The experience of travel...

This summer I have had the benefit of experiencing the enjoyment of travel from many perspectives.  In the past I might have scoffed at some of the different reasons or interests in traveling, but after the summer I have realized that whatever the reason the end result is the same: they were happy. 

There are people that travel almost exclusively for the passport stamp or to be able to say that they went to a particular country.  These are the same type of people that I was referring to in my post above about taking photos at major attractions.  I have a difficult time with this approach to travel, because it misses in my mind the main point of travel.  However, after showing a few visitors around over the summer that approached their visit with this mindset I realized that this was what made them happy.  

I might argue that I am the other extreme of the travel experience seeker, but I know that there are others.  I would like to avoid touristy places with their picture clicking hoardes (but sometimes still find myself there) and get much more out of a trip by staying for a few days in a particular area.  I enjoy being immersed in the culture of a region or area to understand how the locals live their lives.  For a long time I considered this to be the epitome of travel, but seeing people enjoy their touristy trips this summer I realized that it´s more about how in travel there is something for everyone.