The Usefulness of Travel
 |
Description
Book Introduction
“Every moment of travel shines brightly.”
Joining hundreds of thousands of readers on their journey
『Top 10 European Places I Love』 by Yeo-ul Jeong
I'm back with a new travel essay!
Author Yeo-ul Jeong, author of the best-selling book "Top 10 Places in Europe I Love," which has brought the excitement of travel to countless readers, has published a new travel essay titled "The Usefulness of Travel."
For the writer, for whom travel was a part of his life, the time he could not leave was particularly long and frustrating.
But no time passes meaninglessly.
During that time, the author took a deep breath, waiting for the time to leave again, and reflected on how precious travel is, discovering small joys in each given place.
It was a precious and valuable experience to look forward to the moment of travel that would come in the near future.
After spending the time he couldn't travel in his own way, the author quickly booked a ticket to a foreign country when he was able to leave again.
Although the trip I took after a long time was more cumbersome than in the past because there was more to prepare, the long wait made it even more dazzling and ecstatic.
"The Usefulness of Travel," which captures the excitement and thrill of the moment of departure again, is author Jeong Yeo-ul's careful encouragement and warm hand of accompaniment to readers who have finally reached the freedom of travel after surviving the difficult pandemic period.
What makes me happier than being able to leave again is being able to share my experience of starting to leave again with my readers.
I missed people.
What I missed more than the freedom to go far away was the cautious approach of people who truly tried to understand each other, the unhesitating empathy, the warm feeling of finally becoming friends.
I'm just happy to be able to write about post-pandemic travel.
I am so happy that I can leave again, and that I have you to share the joy of leaving with.
-From the text
Joining hundreds of thousands of readers on their journey
『Top 10 European Places I Love』 by Yeo-ul Jeong
I'm back with a new travel essay!
Author Yeo-ul Jeong, author of the best-selling book "Top 10 Places in Europe I Love," which has brought the excitement of travel to countless readers, has published a new travel essay titled "The Usefulness of Travel."
For the writer, for whom travel was a part of his life, the time he could not leave was particularly long and frustrating.
But no time passes meaninglessly.
During that time, the author took a deep breath, waiting for the time to leave again, and reflected on how precious travel is, discovering small joys in each given place.
It was a precious and valuable experience to look forward to the moment of travel that would come in the near future.
After spending the time he couldn't travel in his own way, the author quickly booked a ticket to a foreign country when he was able to leave again.
Although the trip I took after a long time was more cumbersome than in the past because there was more to prepare, the long wait made it even more dazzling and ecstatic.
"The Usefulness of Travel," which captures the excitement and thrill of the moment of departure again, is author Jeong Yeo-ul's careful encouragement and warm hand of accompaniment to readers who have finally reached the freedom of travel after surviving the difficult pandemic period.
What makes me happier than being able to leave again is being able to share my experience of starting to leave again with my readers.
I missed people.
What I missed more than the freedom to go far away was the cautious approach of people who truly tried to understand each other, the unhesitating empathy, the warm feeling of finally becoming friends.
I'm just happy to be able to write about post-pandemic travel.
I am so happy that I can leave again, and that I have you to share the joy of leaving with.
-From the text
- You can preview some of the book's contents.
Preview
index
prolog
Part 1: The Moment is Powerful
Intense scenes that will remain unforgettable for a long time
Photo Essay
2 The Aesthetics of Leaving
Can I leave again?
_Leaving for Paris, beyond the waves of the pandemic
New Travel in the Corona Era
_It takes so much courage to leave
Oh dear, I should have danced that dance back then.
_The moment the trip is completed
The beauty of a green oasis breathing in the city
_Enjoying space together
The moment when a person himself becomes a landscape
_On the hill of Montmartre in Paris, France
Discovering another 'me' outside of the gaze of others
_The emotion of the Whitney Museum
For days when you can't travel
_My Paris Papa Story
Anywhere is fine, as long as there is a story.
