My Obsession with Maps
I admit it, I have a problem. I am addicted to everything that has, refers to or represents maps. And I say it out loud maybe that would be the way to get cured. Get cured? What a nonsense! I never want to get cured! This kind of devotion is close to the obsession I have developed by notebooks.
Whenever I see a map I react in two ways:
1) If I haven’t been to that place my nervous system activates and sends impatient signals to the subconscious, where’s that? which country is it? I don’t care, travel, travel! go there! now! what are you waiting for? And I surrender and pay attention to it (oh poor me 😛 )
2) If I have been to that country or place already I get distracted and travel there again by drawing in my mind where I was, what I saw in every place and by remembering every and each experience that is kept in my secret storehouse of travelling memories.
Don’t even talk about the objects that have a map on it, I love ALL of them! either a cup, a pencil sharpener or a pen! everything!
On special days like Christmas and birthdays my family and friends don’t even ask me what I would like to get anymore. Anything that has a map on it! And I ask myself, do words such as map-obsession or map-adoration exist? If they do, I have it! If that’s not the case, you are welcome Oxford, I just made two words up!
Maps represent for me a diagram of trips that I’ve already done or the ones I dream about, my future trips. Ironically enough when I travel I don’t like to use maps but to get lost to the sound of my instinct, to my inner adventurer voice. However, when I stay for a longer period of time without travelling I like to have them on the wall in order to observe and spoil them.
Travel Events
What would be better when travelling than to get in that world and let yourself get inspired by others that just arrived or about to leave? Whenever I hear about a travel event, I am in!
Last Saturday I went to this travel gathering organised by minube in Fitur and I somehow felt relieved and excited at the same time, like it often happens, by seeing that a lot of other people have the travel bug as I do. That bug for which there’s no cure, neither using vaccines nor magic antidotes -I’m not interested anyways- and that’s really contagious!
After listening to some of the speakers I already wanted to be on my way, again! There were travellers of all kinds, they shared stories like the one of Alicia Sornosa who travels on her motorbike, together as a family like Un mundo para tres, in couple or even as a reporter of a travel television programme. I felt at home!
Furthermore, Alice Fauveau told us about her entrepreneurial experience in the market, focusing on the connection that is established between women. A very interesting project called Focus on Women.
Every talk was even more enriching and interesting than the next and with loads of energy! Next year I would love to go again but as the guys from algoquerecordar say, I hope I’ll be travelling by then!
P.S. By the way if you haven’t yet seen ‘The eternal traveller syndrome’ video, a beautiful documentary about what it means to travel, you better watch it! Now!