You Will Only Be Here Once

“I can always come back.”

It’s a travel philosophy that I’ve heard more than once, and have yet to wrap my head around it; especially since mine is the exact opposite.

“I may never be back.”

The former philosophy is as follows; “I can afford travel to this particular lieu whenever I want, both financially and chronically, therefore I should do the big touristy stuff first and then do whatever else there is.”

The later, my own, being “Everything is at the mercy of fate and if I don’t see what I desperately want to now, I may never see it ever again.”

Proof; the burning of Notre Dame.

I had visited twice before, and not been able to climb the towers on either occasion. I had planned to make the climb on the third visit, but the roof of the cathedral caught fire two days before I was scheduled to leave for France. Now, I don’t know if I will ever be able to climb it. I hope I will, but I’m not certain.

I can always come back. I’m too tired. I don’t really feel like it. I don’t really need to see it.

Those sentences have gotten me nowhere in my travels.

I must point out, I am young and perfectly able, with no impeeding conditions or ilnesses. If I push my body to climb a mountain I may be sore for a day or two afterwards but ultimately I won’t be too worse for wear. For those who do suffer major consequences after pushing themselves, those sentences are completely valid.

It’s just that to me, they really aren’t; and they can ultimately be damaging.

I don’t usually regret the things that I do, but I often regret the things I don’t. Not going skydiving is a massive one. Could it have ended terribly? Absolutely. So can crossing the street.

To travel fearlessly is not the goal; fear keeps you safe. Be respectful of the places you visit, and don’t go doing dangerous things without the proper precautions, knowledge, or guides.

The goal is to travel without regret, and to live this one previous life you have to it’s fullest. If that means going skydiving, then so be it. If that means going to visit that one temple you’ve always wanted to see despite the fact that it’s not a popular tourist destination, then so be it. If it means you stop your hike to wander off the beaten path just a little for some pictures, so be it.

Make the most of it. Act as though you’ll never be here again; because you might not.