What sparked your interest in travel? (trip, atlas, maps, old)

[Trimac20]

Was there anything that initially inspired you to travel?

For me...an interest in geography (physical geography, different cultures.etc) coupled with a natural curiosity about the world. From a young age I was always fascinated with how people lived differently, also the similarities...also I think one could break it down into the types of travel one is interested in.

For me eco-tourism and cultural-tourism probably top the list, with 'having fun, relaxing, family reasons' being low on the list. That's why I favour a diverse range of places, and am very interested in places of cultural and natural importance.

I am perplexed by those who love travelling but profess little interest in geography. I think the two go hand in hand. Most world travellers are a bit more educated about geography, but some still seem somewhat oblivious.

[PacificFlights]

My dad was one of those major projects (dams, tunnels, artificial islands) construction managers and he traveld all over the world on these projects. From time to time I would go visit him when school was on vacataion and travel to three or four countries where they had projects. I got the chance to live and go to school in a few of those countries . All that added up to seeing the world as so much biggere that the USA. My current job gets me traveling all over the world and the connections I've made enables me to visit places many do not or can;t go. When you put all that together, I'm now so comfortable visiting and traveling to places than it is now part of me to see things. It's not just the going to a new place, its also a need to experience the place and see far beyond the normal tourist sites. I;m not only talking what one typically expects, but more the working of that place. Having had thre chance to sit down and eat and drink with a local chinnese party official and just talk about baseball, or get a chance to see the behind the scenes working of some ferry in africa, well thats the sort of things I now seek. I guess its about seeing how different places, do the same thing, completely diffrently, and get the same results.

[lrfox]

I don't think there's a particular "thing" that sparked an interest. I've ALWAYS loved traveling whether it was 30 minute drive to see relatives or a trip to the other side of the world. My family traveled a lot when we were younger, but I can't remember not being interested in traveling.

[BereniceUK]

Maps have always fascinated me - I can remember looking through the pages of my father's old atlas (it must have been from the late 1940s as both Danzig and Trieste were called Free Cities in it) when I was aged around 7. So I grew up aware that there was a great big world out there but didn't fly long distance until I passed the age of 50. Making up for that now!

[chilaili]

My Dad was in the military and we moved country every two years as I was growing up (one year we lived in 3 different countries). Got to see an awful lot of the world that way and there's still plenty for me to see.

[Chava61]

My father is an academic and therefore our family moved around a lot as I was growing up. (I went to 7 different schools in a 12 year period.) So I just continued to travel as an adult.

[Trimac20]

Interesting three of the responses so far began with the father lol.

[cb at sea]

We moved frequently as children, too..and I really don't like traveling...until I've been somewhere new...then, I can't wait to go back!

I'm most comfortable at home, and I'm loathe to leave, most of the time.

However, I've found that most places aren't THAT different that what I'm used to...and remembering that, when I prepare for a trip, helps me a lot.

[jtur88]

Very simple. Stamp collecting, starting when I was 10.

I also went around to all the gas stations and got road maps. And my uncle gave me all the maps from his National Geographic magazine, that started when I was about 6.

[intelfan11315]

Really it was nothing more than boredom.