Finding Paradise
by Matthew Long
I’m not a huge fan of summer. (Insert sounds of derision and thrown tomatoes)
Personally, I don’t see what there is to like. It’s oppressively hot, humid and it’s miserable being stuck inside working while it’s so nice outside. This aversion to all things hot usually extends to my travel habits, but not always. For as much as I tend to dislike the summer, I do love the beach, islands and the Caribbean spirit that so many of us associate with the summer months.
Ultimately, my love affair with the tropical life is probably all Jimmy Buffett’s fault. In 1977, this semi-famous recording artist released the album “Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes” that featured the song that would change the world – “Margaritaville.” That one song morphed not only into an empire for Jimmy Buffett, but it created a subculture of enthusiasts of what is commonly described as the island style of life.
I usually have a problem with unrealistic travel expectations, but when it comes to this category of travel dreaming I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it. Since the dawn of man, we have always wanted that which we don’t have. It’s just human nature to always think that the grass is greener on the other side and that somewhere there is the potential for the perfect life. That’s where paradise-lust comes from, and I’m just as guilty of it as anyone else.
The common daydream of giving it all up to live on a tropical island working at a beach bar is more than about the destination; it’s a personal philosophy. Completely by accident, Buffett didn’t just create an empire based on a shaker of salt; he put a name to a way of living. People who enjoy the island life do so wherever they are, be it on St. Kitts or in Dayton, Ohio. Palm trees and sandy beaches are just peripherals to a different way of looking at life; a way that is more accepting, tolerant and certainly laid back.
There is something just so amazing about the idea of giving it all up, moving to a random tropical island and living the Margaritaville lifestyle. Most of us can’t do it full time, but there’s nothing wrong with the mindset of taking life slower and enjoying it more. There’s nothing wrong with spending a week or two on vacation on these beautiful spits of land, channeling your inner Jimmy Buffett. There’s nothing wrong, ultimately, with wanting to enjoy some of the joy and relaxation that really well done travel experiences can give us.
So until I can find the way to my own Margaritaville, I’ll be sitting back on my patio, Buffett cranked as loud as it’ll go, enjoying a Sands beer and thinking of my next island adventure.
Matthew Long, travel blogger, writer, and photographer, isn’t your average travel blogger. As Editor-in-Chief and creator of Landlopers.com, Matt shows people that it’s possible to have a job and family and still see the best the world has to offer. Matt shares his travel tips and expertise so that you can get out and explore the world – one adventure at a time. Matt is a Lonely Planet Featured Blogger as well as a contributor to many other travel sites and publications. Matt’s site is listed in the Viator Travel Top 25 Blogs, easyJet’s 12 Travel Blogs in 2012, the Top 100 Travel Blogs, Top 100 Independent Travel Blogs and Washington Flyer’s Top 100 Travel Blogs. Follow him on Facebook and Twitter.
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