Happy New Year!

Somewhere deep in our evolutionary history there must have been a time when the survival of our species depended upon a very small number of people; people different from the rest.  These were the ones who spent their lives wondering what lay beyond the horizon.  Not for them the safety and security of the tribe; they were happier with their own company, or with the company of those with the same urge to explore, to wander, to journey.

In their villages they were viewed with suspicion.  Who were these daydreamers who preferred to walk for days and days, rather than toil in the fields; these strange ones who would wake early just to watch the sun rise above the mountains, then climb those mountains just to see the view from the top; the ones who would visit other tribes not to conquer them, but to meet with them as equals; to build friendship and understanding.

And then occasionally, in times of crisis, when drought or disease brought chaos to their communities, these were the people who led the way to better places; places they had visited and remembered; to people they had met along the way. And for a short time the tribe would be grateful for their independence and their knowledge.

As time passed life became more settled.  Irrigation solved drought and medicine conquered disease.  Villages became towns and towns became cities and the need for the wanderers diminished.  But the rare gene remained and for some people, maybe one in a hundred, the urge to see beyond the horizon remained as strong as ever.  

Today we call it Wanderlust: the irresistible impulse to travel.

If you’re reading this, you’re one of them.  Chances are you spent your early years dreaming of far off places.  You probably had a map on your bedroom wall or an atlas on your bookshelf or a globe to stare at before you fell asleep.  You would look at unpronounceable place names on other continents and wonder what life was like there. What were the people like? What did they do?

And when your chance came, you travelled.  You gave up good jobs or you found jobs that let you do what you were born to do.  You made a bucket list of places you wanted to go and you coloured in countries on a map as you visited them.  You treasured moments – moments alone on a beach; moments face to face with wildlife; moments when the beauty of the world around you took your breath away.  And you shared your passion with others, hoping to spark the same instinct in them.

You’re lucky.  You work exactly where you were meant to and where you’re happiest… in the travel industry.   Steve Jobs once said: ‘The only way to do great work is to love what you do.  If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking.  Don’t settle.’  And that sounds like a good resolution to me!

Happy New Year… you’re one in a hundred!