Car Watching in Italian Lands

One of the more uncanny parts of the adventures in world travel happens when one sees something terribly familiar, yet terribly different.  There are plenty of essays and observations about toilets, toothpaste tubes, and milk containers in other parts of the world.  Variations in what one knows as an every day object creates a certain sense of not-at-home-ness that can be entirely delightful or terribly alienating, depending on one’s frame of mind.  Traveling for short periods is often a series of surprises, and the experience is over before anything has even begun to digest.  But when traveling for longer periods of time, there are almost always moments when the new or unfamiliar becomes too much.

Because so much depends on perception, there are things a traveler can do to make their own experience go more smoothly.  Going to places where there is a sense of familiarity can be very helpful, or to focus on the things that a particular country is known for.  Traveling in Italy means great food and great design.  And people watching and car watching are free.  Most travelers are probably not looking to pick up a new set of niche wheels to take back home, so the usual preoccupations with car maintenance can take a back seat to the aesthetic appreciation.  With Fiats and Ferraris, Alfa Romeros and Maseratis, it’s impossible not to feel that unusual pleasure that comes from having one’s imagination sparked by the combination of beauty and utility.  It’s also a very easy way to avoid any kind of homesick blues that might be coming along.

There is a familiarity about some of the cars, certainly, because most observant people have noticed Italian cars in their home country at one point or another.  But when there is a critical mass, the sense of design is almost overwhelming, and it becomes something else.  Car fanatics might start calculating the maintenance of a foreign car, realizing that the cost of toyo tires makes it very tempting.  But even die-hard pedestrians will probably be struck by the unusual taste in the vehicles.  Beauty is important in all things, and cars are no different.  And although there is a certain kind of fanaticism in Italian futurism, where love of speed and technology can override other concerns, this has by and large receded into the past as a design element.  Today’s cars match speed with comfort, and the vehicles are simply pleasing to look at.  So while they may not make the homesick traveler feel surrounded by the familiar, the cars can open up a space for understanding a culture where art is a core value, and that’s when Italy just might start to feel like home.

Tags: italian cars, tires, travel

Adventures Out the Window

Armchair travel, in the past, was perhaps not all it was cracked up to be.  There are times throughout history when cultures become outward-looking, and times when they become insular, and the cycles are based on a complex chain of economic relationships.  While some may argue that a culture’s ideas of travel are more related to its mobility and access to sea or air than anything, it would follow that access is indeed based on economic ability to do something with the access.

There are also those who will argue that today’s generations have more access than any other generation, and that people growing up today will have a much broader understanding of the world than their parents ever did.  There is certainly some truth to this, but there is also evidence that whenever a culture has a possibility of traveling, it does.  Some of the Mayan cultures of antiquity, and the Yoruba people during the Oyo Empire, traveled not because they had to, but because they could.

The idea of movement, of leaving a place for awhile in order to come back to it with fresh eyes, is a very strong impulse, and seems to be rooted in the DNA.  According to some new developments in research on dopamine, that might actually be the case.   This might come as enormously good news to those who aspire more toward the armchair variety of travel than for the ones who like the idea of a pith helmet in their backpacks.

It also bodes well for the pocketbook.  If the choice is between new aluminum blinds and a vacation, most people will opt to take care of the hearth first.  But if it’s possible that home improvements and travel can come together, by making it easier to daydream with a better view of the world outside the window, then everybody wins.

This is, in fact, what some of the new research is suggesting.  Wandering and exploring certainly do have a positive effect on the individual’s chemistry, enriching the mind with new experience.  But it also seems likely that the act of wondering itself, entertaining one’s sense of curiosity, can also have profound effects on the psyche.  Wondering what lies just around the corner, then, is something that is at the heart of every anxiety, but it is also at the heart of every new adventure that pushes culture forward.

Tags: dopamine, travel, window blinds

Road Trip!

Time to hit the road, it’s summer and what a better way to see the country than a road trip? Road trips spark the best memories, jokes and they will take you to places you would never think to see.

Planning a road trip can be tricky but it is also a lot of fun. You will want to pull out a map of the U.S. and start deciding where you want to start, stop and the places you want to see in between. When planning the road trip you will want to figure out estimates of how long it will take to get there, how many miles it will take and the appropriate stopping places along the way.

Depending on how many people are going should be how long you want your road trip to be, the more people the shorter you will want it. Also if you have younger children then you are not going to want them in the car for too long, as they will get restless. A 30 day road trip across the country sounds nice in theory but in actuality you might want to scale it down just a bit.

Once you have figured out how long you want your trip to be and where you want to go, it is time to start planning the routes. You will want to take a look at a road map and decide which freeways, highways and interstates you are going to want to take to get to your destination. You will also want to take note of places to stop: to get gas, food, go to the bathroom or just places of interest. Try stopping in a small town with a funny name for ice cream or go see the world’s largest ball of string.

After everything is all planned out, make your hotel reservations and take your car in to the mechanic to make sure it is in peak condition to handle this trip.

Once all the arrangements have been made, hit the store for snacks for the trip and get ready for a memorable time!

Tags: map, road map, Road Trip, travel