Travel talismans
When I was a kid, I used to carry an agate arrowhead with me when I traveled with my family. I found it in an Idaho river, and my dad’s uncle offered me $20 for it. That was a lot of money for me then. I turned him down, thinking that if he was willing to offer me that much, it was surely special. As a talisman on my travels, it served as a reminder that any moment could be lucky.
The arrowhead sits on my desk now, accompanied by other travel mementos: a jade carving from Honduras, salt crystals from Peru and a Zulu coconut from New Orleans. In fact, the special items that go along on my travels are all practical. I miss having some small item packed in with the rest—something that’s just along for the ride and snaps my attention back to the moment. It’s time to take the arrowhead back on the road.
One friend travels with a charm on her bracelet that was blessed by the Dalai Lama. Another friend carries a turquoise-colored piece of beach glass. Many folks bring along photos of their kids or sweetheart. One adventure-minded pal will always wear a Maori greenstone necklace when he travels over water.
Do you have a travel talisman? What is it and where did you get it?
2011-01-27 03:14
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by vagablogging and Bob Martin, Andrew Stoffman. Andrew Stoffman said: Travel talismans: When I was a kid, I used to carry an agate arrowhead with me when I traveled with my family. I... https://bit.ly/eEXzgB [...]
2011-01-29 02:39
Whenever I go somewhere fun I always take my straw "adventure hat" along. It's not purely sentimental though - it also wards off sunburn. I'll admit that the current one is the 3rd in the series but the loss of the previous two are stories that bring back great memories and make me feel good just thinking about them.
2011-01-30 06:58
I use two necklaces. One with the triskel and another with a replica of a pre-historic arrowhead!!
2011-01-30 06:58
... along with a multi-coloured, multi-purpose head scarf.
2013-03-04 14:17
[...] His blog shares travel tips and destination profiles. Some interesting recent posts include Travel Talismans, Jjimjilbangs in Korea, and Staying Safe in “Dangerous” [...]