But today, I’m sitting at the airport, my trusty and now worn backpack at my ankle and my old netbook companion balanced on my knees. I feel a warm loosening in my shoulders – tension slowly easing out of my muscles. Why, I wonder, does the hassle of travel feel so good?
When I had returned home from my southern hemisphere travels this spring, I had been surprised by the speed with which I had re-acclimatized. I was back at work and happily writing reports within days. Had the vagabond feeling of the world traveller evaporated so quickly?
“It must be hard to be back”, friends and colleagues announced. Nope.
According to Michelle, my penpal/sister in Argentina, the transition was eased because I had been able to create two “me’s” – a notion I relish. I’ve come to call them ‘home Jordan’ and ‘travel Jordan’. Rather than having to re-adapt to life on the road, I simply slip into my other ‘me’ and I’m on my way.
So today, I’m heading off to Rome with a few pieces of clothing in my backpack, and 9 days to meander.
Coming with me on my journey, my partner and seasoned fellow-traveller Francisco, and his mother and aunt –both happily warbling about seeing the Vatican.Photo: Francisco and his mother keep "Thor" company at the airport.
