Dante's La Divina Comedia is really just a medieval travel book, isn't it? The Poet wanders through Inferno (Hell), Purgatorio (Purgatory), and Paradiso (Heaven), noting the exotic locales, the curious natives, and the hole-in-the-wall places that residents like to spend their time. As any traveler knows, you go to the joints where the locals congregate to see how they really live and get the authentic food. (I have to say, a vacation to go ice skating in Cocytus sounds pretty fun ... minus the three-faced Lusipher.)
In a way, travel-obsessed people go through their own divine comedy and face three levels of pre-travel anxiety. Here's my summation.
1. Hell: You want--no, you yearn--to travel, but for whatever reason, you can't. No money, no vacation time or PTO saved up, whatever. There is nothing worse.
2. Purgatory: You've made your plans, the flights are ready, the hotels are booked ... and now you have to wait. In desperate anticipation, you wait. You're stuck in limbo, between trips, remembering fondly your last one, but can't do a damn thing to make time go faster. You look forlornly at your calendar with a big, red circle around the day when you will be released from Purgatory to make your ascension to Heaven.
3. Heaven: *Cue heavenly music, singing angels, and halo of godly light* This is it, the big day! All the pining and sighing, reading the same travel guide over and over has finally given way. You're on your way to wherever you've been telling your coworkers about for months on end. And all is right in the world. So say we all.
Right now I feel like I'm stuck in Purgatory, between the fond memories of Cazadero and the anticipation of Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. Plane tickets, bought. Hotels, booked. Eye Witness Top 10 Singapore, read over multiple times. Only thing between us and our trip now is eight remaining days of the legislative year and time. Damn iPhone clock won't tick away faster!
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