people identify themselves as "Experimenters" for a lifetime, and how their "host families" are considered true "family."
Our Executive Director from Germany recently flew to the States for her host mother's funeral; and our previous Vice-President, of Argentina, was here last year to celebrate her host mother's 80th birthday.
Did you know that Experiment founder Donald Watt was the pioneer of homestays back in 1932--promoting peace through understanding; which is a distinction that helps give The Experiment a consultative status with the United Nations.
I'm always touched when I meet one of our directors from a member country abroad, because like you, they tell the story of when they came to the U.S. as an Experimenter, and how that experience shaped their lives. And then there are those who traveled in the opposite direction--experiencing the world outside of the U.S. in a way that equally influences their lives.
It seems that all Experimenters treasure the world in which they find themselves--even in their own backyard. Thanks for the mention, and for sharing the gift of the ordinary--putting a new twist on "homestay" :)
Kelly
http://www.experiment.org/
I'm an Army brat. I consider not having to go somewhere to be the greatest gift of all. So, I never travel. I just move. Every three, four years I move to a place where other people go to vacation.
It's surprising how quickly the sound of a dolphin becomes an irritant. I garden and watch boats encircle whales until their sonar collapses from the engine noise. It looks like Angelina and four of the kids with the photographers.
Places--not so much. The best trip is the few feet to the eyes of someone you love. My grandmother couldn't read or write and never traveled thirty miles from where she was born. She had eight children and only my father left. She died with forty great-great granchildren holding her hands: a well-traveled life indeed.
The few powerful I have observed on holiday never seem able to disconnect and somehow let it me known that they are powerful and not be to approached in any normal manner.
The one famous person I met--famous in her country at least--seemed delighted that I had zero idea who she was and just talked with her as a person--not a stuningly beautiful celebrity taking breaks from filming at the nearly deserted (save the crew and actors) but extremely posh resort.
Long adventures full of adventure and knowledge must encompass the unknown in all aspects.
As a common man of simple means that do admittedly allow me to take extended holidays that include some fine places, I am able to experience much while moving freely among any circle I desire.
Can you do the same?
I must try some delicious pistachio ice cream before the summer ends!
http://graciouslivingdaybyday.com/