Field Trip Travel: Who are we, and are you one of us?

Twenty years ago, I visited the Aya Sofya in Istanbul. Why? Because I was a tourist in Istanbul, and that's what you do. So I bought my ticket with broken Turkish, wound my way inside, and I kid you not, upon seeing the architectural marvel that is the Hagia Sophia, thought: "Huh, big."

I'm not proud of it, dear reader, but if you can't be honest in a blog post to the webosphere of strangers, where else can you be honest?

Fast forward 20 years, and I go back to Istanbul with my sons. We go in July, and it's hot. HOT. And humid. And for a family from the mountain west, humidity is just a dragus extremis. And we waited in line for the Aya Sofya for a long time. The ice cream in the square still beckoned, but this time, I am here on important business. This trip, I have come prepared for the city.

Older and wiser, I have realized that instead of just knowing that Istanbul is a really important ancient city where lots of important stuff happened (that's a peek inside my 23-year old mind), this time I decide to actually learn about WHY Istanbul is the treasure it is. I read a book - fascinating stuff! (Istanbul: City of Majesty at the Crossroads of the World by Thomas Madden) I watched some videos. There may have been a podcast or two. One topic led to another.

History of Istanbul - what was the Byzantine empire? - How did this relate to the Roman empire? - Who were the Ottomans? - Where did they come from? - Why did they want Constantinople? - The Italians are involved?!? - The siege of Constantinople went on for how long?? - And the terrified people of Constantinople, trembling at the sound of the monstrous Ottoman canons booming outside the crumbling city walls day and night, sought refuge and prayed for their lives and the lives of their loved ones where?? Oh, right here, in the Hagia Sophia.

You should know, my friend, that I love to learn. I have not met a subject in which I am uninterested. And I also love to travel. Even the worst of trips become valued memories. And for a long time, I thought everyone was like me. You know, you spend all your free time and money to go see places, and before you go, you learn about them (with the exception of that initial trip to Turkey, long ago). But it turns out lots of people are not like me - many are happy to go see new things, let these experiences wash over their mind for a moment, then go on with their lives. But I want to know new places. I want to understand. I want to experience the delicious variety of the world and its people in a way that changes my own lived experience forever. Travel isn't a hobby; it's the opportunity for transformation. We only have one life to live, and I want to see it from as many perspectives as I can.

So my kids and I finally make it into the Aya Sofya on that hot summer day. The coolness of the dark, marble interior feels amazing on my skin. However, now I cannot walk through the space without imaging mothers, children, elders, huddled in the dark, praying for salvation from the Ottomans. The beauty of the space is not the same since I know how blood pooled knee-deep in the church after the Ottomans broke through and slaughtered most of those inside. As we all know, every empire has done its fair share of slaughtering innocents, so I share this experience not to elicit outrage toward the Ottomans and sympathy toward the Byzantines, but to share the experience of a universal humanity that enables us to imagine events of the past and empathize with those who lived them.

I gazed up at the dome so high above my head, knowing this building in which I stood was the largest cathedral in the world for 1,000 years - Christendom had never seen anything like it. Suddenly, the past didn't feel that distant. The intellectual knowledge I had acquired served as fertile soil for this lived experience to root. As opposed to 20 years prior, I now felt the significance of the place. It wasn't just a tourist stop; it was the mother-freaking Aya Sofya, people!! Do you know what has happened in this building?!? Do you know how incredible this is?!? That's what I wanted to shout to the other tourists, but I didn't. But that experience, Aya Sofya 2.0, has stayed with me. I can remember how it felt to stand there, to be part of that place for a few moments. It was a whole different ballgame than the first time, folks.

So in a long roundabout way, this is what Field Trip Travel is. It's embracing the thrill of learning, the thrill of traveling to new locations with friends, family, or by yourself, and thrill of an "Aha!" moment where learned knowledge and lived experience synthesize to give you a new kind of understanding. One that you can't get with books alone, but one that you can't get without that learning, either.

I realize this is not everyone's cup of tea. Some people don't think learning is fun - but some people do. Field Trip Travel exists to enrich the lives of people who love to learn and love to travel. Travel Guides for Curious Minds, that's us. At Field Trip Travel, we believe the world is filled with forgotten stories, breathtaking places, amazing wonders, and lost history just waiting to be rediscovered. Adventure all around! The thrill of discovery! The exhilaration of a deep, new understanding! Yeeeeeeeee!!!!

Field Trip Travel exists to connect like-minded travelers to the world, to each other, and to deeper parts of themselves. We are building a supportive, enthusiastic, creative community where we can share ideas, cheer each other on in discovery, and learn and grow together as we explore this wide, wide world.

So, are you one of us? If not, I wish you well - you do you! But if you are, I can't wait to get to know you and hear your stories. Thank you for taking the time to get to know a little about Field Trip Travel. We'd love to hear from you: fieldtriptravelco@gmail.com.

-Kristina