I wake up slowly. I toss and turn and then decide to wake up. I get out of bed and start to head to the kitchen to make myself a cup of tea. Then I realise where I am. There is no kitchen here. There is a kettle, tea bags and milk. The entire room is smaller than my kitchen at home. It doesn't matter though. I won't be hanging around in here. I open the curtain and it looks like a magical fairy tale out there. There has been snowfall overnight. I have my cup of tea and take a moment to ponder the events of the evening before... a bit of excitement wells in my stomach, butterflies bringing on a nervous excitement.
We were dressed in our red and black snow suits and headed out in the cool, crisp air on a sleigh pulled by a lone reindeer. Through the forests, the sun setting behind us, we arrived at a small hut. Leaving the reindeer and sleigh outside, we ran through the thick snow into a small wooden hut, to light a fire and hear stories of the way of life for Lappish people. Cooking blackcurrant tea and eating freshly cooked sausages, we while some time away warming up and learned about life in the region.
I thought about our trip so far, so many experiences had, many more to come.
This got me to thinking about our trip.I have met many people over my life who like to 'travel' (open to interpretation) for a number of reasons. Some only go to certain places or regions, others only with particular people. I met this older (yes, again open to interpretation) bloke on my travels one time. We exchanged the usual traveller small talk: names, where from, how long travelling for and secretly deciding if we will befriend them, based on the way that they appear to structure their travel. I told him I was Australian. He then said that the reason that he had never travelled to Australia is because it lacked history. He only wanted to travel to places that 'had history.' I thought this was strange, and I told him, 'we have beaches.' But that was not important to him. Of these many many people I have met, sure, there have been some who choose to experience the outside world different to me. I may not be after the same type of trip they are, but it by no means makes either trip better or worse.
Part of travelling is broadening the mind. That includes being open to the ways others may do things. For example, one person's idea of a great travel experience may be laying on a beach for 6 weeks, while someone else's may be shopping on Rodeo drive, while another may want to snowboard in Japan for six months. Whatever the case, wherever the journey may lead, ensure that your mind is open and you will be bound to have a great time.
