Travel days going west are always shapeless. I leave at 11:30am local time in Oslo, and am scheduled to arrive at 6:30pm the same day, California time. It will be roughly 18 hours of traveling, compressed into one larger “day.”

These time travel journeys feel like a good time to decompress and reflect. Traveling can be stressful, but I try to think about the journey I just had, and consider all I’ve learned. Travel is only a great education if we remain open and thoughtful. It’s all too easy in today’s world of tours and convenience to snap photos of a destination, to claim you’ve “been there,” without actually visiting a place. Without experiencing all a region has to offer with all one’s senses. I can be just as guilty of it as anyone else at times.

Which is why I reflect on the journey homeward. To remember the tribulations along the way, to reminisce about the delicious food, the unique culture of the locals, and on a trip like this past one, to preserve in my mind’s eye the incredible nature of our planet. It’s a big beautiful amazing world, and part of traveling across it is to allow yourself to take it all in. When we truly appreciate whatever journeys we may take, we start to understand the whole miracle.