_A place that fascinates me
My Zero Waste Travel Guide
_To travel more and longer
Dreaming of a space where no one gets hurt
Things you can only see if you walk and walk again
The thrill of living for a month or so on a trip
_From the perspective of a 'resident' to a 'traveler'
Part 3: Travel Destinations I Love
A city where I find a new me every day
_New York, USA
A sea of reflection spread across the mountain peaks
Geiranger, Norway
A space that allows me to be myself
Aix-en-Provence, France
A place of disarmed love and healing
_American Concorde
A city where no time disappears
Munich, Germany
A place of peace for anxious modern people
_Lake Como, Italy
A Quarry of Light where the artwork and the audience become one
_Les Baux-de-Provence, France
A dazzling leap toward the new millennium
_London, England
A better city to live in for a month or so
_Berlin, Germany
Monet's utopia on earth, where his dreams came true
Giverny, France
Where useless obsessions melt away
_Machu Picchu, Peru
A beautiful city despite some inconveniences
_Havana, Cuba
A fascinating gateway to Latin America
_Mexico City, Mexico
Meet Picasso at the castle at the end of the Emerald Sea
_Antibes, France
The feeling of being alive, the feeling of running together
Brighton, England
Epilogue
Part 1: The Moment is Powerful
Intense scenes that will remain unforgettable for a long time
Photo Essay
2 The Aesthetics of Leaving
Can I leave again?
_Leaving for Paris, beyond the waves of the pandemic
New Travel in the Corona Era
_It takes so much courage to leave
Oh dear, I should have danced that dance back then.
_The moment the trip is completed
The beauty of a green oasis breathing in the city
_Enjoying space together
The moment when a person himself becomes a landscape
_On the hill of Montmartre in Paris, France
Discovering another 'me' outside of the gaze of others
_The emotion of the Whitney Museum
For days when you can't travel
_My Paris Papa Story
Anywhere is fine, as long as there is a story.
_A place that fascinates me
My Zero Waste Travel Guide
_To travel more and longer
Dreaming of a space where no one gets hurt
Things you can only see if you walk and walk again
The thrill of living for a month or so on a trip
_From the perspective of a 'resident' to a 'traveler'
Part 3: Travel Destinations I Love
A city where I find a new me every day
_New York, USA
A sea of reflection spread across the mountain peaks
Geiranger, Norway
A space that allows me to be myself
Aix-en-Provence, France
A place of disarmed love and healing
_American Concorde
A city where no time disappears
Munich, Germany
A place of peace for anxious modern people
_Lake Como, Italy
A Quarry of Light where the artwork and the audience become one
_Les Baux-de-Provence, France
A dazzling leap toward the new millennium
_London, England
A better city to live in for a month or so
_Berlin, Germany
Monet's utopia on earth, where his dreams came true
Giverny, France
Where useless obsessions melt away
_Machu Picchu, Peru
A beautiful city despite some inconveniences
_Havana, Cuba
A fascinating gateway to Latin America
_Mexico City, Mexico
Meet Picasso at the castle at the end of the Emerald Sea
_Antibes, France
The feeling of being alive, the feeling of running together
Brighton, England
Epilogue
Detailed image
Into the book
When you become a traveler, it becomes enjoyable to quietly watch the backs of other people.
Since I can't stare at a stranger's face, I enjoy quietly looking at their back and wondering, 'What is that person thinking right now?'
In that back view, sometimes I find a heart that is exactly like mine, and sometimes I find a heart that is completely different from mine, and I smile.
The person in the photo seemed to be thinking exactly the same thoughts I had that day.
This is a really good place to miss someone.
This is a great place to cry, where you can quietly shed tears for a long time without worrying about what others think.
Sitting on the Dalsniva lookout in Norway, I longed for so long, cried my heart out, and wanted to be okay.
Like the back of that lonely traveler.
Like that beautiful mountain ridge.
Like all the people, trees, and mountain peaks in this world, which are more beautiful because they are alone.
