What does traveling mean to you?

I used to plan my trips with military precision. I carried a pile of paper with every tourist attraction, bus/train schedule, restaurant (complete with asterisk and feedback) scribbled on them...... God forbid I should miss a church, gallery or important ruins. Preparation and research began months prior to my journey akin to writing a post grad dissertation. Thinking back, I felt sorry for the poor soul who had the misfortune to accompany me on my grand adventure because it was like doing a month long relentless marathon with an overzealous traveler.

Pretty soon.....one church started to look like another. It didn't matter if it was the longest, biggest, widest, narrowest......or that it was the most incredible gothic/medieval/baroque/whatchamacallit known to mankind, I was getting to the point of saturation.

A couple of decades after my initial O.E (overseas experience) and many subsequent trips, I've done a 180 turn around. These days, all I can manage is my passport, smartphone, boarding pass and wallet. I "sort of" have an idea what I'll be doing the next day but wandering aimlessly, getting lost, people watching and making friends are the tall orders of the day. I have trouble recalling impressive buildings but my fondest memories have been a picnic under a tree with fruits and bread I picked up from the market, taking the longest route from Eze to the bottom of the hill while my husband and Lil L cheered me on (bad knees downhill = BAD idea), meeting various individuals who have enriched my life one way or another..........

Traveling has become a way of collecting memories and stories. What about you? What does traveling mean to you?