I had a visit with The Captain the other night, and we got to talking about the why of travel. He mentioned a story he heard about a son who is taking his mother on trips around the world to see things that are disappearing because of climate change.

“Do any of your trips have a… reason?” he asked.

“Usually,” I replied. “There are certain destinations, but I like to leave long periods in between to just ride.”

“Yeah, for you it’s more about the journey than the destinations.”

“Yeah.” I agreed.

My good friend and neighbor who we affectionately refer to as Captain or more formally, Reverend Captain is aptly nicknamed. He is an ordained minister and boat captain.

But, there’s also a certain understated sense of respect that I feel corresponds with the title, and Captain is an understated guy.

He’ll say things like, “If you want investment advice, just look at what I do, and then do the opposite” or “Don’t listen to me, I don’t know what I’m talking about.” We have a band, and our tagline is, “(We’re) too good for talent.”

The Cap and I often wax philosophical over various beverages and assorted snack foods. He makes killer guacamole and shrimp bruschetta, as well as a mean salad.

My role in our relationship is to show up, eat, be merry and occasionally challenge him to a game of chess. If you have a Captain in your life, you are an honored dude, indeed.

“My daughter recently referred to me as being ‘nomadic,’” I recalled out loud.

Her comment took me by surprise, but she’s not wrong. I do love a good meandering.

If the GPS suggests that the time between two stops is over two and a half hours, I prefer to make a day of it. My preferred mode of travel, a sport-touring motorcycle, moves plenty fast. But, I favor a slower pace overall. Sometimes the slower pace allows me to take time to explore a place, go a little deeper into a conversation, get distracted by old cars abandoned in fields, or explore interesting roadside attractions. Often, I’m just biding time looking to get in adventure’s way.

“Well, there’s a certain sense in doing it when you want to do it. At some point, you won’t want to anymore,” Captain shared.

This feels like a nugget of wisdom.

But, he’s 30 years my senior and still regularly gets the itch to get out of Dodge awhile.

I understand his message clearly though. The inclination to take certain risks diminishes with age. And it’s ok to do a thing because I can or just because I want to. While there’s merit to traveling with intent, it’s important to just go and be open to the adventure as it unfolds.

For some, traveling means getting from point A to point B, with emphasis placed on the destination. For others like myself, we are driven by the journey and excitement found along the way— whether it’s a trip across the country or a stroll across the way to visit a dear friend, like Captain.