Letsallwrite’s Weblog

An old man with dark sun burnt skin and white hair is sitting at an airport all alone. He wears a white leisure suit with a peach colored undershirt and a safari style straw hat. As he sits his eyes are fixed studying an old crinkled map. Of all his apparent traveling characteristics the most evident item that identifies him as a traveler is his suitcase that sits at his feet.

One can get a true sense of how much this man has traveled just by the way his suitcase looks. It is an old fashioned suitcase; not like the ones seen today with zippers, retractable handles, and rolling wheels. Simply, just brass latches and a clear solid handle are attached to this rectangle shaped suitcase roughly large enough to fit a weeks worth of clothes, a pair of shoes, and room for a small souvenir inside. The covering on his suitcase consists of scratched and faded brown leather with an even darker brown leather trim along the edges. Along with the tattered leather and old school style this suitcase is covered with stickers.

It is easily recognizable which places he’s recently visited and which places he visited long ago by the fading and peeling of the stickers. For instance, Italy’s sticker is dark and faded of a chef holding up pasta, Paris’ sticker is glossy and of the Eiffel Tower, Australia’s stickers is peeling and of a kangaroo, while the “SEE ROCK CITY” sticker is faded and torn. These four stickers really give some kind of insight to all the places this suitcase has been and how long it has been traveling.

What item best identifies the act of traveling? Could it be clothes, airplanes, or highways? No, a suitcase identifies the act of traveling best. No matter where a person is from or where they travel they have a suitcase (or something like a suitcase) with them. It is an item everybody and identify with. Not only can everyone relate to a suitcase but also a suitcase can tell a story of the owner by the way it appears. There isn’t another item that can do the same and also relate to everybody.

Suitcases are the epitome of traveling. Leisurely travel has everything to do with luggage and suitcases. People need them to carry their belongings such as souvenirs and clothes. When people schedule vacations the first thing they do is pack their suitcases. It must be the excitement that can’t be contained which compels someone to start packing a week before they leave. When someone leaves to a new place, the only thing they have to relate to are the items inside their suitcase that they brought along.

Traveling allows me to relax, enjoy food, and see new sights; just as it does for most people. But traveling can more than just an extravagant way to see the world and relax; it can be a way to experience different cultures and human beings.

People should go out and travel to break out of their comfort zone and try new things a certain culture may expect. Case in point, people visiting an African tribe may have to accept eating bugs for dinner or sleeping on a dirt floor, which may not be relaxing, but it can help people to appreciate what they have and find a deeper meaning in life by experiencing how other cultures act.

By: Jeremy Adkins