--- pp.14~15
As I think of all of us suffering in the long tunnel of the pandemic, the place I long for most is Walden.
If I could go to Walden again, I would walk deeper into the woods of Walden.
I will talk about Soro's life longer and more deeply with my loved ones.
I would gladly plunge into the translucency of Walden Pond, sparkling with an unbelievably clear blue.
Even on that cold autumn day, I will shyly join the courage of those who jumped into Walden Pond without hesitation.
Didn't Soro have a premonition?
If we humans continue to exploit nature so indiscriminately, monopolizing it as if it were our own property, a pandemic, or even a more terrifying disaster, could strike someday.
Thoreau wanted to work diligently in nature for only four hours a day, and devote the rest of the time to 'a life in harmony with nature' and 'a life of reading and writing.'
I dreamed of a passionate life that boldly discarded all the flashy decorations and masks that were not true life, and absorbed only the essence of life.
I put Walden Pond on my computer desktop and stare at it for long periods of time, missing Thoreau, Walden, and life before the pandemic.
At the same time, we cherish our love for the Earth, the only planet that humanity must protect, with nowhere left to retreat.
Any place that contains one person's earnest story will never become old or worn out.
Like a beautiful classic literature that sleeps in a bookshelf and shines with a dazzling light every time we take it out and read it.
Places filled with the life stories of all those who dreamed of a life where not only they could be happy, but where everyone could be united in a greater and deeper love.
Our splendid journey to those very places has now begun again.
--- pp.195~198
At that time, I think some kind of perceptual shift occurred in my mind.
I wanted to live a life of pursuing experiences, not a life of consuming products.
I learned that while the joy of consuming a product quickly fades, the money spent on new places, experiences, and encounters is well worth it.
From then on, my priorities in life changed.
Travel has become the most important expense, surpassing all other expenses.
Whenever I had free time, I started to think about how I could stay longer in places that make my mind feel at ease.
I lived in Jeju Island for a month, and then in Berlin or London for a month, and I learned survival skills that would allow me to survive in any place, and I started living a life where I sought out, heard, saw, and learned the most beautiful things in any place.
In this way, I learned how to truly live in a place I love through the emergency exit of everyday life called travel.
All my travel destinations were not just temporary escapes that I passed through.
I began to contemplate ways to absorb the dazzling aura and fragrant atmosphere of all those places with my whole body.
I want to be someone who loves a place so much that he or she gradually becomes absorbed in it, someone who always retains the scent of that place.
--- pp.263~265
Isn't that the case with the beautiful Lake Como?
The water of Lake Como, filled with a sparkling sheen, appears to flow through the same place as yesterday, but the water flowing today is not the water of yesterday, and the place itself may show a slightly different scenery than yesterday.
Things that we think 'look the same' are actually very different.
Even my small talents, which now seem disorganized, whose destination seems far away, and whose survival, let alone completion, seems difficult, will be renewed every day like the waves of a lake flowing leisurely every day, and if they continue to flow ceaselessly every day, they will eventually merge with the flow of a vast river or the sea and meet their own majestic stream.
So is your beauty.
Your efforts are the same.
Your dreams will be like that too.
Your dream, refined step by step by the waves of your hope, sincerity, and passion, will one day become a brilliant ray of sunshine and fly high on the wings of your dreams.
--- p.273
What is the beauty of life that we unknowingly miss while living such busy lives?
Destination-centered thinking and goal-centered reasoning are shortcuts to expediency.
I want to live a little slower, so I hope that not only the 'destination' but also the 'path' there is beautiful.
Life, travel, relationships, work, it's okay if things go a little slower, but I hope the 'process', not just the 'goal', is solid and true.
“What was so great about your trip?” “What was your favorite part of Peru?” Every time I get asked these questions, I think about the beauty of the journey.
Not just Machu Picchu, but the beauty of the road leading to Machu Picchu; not just Iguazu Falls, but the beauty of all the nameless places we stopped at on our way to Iguazu Falls.
