REFLECTIONS ON WANDERLUST

A person susceptible to wanderlust is not so much

addicted to movement as committed to transformation.

Pico Iyer

I used to travel for one reason, - to get lost in a place, any place, that was different from where I was from. To go abroad, to be ‘far away’, was what I saved for, dreamt about and lived to do. It was like running on half capacity when I wasn't traveling; half a heart, half a brain, half committed to everything in my day-to-day world, -except for travel.

My wanderlust was always there, just under the surface, conspiring with the viscera until it could be set free again in a foreign land. No wonder I started my own travel company dedicated to just that, - Wanderlust. Now that we get to travel again with the world slowly re-opening, I must confess that I feel like a new traveler. A year in a tightly wound cocoon forced me to think about my place in the world and what I value. The great pause of the pandemic gave me a luxury of time I haven't had in years, and the by-product is something that I now fold into to everything we do at Atelier Tours Paris. What travel means now vs. what it meant when I was younger has shifted. For the better…

The thrill of being away is still hypnotic, but for different reasons. Today, I want to be more sensitive when I visit a place. I want to react with locals and savor their food, their stories, their hand-crafted life. I'm striving for less impact, and I want to take my time. Travel is a privilege and last year taught me it can be taken away at a moment's notice. I now carefully contemplate where I want to go and why. Not because the air fare is cheap or because of all-inclusive packages that leave me feeling empty and out of touch with the surrounding culture I'm treading on. I want to travel to places that help me collect what I really want the most of from life these days; lasting memories, deeper connections, and meaningful experiences.

When I pick up my gathering basket and hit the road, this is what I'm collecting anymore. Not the cliches, not the ‘stuff’, not a checklist filled with red ink, but the soft fibers of times I will never forget. The colorful threads that line my mind with evidence of a life truly well-lived. Smiles I gave, and smiles I created. Confidence that I observed and was observed, and it was an even exchange of goodness.

And so, as ATP moves forward, I pledge to give you what I want in travel: more time, more space, more beautiful memories, and more joy, -always more joy...

I hope you will join us.

Avec Amour,

Eric