2 Books to Cultivate a Traveler’s Mindset

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Abstract

arious self-deprecating criticisms all in the same stroke. In his book “The Socrates Express” he takes the time to critically evaluate the theories of philosophers from past eras as he travels the world to visit each of their common stomping grounds. He wonders about Thoreau's keen observation skills as he wanders around Walden Pond. He meanders through Motiers, France, while contemplating Rousseau’s philosophical contributions and curious walking habit. Each of these chapters teaches the reader about a philosophical theory, its author, and its place of birth.Weiner also brings a modern touch to these philosophical ponderings, penning his realizations about famous theories while riding innovative light rail trains, or while people-watching in a Starbucks.The pairing of travel and philosophy is effective. Over the course of this book, I found myself realizing that places, people, and cultures are inseparable. That even the great minds of the philosophical pantheon were guided to their epiphanies by their respective eras and surroundings. I also realized that these ideas were timeless, still as relevant today as they were in their own eras. Maybe even more so. I found myself more fascinated by the history and the future of the places I visited while reading this subtly profound book.I highly recommend it.Leave only FootprintsIn “Leave Only Footprints” by Connor Knighton, readers will be carried along by the author on a journey to visit all 59 National Parks (at the time of his wr

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iting) in a single year. The author’s sarcastic style is balanced by his impressive journalistic tendencies as he researches the history and ongoing affairs of each national park he visits.I loved this book both for its research-driven information, but also for its more general observations about what our parks and their current efforts say about us as a society. I was heartbroken to learn that my own favorite park’s most notable feature is the sheer amount of traffic it sees in such a small chunk of its overall acreage. This poses a huge logistics problem for a chronically underfunded staff. Learning about conservation efforts and wildlife recovery in some of our parks was a fascinating and uplifting story about the care and hope that dedicated humans can bring to our natural settings. Generally, the book is about parks, but its also about the people and cultures that surround them, both past and present.After closing the cover of this book for the final time, I have found myself always asking what my own impact is on the spaces I travel to. How am I contributing to the direction our society is marching in? It’s an important question for a traveler because travel is not a one-way street. We affect the places we visit just as much as they affect us.Hopefully, you’ll enjoy these books as much as I have, or at the very least you’ll consider the quality of your thoughts as you read whatever it is folks are reading these days.Take care with what you take in because it will become you.</article></body>

Prepare your mind for travel

As a reader, I’ve always found that books bring unique color to my everyday life. Currently, I’m reading “The Hero with a Thousand Faces” by Joseph Campbell and I have already found myself in the grocery store comparing the journey of a banana to the famous monomyth theory Campbell published in 1949.

It sounds absurd, but I suspect everyone does this. Thoughts are like eager excitable dogs, they can be led anywhere. Read a book about a fantastical world of wizards and knights and I’m sure you’ll find yourself daydreaming about sword fights and magic on the train to work. Read a romance book and you’ll be looking for steamy love around every corner. Everyone does this, right?

If our minds can be led anywhere, let’s attempt to lead them with some intention. So, here is a brief list of two books that have had profound effects on my thoughts specifically while traveling.

The Socrates Express

Author Eric Weiner writes with a flexible and observant style that leads him to profound realizations and hilarious self-deprecating criticisms all in the same stroke. In his book “The Socrates Express” he takes the time to critically evaluate the theories of philosophers from past eras as he travels the world to visit each of their common stomping grounds. He wonders about Thoreau's keen observation skills as he wanders around Walden Pond. He meanders through Motiers, France, while contemplating Rousseau’s philosophical contributions and curious walking habit. Each of these chapters teaches the reader about a philosophical theory, its author, and its place of birth.

Weiner also brings a modern touch to these philosophical ponderings, penning his realizations about famous theories while riding innovative light rail trains, or while people-watching in a Starbucks.

The pairing of travel and philosophy is effective. Over the course of this book, I found myself realizing that places, people, and cultures are inseparable. That even the great minds of the philosophical pantheon were guided to their epiphanies by their respective eras and surroundings. I also realized that these ideas were timeless, still as relevant today as they were in their own eras. Maybe even more so. I found myself more fascinated by the history and the future of the places I visited while reading this subtly profound book.

I highly recommend it.

Leave only Footprints

In “Leave Only Footprints” by Connor Knighton, readers will be carried along by the author on a journey to visit all 59 National Parks (at the time of his writing) in a single year. The author’s sarcastic style is balanced by his impressive journalistic tendencies as he researches the history and ongoing affairs of each national park he visits.

I loved this book both for its research-driven information, but also for its more general observations about what our parks and their current efforts say about us as a society. I was heartbroken to learn that my own favorite park’s most notable feature is the sheer amount of traffic it sees in such a small chunk of its overall acreage. This poses a huge logistics problem for a chronically underfunded staff. Learning about conservation efforts and wildlife recovery in some of our parks was a fascinating and uplifting story about the care and hope that dedicated humans can bring to our natural settings. Generally, the book is about parks, but its also about the people and cultures that surround them, both past and present.

After closing the cover of this book for the final time, I have found myself always asking what my own impact is on the spaces I travel to. How am I contributing to the direction our society is marching in? It’s an important question for a traveler because travel is not a one-way street. We affect the places we visit just as much as they affect us.

Hopefully, you’ll enjoy these books as much as I have, or at the very least you’ll consider the quality of your thoughts as you read whatever it is folks are reading these days.

Take care with what you take in because it will become you.