As a designer, I find it really inspiring to travel. To see places. How people live and "do things". Objects, routines, etc which we take for granted at home can be presented differently abroad.
I'm in France - this is my second trip this year. In January I was in the village of Availles-Limousin, an hour from Poitiers. And now I'm in Sospel, about an hour from Nice. I'm really digging these rural French towns - with one or two bakeries, a butcher, a weekly market!
On both these recent travel occasions, I noticed the same emotions cropping up. And I tried to document them:
In days leading up to today - a little restless perhaps but busy and
glad to have a definite deadline to work towards and around. Wondering
if it was necessary to go, what the point was, why.
At home, on the day of flying to Sospel, I'm excited and rearing to go. Tidying, cleaning, prepping, packing. Proud to be independent and able to go at a whim but also a little lonesome to have to undertake yet another journey-and change of environment-on my own. Last time I was really scared about going, was it the change of scene? I conquered that this time by arranging a lift to the airport.
At the airport, same ol' same ol' - frustrations with baggage scanning routine, long walks to boarding gate, heavy hand luggage, noise noisy noise of announcements and bright pushy commercialism of shops.
Delighted at the restriction that travelling to somewhere requires - limitations of what to bring, activities that can be done - liking that!
And in the airport upon arrival, trepidation at what lies on the other side of the automatic doorway past the "Anything to Declare" area. And relief that this is a civilized European country and bombardment by hawkers and eager taxi men is not de rigeur - recollections of India and even New York.
On the train to Sospel, it's all to easy. Train announcements are so standard and predictable, no matter what language. There's a familiar routine to follow, common everywhere. Travel isn't challenging in modern societies. I could be anywhere! Wondering why I am - why amn't I just at home if it's all so samey. And disappointed that I don't have a satisfactory answer to that question. Keep moving. The train takes off - change. There's a sameness but it's different.
