--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I didnt travel properly until the year…" description: "\"I didnt travel properly until the year before university when I went backpacking around the US, circling around from New York up to Boston, then travel..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/015/hugh-dennis-12852_america_i-didnt-travel-properly-until-the-year-b_1915640.jpg" --- # I didnt travel properly until the year before university… ![“I didnt travel properly until the year before university when I went backpacking around the US, circling around from New York up to Boston, then travelling on the Canadian Pacific Railway to Montreal and going down the west coast of America.” quote by Hugh Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/015/hugh-dennis-12852_america_i-didnt-travel-properly-until-the-year-b_1915640.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/015/hugh-dennis-12852_america_i-didnt-travel-properly-until-the-year-b_1915640.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/015/hugh-dennis-12852_america_i-didnt-travel-properly-until-the-year-b_1915640.jpg) > “I didnt travel properly until the year before university when I went backpacking around the US, circling around from New York up to Boston, then travelling on the Canadian Pacific Railway to Montreal and going down the west coast of America.” [Hugh Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-dennis/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Travel becomes meaningful only after a formative experience, highlighting the impact of immersive journeys on personal growth. **In simple terms:** Travel is valuable after a real adventure. Key Takeaway Seek authentic travel experiences. Themes growth adventure self‑discovery Mood inspirational nostalgic Type personal reflective When to use this quote - backpacking - rail travel - cross‑country trips Key Concepts cultural immersion personal transformation Questions to Reflect On - What did you learn from your longest trip? - How did the journey change your outlook? A Different Perspective Travel stories may romanticize hardship. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [Backpacking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/backpacking/) [New york](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-york/) [Travel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/travel/) [West coast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/west-coast/) ## Related quotes > [I couldn't afford a trip to Europe after college so I went backpacking through an IKEA to find myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-couldn-t-afford-a-trip-to-europe-after-college-so-i-went/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [As a young woman, before I had any money, I went backpacking across India, and I was aware of how gritty it could be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-meaden/as-a-young-woman-before-i-had-any-money-i-went-backpacking-across/) [Deborah Meaden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-meaden/) > [When I left school, I went backpacking around the world for two years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgia-salpa/when-i-left-school-i-went-backpacking-around-the-world-for-two-years/) [Georgia Salpa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgia-salpa/) > [When I was 23, I went backpacking around Australia for three months. I saved up a few grand, quit my job and flew to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olly-murs/when-i-was-23-i-went-backpacking-around-australia-for-three-months-i/) [Olly Murs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olly-murs/) > [I love going up the West Coast of the U. S. because it's one of my favorite parts of the world to tour.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-hay/i-love-going-up-the-west-coast-of-the-u-s-because-it-s-one-of-my/) [Colin Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-hay/) > [I like the idea of watching the sun go down in the ocean. I've always felt comfortable about that, I like sunsets. There's something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-c-mcmillen/i-like-the-idea-of-watching-the-sun-go-down-in-the-ocean-i-ve-always/) [Michael C. McMillen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-c-mcmillen/) > [“Sometimes he liked to think about leaving South Pass City and going west like he was meant to, like his dream-self had, except he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-henry/sometimes-he-liked-to-think-about-leaving-south-pass-city-and-going/) [Lisa Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-henry/) > [I would rather die going to the west than live by staying in the east.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/xuanzang/i-would-rather-die-going-to-the-west-than-live-by-staying-in-the-east/) Xuanzang > [What I finally did in 1995 was I said, I'm going to get out of this town and I'm going to go out West.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-babbitt/what-i-finally-did-in-1995-was-i-said-i-m-going-to-get-out-of-this/) [Bruce Babbitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-babbitt/) > [But he knew people and he was head writer for Have Gun Will Travel, and if you took those early Star Treks that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/majel-barrett/but-he-knew-people-and-he-was-head-writer-for-have-gun-will-travel/) [Majel Barrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/majel-barrett/) > [“There is a reason God used the east and west to describe how far he cast your sin from you,' he said. 