Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - When Did You Know That You Were Hooked?

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At the end of her post, Maira wrote: >>Some dreams do come true... That's a very special phrase in my personal travel history. I grew up with my nose in books, in a Southern city that felt a very long way away from everywhere. Between imagining the places I read about, and hearing my mother's tales of her past travel adventures, I was hooked young but travelled little because my parents spent our resources on my education. All the sweeter, then, when I won a post-university fellowship in England, and my graduation gift from my parents was a beautiful gazetteer of Great Britain, inscribed by my father: "Dreams do come true."

I'm honored that you introduced such a moving story by referencing my post. One of the most touching real-life stories I read in a long time....

Ever since I was a young girl, I knew I would travel abroad one day. That day finally came two years ago. Now I am hooked. The best thing, I think, about traveling: Even though you may not tell everyone you encounter that you have been someplace, you carry with you your experiences and feelings of that place. These experiences help to shape us into who we become. It not so much racing to see this piece of art or that cathederal, but rather beginning to understand human frailty and a culture different from your own. This is what you carry in your heart for the rest of your life.

There is a disease called Europitis and l have to go back every year for my shots!!!!

My mother gave me the book "The Drifters", by Herman Wouk, when I was in high school. It's about young people traveling during the sixties. I knew I was hooked after reading it. Also, I am told that I was named after my great Aunt Julia, who was a real swinging, traveling feminist in the earlier part of this century. Maybe reincarnation happens??

I'm from a small potato farm in Northern Main. Used to visit my cousin summers in Rhode Island, then New Jersey and New York. Knew that I didn't want to farm but never thought that I'd get to other countries, but we movd to Boston after my father died and spent my school years there. Used to go to Cape Cod most every weekend in the summer and took trips to DC area, drove through the Blue Ridge Mtns visited the caverns. Then I went into the AF and was sent to Germany. I loved it and started traveling through the countries of western Europe. Decided to stay in Germany after I was discharged from the AF as I wanted to see more. Met my wife on a Rhine cruise from my office. She had come over to Europe with friends and they decided to stay on and work instead of returning. We did quite a bit of more traveling and I was hooked. We returned to the states and since I had had enough of snow and cold we came out to Calif. While our son was growing up we managed to visit 47 of the 50 states (missing are No Dakota, Kentucky and Alaska) parts of Canada and Mexico. No that my son is in Grad School I've started traveling back to Europe for the last 3 years and am starting to plan my trip for next year. About 2 years ago I was visiting my Mother back in Main who was not in good health and while there visited an Uncle. While I was visiting my uncle he told me to sit for a moment, went to the basement and came back with a stack of letters from my father as a young man to his parents and siblings. It seems that as a young man he traveled around the country for 3 years working his way along. As he was killed in an accident when I was twelve it was an introduction for me to him as a young man. A letter that he wrote after visiting the Grand Canyon showed how speecless and impressed he was. Even though my mother and sisters have really never traveled much, I guess there was some travel blood in the family. Also my grandmother was a travelling missionary for her church and visited fishing villages along the coast of Main by boat. I also discovered where my love of fudge came from in his letters.

I took a trip to Mexico in 1987. As soon as I got off the plane I was hooked. I loved the idea of being somewhere where I had never been, and discovering a place for myself. My bank balance has never been the same since...

This a great question. My parents could rarely afford to travel. We only took 2 real trips while I was growing up. My first plane trip was to visit a prospective college. The first time I visited NYC (at the age of 19) I was hooked. I love the sights, the sounds and the people. I got my first passport stamp last year and I feel so lucyk to see all the places my parents and grandparents never got to see. They worked very hard to make sure the whole world was open to me... and I plan to make sure any children I might have will have even more opportunities. Happy trails!!!

A reply to "Noway Thankyou": Thanks for a great post (still laughing). I have visited London many times and you just described a typical accomodation. The standard of hotel rooms in this great city leaves a lot to be desired but I guess it's part of the city's charm. I have stayed in hotel rooms without doorknobs or with only cold water or flooding every time you take a shower or toilets that wont flush until the third time or... I could go on forever. These rooms have cost around $100 and for that price, this is often what you get. Still I love going there again and again. Hotels in London are very expensive. So when going there, dont forget to bring a sense of humor and be prepared for everything. Maria

Honey, I was born hooked! I didn't travel anywhere until I was nineteen, unless you count Delaware (I live in PA) but I always longed too. I guess it really became an obsession when I tagged along on a two week back packing trip of Europe with some friends. The people I went with basically wanted to go to different cities and just see the outsides of famous buildings or monuments and I was to scared to go off by myself, it being my first trip. I stared at the outside of Westminster Abbey, only had 2 hrs. in the Louvre (they just wanted to see the Mona Lisa!) ran buy the Arch de Triomphe, saw the Eiffel Tower. I was told I could only pick one Museum to go to because, as my one "friend" said, "I would get him so cultured he would forget his own name. We also went to Lucerne and Berlin, although its such a blur who really knows it I was there or not? That was it. It was a horrible tease and now I go off buy myself whenever I feel like it and see whatever I want and I try to travel at least every other year. I'm going on my third visit to Paris and second to Prague in Nov., and I haven't talked to my old "traveling buddies" in years.

Great thread. It's an addiction - and thank god there's no cure! For real good tales on traveling, read Bill Bryson, starting with "Fat Girls from Des Moines" (Granta - oh, 1990?). You'll laugh yourselves silly, get tears in your eyes, and see yourselves - and your family - as well.

I was born with the travel gene. Born in Hong Kong of Australian parents (you know the saying "Why were you born in Hong Kong. Cause my mother was there". Young years in Australia. My husband and I left on our two year honeymoon, immigrated to Canada as Australians could get work visas there. As with most Aussies, our dream was to live and work in the U.S. - he got sponsored in - and we never went back to Oz to live. My favourite travel destination is Asia. Reckon we can "do" Europe when my knees get too old for Asian toilets (for women that is). Now we are retired, we are travelling the world. Best vacation yet - three months back packing in S.E.Asia. We are chronologically challenged seniors, but as long as the legs hold out we shall continue. Next trip - trekking in Nepal in January. By the way, International Travel News and Frommers Budget Travel are the best magazines for the true traveler.