Why You Should Try A New Hobby While Travelling
It may be partially due to the fact that I’m a writer, but I am a big believer in trying new hobbies and skills while travelling. Maybe it’s because my English teacher gave me a copy of On The Road by Jack Kerouac, which is basically a guy Tweeting his road trips into a book that ended up becoming a classic novel somehow. Benzedrine addictions aside, travel is a really unique time to try something new which is why I’ve previously tried my hand at things like freediving in Jervis Bay and sketching all over the world.
One sort-of downside is that if you always try new things, you have to keep trying newer things and move further and further out of your comfort zone. Add to the fact I had to go along with it, and this was the case for me in Paris when Katie informed me we were doing a watercolour class.
I suck at painting. You think I became a writer because words were some sort of calling? Fuck no. I sat in front of a keyboard because I was useless with a paint brush. My sister got the visual art talent, I got the good Dr Evil impersonation for BBQs. It’s not in the final episode but when Katie first told me we were doing a water colour class I was dreading it because I knew I would suck. As it turned out, I was wrong and the art class ended up being the prime highlight during our last trip in Paris.
Using this watercolour class as an example, I want to convince you to put that holiday novel down, step away from the poolside and try your hand at something new next time you’re on the road.
Feel Bewildered
No one can deny the Luxembourg Gardens, where we did our water colour class, is a beautiful place. If we had just walked through there I surely would have noticed it too. Yet it wasn’t until I held a pencil in my hand that I noticed all the tiny details that make the place so beautiful. The bursting bloom of the kaleidoscopic flower beds caused me to look at my paint and wonder how I would capture all those colours out of just 12 shades. Every time I looked up I saw a different statue rising high, a hidden detail carved in stone and new building far on the horizon.
And this is good. It is all very good.
My oh my, it was a beautiful day.
You won’t appreciate the colours of the flowers until you try to mix them with paint. The height of the local summit shakes the knees of someone who just agreed to try rock climbing. A nation’s economic woes seem far more dire to the first time volunteer than to the avid news watcher. All these details that we weren’t expecting to see come flooding to us with a side of emotion and suddenly we’re feeling much more than we anticipated.
In this instance, instead of having a tourist’s view of the Luxembourg Gardens, I looked at it as Katie had intended, as an artist. True artists see the world differently but even fake artists might spot a few more details than most of us. We’re seeing the magic, we’re seeing something worth experiencing and worth remembering. Speaking of which…
Get A Sick Souvenir
In a round about way, we travel to take something home with us. If we don’t return it’s not travelling (it’s moving house or becoming a nomad) and if we don’t experience some sort of change then why did we even go? Souvenirs aren’t just bottle openers that double as a conversation starter, they can be photographs, tattoos, friendships and new dishes that you now enjoy. Of course, they can also be new hobbies.
After finishing our water colour lesson, I was so satisfied by the time we spent painting that I said to Katie I was going to try it again when we got home. Katie bought me a water colour set for Christmas and I painted every day in January while house sitting. This new hobby became a souvenir in almost the literal way our artworks had become physical souvenirs.
Instead of buying a painting from an artist, Katie paid a teacher to show her how to become the artist.
Thankfully, I’ve never had this problem but plenty of us walk around without a passion. By pushing ourselves just a little bit to try something new while we are away, we give ourselves a rare shot in this break from routine, a real opportunity to find that passion we may feel we are missing, something we can bring back home into our regular lives, into who we are as a person. And in the likely chance our little adventure doesn’t turn into a passion, a funny story often makes the best souvenir of all.
You Paid For It
I’ve been really poetic in this write up and now it’s time for me to be realistic. You’ve just suffered the double trauma of paying for a long flight and actually going on it. You’ve spent the money, you’ve spent the time, so for goodness sake, don’t spend the whole holiday watching other people do things, try some stuff yourself!
Here is a list of accessible hobbies and skills you can try for well under $100 AUD while travelling:
Sketching
Painting
Learning a new game or sport
Snorkelling
Photography
Hiking
Travel Blogging (lol)
We did drink an Irish coffee in Dublin, after we learnt to make it first.
If you’re willing to spend a bit more, budget for some classes like we did. Cooking, dance, music, art and general outdoor activity classes are a great thing to do while travelling and can be done with your companions or strangers who don’t know they’re your new friends yet. Next thing you know, you might find yourself picking your next holiday based the best scuba diving spots for you and your new scuba diving mates.
Not that I’m knocking the merits of a drink and a relax (seriously, look at my socials, it’s all I do) but trying your hand at something that requires some sort of hurdle to be leaped can help you see your destination from a unique perspective, bring you back home as a new person and really make the most out of your travels around the world.
