Home on the Way

People need homes: children assume their parents’ place as home; boarders call school ‘home’ on weekdays; married couples work together to build new homes; and travelers … have no place to call ‘home’, at least for a few nights.

So how about people who have to travel for extended periods of time? Don’t they have the right to a home? Of course they do.

Some regular travelers take their own belongings: like bed sheets, pillowcases and family photos to make them feel like home no matter where they are; some stay for long periods in the same hotel and as a result become very familiar with service and attendants; others may simply put some flowers by the hotel window to make things more homely. Furthermore, driving a camping car during one’s travels and sleeping in the vehicle at night is just like home – only mobile。

And how about maintaining relationships while in transit? Some keep contact with their friends via internet; some send letters and postcards, or even photos; others may just call and say hi, just to let their friends know that they’re still alive and well. People find ways to keep in touch. Making friends on the way helps travelers feel more or less at home. Backpackers in youth hostels may become very good friends, even closer than siblings.

Nowadays, fewer people are working in their local towns, so how do they develop a sense of belonging? Whenever we step out of our local boundaries, there is always another ‘home’ waiting to be found. Wherever we are, with just a little bit of effort and imagination, we can make the place we stay “home”.
 
 
 
 
旅人的家
人人都需要家：小孩子把父母的住所当做自己的家；寄宿生在平日把学校称为‘家’；结了婚的夫妻要共同营造自己的新家；至于旅者呢……至少有几晚他们要住在不能称为‘家’的地方。

那么那些不得不长期出门在外的人怎么办？难道他们无权拥有一个家吗？他们当然有。

有些经常出门的旅者会随身携带些属于自己的日用品，像床单、枕套或全家福相片等，无论走到哪里，这些东西都能带给他们家的感觉；有些人在长驻时会待在同一家旅馆里，使他们对店里的服务和人员都非常熟稔；再有的就可能只是在旅馆的窗边摆些花，使房间更像个家。此外，一路开着露营车旅行，晚上就住在车里，这就更像是真正的家了——只不过能移动而已。

那人们在旅程穿梭时，又是如何维系关系的呢？有些人通过互联网跟朋友联络；有些人寄信、明信片，甚至照片；还有些人可能只是打个电话问声好，目的仅是让朋友们知道他们还活着，而且活得不错。人们发现了各种各样的联络方式。在旅途中交朋友能帮旅者或多或少地找到一点家的感觉。青年旅店里的背包客也许会成为非常要好的朋友，甚至比手足还要亲。

如今，大多数人都是离乡在外工作，那么人们又如何能有归属感呢？一旦我们走出家门，就总有另一个‘家’在等着我们去寻找。不论身处何处，只要稍加努力和想像，我们就能把栖身之地营造成一个‘家’。

boarder n. 寄宿生

weekday n. 平日

hostel n. 旅店

sibling n. 兄弟姐妹
 

※本文作者：Tina※