For my Oral History report I decided that I would interview my father. I chose him because I always wondered what it was like for him to grow up with two siblings and in a simpler time. I actually did not know about the things that my father got to do as a kid either, so this was really neat to do with him. 

My father was born in Auburn, Alabama in 1967 but moved to Morristown, Tennessee in 1972 when he was a young child. His family moved from Alabama because my grandfather got a job at Walters State Community College teaching Biology.

. I grew up in Morristown and know that in the 70s there was a lot of change happening. In 1962, a creek that runs through the downtown area of Morristown flooded and basically ruined the commercial district that was built. A mall on the other side of town was also giving the downtown businesses trouble and so people in the community brainstormed a genius idea. They built “overhead sidewalks” that created a 2^nd street above Main St. and also a canopy for the below sidewalks. They completed the project the year that my father was born.

I was very curious to learn about how often he traveled. So I asked how often did their family take trips or spend time away from home?

“Growing up, my family did not travel extensively because there were three kids and sometimes that can be challenging. We would take a weekend to go camping in our pop-up camper. That would be maybe 2 or 3 times in the summer. My dad loved to fish on all of these trips, so I think he always wanted to give himself a chance to do that by taking us to these places. Going over to the Great Smoky Mountain National Park or other Tennessee State Parks was always fun for us visit too”

The next question I asked was, what is your first memory of traveling to a new place?

Have you traveled alone to a destination? If so, were you ever concerned for your own safety?

“Yes, as an optometrist I got to meetings alone frequently. I have traveled to St. Louis, Memphis, Houston, Nashville, and Destin just to name a few cities I have visited. I usually spend time with friends while attending the meetings, so I am typically alone only while traveling to and from.

I am generally not concerned with my safety when I travel. The areas in the cities where I stay are relatively safe. Plus, I know better than to venture in to dangerous parts of the cities.”

Lastly, I asked him what are some aspects of traveling that have changed since he grew up? and How has this shaped the traveler he is today?

“When I was very young, there were no four lane interstate highways, so driving from place to place took longer. Flying was only for business reasons or rich people. Now air travel is much more affordable. I think that being able to fly to a destination makes me want to travel more than if I were forced to drive that distance.”

After interviewing my dad, I notice a lot of similarities in our travel history. My very first memory of being in a new place is also when I was at Disney World when I was about five years old. I will never forget seeing Cinderella’s castle amongst the millions of Christmas lights and SNOW!

It’s funny though that I have never been camping in my life and my dad spent so much time in the outdoors. I grew up traveling to different cities with my competitive cheerleading team that I joined when I was 6 years old. Growing up in a smaller town, this gave me opportunities to see bigger cities and it made me realize that I wanted to move to a bigger place when I grew up. I would say that the most diversity I saw would be on these trips because they had more diverse demographics. Some of my favorite cities I got to visit multiple times include: Orlando, Columbus, Cincinnati, and Chattanooga. They were always my favorite because I always felt like I got the chance to do something new that I hadn’t before!

This project has opened my eyes tremendously to how your childhood experiences shape the traveler you will become. I feel very comfortable in new cities and finding my way probably because I had the opportunities to learn those things growing up. I want to make sure my children don’t grow up only going to the same beach with the same people. I hope to show them all the different types of tourism and teach them to appreciate every place they get to travel to.

This is an example post, originally published as part of Blogging University. Enroll in one of our ten programs, and start your blog right.

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