Sometimes my fingertips have an urge. An urge that comes from all the way inside my body and shows in its finest movements.
Like rainbows, the urge appears randomly, but it is forceful and driving every time. I realise it is happening when I “accidentally” end up looking at plane, bus, or train tickets going anywhere but here. This can be anything from the city next door, to the other side of the world. As I find myself wanting to explore both The Hague and Sydney and the places in between, it is clear to me that it is the idea of traveling in itself and the ability to explore new places that make me excited. However, some places have more magic to them than others which is why you are sometimes required to, or interested in, traveling far. This became clear to me as places on different continents could make me feel the same, not because they had any resemblances, but because they made me equally excited.
Some people feel the magic the clearest while walking in the forest, others whilst in the air, at sea, or performing some other extreme sports adventure. For me, the feeling can occur from such different things that I cannot even classify what it actually entails. What is visible though, is some of the elements that come with it. It is that moment when you first encounter a place or come back to an old place, and your body reacts to it. Perhaps a smile will emerge, maybe you will cry, or just lose your breath for a little while? It has appeared to me while walking down the biggest shopping streets imaginable, sitting in the sun by historical fountains, when feeling the sand between my toes, or standing in what feels like the perfect moment in time.
I believe this feeling is best shared with others who also sometimes see the rainbow, or, in other words, feel the urge. What I have still to fully understand is when this urge has space to grow. The idea of the “White Cube” works as an analogy for me in understanding the case, as the White Cube describes the typical gallery layout that we know so well. The white walls, big rooms, empty space, and light. Just as we from time to time want new images to appear on the walls of the gallery we similarly sometimes want for our surroundings to change. Moreover, the urge to travel does not mean to entirely change everything in your life, you are not considering breaking down the walls, you just want for another colour to appear or for a new exhibition to show. It is like a novelty, however, you still keep the old foundation.
Thus, that is how I have come to understand the urge to travel.
Author: Monique Veni Jørgensen
Editor: Phoebe Elliott
Visuals by: Mara Forster