According to T.S Eliot, the end of any exploration takes us back to where we started - provided we bought a return ticket, I assume he means.
The concept of travel without motion isn't a new one - the Earth spins but we don't feel dizzy, because we actually believe we are standing still, just like on that moving walkway at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam, which also fools our luggage into following us, even though we are standing still.
In my younger days, I sometimes wondered why birds stayed in the same place when they could fly anywhere on earth. Then I asked myself the same question. But those were different times, when I still had my sea legs and air miles, and now I wonder how future travellers will cope. What can us oldies suggest to help them overcome the difficulty of seeing the world, without going anywhere?
I personally used to enjoy looking at posters in travel agents' windows, and by limiting yourself to loitering outside such locations you avoid floods, famine, wars, tornados (and sometimes tournedos) and paying large sums to hire small cars. Plus, most TV channels show excellent wildlife programmes, and sound bites are better than real bites any day.
People will tell you that by eschewing sitting tight in Economy Class, you will turn into a stick-in-the-mud, but the great thing about being a stick-in-the-mud is that you never get muddy. If you are lucky enough to live in a country that is already a holiday destination --Spain, Portugal, Scotland - you not only steer clear of travel costs, long waits at the check-in counter, and jet lag (i.e., delayed flights) but the airline won't lose your luggage, or at least not very often.
Latterly, I disliked not feeling at home when I travelled abroad - where did you last find a hotel that replicated your home comforts, and had drinks in the tiny fridge that didn't cost a small fortune?
There are few practical substitutes for aeroplanes to far-flung destinations: ships hit icebergs, trains go off the rails, it's hard to socially distance in a hot-air balloon. But our minds (assuming they haven't gone off the rails too) can never break off from the journey through life. Which is just as well, I suppose.
"Got no bags and baggage to slow me down..." Cliff always told us we should travel light.
