Grammy Writes

The Me I Become When I Travel

I’m getting ready to travel again, and I can’t help but feel that familiar mix of excitement and anticipation! It seems like ages since our last trip, but really, it has only been a year. Like many travelers, I record moments and memories as they happen, knowing I’m likely to forget some of the countless places and things I’ve seen. My writing and photographs become proof—not just of where I’ve been, but of who I was in those moments. Even if memory softens around the edges, I’ll have something to look back on. A reminder that I experienced a new place in this world and came back different.

Travel has a way of changing how I see things. Days unfold differently when I’m somewhere unfamiliar. I notice details that might escape me at home: the light, the land, the language, and how a place can transform me without warning. Life feels intensified, as if I’m living in bold rather than regular font.

And then I return.

Coming home is often the most surreal part of a journey. While my horizons have expanded in ways that are hard to describe, the lives of those around me have continued as usual. My family and friends listen to my stories and try to share my enthusiasm, but there’s a quiet inner fulfillment that resists translation. Only I stood in those places; only I experienced those moments that have now become a part of me.

A Traveler’s Journal

So many sights I’ve yet to see!
With any luck, it will be me
who crosses the ocean again and again,
a camera in one hand, the other, a pen,
to capture moments as they pass,
lest they dissolve like shadows cast.
When my thoughts grow faint or slow,
I’ll turn the pages and off I will go,
through paths once walked and places known,
in ink and light, they live; I own.

Photo credit: My husband – my travel and everything partner!

77 comments

  1. This is such a beautifully written post. I find that coming home is often the most surreal part of a journey, too, especially the paradox of personal change – while I often feel transformed by new experiences, cultures, and self-discovery, everything at home typically stays exactly as I left it, creating a jarring contrast between the high-novelty, fast-paced environment of travel and the static familiarity of daily life. Thanks for sharing, and have a good day 🙂 Happy Easter and safe travels 🙂 Aiva xx

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  6. “… living in bold rather than regular font”. A writer’s description – love it. Like you it’s time for us to stop wondering when the world is going to “get back to normal” and get back out there.

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  7. Beautifully written, travel really does change you in ways that are hard to explain. Loved the poem too, “in ink and light, they live” really stood out. Safe travels on your next adventure!

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  18. You become a different person when you travel. You get to see and experience things that people around you who don’t travel dont. You come back different, yet the people you left are still the same. It’s actually difficult because when you come back, you come back to reality. Not as a tourist or explorer but as a regular person.

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  20. “Living in bold rather than regular font” – Yeah, that’s just a perfect way to say it. Like everything gets turned up a notch when you’re somewhere new. The light looks different, food tastes different, even your own thoughts feel a bit sharper somehow.
    Happy travels ahead, Linda! 🌍️

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  31. Nicely said, and I liked the verses specifically. I too am nearing time for my next major travel opportunity. This helped me to relate to your musings. Thanks for sharing.

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  37. I am about to go on a Scandinavian cruise. I haven’t traveled outside of the country in years, and the icing on this particular cake is that we stop in Oslo. where I have a dear friend. I have been studying Norwegian off and on for years and I am excited to try it out!

    I love the words you chose for this post. Beautiful.

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  41. Your words capture the essence of travel beautifully. That mix of anticipation, discovery, and the quiet transformation we carry back home is something only fellow travelers truly understand. I love how you describe life abroad as living in bold font—it’s such a perfect metaphor. Keep recording those moments; they’re treasures that remind us not just where we’ve been, but how we’ve grown

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  42. ‘Travel has a way of changing how I see things. Days unfold differently when I’m somewhere unfamiliar. I notice details that might escape me at home: the light, the land, the language’ You seem really observant and a good traveller! Good luck with the rest of your travels this year 🙂 The blog was well written as well!

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  43. A great experience and really insightful post.
    Travel has a way of changing how we see ourselves because it pushes us out of routine and forces us to adapt to new environments, people, and cultures.

    I like the idea of ‘becoming a different version of yourself’ when you travel — more open-minded, more observant, and often more confident in handling unfamiliar situations.

    It also reminds me that travel isn’t just about places, but about personal growth, experiences, and perspective shifts that stay with you long after the trip ends.
    Great reminder of how powerful stepping outside your comfort zone can be.

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