by J Mock

Created on: August 28, 2008   Last Updated: January 05, 2009

People often ask ''Why travel?'' for which the answer is simple; Because the opportunity presents itself! An individual choice, that I believe to be an exciting and rewarding opportunity to explore the world outside the home domain.

From the first venture outside the home nation as a child, a passion formed for the travel and tourism industry, that has continued to this day.

The appeal of travel is not limited to the actual ''first-hand experience'' but with the research and learning of worldwide tourism as a whole. I have studied Leisure and Tourism, worked in the industry, and been fortunate enough to have traveled internationally.

For myself, that is what traveling is; a trip of discovery. I have admired the Fontana di Trevi (Trevi Fountain in Rome), looked out over the bay from Le Mont Saint-Michel, soaked up the sun in St Tropez, France, and followed the trails through the Troodos Mountains of Cyprus. To travel is to learn and discover, and to be left with a lifetime of memories.

History, the arts, culture and customs, each destination offers change, and I think that they attribute to life experiences. An individual may choose not to travel and I respect their own opinion, but I do not want to look back over my life with any regret, and for myself, the future will contain a period of vacations, both in and around my home country and internationally.

There are regions of the world that does not necessarily appeal to myself, but to another traveler this country is a must. An individual will develop their own itinerary of past and future destinations, from pre-planned trips to those ''impulse'' visits, from which they will gain their own thoughts and memories.

A traveler will attain their own opinion of a country or region, and the resulting decision of ''I must return in the future'' or ''I have seen this place, and I have no wish to visit these shores again'' All travel will incorporate the ''good'' and ''bad'' experiences, whether it is with the mode of transport or the accommodation, but it does not deter from the desire to venture to another city or resort.

There are two types of tourism that you can experience on your travels. The masked venture, where you only see what the '' tourism brochure'' beholds, or the ''true'' vacation where you experience the real nature of life within that country. Personally I combine both to gain an equal insight.

To travel or not to travel, that is the question, and the answer is that if the time, the means and the opportunity arises, I will travel and embark of a journey of discovery.

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