I began my career right out of college as a magazine designer, not counting three crazy days at my very first job working for the artist Peter Max that turned out to be too crazy so I quit. (Ask me about the job interview.) I loved magazines, and my burning desire was to become Art Director at one of the top ones. I made it to that position at quite a few of them, enough times to arrive where I am today: I hate magazines.
What are they after all but vehicles for advertising surrounded by text aimed at the lowest common denominator who still has enough money to buy some of the stuff in the ads? We get several at our house as a result of the local high school's fund drives. It was either that or fudge, and magazines are way easier to throw away untouched.
One that arrives each month is National Geographic TRAVELER. I almost always look at the cover and flip through a few pages before recycling it, but this one's bold headline -- Trips to Change Your Life -- got me inside to see what they had to say. Here it is: "Travel has the power to change our thinking, inspire our imaginations, and produce unforgettable moments. Put simply, travel can change your life."
Change your life? Really? Sure, if you travel to certain countries -- think Daniel Pearl (Pakistan), Otto Warmbier (North Korea) and all those folks in Jonestown (Guyana). But usually what you come home with is a sunburn, some trinkets and five extra pounds. Even my trip to Haiti didn't change my life, although it opened my eyes even wider to just how spoiled most Americans are, including myself. (Still, I'm driving a 2018 Audi A4 so draw your own conclusions.)
Admittedly my recent trip to Venice was glorious. My favorite trip to a foreign city, while I was there my life was very changed: There were no cars so I walked everywhere. I went to the opera because it seemed so fitting with the environment. I ate fabulous pizza (see photo) and visited churches every day, two things I avoid at all costs back home. I drank wine in the daytime and didn't feel guilty. I took crowded buses and liked it, mostly because we weren't stuck in traffic but instead out on the open seas. The biggest change was that I never heard the word "Trump," never saw a newspaper and never turned on a TV. I was happy every day.
But then it ended and I returned to real life and none of those things stayed with me, except the five pounds. My nine days in Venice didn't change my life one bit, except in my being able to say I've been to Venice and post my travel photos on Facebook. I guess that's something, and a big part of why people travel.
What are they after all but vehicles for advertising surrounded by text aimed at the lowest common denominator who still has enough money to buy some of the stuff in the ads? We get several at our house as a result of the local high school's fund drives. It was either that or fudge, and magazines are way easier to throw away untouched.
One that arrives each month is National Geographic TRAVELER. I almost always look at the cover and flip through a few pages before recycling it, but this one's bold headline -- Trips to Change Your Life -- got me inside to see what they had to say. Here it is: "Travel has the power to change our thinking, inspire our imaginations, and produce unforgettable moments. Put simply, travel can change your life."
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| Pizza to die for, and now my jeans won't zip up. That's different. |
Admittedly my recent trip to Venice was glorious. My favorite trip to a foreign city, while I was there my life was very changed: There were no cars so I walked everywhere. I went to the opera because it seemed so fitting with the environment. I ate fabulous pizza (see photo) and visited churches every day, two things I avoid at all costs back home. I drank wine in the daytime and didn't feel guilty. I took crowded buses and liked it, mostly because we weren't stuck in traffic but instead out on the open seas. The biggest change was that I never heard the word "Trump," never saw a newspaper and never turned on a TV. I was happy every day.
But then it ended and I returned to real life and none of those things stayed with me, except the five pounds. My nine days in Venice didn't change my life one bit, except in my being able to say I've been to Venice and post my travel photos on Facebook. I guess that's something, and a big part of why people travel.
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