Travel Now and Then

When I was a teenager, I traveled, and my parents only had a general sense of where I was in the world. They knew the country, for instance, and maybe even the city, but I rarely knew where I was staying before I left, unless I was staying with a friend or family. I rarely knew which city I would be in on which day. I bought a Let’s Go guide and chose a recommended hotel from the book when I reached a new place.

I had an international calling card. It was almost a dollar a minute, so I only called every two weeks, or maybe once in the middle of a three-week trip. I never knew when people would be home, so I took my chances when I called. I wanted to call late enough that people would be home, but early enough that I felt safe because the phones were outside, on the street. It didn’t feel safe to stand on a street corner at midnight and call in the dark just to get people at 7 pm at home.

I took photos, usually bringing four rolls that held 36 images each. A luxury! I couldn’t wait to send off the film when I got home and see the pictures a week or two later.

The twins are still away on their grand adventures. They’ve met up and are traveling together this weekend. We know this because we’ve been able to speak to them almost every night. They call or FaceTime to tell us about their day. They check in with text messages during the day. Sometimes they sent pictures so we can see what they’re seeing in real time. We get credit card alerts, so we know which city they’re in via their purchases.

In many ways, it feels similar to when they’re away at college. It’s just the amount of distance that makes my stomach clench, but in actuality, we’ve been able to have the same sort of contact with them, which is 10x the contact my parents were able to have with me while in college because there was no texting, no mobile devices, no video calling, infrequent email, and expensive phone calls.

I feel silly talking about how much I miss them, but I miss them. I really really miss them. I feel so lucky that I don’t have to wait weeks to hear what they’ve been doing or see pictures. I can acknowledge that earlier generations had it harder. And I can still miss them. A lot.