I distinctly remember sitting indoors years ago, reading A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute. I was perfectly still, but my mind was building a city in the Australian outback. I wasn't just receiving a story; I was constructing the streets, the heat, and the people in my head.
The Contradiction
We often assume that movies or documentaries are the best way to "see" the world before we travel. They offer 4K visuals, surround sound, and perfect color grading. It feels like the closest thing to being there.
But I’ve noticed a flaw in that logic. When you watch a movie, the director has done the imagining for you. You are a passive observer. The dream is served to you on a platter, fully formed.
Why We Miss It
When you read a book, the process is different. The text gives you the raw materials—the bricks and the mortar—but your brain has to be the architect. You have to visualize the mountains of Peru or the streets of Singapore yourself.
Because you built that image in your mind, your subconscious treats it differently. It becomes a blueprint. It becomes a "memory" of a place you haven't been to yet.
The Shift
I believe this is why readers end up traveling to the places they read about. The brain wants to verify its own construction. It nags you. It pushes you to go see if the reality matches the blueprint you made.
This specific nagging feeling—this subconscious manifestation—is what led me to finally visit Machu Picchu in the 2000s. It is what pushed me to visit Russia, Ukraine, Japan, Singapore, and Germany. I wasn't just visiting a tourist site; I was checking my work.
I still haven't been to Alice Springs. But because I read the book, the blueprint is already there. It’s not a matter of "if," but "when."
So what?
Next time you feel stuck or uninspired, don't turn on the TV. Pick up a novel set in a place you’ve never seen. Let your brain do the heavy lifting. You might find yourself booking a ticket six months later without fully realizing why.
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