The beauty of the process that cannot be explained in words.
The beauty of walking along an unfamiliar road, perhaps only once in a lifetime.
--- p.375
When I travel, I often look more closely at the 'people' than the 'place'.
Some people find it offensive to see locals taking money for souvenir photos with tourists, but isn't that also part of the colorful landscape of any tourist destination?
When you think that it might be the last time you see that person in this life, even if it's your first time seeing them, you feel unconditionally affectionate.
A moment when you don't even know where you are, but just want to chat affectionately with that person.
I'm startled, wondering why I've suddenly become so proactive.
I find myself wondering if perhaps the 'me I believed to be' that I usually was had been suppressing the 'other me inside me' for a long time, and how defensive I was in the past when I lived with my heart tightly bound to the point of absolutely hating talking to strangers.
Since I can't stare at a stranger's face, I enjoy quietly looking at their back and wondering, 'What is that person thinking right now?'
In that back view, sometimes I find a heart that is exactly like mine, and sometimes I find a heart that is completely different from mine, and I smile.
The person in the photo seemed to be thinking exactly the same thoughts I had that day.
This is a really good place to miss someone.
This is a great place to cry, where you can quietly shed tears for a long time without worrying about what others think.
Sitting on the Dalsniva lookout in Norway, I longed for so long, cried my heart out, and wanted to be okay.
Like the back of that lonely traveler.
Like that beautiful mountain ridge.
Like all the people, trees, and mountain peaks in this world, which are more beautiful because they are alone.
--- pp.14~15
As I think of all of us suffering in the long tunnel of the pandemic, the place I long for most is Walden.
If I could go to Walden again, I would walk deeper into the woods of Walden.
I will talk about Soro's life longer and more deeply with my loved ones.
I would gladly plunge into the translucency of Walden Pond, sparkling with an unbelievably clear blue.
Even on that cold autumn day, I will shyly join the courage of those who jumped into Walden Pond without hesitation.
Didn't Soro have a premonition?
If we humans continue to exploit nature so indiscriminately, monopolizing it as if it were our own property, a pandemic, or even a more terrifying disaster, could strike someday.
Thoreau wanted to work diligently in nature for only four hours a day, and devote the rest of the time to 'a life in harmony with nature' and 'a life of reading and writing.'
I dreamed of a passionate life that boldly discarded all the flashy decorations and masks that were not true life, and absorbed only the essence of life.
I put Walden Pond on my computer desktop and stare at it for long periods of time, missing Thoreau, Walden, and life before the pandemic.
At the same time, we cherish our love for the Earth, the only planet that humanity must protect, with nowhere left to retreat.
Any place that contains one person's earnest story will never become old or worn out.
Like a beautiful classic literature that sleeps in a bookshelf and shines with a dazzling light every time we take it out and read it.
Places filled with the life stories of all those who dreamed of a life where not only they could be happy, but where everyone could be united in a greater and deeper love.
Our splendid journey to those very places has now begun again.
--- pp.195~198
At that time, I think some kind of perceptual shift occurred in my mind.
I wanted to live a life of pursuing experiences, not a life of consuming products.
I learned that while the joy of consuming a product quickly fades, the money spent on new places, experiences, and encounters is well worth it.
From then on, my priorities in life changed.
Travel has become the most important expense, surpassing all other expenses.
Whenever I had free time, I started to think about how I could stay longer in places that make my mind feel at ease.
I lived in Jeju Island for a month, and then in Berlin or London for a month, and I learned survival skills that would allow me to survive in any place, and I started living a life where I sought out, heard, saw, and learned the most beautiful things in any place.
In this way, I learned how to truly live in a place I love through the emergency exit of everyday life called travel.
All my travel destinations were not just temporary escapes that I passed through.
I began to contemplate ways to absorb the dazzling aura and fragrant atmosphere of all those places with my whole body.
