The temptations travelers face on the road are numerous. There are so many experiences to taste, adventures to savor. In fact, most travelers, whether by chance or circumstance, must surely have faced the seven deadly sins of the world during their trip — perhaps all of them in a single city.
I love visiting a country for its cuisine. Every place seems to have its own special fare when it comes to food, and we should all definitely sample them as part of our stay. Who can resist those tempting Parisian patisseries, calling out to us from every corner? What about the delicious tapas in Granada taverns, complemented by a cool beer, or a simple mouth-watering currywurst in Berlin? Let’s not forget about delicious Belgian chocolates. Every traveler should try at least one local delicacy, even on a tight budget.
Although the traditional definition of this sin relates to financial pursuits, it can also relate to travel pursuits. That is, once we get a taste of the travel bug, we just want more. When I started planning my trip, the only places I wanted to go to were France and Spain. I was going to spent three months in those two countries and that was it. However when I arrived, greed grabbed me by the toes and spiraled my ambition sky-high, and I ended up going to a total of 16 European countries over about six months.
It’s OK to travel and do absolutely nothing — just to laze about and not venture out to any of the places you’re visiting — and sometimes that feels like a sin. But having days off is an important part of long-term travel, as these days help you recover physically and mentally. For me, if my body and mind didn’t become over-weary from going place to place every few days, I would just keep going. On these occasions, I take a break from sight-seeing, and my entire day consists mainly of sleeping, eating, reading, and surfing the internet. These lazy moments really help keep the mind fresh, and ready the following day to continue with wayward adventures.
Inevitably, this rates quite highly on the travel chart. Traveling solo does have its ups and downs, and the downs are easily remedied by companionship, as explained to a greater extent in this other article.
Often described as anger, rage, or vengeance, unfortunately these feelings do manifest themselves on our travels. Traveling is filled with unpredictable moments, especially if we discover changes in plans too late, or if we miss our transportation for whatever reason, or simply if we meet hostile people along the way. Alone and tired, sometimes we react unfavorably to certain situations. Just remember that getting pissed off never really solved any problems. So take a deep breath, and learn to develop a sense of calm to help you get through tough situations.
Although travelers are certainly guilty of this one (perhaps another traveler has been to more places than you, or just returned from your dream destination), it seems that non-travelers are more likely to be prone to this Deadly Sin. From experience, this feeling often emanates from less-traveled people, who inform me that the luxury of traveling is difficult to achieve for them. They say to me “I wish I could do what you’re doing, you’re so lucky”. I disagree. As long as choices are made, compromises acknowledged, and decisions followed through, travel is possible for everyone.
This is also known as vanity. And if you’re feeling a bit proud, that’s normal really, since travel is an achievement. Whether you’re traveling alone or in a group, you will face challenges and overcome them somewhere along the way, and that’s something to be proud of. Having just completed a grand trip through three continents and 18 countries, by myself through thick and thin, I just can’t help being guilty of this one!
What travel sins are you guilty of? Leave a comment below.
Written by: Stephanie Lee
Posted on: Wednesday, April 29th, 2009
Posted in: Articles, Other
Responses: 8 so far
Great article. I think I suffer from greed, gluttony and sloth. I go shopping nuts wherever I travel, love nothing more than trying new and exotic food and just can’t seem to keep myself off the beach.
April 29th, 2009 at 1:30 pmHa! Great article. I’d say wrath is the easiest to fall into on the road when things start to turn sour. All part of the experience though I suppose.
April 29th, 2009 at 1:57 pmGluttony! My first and foremost sin in general, not just in travel! Ha~
April 29th, 2009 at 2:40 pmPride. Being too proud to give in to being a tourist. Sometimes I’m really obscurantist when I’m travelling, and miss out on some of the more beautiful/interesting (but more touristy) things to see and do.
April 29th, 2009 at 3:31 pmWe’re with Ben, I think. Or Envy … making people envious and glorying in it, that is.
April 29th, 2009 at 4:33 pmGluttony for sure. I find destinations without interesting / delicious food quite disappointing. It’s the thing that I love most about travelling. Is it really a sin?!
April 29th, 2009 at 6:39 pmNo one’s pitched in for “Lust” yet, so I’ll have a go at it. My travel sin is Lust because I so, so desire to really get to know all the interesting aspects of a given destination. Maybe not quite what you had in mind, but poor Lust was lookin’ lonely.
April 29th, 2009 at 11:14 pmI have to pick only one!?!
I chose gluttony then, I always over indulge….
April 29th, 2009 at 11:24 pm