Lonely Planet - Best Moment Of Your Life, The (Lonely Planet)

FOREWORD

What is the best moment of your life? Its a simple question to ask, a much harder one to
answer. I should know. Over the past year Ive asked it of hundreds of people whove travelled
the globe, and often had to wait patiently for the answer. But every response judiciously
plucked from a lifetimes worth of memorable moments was always worth the wait.

Needless to say, the quality of replies made selecting
the top 100 responses to fill this title a very difficult
prospect indeed. What I hope to convey with
the stories that I have chosen is the sheer variety
of ways that travel can positively affect your life.
Like the lives we live, each of these experiences
is unique, both in how it plays out and how it has
affected the author afterwards (The Take Away).

For some, the best moment couldnt be more important,
literally separating their life into a before and an after. This
was certainly the case for me, as my life was transformed
during my first foray into India ( p. 8 ). There, on the bank
of the River Ganges, I realised the biggest tragedy of my
life wouldnt be dying it would be not actually living.
Another of the lives divided distinctly in two is that of
actor, director and writer Andrew McCarthy. Although
walking the Camino de Santiago in northern Spain ( p. 36 ),
he wasnt expecting his moment, yet it crept up on him
regardless. And rather than being marked with joy and
laughter, it was framed with tears and sorrow. Interestingly,
its significance was actually lost on him at the time and
was only to be discovered the following morning.

Other moments clearly mark high points or adventurous
accomplishments in the lives of those who have lived
them, whether summiting Yosemites Half Dome ( p. 60 ),
cycling 11,000km around the shores of the Mediterranean
( p. 80 ) or proving to yourself that parenthood wont curb
your adventurous spirit ( p. 84 ). For Katalin Thomann
in Tibet, it was as simple as finding true love ( p. 42 ).

Family bonds are key to most of our lives, so its
not surprising that they can play a role in some of
our greatest moments. For Cristian Bonetto, it was
travelling with his mother to her childhood haunt of
Alexandria, Egypt he not only witnessed elements

of the city first that hed heard countless stories
of, but more importantly he discovered another
wonderful side to the woman who raised him ( p. 12 ).

Wading into your own history or that of others is a
remarkable thing, and it can certainly cement a moments
importance in your life. This could be playing a part
of history itself, such Duff Battye witnessing the first
free speech of Nelson Mandela ( p. 22 ), or it may be
seemingly travelling back in time to touch a forgotten
past. Emma Thomsons explorations of Sudans pyramids
at Begrawiya was a moving example of the latter ( p. 90 ).

The power and majesty of wildlife, whether a captivating
encounter with a mountain gorilla ( p. 62 ), a fleeting
glimpse of a snow leopard ( p. 208 ) or long-awaited tiger
sighting ( p. 92 ), is also something that clearly impacts
the lives of those who have witnessed it. The beauty
and sheer scale of our environment that houses all of
Earths creatures has proved to be no less influential
in travellers lives, with best moments sparked by
everything from the endless cosmos and dramatic
deserts to twinkling city skylines and calving glaciers.
The larger the backdrop, the more we seem to be able
to bring some perspective to our place on this planet.
As Adrian Phillips ( p. 194 ) puts it so brilliantly: Strange
as it sounds, nothing is more liberating exhilarating
even than to experience a true sense of insignificance.

Lastly, its the interactions with our fellow humans that
often spark moments of a lifetime. Opening yourself
up to others, even at the expense of the best-laid
plans, can often provide rewards you never dreamed
possible. As my father says, Being present is a present.

Matt Phillips

Mark Read | Lonely Planet