I want to be someone who loves a place so much that he or she gradually becomes absorbed in it, someone who always retains the scent of that place.
--- pp.263~265
Isn't that the case with the beautiful Lake Como?
The water of Lake Como, filled with a sparkling sheen, appears to flow through the same place as yesterday, but the water flowing today is not the water of yesterday, and the place itself may show a slightly different scenery than yesterday.
Things that we think 'look the same' are actually very different.
Even my small talents, which now seem disorganized, whose destination seems far away, and whose survival, let alone completion, seems difficult, will be renewed every day like the waves of a lake flowing leisurely every day, and if they continue to flow ceaselessly every day, they will eventually merge with the flow of a vast river or the sea and meet their own majestic stream.
So is your beauty.
Your efforts are the same.
Your dreams will be like that too.
Your dream, refined step by step by the waves of your hope, sincerity, and passion, will one day become a brilliant ray of sunshine and fly high on the wings of your dreams.
--- p.273
What is the beauty of life that we unknowingly miss while living such busy lives?
Destination-centered thinking and goal-centered reasoning are shortcuts to expediency.
I want to live a little slower, so I hope that not only the 'destination' but also the 'path' there is beautiful.
Life, travel, relationships, work, it's okay if things go a little slower, but I hope the 'process', not just the 'goal', is solid and true.
“What was so great about your trip?” “What was your favorite part of Peru?” Every time I get asked these questions, I think about the beauty of the journey.
Not just Machu Picchu, but the beauty of the road leading to Machu Picchu; not just Iguazu Falls, but the beauty of all the nameless places we stopped at on our way to Iguazu Falls.
The beauty of the process that cannot be explained in words.
The beauty of walking along an unfamiliar road, perhaps only once in a lifetime.
--- p.375
When I travel, I often look more closely at the 'people' than the 'place'.
Some people find it offensive to see locals taking money for souvenir photos with tourists, but isn't that also part of the colorful landscape of any tourist destination?
When you think that it might be the last time you see that person in this life, even if it's your first time seeing them, you feel unconditionally affectionate.
A moment when you don't even know where you are, but just want to chat affectionately with that person.
I'm startled, wondering why I've suddenly become so proactive.
I find myself wondering if perhaps the 'me I believed to be' that I usually was had been suppressing the 'other me inside me' for a long time, and how defensive I was in the past when I lived with my heart tightly bound to the point of absolutely hating talking to strangers.
--- p.377
Publisher's Review
A photo essay that weaves together memorable and powerful scenes with short stories.
Eleven travel stories that deeply reflect on the act of traveling.
Up to fifteen places for rest and healing
The traveler Jeong Yeo-ul, who records the journey, writes about it again as she faces it.
A story about leaving and staying
"The Usefulness of Travel" is a full-fledged travel essay by author Yeo-ul Jeong, who believes that her soul is refined through travel, published six years after "Top 10 Places in Europe I Loved" and "Introverted Traveler."
During that time, unprecedented restrictions and controls on movement and gatherings were imposed worldwide, making it difficult for everyone to travel or even fully continue their daily lives.
Now that we've just emerged from this period and it's possible to travel far away, calmly reflecting on the act of travel is both a way to regain a sense of familiarity and a way to add luster to the lives we plan to lead.
Author Jeong Yeo-ul, who has been waiting more than anyone for the moment when she will be able to leave again, has fully captured the pleasant tension and excitement she felt when she regained her feelings in “The Usefulness of Travel.”
I wore a mask thoroughly, carried hand sanitizer with me, washed my hands whenever I had a chance, and avoided going to crowded places.
But the Parisians who are researching and experimenting with ways to “live with Corona” gave me courage.
I wanted to end my life of shrinking and not trying anything new because of the coronavirus.
I guess I can go on a trip again.
I really could leave again.
I can now tell people, “Let’s travel together now.”
And most of all, I can now write about 'this very journey I've just embarked on' rather than 'a page from a journey in my memories'.
