I'm a travel enthusiast.

Iggy Pop, the raw and unrelenting voice of rebellion, once uttered with disarming simplicity: “I’m a travel enthusiast.” Though brief, these words hold within them a truth that stretches across centuries and civilizations. For to be a traveler is to be more than a mere tourist or wanderer—it is to hunger for horizons beyond one’s own, to crave the unknown, to step into foreign lands with open eyes and an open soul. In his declaration, Iggy Pop reveals a spirit that seeks not comfort, but discovery; not stagnation, but motion; not walls, but pathways.

The origin of these words lies in Iggy’s life itself. As a musician whose voice and presence shook the foundations of rock, he wandered not only through sound but also through the world. He lived in Berlin, drew inspiration from distant places, and carried the grit of the road into his art. To call himself a travel enthusiast is to confess a love not simply for movement across maps, but for the transformation that travel brings. For every road walked reshapes the traveler, every foreign encounter deepens perspective, and every distance crossed builds a bridge between worlds.

This love of travel is as ancient as humanity. The philosophers of Greece spoke of it as a path to wisdom. Herodotus, who chronicled the lands and peoples he visited, understood that one who never travels remains a prisoner of his own narrow view. The prophet’s journeys, the pilgrim’s paths, the explorer’s voyages—all tell us the same truth: travel is not merely about seeing new places, but about becoming new oneself. Iggy Pop, though clothed in the rough garments of punk, stands in this long lineage of seekers who roam the earth not to conquer it, but to understand it.

Consider Marco Polo, who left Venice and traveled into the heart of Asia, enduring hardship and wonder alike. His journeys gave Europe its first detailed glimpse into the splendor of the East. Or think of Ibn Battuta, who journeyed further still, writing of the cultures, laws, and faiths of lands stretching from Africa to China. These men, like Iggy in his own way, were enthusiasts of travel, finding in the road not exhaustion but renewal, not alienation but connection. Their enthusiasm carried knowledge across continents and shaped civilizations.

To be a travel enthusiast, as Iggy reminds us, is also to embrace the paradox of discomfort. Travel is rarely easy. It brings delays, confusion, unfamiliar food, strange tongues, and unexpected trials. Yet it is precisely these hardships that make travel a teacher. The traveler learns patience, humility, and resilience. He learns to laugh at setbacks, to adapt to what is strange, to find beauty in the unfamiliar. It is a school harsher than any classroom, but richer than any book. And those who love it—those who are true enthusiasts—are rewarded with wisdom that cannot be purchased, only lived.

The lesson, then, is clear: do not lock yourself within the narrow borders of comfort. Become, in your own way, a travel enthusiast. Seek out new lands, whether across oceans or within your own country. Go not only to see but to learn, to meet, to listen. Embrace the hardships as well as the joys, for both are teachers. Every journey will leave a mark on your soul, shaping you into someone larger than you were before.

Practically, this means cultivating the spirit of the traveler even in daily life. Walk unfamiliar streets in your own city. Speak to those whose lives differ from your own. Try food from lands you’ve never visited. Read stories from foreign voices. And when you can, set foot in places beyond your borders—not with arrogance, but with reverence. For to travel with enthusiasm is to say yes to life in all its diversity, to declare that the world is wide and that you are willing to meet it with open arms.

Thus, Iggy Pop’s simple words ring with timeless resonance: “I’m a travel enthusiast.” Behind them lies not just a love of motion, but a philosophy of openness, curiosity, and transformation. Let us take them to heart, that we too may journey boldly, learn deeply, and return richer in spirit, carrying with us the stories, wisdom, and humanity of the road.