I love to travel, it's one of things I would always do.
And in traveling you meet a lot of people, eat good and weird food and sometimes bankrupt your savings. But one of the perks of traveling is the opportunity to learn more about culture, places, even people. In the process, you also grow as a person--become more well rounded, open to differences and have the sense of liberty as you let life make its beauty known to you.
I've been a homebody. When I was in college, my routine was to go home straight from the school. I don't take detours and I only visit places when it is part of a project or a requirement. I don't do it for leisure nor for pleasure. I don't have that kind of yearning in me.
But when I started working in a TV Network, a lot of opportunities opened for me to travel and it excited me. But then again I don't have the luxury of time to really explore since our time in a certain place is very limited. After covering local festivals, we do post-production, eat with the staff, go back to the hotel and fly the next morning. Eventually it stressed me; I came to a point where I just want to stay at the office and do remote support. Di na kasi ako makaraket (I cannot do my sideline work), and for a talent, rakets are the cream inside the cream puff or the strawberry in a strawberry shortcake. :) That's what keeps you in a contractual position because every sideline you get is additional income since you don't enjoy the benefits that regular employees have.
After I resigned in my previous work, I met my partner who is an adventurer at heart and that started this practice of traveling for pleasure. That was the end of the homebody life for me. My life has been changed forever. I dream of places to explore and look forward to the boldest of adventures. I'm also fortunate to have friends who equally share this love for travel. So it saves me the hassle and the money of planning trips. We have about a minimum of 10 getaways per year at average. So you can imagine how my life now is like. :))
But there are just trips that hit you straight to heart. Some journeys that make you smile in remembrance and give you pride not only because you survived the adventure yourself but because you opened an opportunity for fellow adventurers like you to experience something they have a lot of doubts about.
My friends and I opened an open trip travel group that caters to adventurers who like to travel but don't have the budget to cover all expenses needed for a full blown adventure. Most of our trips are thrill-seeking getaways that a lot of people want but do not have the guts to pursue. These trips include surfing, intro dives, spelunking, and all other else.
As a certified diver, the intro dive open trips automatically goes to my care. I spearhead the activity since I have more knowledge about it than the rest of the group. My partner, Arbs, works hand in hand with me since he is a much better diver and does the photography for the activity. Most participants inquire about pictures underwater during the trip so we included it in the package.
And every time before the actual dive, the excitement of the participants is always coupled with fear that they may not be able to do the skill required to explore underwater. And it's perfectly understandable because it is a journey to an unknown territory and out of one's comfort zone. Most of the time I try to distract them and encourage them; but the moment they knew they are next in line for the the dive, I sense discomfort, some excitement, but mostly, it is the nervousness that weighs more. From the moment they fit in their wetsuits to the time they practice the skills, there are hesitations... and fear as like any beginning of something bold and new.
But the moment they plunge in, they tend to forget all the doubts they had in the surface. When you ask them underwater how they are, they almost automatically give you the "okay" sign, as if they are greeting an old companion or visiting a familiar place. All the worries fly out of the surface and it's the sense of awe that prevails. The 20 minutes bottom time seems inadequate. And when they do enjoy the sightings underwater, human nature takes control and they forget that they are with a Dive Master. LOL. They would want to explore on their own---you can sense it with their body language: all those arm flailing and kicks that signals the desire to break free to adventure. And of course they readily pose for the much awaited profile photo on Facebook, that will shout to the world they have done this awesome adventure and survived it!
When they resurface, you can see pure unadulterated joy and pride that they conquered something new, that they enjoyed every single bit of the time underwater. They make exclamations of awe and for a sojourner like me, whose simple joys include diving, is always priceless. The look on their faces as they express their happiness feels as good swimming with a whale shark or conquering a nerve wracking Plunge for free! :)
I would never get tired of organizing intro dives for people. These are journeys that you can say are very worth it. These are journeys that make you feel like the universe is a very awesome place. And that every human being is also a part of yourself, that every joy you give them returns to you in spades.
I never knew that introducing new things to people can be that awesome; I'm one of the reserved types who like to enjoy things on my own with an ample space to zone out in my own bubble. I don't easily get too comfortable with people I just met or get to spend some time in a service van. But these open trips made a change in me. I discovered that there is pleasure in people watching. In those moments that you make a room to accommodate new connections in your life, it makes the world a better place to live in, well, no matter how corny that sounds. :)
Traveling teaches you things you do not normally learn in life. You just have to embrace every experience: every thrill, insect bite or sunburn you get. So, no matter where life take you, conquer it with your every breath and you'll be surprised with what discoveries you will find.