I liked that unfamiliar thrill.
-From the text
As soon as he was able to leave, he returned to Paris, as well as the charming cities of Central and South America, New York, the center of the world, and Europe, the holy land of literature and art. In some places, the author meets the spirit of a beloved painter, in some travel destinations, he plays with the characters of his favorite works, and somewhere, he travels the universe that is his own.
A moment when you lose your heart and another moment when you find your heart.
Those special moments are captured in the high-quality photographs of photographer Seungwon Lee, making them even more vivid and etched in the hearts of readers like a welcome postcard from a travel destination.
Burning old wounds deep in the heart
A record of finally encountering 'me beyond myself'
The true joy of travel lies in returning and reflecting on the journey.
After finishing my trip and returning to the hamster wheel of daily life, I gathered the moments of my trip that suddenly came to mind through photos and short texts in Part 1 of this photo essay.
The moment when I was lost in thought while watching the backs of travelers from the Dalsnibba lookout in Norway, the moment when I felt as if I was traveling back in time while riding a steam locomotive in Haworth, England, the moment when I imagined the hospitality of the colorful houses of the Porto people in a port city in Portugal, the moment when I felt like a cozy refuge at the El Ateneo bookstore in Argentina—these are the moments when I found myself in an unfamiliar place, in an unfamiliar time—these moments linger in my mind quite strongly and sometimes take me back to the thrilling moments of travel.
After a trip, the moment you look back on it and give it meaning, the real journey begins again in your heart.
For me, the moment when a trip is complete is the very moment when I go beyond just 'remembering' the trip and 'write' about it.
The dazzling dancer I met while watching a performance at Havana's Buena Vista Social Club, and the singer who sang with her whole body, are the muses who made that never-ending journey of the heart possible.
Some trips feel like a beautiful, never-ending movie that continues to play in our minds even after the trip is over.
-From the text
Part 2 unfolds the experiences of travel in the distant and recent past in a long-term manner.
The author's thoughts surrounding travel broaden and deepen as they cross various spaces and genres: the scenery of every corner of Paris, the fulfillment shared with the people he met there, the endless praise for walking and nature that welled up while strolling through Central Park, the determination to empty oneself in order to travel longer and more, the wonder when he discovered a slightly different side of himself during his second visit to the Whitney Museum, the efforts he made to regain his "emotional stamina" through a "digital detox," and the impressions he felt while staying in Berlin for a month as a resident rather than a traveler.
The joy of a month-long trip, where you can leisurely stroll down alleyways and not be rushed by the next schedule.
It is the blessing of 'living slowly', which allows us to appreciate more deeply and longer the dazzling beauty of a place that the world has gifted us.
The more slowly we travel, the more the world welcomes us with the fragrance of life.
The more we look at the world at a leisurely pace, rather than at the speed of an airplane or a car, the more the world speaks to us in a language of dazzling blessings.
Whenever life feels difficult, the memories of a journey that I look at slowly, deeply, and for a longer time become the inner light that heals my pain.
-From the text
Part 3 introduces fifteen travel destinations that the author particularly loves.
There are no special criteria.
From New York, USA, a city with complex and vibrant streets and parks where you can fully experience the mood of the seasons, to Geiranger, Norway, which turns every traveler into a philosopher, to Aix-en-Provence, France, where the great painter Cézanne's studio is located, to Munich, Germany, where you can visit all the museums for 1 euro a day for a month, to Lake Como with its breathtaking scenery, to the studios of great artists and actual spaces that became the stages of literary works, each travel destination has its own charm and comfort, healing the writers and soothing the wounds of us who read.
No journey is useless
Escaping from daily life for a while is ultimately an effort to live daily life well.
In a place outside of reality, you don't have to give meaning to anything, and you can give meaning to everything.
It's okay to empty your mind and surrender yourself to the scenery before your eyes, and it's okay to freely do what you want to do rather than what you have to do while traveling.
