Why Do I Travel? Thank you NY Times

Over the past few months, a bunch of us have been traveling. We are lucky and we get to see the world and relive places that make us happy.

Which aspects of travel do I like best, is it the delayed packing or the interrogation by the Customs agriculture inspector?

I love the anticipation at the gate which is enhanced by the jockeying for a good seat, which i always lose. Walking down the jetway and entering the plane is a thrill. In a few hours I'll be somewhere completely different. I have to admit that I like to get a Coca Cola when I land. I like to see if the coke tastes different. It does and in Europe a coke with a lemon tastes best.

I love reading the travel guide, vs a blog about a place vs the in-flight magazine. The descriptions are always worlds apart and I found Bjork's favorite hotdog hut in Iceland. I love moving from the touristy spots to the local place which is usually a few blocks over just out of sight of double decker tour buses. Wandering the streets and trying to see how the locals live is a hoot because I stand out like a bad Brooks Brothers advert, actually like page 29 from the Patagonia summer catalog. Then I get to go to the local noodle place which smells and is boiling hot but the spicy beef noodle soup rocks.

I have been in a stone garden that was carved out by an ice age, i have rubbed silica from a geothermal vent on my face and stuffed myself silly with authentic food. But do these experiences make travel worthwhile or is it the iPhone thrown into the side of head by my brother as we get lost driving into Madrid the better experience. Culture sites, to local sites it all trumped by watching my brother avoid the Russian dolls only to pine for it later.

Now that I think about I travel the same way I read a magazine. I first look at all the pictures from cover to cover. I go back and read what i think are interesting articles. Then when I have time I read the rest. So I go to all the pretty sites, find something cool, and then see the and do the rest.

But still why travel, when I come home and there is a sense of relief and all I want is my bed.