And in traveling you meet a lot of people, eat good and weird food and sometimes bankrupt your savings. But one of the perks of traveling is the opportunity to learn more about culture, places, even people. In the process, you also grow as a person--become more well rounded, open to differences and have the sense of liberty as you let life make its beauty known to you.
I've been a homebody. When I was in college, my routine was to go home straight from the school. I don't take detours and I only visit places when it is part of a project or a requirement. I don't do it for leisure nor for pleasure. I don't have that kind of yearning in me.
But when I started working in a TV Network, a lot of opportunities opened for me to travel and it excited me. But then again I don't have the luxury of time to really explore since our time in a certain place is very limited. After covering local festivals, we do post-production, eat with the staff, go back to the hotel and fly the next morning. Eventually it stressed me; I came to a point where I just want to stay at the office and do remote support. Di na kasi ako makaraket (I cannot do my sideline work), and for a talent, rakets are the cream inside the cream puff or the strawberry in a strawberry shortcake. :) That's what keeps you in a contractual position because every sideline you get is additional income since you don't enjoy the benefits that regular employees have.
After I resigned in my previous work, I met my partner who is an adventurer at heart and that started this practice of traveling for pleasure. That was the end of the homebody life for me. My life has been changed forever. I dream of places to explore and look forward to the boldest of adventures. I'm also fortunate to have friends who equally share this love for travel. So it saves me the hassle and the money of planning trips. We have about a minimum of 10 getaways per year at average. So you can imagine how my life now is like. :))
But there are just trips that hit you straight to heart. Some journeys that make you smile in remembrance and give you pride not only because you survived the adventure yourself but because you opened an opportunity for fellow adventurers like you to experience something they have a lot of doubts about.
My friends and I opened an open trip travel group that caters to adventurers who like to travel but don't have the budget to cover all expenses needed for a full blown adventure. Most of our trips are thrill-seeking getaways that a lot of people want but do not have the guts to pursue. These trips include surfing, intro dives, spelunking, and all other else.
As a certified diver, the intro dive open trips automatically goes to my care. I spearhead the activity since I have more knowledge about it than the rest of the group. My partner, Arbs, works hand in hand with me since he is a much better diver and does the photography for the activity. Most participants inquire about pictures underwater during the trip so we included it in the package.
And every time before the actual dive, the excitement of the participants is always coupled with fear that they may not be able to do the skill required to explore underwater. And it's perfectly understandable because it is a journey to an unknown territory and out of one's comfort zone. Most of the time I try to distract them and encourage them; but the moment they knew they are next in line for the the dive, I sense discomfort, some excitement, but mostly, it is the nervousness that weighs more. From the moment they fit in their wetsuits to the time they practice the skills, there are hesitations... and fear as like any beginning of something bold and new.
But the moment they plunge in, they tend to forget all the doubts they had in the surface. When you ask them underwater how they are, they almost automatically give you the "okay" sign, as if they are greeting an old companion or visiting a familiar place. All the worries fly out of the surface and it's the sense of awe that prevails. The 20 minutes bottom time seems inadequate. And when they do enjoy the sightings underwater, human nature takes control and they forget that they are with a Dive Master. LOL. They would want to explore on their own---you can sense it with their body language: all those arm flailing and kicks that signals the desire to break free to adventure. And of course they readily pose for the much awaited profile photo on Facebook, that will shout to the world they have done this awesome adventure and survived it!
When they resurface, you can see pure unadulterated joy and pride that they conquered something new, that they enjoyed every single bit of the time underwater. They make exclamations of awe and for a sojourner like me, whose simple joys include diving, is always priceless. The look on their faces as they express their happiness feels as good swimming with a whale shark or conquering a nerve wracking Plunge for free! :)
I would never get tired of organizing intro dives for people. These are journeys that you can say are very worth it. These are journeys that make you feel like the universe is a very awesome place. And that every human being is also a part of yourself, that every joy you give them returns to you in spades.
I never knew that introducing new things to people can be that awesome; I'm one of the reserved types who like to enjoy things on my own with an ample space to zone out in my own bubble. I don't easily get too comfortable with people I just met or get to spend some time in a service van. But these open trips made a change in me. I discovered that there is pleasure in people watching. In those moments that you make a room to accommodate new connections in your life, it makes the world a better place to live in, well, no matter how corny that sounds. :)
Traveling teaches you things you do not normally learn in life. You just have to embrace every experience: every thrill, insect bite or sunburn you get. So, no matter where life take you, conquer it with your every breath and you'll be surprised with what discoveries you will find.