The line between good and bad is also blurred.
You may discover unexpected scenery on a lost path, or gain unexpected insights from conversations with strangers.
When you experience moments during your travels where time unfolds in unpredictable directions, you will eventually truly break free from the reality that has been suffocating you and the ideas you have been clinging to.
The author says that this philosophy of travel can be directly applied to our lives.
So, he says, we need to approach life with a slightly different perspective, be more outgoing, be willing to greet someone without hesitation, and slow down a bit to find the beauty hidden around us.
I urge you to love travel and life a little more.
Because ‘the moment a journey is completed’ is ultimately ‘the moment you love life.’
When we embark on a journey to discover the beauty of unfamiliar places and discover a "me that I never knew existed," then we can encounter a deeper dimension of desire that transcends the "desire to collect places."
I don't want to collect places.
My goal isn't to travel to every country on Earth.
You don't have to leave any authentication shorts at all.
At that time and place, I was satisfied with just discovering the 'emotional muscles that I normally don't use'.
Because now I know.
Even the smallest realizations, the smallest smiles, and perhaps even just one fleeting glimpse of regret, show us that travel offers us so much.
-From the text
Eleven travel stories that deeply reflect on the act of traveling.
Up to fifteen places for rest and healing
The traveler Jeong Yeo-ul, who records the journey, writes about it again as she faces it.
A story about leaving and staying
"The Usefulness of Travel" is a full-fledged travel essay by author Yeo-ul Jeong, who believes that her soul is refined through travel, published six years after "Top 10 Places in Europe I Loved" and "Introverted Traveler."
During that time, unprecedented restrictions and controls on movement and gatherings were imposed worldwide, making it difficult for everyone to travel or even fully continue their daily lives.
Now that we've just emerged from this period and it's possible to travel far away, calmly reflecting on the act of travel is both a way to regain a sense of familiarity and a way to add luster to the lives we plan to lead.
Author Jeong Yeo-ul, who has been waiting more than anyone for the moment when she will be able to leave again, has fully captured the pleasant tension and excitement she felt when she regained her feelings in “The Usefulness of Travel.”
I wore a mask thoroughly, carried hand sanitizer with me, washed my hands whenever I had a chance, and avoided going to crowded places.
But the Parisians who are researching and experimenting with ways to “live with Corona” gave me courage.
I wanted to end my life of shrinking and not trying anything new because of the coronavirus.
I guess I can go on a trip again.
I really could leave again.
I can now tell people, “Let’s travel together now.”
And most of all, I can now write about 'this very journey I've just embarked on' rather than 'a page from a journey in my memories'.
I liked that unfamiliar thrill.
-From the text
As soon as he was able to leave, he returned to Paris, as well as the charming cities of Central and South America, New York, the center of the world, and Europe, the holy land of literature and art. In some places, the author meets the spirit of a beloved painter, in some travel destinations, he plays with the characters of his favorite works, and somewhere, he travels the universe that is his own.
A moment when you lose your heart and another moment when you find your heart.
Those special moments are captured in the high-quality photographs of photographer Seungwon Lee, making them even more vivid and etched in the hearts of readers like a welcome postcard from a travel destination.
Burning old wounds deep in the heart
A record of finally encountering 'me beyond myself'
The true joy of travel lies in returning and reflecting on the journey.
After finishing my trip and returning to the hamster wheel of daily life, I gathered the moments of my trip that suddenly came to mind through photos and short texts in Part 1 of this photo essay.
The moment when I was lost in thought while watching the backs of travelers from the Dalsnibba lookout in Norway, the moment when I felt as if I was traveling back in time while riding a steam locomotive in Haworth, England, the moment when I imagined the hospitality of the colorful houses of the Porto people in a port city in Portugal, the moment when I felt like a cozy refuge at the El Ateneo bookstore in Argentina—these are the moments when I found myself in an unfamiliar place, in an unfamiliar time—these moments linger in my mind quite strongly and sometimes take me back to the thrilling moments of travel.
