Looking back on over 5 years of travel

We want to take a look back at 5 years of traveling with the Duro and what has changed from our point of view. We have certainly changed. Our perception and our views of circumstances are different – not better or worse – just different.

Looking back on over 5 years of traveling with the Duro

On August 1, 2018, we crossed the border from Switzerland to Germany. For us, that was the real prelude to the journey with the Duro. Today we are in Mexico and still enjoy traveling very much. From Switzerland to Mexico, we have traveled to 19 countries. In Canada we have been to 6 provinces and in the USA we have visited 19 states. And in Mexico, there are also 19 states. Crazy – and we haven’t even really seen and experienced everything in all these states.

Different countries, other states – different customs

In total, we experienced 58 different cultures, customs and customs. How does this number come about? Well, in the U.S., each state has its own individual trait and characters. This also applies to Mexico and Canada. Ask a French-Canadian what he thinks of the English provinces. He’ll tell you that they’re all very different from the French-Canadians. And vice versa, of course. 🙂 And indeed, we felt the same way. The different accents in the language alone amazed us one or the other time. We don’t want to claim that we are perfectly proficient in the English language. We understand English pretty well and usually just start chatting. Tenses are certainly not correct most of the time, but everyone has understood us so far. But we didn’t all understand. The short stay in the American state of Georgia was very impressive. We didn’t understand them – but they speak English. A fun experience.

Have we changed?

Absolutely. As the saying goes, “Travel broadens your horizons.” Our horizons have broadened in different areas and on different levels. Our view of everyday problems – everyday problems of the people who have a home – differ massively. The colors of curtains in the house can already be a big problem, which from our point of view is a lapalia or luxury problem. The focus on the weather and the daily weather report alone leads people to superficial conversations, usually sitting in an apartment, house or office when it rains, cold or wet outside. And even if it’s summer and the temperatures rise above 25 degrees again, the everyday life of most Swiss people is spent indoors. Of course, they go outside more often in summer. Nevertheless, the Swiss exists mainly in rooms. For us, on the other hand, the weather plays a decisive role in how we spend the days. Cold is an enormous challenge for us, even though we have a heater in the Duro. We can’t just change a room on cold, wet days like in a house. We live in ONE room. As soon as we step out of this space, we are outside, exposed to all influences. And all influences mean not only rain, snow, sun but also mosquitoes, beetles, dust, sand, soil, etc. It’s just called nature.

Our perception

We have a lot of time when traveling and in everyday life. A lot of time to deal with questions of life and existence – this mainly concerns me, Thomas. This is called philosophy. What is philosophy? It is literally “love of wisdom”. Philosophy seeks to fathom, interpret and understand the world and human existence. I have been dealing with philosophical topics for over 35 years now. Until 2020, I thought I understood some of people’s behavior. But since 2020, I have noticed that the majority of people prefer to lean towards lies and injustice instead of truth and justice. Why? The answer may seem complex to many, perhaps even impossible to answer. But the answer is not that difficult. If people have heard and learned only one facet of history for a lifetime – even generations – another facet of history appears as a threat. This threat must be combated, put down, with all available means. So family and friends run away, forbid you to speak, say goodbye without words, defame the one who illuminates the story differently, even if it is even closer to the truth. People prefer to live with a lie rather than change their view.

This new narrative of history poses a great danger to those who have followed the previous one. Because the new view calls into question everything that has been, everything that has been considered true and learned. Disorientation, powerlessness and fear overwhelm these people. And so they oppose another, perhaps closer to the truth, fight it, put down the bearer of the new vision, distance themselves, regard him as an enemy. The great mass of people do not learn from mistakes, do not learn from the history of war and vileness, of power and abuse of power. The great masses are preoccupied with everyday problems and consequently cannot deal with a different view of history. They lose themselves in coping with their worries and hardships in alcohol abuse or other addictive behaviors, just so that they don’t have to take on a different view of history, perhaps closer to truth and justice.

Conclusion

Yes – travel broadens horizons and changes thinking and narrowed view of everyday worries. By traveling, you gain distance from many things and at the same time recognize what is important. By traveling, you learn what is really important in life. Yes, you lose friends. But how strong was the bond between these so-called friends really? Those who say goodbye without words, do not even seek a clarifying conversation, have such big problems and deficits themselves that it is not important to try to hold or stop such people. Travel leads to many insights and clear vision. We are glad that we can travel.