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NOTE: For a little change of pace, I’m writing about a couple journeys I already took, instead of ones I hope to take. This post has been entered into the Grantourismo-HomeAway travel writing competition, sponsored by HomeAway Holiday Rentals.

15 hours. No air conditioning. HUMID. This was not a train ride in America, nor Australia, where I had just finished a four-month study abroad program. My friend Katelyn and I had decided to extend our journey another couple weeks to backpack through Thailand. We spent one night in Bangkok and were now on an overnight train to the northwestern city of Chiang Mai.

Usually a long, hot train ride would put me in a bad mood, but this time I was just excited. After years of carefully planned family vacations and organized group trips, this was my first time traveling with just my backpack, no hotel reservations, no itineraries, no plans. Katelyn and I got advice on where to go, stay, eat and shop from fellow travelers and locals we met along the way, and we ended up with the most incredible two weeks of our lives.

This train ride was the beginning of it all, and I felt my heart beating faster as I watched the scenery fly by us. Some of the fields and lakes looked familiar and could easily have been scenes from my native Connecticut; but then we would pass a village and I knew I was far from home. These small settlements had a variety of rudimentary dwellings but always one exceptionally ornate building – a wat, or temple. My eyes were glued to the window as I eagerly took in every detail of the journey.

Beautiful sunset out the window of the train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai

The point of traveling is getting to a destination, but we often underestimate the journey, how we get there. My transportation throughout Thailand included planes, trains, vans, buses, motorbikes, cabs, tuk tuks, songthaews, elephants, ferries, and longboats, to name a few. Each of those journeys, whether they lasted a few hours or a few minutes, contributed to my experience as a whole.

Katelyn and I were so proud of ourselves when we successfully navigated the public bus system in Bangkok to get to the train station. Then we had a lesson in Thai culture when an alarm sounded in the train station and all of the hundreds of people waiting for trains stood to sing the national anthem. I have come to realize that “getting there” is half the fun of traveling, and if you pay attention you can get more out of the journey than the sightseeing.

Me on the city bus in Bangkok

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