The Side Tripper

“Make sure you don’t take any side trips,” warns Schumler, from a phrase in the 1993 American film Swing Kids. If you are someone who does not have time to lose, then it is better for you to stick to your main agenda, because there is something about side tripping that submerges the soul in experiences that sometimes make you hope that time would stand still, as the experiences they bring can be more impactful than the main trip itself. It is that free flowing agenda, an unexpected sleepover or a detour that has unintentionally brought pleasant surprises. You can live without it, like you can eat a cake without its icing, but your journey may not be as meaningful. If travel is the ‘best medicine for the heart’,* then for me, side trips are secret ingredients to the most memorable travels and other events that can happen in between or off the main route of one’s itineraries. Welcome to Side Tripper, a collection of photographs and blogs about the many side trip adventures of our family and friends. *Source: The Global Commission on Aging and Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies, in partnership with the U.S. Travel Association (Los Angeles Times, December 17, 2013 by Chris Erskine)