Let’s face it, sometimes we all need a dash of inspiration and motivation to stay focused on achieving our goals and dreams. I definitely do and when it comes to travel inspiration, there’s no better motivator than Anthony Bourdain. At least for me. From time to time, I’ll watch an episode of Parts Unknown, The Layover or No Reservations, just to stay excited about future travel plans. The way he spoke and connected words, really helped me expand my mind when it comes to culture, food and experiencing new things across the world. The things Tony said sometimes make you realize how big the world really is and how to soak it in, and enjoy it to the fullest capacity. Here are 25 of my favorite travel inspiring quotes from Tony that’ll help get you off your ass and travel. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!
1) “Travel is about the gorgeous feeling of teetering in the unknown.” -Anthony Bourdain
2) “If I’m an advocate for anything, it’s to move. As far as you can, as much as you can. Across the ocean, or simply across the river. Walk in someone else’s shoes or at least eat their food. It’s a plus for everybody.” -Anthony Bourdain
3) “As you move through this life and this world, you change things slightly; you leave marks behind, however small. And in return, life–and travel–leaves marks on you. Most of the time, those marks–on your body or on your heart–are beautiful. Often, though, they hurt.” -Anthony Bourdain
4) “Without experimentation, a willingness to ask questions and try new things, we shall surely become static, repetitive, and moribund.” -Anthony Bourdain
5) “Maybe that’s enlightenment enough: to know that there is no final resting place of the mind, no moment of smug clarity. Perhaps wisdom … is realizing how small I am, and unwise, and how far I have yet to go.” -Anthony Bourdain
6) “You learn a lot about someone when you share a meal together.” -Anthony Bourdain
7) “I’m a big believer in winging it. I’m a big believer that you’re never going to find a perfect city travel experience or the perfect meal without a constant willingness to experience a bad one. Letting the happy accident happen is what a lot of vacation itineraries miss, I think, and I’m always trying to push people to allow those things to happen rather than stick to some rigid itinerary.” -Anthony Bourdain
8) “Travel isn’t always pretty. It isn’t always comfortable. Sometimes it hurts, it even breaks your heart. But that’s OK. The journey changes you; it should change you. It leaves marks on your memory, on your consciousness, on your heart, and on your body. You take something with you. Hopefully, you leave something good behind.” -Anthony Bourdain
9) “I learned a long time ago that trying to micromanage the perfect vacation is always a disaster. That leads to terrible times.” -Anthony Bourdain
10) “When dealing with complex transportation issues, the best thing to do is pull up with a cold beer and let somebody else figure it out.” -Anthony Bourdain
11) “Without experimentation, a willingness to ask questions and try new things, we shall surely become static, repetitive, and moribund.” -Anthony Bourdain
12) “There’s something wonderful about drinking in the afternoon. A not-too-cold pint, absolutely alone at the bar — even in this fake-ass Irish pub.” -Anthony Bourdain
13) “If you’re twenty-two, physically fit, hungry to learn and be better, I urge you to travel – as far and as widely as possible. Sleep on floors if you have to. Find out how other people live and eat and cook. Learn from them – wherever you go.” -Anthony Bourdain
14) “The journey is part of the experience – an expression of the seriousness of one’s intent. One doesn’t take the A train to Mecca.” -Anthony Bourdain
15) “I’ve long believed that good food, good eating, is all about risk. Whether we’re talking about unpasteurized Stilton, raw oysters or working for organized crime ‘associates,’ food, for me, has always been an adventure” -Anthony Bourdain
16) “I wanted adventures. I wanted to go up the Nung river to the heart of darkness in Cambodia. I wanted to ride out into a desert on camelback, sand and dunes in every direction, eat whole roasted lamb with my fingers. I wanted to kick snow off my boots in a Mafiya nightclub in Russia. I wanted to play with automatic weapons in Phnom Penh, recapture the past in a small oyster village in France, step into a seedy neon-lit pulqueria in rural Mexico. I wanted to run roadblocks in the middle of the night, blowing past angry militia with a handful of hurled Marlboro packs, experience fear, excitement, wonder. I wanted kicks – the kind of melodramatic thrills and chills I’d yearned for since childhood, the kind of adventure I’d found as a little boy in the pages of my Tintin comic books. I wanted to see the world – and I wanted the world to be just like the movies” -Anthony Bourdain
17) “You have to be a romantic to invest yourself, your money, and your time in cheese.” -Anthony Bourdain
18) “It’s an irritating reality that many places and events defy description. Angkor Wat and Machu Picchu, for instance, seem to demand silence, like a love affair you can never talk about. For a while after, you fumble for words, trying vainly to assemble a private narrative, an explanation, a comfortable way to frame where you’ve been and what’s happened. In the end, you’re just happy you were there — with your eyes open — and lived to see it.” -Anthony Bourdain
19) “Drink heavily with locals whenever possible.” -Anthony Bourdain
20) “Nothing unexpected or wonderful is likely to happen if you have an itinerary in Paris filled with the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower.” -Anthony Bourdain
21) “Plans should be ephemeral, so be prepared to move away from them.” -Anthony Bourdain
22) “Your body is not a temple, it’s an amusement park. Enjoy the ride.” -Anthony Bourdain
23) “I think food, culture, people and landscape are all absolutely inseparable.” -Anthony Bourdain
24) “To be treated well in places where you don’t expect to be treated well, to find things in common with people you thought previously you had very, very little in common with, well that can’t be a bad thing.” -Anthony Bourdain
25) “Sometimes the greatest meals on vacations are the ones you find when Plan A falls through.” -Anthony Bourdain
Thank you for continuing to inspire travelers around the world, including us. Rest in Peace, Tony.