'If you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-hall/there-is-a-reason-god-used-the-east-and-west-to-describe-how-far-he/) [Mark Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-hall/) > [My view was, if I didn't like Boulder, I'd keep going west, except I never really wanted to live in the Bay Area.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-feld/my-view-was-if-i-didn-t-like-boulder-i-d-keep-going-west-except-i/) [Brad Feld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-feld/) > [In ultralight backpacking, modified gear pieces come into play, like a tent you hoist with your trekking poles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-duplass/in-ultralight-backpacking-modified-gear-pieces-come-into-play-like-a/) [Jay Duplass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-duplass/) > [I'd really like to get on a Greyhound bus and go backpacking across America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-morrissey/i-d-really-like-to-get-on-a-greyhound-bus-and-go-backpacking-across/) [David Morrissey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-morrissey/) > [Traveling is a brutality. It forces you to trust strangers and to lose sight of all that familiar comfort of home and friends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesare-pavese/traveling-is-a-brutality-it-forces-you-to-trust-strangers-and-to-lose/) [Cesare Pavese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesare-pavese/) ## More by Hugh Dennis > [I always tell myself every disaster is more material for my work and another anecdote to tell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-dennis/i-always-tell-myself-every-disaster-is-more-material-for-my-work-and/) [Hugh Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-dennis/) > [I vary from issue to issue and Im not party political at all. I think its important in comedy not to come from any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-dennis/i-vary-from-issue-to-issue-and-im-not-party-political-at-all-i-think/) [Hugh Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-dennis/) > [When you go and meet people in far-flung parts of the world who need help, they're not earnest; they're having a laugh and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-dennis/when-you-go-and-meet-people-in-far-flung-parts-of-the-world-who-need/) [Hugh Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-dennis/) > [Sometimes I do think that politicians are only in it for themselves, but actually as Ive got older Ive started to feel less cynical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-dennis/sometimes-i-do-think-that-politicians-are-only-in-it-for-themselves/) [Hugh Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-dennis/) > [Both my comedy partner, Steve Punt - who grew up in Reigate and is the son of a civil servant - and I come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-dennis/both-my-comedy-partner-steve-punt-who-grew-up-in-reigate-and-is-the/) [Hugh Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-dennis/) > [I never felt that I was recognised for anything in particular. I was just part of the TV furniture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-dennis/i-never-felt-that-i-was-recognised-for-anything-in-particular-i-was/) [Hugh Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-dennis/) > [Id always read newspapers for pleasure, then it became my job. These days I will read the news with half a mind on what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-dennis/id-always-read-newspapers-for-pleasure-then-it-became-my-job-these/) [Hugh Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-dennis/) > [I was never consciously rebellious but I suppose comedy is a sort of act of rebellion isnt it? Coming from a quite liberal background,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-dennis/i-was-never-consciously-rebellious-but-i-suppose-comedy-is-a-sort-of/) [Hugh Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-dennis/) > [The Great British Dig' is a fantastic format which combines finding out about the history of where you live and the surprising things that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-dennis/the-great-british-dig-is-a-fantastic-format-which-combines-finding/) [Hugh Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-dennis/) > [I really wanted to be a captain of industry. I worked at Unilever as brand manager for Lynx after university. While I don't regret…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-dennis/i-really-wanted-to-be-a-captain-of-industry-i-worked-at-unilever-as/) [Hugh Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-dennis/) > [I cut the cord for my son, which was a tremendous pleasure, though Ive never eaten calamari since.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-dennis/i-cut-the-cord-for-my-son-which-was-a-tremendous-pleasure-though-ive/) [Hugh Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-dennis/) > [I drove from Addis Ababa to Aksum, where they have the Ark of the Covenant, to the Semien Mountains in the Highlands. I love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-dennis/i-drove-from-addis-ababa-to-aksum-where-they-have-the-ark-of-the/) [Hugh Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-dennis/) > [There's something inherently British about siding with the underdog. While comedy needs victims, it doesn't need to treat them in a brutal way -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-dennis/there-s-something-inherently-british-about-siding-with-the-underdog/) [Hugh Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-dennis/) > [I'm constantly looking for humour in the news. The funniest things are in the minutiae.