Nearly all of us who travel have a tiny part of us who begs for attention. Who am I kidding? A large part of us begs for attention. We dream of being able to tell our story. We lose sleep over the thought that maybe someone might actually care enough to hear about it. For many of us, when thinking about our current adventurous story, have out of body experiences that simply cannot be described. There are a number of very simple things that happen almost daily when traveling that give us this sensation that we are the main character in a film. Below you’ll find moments I’ve had on the road that I’ve felt like.
Riding the bus: The mood of our character always depends on the music being played in the vehicle as we ride along. If the music is slow we might be the characters in a sad movie thinking about what we left behind or unsure about where we are going. If it is upbeat we might be heading towards a new exciting destination. On the other hand, if it is night and there is no music, we become contemplative characters. It is in this final scenario that I can’t help but put my elbow on the window sill, fist on my chin and stare out at the world.
In a beat up hotel room alone: This is especially true if there is a ceilling fan and the walls are dirty and warn down. This effect is duplicated if the single light bulb in the room, for whatever reason, has been placed behind the ceiling fan causing a flicker of light as the fan spins its circles. This sensation is exponentially accentuation if the sounds of love being made, fights being had, or a good combination of both are heard shrieking through the thin walls.
In a plane at night: This one works only at night time if the plane is quiet and people are asleep. When everyone else in a room is sleeping, or at least quiet, it always gives you a sense that you are the only actor in the play. This sensation is manipulated further if you can see the lights of cities below or if the stewardess offers you something quietly not to wake anyone else up.
Walking along a wall with graffiti: There is something about walking along a tall concrete wall full of graffiti that makes us feel like we’re in a movie, at least for a couple moments. In movies there always seems to be that scene where the character is walking along a sidewalk and there always seems to be graffiti on the walls. If the scenes that movie characters walking in to amount of graffiti ratio was real, there wouldn’t be more then 5 streets in the world without huge colourful graffiti or lined in posters.
Pushing through a Market: As we push though a local market and people are shouting at us to buy cell phones, fruit, or underwear we can’t help but feel like in a movie. This is especially true if the flow of the traffic is 100% against you giving an illusion like you are the focus of the scene. If you’ve ever had to run through the market knocking people and fruit stands over in a mad chase then you’re sure to have felt this sensation at its best.
Conclusion: There are probably 100 more moments that people have had in travel that have made them feel like they were the main character of movie. I want you to share! What are some moments you have had to make you feel like you’re in a movie.