Traveling In Whitman's Steps.

Taking on presence.

Walt Whitman said, “We convince by our presence.”

If the great American poet Walt Whitman were with us today, what would he stow in his personal carry on? Along with a writing journal, a choice pen or pencil, and some noteworthy books, it’s likely the legendary wordsmith would arrive embodying the idea of presence, the first key element to becoming a world class spontaneous traveler.

Our personal power is always found in the present moment.

I have tried to live my life by this maxim, though oftentimes it is painfully challenging. The way I have tried to explain it to myself is, being fully available in the present moment, without distraction or scattered thought, allows direct access to my most complete presence. 

I strive to be fully present and in touch with the numinous life force that is constantly flowing through me. I would also forward the idea that meaningful travel often allows easier access to that opportunity—a traveler is most often met with uncertainties in a foreign place, but engaging in the present moment can create an anchor that allows for a certain stability and the possibility that real impactful change can happen. This can signify the difference between a mere tourist who leans back into what is familiar and a traveler who is willing to enter the unknown.

I often consider presence as a kind of dedicated practice. Something I need to engage with and be mindful of each and every day. I am too often absent, distracted by the pull of social media, or stuck in a rumination that has nothing to do with the experience at hand. Presence, if approached properly, when traveling especially, has a great deal to do with maintaining a reverence for life. In fact, this kind of engagement is a lifelong practice that can only deepen with accumulated journeys.

(Official United States postage stamp honoring the father of modern American poetry, Walt Whitman, issued 2019.)

Sometimes I am not always sure where I am going as I travel, and in moments of hesitation, I may retract or rely on a safer route. But as a spontaneous traveler, I am getting more comfortable with just allowing that doubtful voice within me to calm and go on creating a space for my own intuition to emerge, trusting the path I’m on. I am trying to just “be” with each breath.  Whitman said, “Not I, nor anyone else, can travel that road for you. You must travel it by yourself.”   

Sometimes the best journeys occur when one is feeling spontaneous, carefree, or acting upon an unforced inclination or intuitive impulse. Many of Whitman’s poems expound upon the joys of vagabonding, or soulful traveling. The name of this travel blog, Spontaneous Me, derives from the name of a Whitman poem where the protagonist ventures into nature and discovers the necessity of acting from within his own internal compass.

This weekend, I’m heading up to northern Spain, to Gijon, a seaside city in the Asturias region, to meet a friend and celebrate an annual music festival. Most certainly I will follow the advice of loved ones who have recommended featured singers along with places to see, but I’ll also make sure I take a day to explore a path that is not written in any tourist guide—a Whitmanesque path if you will, that will allow me to take some intuitive steps on my journey.

Being vigilant with staying present, finding ways to feed one’s innate curiosity with new places and customs, and remaining consistent with this kind of profound wakefulness, is most definitely essential to traveling with a sense of openness, wonder, and sublime spontaneity.