A traveler at heart and by rigorous practice, I buy any book with the word “travel” in it.

Ever wonder why there is this niche of people that are obsessed with traveling? I’m one of them. Before I read this, I had no idea how to put my fixation into words. The Art of Travel (author: Alain de Botton) breaks it down.

Do you have to be a travel fanatic to love this book? Nope. The Art of Travel is a must for those who love to explore other lands as well as folks who don’t even have a passport.

It’s organized into five distinct chapters: Departure, Motives, Landscape, Art and Return. From these perspectives, the book describes from the author’s point of view and experience, why travel is one of those activities that promise everyone some form of happiness.

The book is not a guide telling us how or where to travel, but an examination of the role of travel, broadly understood, in the lives and work of a few eminent artists and writers. While De Botton does not provide full biographies, he provides examples of their insights, using their work and experiences as a backdrop. At points, he inserts his own traveling experience, yet it is less of a memoir than it is a commentary on exploration.

De Botton successfully presents a readers with a travel commentary combined with the introductions to eminent artists with which we may or may not be familiar. While others’ experiences are the focus of the book, the author writes in a style that is accessible to common reality.

The Anticipation of Travel: Reality v Expectation

My favorite part is what de Botton describes as the “anticipation of travel.” A new world, new people, new activities, new food – we have no idea what we’ll encounter, but we know it will be fabulous. We tell people about where we’re going (and sometimes they get jealous) and previous visitors offer abundant advice on what we should do.

In addition, the author reminds us that while many of us always anticipate my trips with great excitement, there have been those times when the reality doesn’t live up to the experience. Using experiences from William Wordsworth to Vincent Van Gogh, the author presents teachings that invite us to appreciate travel for all of its flaws and greatness by staying in the present and recognizing even the most simple elements of location (from motels to airports) and feelings (from romance to depression).

While I always anticipate my trips with great excitement, there have been those times when the reality didn’t live up to the experience. Here are a few:

Like the time I went to Moscow in the dead of winter.

Or the time I got sick in Buenos Aires and, not knowing much Spanish, had to mime my illness to the doctor.

Or the time my friends and I went to Tokyo and visited the World War II museum on the day they were honoring the Japanese war veterans. We were three of five Americans there and understandably got a few stares.

Those times can feel awkward.

The Lesson: Life is Still Life

Even when we’re traveling, life is still life. Travel will be fun, but it also could be hard.

When we return, the author reminds us that there is a natural feeling of disappointment, but also, it signals the time when the planning of our next trip starts the exciting cycle of anticipation all over again.

I’m working on planning my trips for the rest of the year – potentially Africa, the Middle East, back to South America. When I tell people, they say to me, “Wow, all that travel must be fantastic!” And it will be and is always worth it.

But the reality can sometimes be different. I’ve slept in mosquito nets where there is no hot water and I had to break out the bandanas because it will be 2 weeks of bad hair days. Sometimes the reality does not jive with the anticipation. And sometimes it does. And either way, that experience is exactly what it’s meant to be.

It’s not for the glamour or to boast list of places that I travel – it’s for the experience. I’ve learned some of my best life lessons abroad while traveling on a bus in Nicaragua, talking with a waiter in Patagonia and exchanging money in Korea.

For me, travel helps me learn about something outside of myself, using the world as my classroom. It’s about living in the present moment.

And there are many who inspire me to keep it up. I recently read Nick Onken’s Phototrekking, which is another fantastic book that captures the essence of why I – and many others – do what we do. I rely on Chris Guillebeau’s many “trip reports” and guides to bring back the lessons and experience of what it means to travel, explore and learn about one self and others.

What’s next on your list of places to explore? (remember: doesn’t have to be somewhere far – just has to be somewhere you want to learn more about).

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“The soul never thinks without a picture” – Aristostle

I am no Ansel Adams. I never learned how to color between the lines. I’m a wizard at drawing stick figures with perms.

But I’m great at seeking out people to learn from – the masterful artists, photographers and visually creative folks who inspire me. Katie Sokoler is a magician. Nick Onken’s photos make me feel as if I’m with him when he’s shooting. New friend Victoria Thorne marries pictures and words like no other. Daydream Lily’s Liss has visual superpowers.

