How To Feel Like A Kid Again

It's almost time to leave the comforts of a home behind and head off on our travels. I actually left home two weeks ago but my girlfriend's house here in the U.S. is a home from home these days, and the surrounding area is pleasantly familiar.

I love that 'novelty' feeling of arriving into a new country, all your senses are heightened and your awareness is raised to new levels. It's like being a kid again. Your mind works frantically to absorb everything about your surroundings, even the most mundane objects like road signs and pricing labels in supermarkets command your attention and become fascinating.

How often have you laughed as a tourist takes a photo of the sights you see everyday on your way to work? If travel teaches you nothing else it can certainly remind you to open yourself up again to your surroundings at home. The longer you spend somewhere the harder you have to work in order to really appreciate it and really see things. Over the years that i've been travelling here i've felt my familiarity with the U.S. grow. Each time I visit, something else falls off my radar and becomes just another part of the scenery.

I'm not sad that my 'childhood days' in this part of the U.S. are over, I'm lucky to have the opportunity to feel so at home here but I cannot wait to see new places next week and be a kid again - San Francisco, The Cook Islands, New Zealand... - i'll be snapping away with my camera like any other tourist.