when we travel, we leave so much behind, wherever we go- a sense of fear and doubt, indiscernible footprints, pieces of our soul. and less poetically, we leave behind hard-earned cash, some dignity (#whathappensinibiza) and likely more than a few “necessities” we realize immediately that our backpacks and bodies can do without.

so much is given and taken, from our bodies and into our souls. and hence the desire is strong to somehow embed a bit of that experience on your skin, forever.

a traveler i once met on a plane who become a fast and forever friend of mine, shared with me early in what would become so many wine-infused conversations that people get tattoos for one of three reasons.

– those that you want people to see and ask about everyday. this should be a story you love to tell, a description that is rarely far from your lips, words that to you sound sweeter than any others. this may be the only thing anyone comes to know about you, and it may be the first thing of so many deeper things that more than scratch the surface. tattoo those things in places that are rarely covered, subtle but noticeable. and then share openly and honestly, and often.

– the tattoos that people are only privileged to see, discover, and ask about when they’re gotten close to you. something intimate to share with someone you trust, and even then, you reserve the right to divulge it’s meaning. these should be hidden to most people, yet to be discovered. a private secret, shared with steadfast reverence.

– the tattoos that you tell the meaning to no one. they represent a private battle, an intimate moment, a reminder of how and why you keep going. these should be somewhere that you see everyday, but few others will notice. it greets you in the mirror first thing in the morning and flashes in your mind before you sleep at night. it’s your silent vow, your constant reminder something so present in your mind but it is yours, alone.

i realized that these reasons are also so parallel to why we travel. sometimes we are seeking adventure; to stay in hostels, to meet and to share and to document every moment of our experiences for others to learn and gain from.

some trips are personal journeys, the meanings to which we will tell, but only to deserving and kindred spirits. met on an abandoned trail or silently observing the sunrise. those we know will share a connection with forever, if only physically for a few significant moments.

and some trips are taken because we need to heal, to reset, to remember who we are and why we are here, why we move at all. and what may look like a vacation to outsiders or an easily interpreted symbol, to us it is the last step we feel we were able to take. we need to simply walk to a coastline or to a rooftop and let our regrets go with the tides and into the winds and inhale. and close our eyes and remember that moment as only ours.

so think of your travel tattoo on these terms.

this is a memory, this is a moment, this is a feeling, a journey, an experience, a truth. an eternal stamp on your passport as well as a personal call to action. do not forget, ever, the reason you got it. hold on to it, encompass it and be guided by it.

one of mine, of course, was part of a word i wanted to say everyday. barcelona. i never wanted a day to go by without those beautiful sounds rolling off my tongue- and to tell people, with a subtle intensity, that it was where i became the person i will be forever. it was the first place i ever traveled abroad, the first time i ever experienced being completely alone, it was my first time living in a city. it made me realize everything that i wanted in my life, and that there was so much more to discover.

the other is relentlessly dimensional.

for a powerful quote from a relentless lyricist,

that we should all be driven mad by our love, by our passion. that a passive connection has never and will never be for me. for that is not love.

and the iconic words from our beat pioneer and avid wanderer

the only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars.

this description that fits so well everyone who inspires me.

and of course… it stands for my favorite destination on my boarding passes. MAD. a city and a transition in my life. it was me quitting my job and leaving my life in new york i’d worked so hard to create for a completely unknown future. it was me simply knowing i needed to seek more. that i needed to leave to find what i wanted, to remind myself who i was. it was me ignoring so many people who told me it was a dumb idea, who asked me ‘what are you running from’ or who tried to convince me that all of my ‘problems’ would still be here when i returned. they, of course, had no idea why i seemed to be running, be it towards or from. and this tattoo, here, on my ring finger, stands for that madness and passion that i am always, insatiably, seeking.

(also there’s this futbol team that i fucking love.)

tell me about your tattoo, be it for travels or otherwise. send me a picture, and tell me what it means to you. i want to know and i’d love to have your permission to share.

seek on, dear travelers. for you are what makes this world so insatiably discoverable.