Films, too, have imagery power that ignites me. A few nights ago, I went to see Half the Sky Live with my friend Stephanie, who wrote a brilliant review of the book for TJCC.  In this film, we watched, one by one, the stories of women whose lives have been abused, destroyed and ultimately empowered through action and hope. We watched men talk about their role in domestic abuse and violence against women and what they’re doing to help stop it.

Do images, pictures or films tell a better story than words alone?

Images are compelling. Seductive. And have the potential to revolutionize human communication. Nothing reveals the nuances of a person, a place or a culture like an image – a snapshot, a motion picture, a short documentary.

I glance, watch, my skin tingles and I am then forever changed.

They have – and will – change the world of words. I will always be a writer, but I’m psyched to also consider myself a “very amateur visual artist who will always keep learning because she loves the way images tell a story.”

My commitment to learning continues – and I’m starting to create a portfolio of my own. I’ve chatted with a few friends who are interested in doing the same – we’re amateurs, but the stories are no less powerful.

In this post, have included my own photos from my travels abroad. There’s a skin tingling story behind every one of these photos and on the whole, they sum up my quite ridiculous travel obsession.

But those stories are for another time. Today, take 5 minutes to draw, paint or snap your own story.

Who are the visual artists that inspire you? Why, when, how? (Or just even the “why.”) How do they tell a story?

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*Note: 1,459 was a random number generated by fast typing.

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Write only if you really cannot help it. - Professor Thomas Pavel

Last year, I had the fantastic opportunity to interview University of Chicago Professor Thomas Pavel for Examiner.com. His unique and extensive experiences – in addition to the acclaim he’s received – are true demonstrations of his commitment to what I like to call “living writing.”

In this interview, Pavel takes it one step further – sharing the simplicity of a few of his own writing rules, a great guide for the creatives in all of us. Enjoy!

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Thomas Pavel is a the Gordon J. Laing Distinguished Service Professor at the University of Chicago. Elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2004, Pavel’s expertise includes the theory of fiction, Renaissance literature, the history of the European novel and intellectual life.

Pavel has published numerous essays and books, which have been translated into Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, French and Italian. Born in Romania, he received a master’s degree in linguistics from the University of Bucharest and a Ph.D. at the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales, Paris.

I recently had the privilege of interviewing Professor Pavel to discuss his writing motivations, advice for writers and his favorite things about Chicago.

Laura: You’ve written numerous novels and essays and have been elected into the Academy of Arts and Sciences – what an accomplishment! When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

Prof. Pavel: I am not sure whether I ever wanted to be a writer or whether I became one.  As a teenager, my ideal was to be a learned, witty person.  In my twenties, I wrote my first book, a collection of maxims and short essays on language and existence.  Later I published a couple of novels and a few essays on literature.  And a few scholarly books.

Laura: In your experience writing novels and essays, do you think there is truth to the advice, “write what you know?”

Prof. Pavel: “Write what you know” is an excellent advice, but I’d also add: “write only if you really cannot help it.”

Laura: What are you reading right now?

Prof. Pavel: Clarissa by Richardson, an extraordinary 18th-century novel.  Because of its length – 1500 pages in the Penguin edition – few people have the patience to go through it.  But no one captures all the movements and nuances of human psyche as well as Richardson.

Laura: You’ve lived and taught all over the world. What’s your favorite thing about living in the Chicago area?

Prof. Pavel: The thing I love most is the University of Chicago, so intensely intellectual, and yet so friendly and unpretentious.  I love the theater in Chicago, the bookstores, the lake, Millennium Park. As a Catholic, I love the Latin Mass at St. John Cantius.

And as someone born in Romania, I appreciate ethnic Chicago: American steaks, Viennese coffee, Lithuanian beer, Russian chocolate, Middle-Eastern baklavas, Hungarian salami, Bulgarian feta cheese, Romanian Pinot Noir.

Laura: Given your years of expertise teaching writing and literary theory, what advice do you have for aspiring – or even established – writers looking to sharpen their craft and stay committed to the writing practice?

Prof. Pavel: Stay away from pretentious, incomprehensible writing.  Just tell good stories.  People love to read stories.

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