After a trip, the moment you look back on it and give it meaning, the real journey begins again in your heart.
For me, the moment when a trip is complete is the very moment when I go beyond just 'remembering' the trip and 'write' about it.
The dazzling dancer I met while watching a performance at Havana's Buena Vista Social Club, and the singer who sang with her whole body, are the muses who made that never-ending journey of the heart possible.
Some trips feel like a beautiful, never-ending movie that continues to play in our minds even after the trip is over.
-From the text
Part 2 unfolds the experiences of travel in the distant and recent past in a long-term manner.
The author's thoughts surrounding travel broaden and deepen as they cross various spaces and genres: the scenery of every corner of Paris, the fulfillment shared with the people he met there, the endless praise for walking and nature that welled up while strolling through Central Park, the determination to empty oneself in order to travel longer and more, the wonder when he discovered a slightly different side of himself during his second visit to the Whitney Museum, the efforts he made to regain his "emotional stamina" through a "digital detox," and the impressions he felt while staying in Berlin for a month as a resident rather than a traveler.
The joy of a month-long trip, where you can leisurely stroll down alleyways and not be rushed by the next schedule.
It is the blessing of 'living slowly', which allows us to appreciate more deeply and longer the dazzling beauty of a place that the world has gifted us.
The more slowly we travel, the more the world welcomes us with the fragrance of life.
The more we look at the world at a leisurely pace, rather than at the speed of an airplane or a car, the more the world speaks to us in a language of dazzling blessings.
Whenever life feels difficult, the memories of a journey that I look at slowly, deeply, and for a longer time become the inner light that heals my pain.
-From the text
Part 3 introduces fifteen travel destinations that the author particularly loves.
There are no special criteria.
From New York, USA, a city with complex and vibrant streets and parks where you can fully experience the mood of the seasons, to Geiranger, Norway, which turns every traveler into a philosopher, to Aix-en-Provence, France, where the great painter Cézanne's studio is located, to Munich, Germany, where you can visit all the museums for 1 euro a day for a month, to Lake Como with its breathtaking scenery, to the studios of great artists and actual spaces that became the stages of literary works, each travel destination has its own charm and comfort, healing the writers and soothing the wounds of us who read.
No journey is useless
Escaping from daily life for a while is ultimately an effort to live daily life well.
In a place outside of reality, you don't have to give meaning to anything, and you can give meaning to everything.
It's okay to empty your mind and surrender yourself to the scenery before your eyes, and it's okay to freely do what you want to do rather than what you have to do while traveling.
The line between good and bad is also blurred.
You may discover unexpected scenery on a lost path, or gain unexpected insights from conversations with strangers.
When you experience moments during your travels where time unfolds in unpredictable directions, you will eventually truly break free from the reality that has been suffocating you and the ideas you have been clinging to.
The author says that this philosophy of travel can be directly applied to our lives.
So, he says, we need to approach life with a slightly different perspective, be more outgoing, be willing to greet someone without hesitation, and slow down a bit to find the beauty hidden around us.
I urge you to love travel and life a little more.
Because ‘the moment a journey is completed’ is ultimately ‘the moment you love life.’
When we embark on a journey to discover the beauty of unfamiliar places and discover a "me that I never knew existed," then we can encounter a deeper dimension of desire that transcends the "desire to collect places."
I don't want to collect places.
My goal isn't to travel to every country on Earth.
You don't have to leave any authentication shorts at all.
At that time and place, I was satisfied with just discovering the 'emotional muscles that I normally don't use'.
Because now I know.
Even the smallest realizations, the smallest smiles, and perhaps even just one fleeting glimpse of regret, show us that travel offers us so much.
-From the text
GOODS SPECIFICS
- Date of issue: May 31, 2023
- Page count, weight, size: 388 pages | 604g | 140*205*30mm
- ISBN13: 9791192579719
- ISBN10: 1192579712
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