Transportation love

When traveling, I usually consider the actual form of transportation just a means to get where I’m going. Certainly, there have been experiences that stand out, but for airplanes, buses and cars—it’s usually snooze city.

Hours spent on planes or most wheeled vehicles are like pressing the pause button on my trip. I’m not here, but not there yet. If I can gaze out the windows to watch the world zoom by, I will. Otherwise, I’m in a sort of limbo.

On my most-recent trip to Colombia, I took a long motorcycle ride with a friend to tour through a region near his home. As a passenger, I got to enjoy looking up at rich green canyons as we sped through them and had attractions pointed out to me on the way. And that experience has made me rethink my transportation boredom.

What made it stand out from my usual “ride to get there” mentality? Was it because I was with a close friend, as opposed to by myself or with strangers? Could it have been that I’d never before taken a motorcycle ride for fun? Perhaps it was a combination of being happy in the moment without thinking about where I was going and what was coming next.

Whatever the reason, that afternoon sits suspended in time in my mind. While simple, it may be one of the best travel experiences I’ve had in a while. And it’s caused me to consider how I approach the full travel experience.