Age of Virtue and Enlightenment

I arrived home a few hours ago to doom and gloom: overcast cloudy skies with strong wind gusts pelting snow on my windshield and a profitable business trip to San Francisco cancelled last minute. Such is the reality of returning from vacationing in paradise: short-lived tans and spent credit cards. The good news is travel-related assignments are never far from view. Paris, France is right around the corner, Lonely Planet might be needing me to edit a Discovery project and shooting journeys in Woodstock, New York City, and atop Mount Greylock (Berkshire, Mass) are on the near horizon.

On my flight home today I picked up the April issue of National Geographic Adventure magazine (even while traveling I can't get enough of travel). The headline story explores the "7 Ages of Adventure" or "How to Be in the Right Place at the Right Time of Your Life". Pouring over the different countries that best complement a person's age I wasn't surprised to learn that Cambodia and Borneo are best at attracting idealists in the Age of Virtue (17-22) and Australia and Tibet are perfect for appealing to the Age of Enlightment (23-30) or those looking to make peace in the world and do some soul searching. I'm 36 years - oh no, does that mean I'm pass my prime to appreciate these places? Am I a late bloomer? Did I miss something?

All four countries have been on my "Top 20" countries to visit since I was 13 so I can't possibly let an article change that. But maybe I do need a reminder of how old I'm getting (but not feeling) because I was caught yet again trying on swimsuits in the junior section in a popular department store in Florida this week. Ooops. The fashions still fit...or so I think they still do....

In any event, let travel be a lesson to everyone who pursues it - YOU WILL FORGET how old you really are if you make it a habit.