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-dennis/i-m-constantly-looking-for-humour-in-the-news-the-funniest-things-are/) [Hugh Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-dennis/) > [As a vicar's son, I understood performance. It never seemed odd to me that you'd stand up in front of people wearing weird clothes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-dennis/as-a-vicar-s-son-i-understood-performance-it-never-seemed-odd-to-me/) [Hugh Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-dennis/) [Explore all 53 Hugh Dennis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-dennis/) ## More America quotes > [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [Well, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a story... I don't if anybody knows what it is but it was about... in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-guest/well-the-day-the-earth-caught-fire-was-a-story-i-don-t-if-anybody/) [Val Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-guest/) > [So here's what I want you to know, and here's what I want all our men and women in uniform to know: Because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-here-s-what-i-want-you-to-know-and-here-s-what-i-want-all-our-men/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Today, the world looks to America for leadership. And America looks to its Corps of Marines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/today-the-world-looks-to-america-for-leadership-and-america-looks-to/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [ I'll smoke, I'll cough, I'll get the tumors, I'll die, deal? Thank you America. \[salutes\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/i-ll-smoke-i-ll-cough-i-ll-get-the-tumors-i-ll-die-deal-thank-you/) [Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/) > [America is a democracy and has no Hitler, but I am afraid for her future; there are hard times ahead for the American people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/america-is-a-democracy-and-has-no-hitler-but-i-am-afraid-for-her/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [I'm gonna bring America together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-m-gonna-bring-america-together/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [In the nineteenth century some parts of the world were unexplored, but there was almost no restriction on travel.:; Up to 1914 you did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-the-nineteenth-century-some-parts-of-the-world-were-unexplored-but/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [We need a system that serves our needs, not the needs of others. Remember, under a Trump administration it's called America first. Remember that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/we-need-a-system-that-serves-our-needs-not-the-needs-of-others/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. On one hand, you're saying to have positive body image and love who we are; on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/america-you-re-sending-girls-a-mixed-message-on-one-hand-you-re/) [Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/) > [You live overseas, you see these exotic places and you want to know about them. But, weirdly, it also made me homesick for all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-jennings/you-live-overseas-you-see-these-exotic-places-and-you-want-to-know/) [Ken Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-jennings/) > [Freedom in every sense but primarily political sense, a rise in repression that stems from a repression of sexuality. It's AIDS, it's herpes, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/freedom-in-every-sense-but-primarily-political-sense-a-rise-in/) [Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/) > [“In American terms, the accomplishment of Genghis Khan might be understood if the United States, instead of being created by a group of educated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-weatherford/in-american-terms-the-accomplishment-of-genghis-khan-might-be/) [Jack Weatherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-weatherford/) [Browse all 20,382 America quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I didnt travel properly until the year before university when I went backpacking around the US, circling around from New York up to Boston, then travelling on the Canadian Pacific Railway to Montreal and going down the west coast of America.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Hugh Dennis" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-dennis/i-didnt-travel-properly-until-the-year-before-university-when-i-went/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "America" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-dennis/i-didnt-travel-properly-until-the-year-before-university-when-i-went/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/015/hugh-dennis-12852_america_i-didnt-travel-properly-until-the-year-b_1915640.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/015/hugh-dennis-12852_america_i-didnt-travel-properly-until-the-year-b_1915640.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/015/hugh-dennis-12852_america_i-didnt-travel-properly-until-the-year-b_1915640.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I didnt travel properly until the year before university when I went backpacking around the US, circling…” — Hugh Dennis", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Hugh Dennis", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-dennis/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I didnt travel properly until the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-dennis/i-didnt-travel-properly-until-the-year-before-university-when-i-went/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-dennis/i-didnt-travel-properly-until-the-year-before-university-when-i-went/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```