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Travelling makes me think about the way we live. It can be a reflective time, a chance to change your rhythm and notice the vagaries of a new place and its people. Being away from home allows thoughtfulness in. I like the freeing nature of travel ... ideas percolate about place, architecture, beauty and consumption. To me, it's all related when you live (& travel) in a global society....
The buildings we build, the cities we create, the furniture we buy, the art we look at, and the land we walk on. Why do we travel, and what do we expect to find?
If you care about the planet, overseas travel has some challenges -- from leaving on a jet plane filled with a non-renewable resource (fuel) to visiting places like Greece, where 33 million tourists went in 2023. I have certainly been thinking about it as another European summer documents the effects of over tourism.
What lessons can we take away from Barcelona residents who used water pistols on unsuspecting tourists sipping cappuccinos at cafes, Venice charging day trippers, and the Mayor of Santorini who has spoken openly about the 'perils of mass-tourism' ?
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So I went with a little hesitation and awareness. However, it was an absolute joy arriving in Helsinki and Stockholm in the summertime. Helsinki was a surprise package and an inspiring first stop. It was easy to feel and see why the UN Happiness Report voted (for the 7th time) Finland as the happiest country in the world.
We loved the focus on design, the ethos of second-hand shopping, the cute trams and bikes on every street corner - and the chill vibe.
For me, one of the joys of travel is the exposure to a range of exhibitions and galleries. The FIX exhibition at the Design Museum was tailor-made for a couple of who have spent their working life dealing in antiques and restoration :) for us. Finland has an enviable culture around recycling and a re-use mentality of all things - from consumer goods to re-purposing buildings. It is the way they live.
Another great exhibition, this time in Stockholm, was a retrospective about street artist and activist Shephard Fairy - serendipity strikes. We arrived on a Sunday and it felt like the whole city was embracing the sunshine with gusto, before the cooler weather arrived. Every street café, park and waterfront pontoon was overflowing with happy, scantily clad folks. We were lucky to spend a few days out of the city, visiting a friend who has a small summer house, by a lake - naturally. A mid-morning forest walk was like stepping into another world, the poets of the past would have called this sublime 🌳
And then there was Greece. The mesmerizing shades of blue paint on buildings and the colour of the sea goes straight to my heart. Staying on the island of Hydra, which banned cars/wheels many years ago was the ideal anti-dote to the angst I had about tourism. With only a couple of thousand permanent locals and strict building codes there is a sense that the balance is right. Though the no-wheels policy has its drawbacks, when an injured woman was inelegantly transported to the port in a cart being pulled by a mule !
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It would be easy to write about all the wonders of travelling and overlook the negative impacts but that'd seeing life through rose-coloured glasses. People will always want to travel.
I guess the lesson I came away with, was how can I/we travel with a little more thought, respect and sustainability. No matter how far we go into the world, we should think about the where, why and how before we leave home.
* take less luggage* buy less packaged food
*avoid plastic bottled water where possible
*shop ethically
*use local services
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