Travelling is not just about exotic, exciting, and far away destinations. It’s a cliche to say that the journey is as important as the destination, but it is at least a true cliche. Travelling is not just about being transplanted as quickly as possible to a destination – travel is a process that is best enjoyed if it is appreciated.

One of the things I most enjoy about travelling is the sense of transition from the ordinary and the familiar to what is unfamiliar and exotic. The best journeys are the ones that express this in the most interesting way.

That is, perhaps, why I don’t much like flying. For me the most interesting part of air travel is the journey to or from the airport, which incidentally, is rarely simple and straightforward. The bit with the airports and the flight has a soul-destroying same-ness which sucks the sense of adventure out of any journey, regardless of purpose or destination. While a delay or unexpected incident may occur, it rarely adds interest to a trip, and usually results in several hours sitting in a bland terminal building.

Pretty much any other mode of transport is different, for when travelling by rail, road, boat, or on foot, it is possible to find interest and indeed joy – provided, of course, that you’re not in a hurry…

Today’s journey promises to be one of those trips. An unexpected funeral meant that my carefully planned departure from Staines was replaced by a trip to the cemetery. After getting a lift to the nearest station and changing out of my vestments on the roadside, I made the train with seconds to spare. South Western Railway is on strike today, and the ferry is due to be two hours late due to sea conditions, so as I sit here on the platform floor at Woking station, I can’t help wondering how much of this trip will go to plan – and how much won’t. However this is my summer break, I love travelling, and as the train (which is now arriving) winds its way through the beautiful Surrey hills towards Portsmouth, I can’t wait for what is in store.