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My mom’s middle name is Marie. So is mine. So is my daughter’s. While we’re all very different, our middle name links our three generations.

When my mom was growing up, her parents claimed her middle name was actually “Go.” For most of her life, she was always ready to pack her bags for a trip, anytime, anywhere.

Although she was born in 1915, and her early trips didn’t take her far from the dairy farm in East Tennessee where she was born, she always longed to go. Books offered her the first adventures in travel, and she devoured each and every “dime novel” her dad would bring her from his Saturday trips to town.

On her first plane trip, a flight to Chicago, her girlfriend and travel companion boasted about never getting motion sickness. Mother thought she probably would get sick, but didn’t let that slow her down. Once aloft, her friend quickly turned green. Mother enjoyed every minute of the flight.

During World War II, Mother and her best friend, Blanche Young, saved their money for a trip to New York City. On her first big adventure, she and Blanche were in constant motion, trying to see all the sights from the Battery to the Bronx, never slowing down for a moment. On the Staten Island Ferry, they stood as close to the bow as possible so they wouldn’t miss anything on their trip around Manhattan Island. When the ferry hit a wave and water splashed over the bow, Mother’s dress was drenched. As it dried, the skirt started getting shorter and shorter. Soon, her fashionable dress had shrunk to well above her knees — far above acceptable lengths and short enough to be almost scandalous.

When Blanche suggested they return to the hotel so Mother could change, Mother refused. She was much more interested in seeing Manhattan than worrying about showing her knees.

Her spirit of adventure and passion to see new sites and explore new places served her well through the years. She and my dad traveled all over the United States and went to Europe at least a dozen times. One summer they flew all the way around the world with stops in Hong Kong, Japan, Germany, Italy, and England. Until age slowed her down in her mid-80s, she was ready to depart on a dime. She never tired of packing her bag for parts unknown.

Both my daughter and I inherited her middle name of Marie as well as her adopted middle name of “Go.” We share her love for travel and her passion for seeing new places and meeting new people.

Now, however, I’m a little slower to charge off long distances, enjoying quieter, closer retreats that involve more relaxation than tourism. But my bags are within reach, and I can be packed to go within hours of a travel opportunity.

It’s just the homecomings that I find sad.

Unpacking, without that adrenaline rush of getting ready for an adventure, puts a damper on the trip.  The bigger and more exciting the trip, the more difficult it is to return home. Dirty clothes, unread newspapers, stacks of junk mail and an empty refrigerator, all contribute to a less-than-joyous homecoming.

Sometimes, coming home seems so bleak that I wonder why I went to all the trouble of taking the trip in the first place.

But then I think of my legacy. With “go” as part of my inherited middle name, “went” comes with the territory.

And knowing that I’ve been there — wherever there may be — is well worth a Sunday night of dirty laundry.

1. Billy Howard says:

   July 6, 2009 at 5:41 pm

   What a great mom! My mother, born a couple of years before yours and raised on a farm in rural North Carolina (or course, most of the state was rural back then) ended up traveling the world as well. One of my favorite photos is her and my dad on an elephant in India. She is laughing but you can see in the photo her hands are holding on as tight as possible! Thanks for bringing back memories!

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2. Myra Blackmon says:

   July 7, 2009 at 12:28 am

   We must be cousins, as I’ve always thought my middle name was “Go” as well. My grandmother, born in 1899, was the same way about travel. She scraped together her pennies and traveled almost like a student. One suitcase. No reservations. She traveled all over Europe, to Northern Africa, Mexico with her friend Rena Mae Overton. There’s a great shot somewhere of her trying not to look terrified to be on a camel! At her funeral, my uncle commented that she and Rena Mae “had fussed their way through more countries” than anyone else could ever imagine.
   Thanks for triggering some great memories.

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3. Kitty says:

   July 7, 2009 at 12:41 am

   Your mother sounds amazing. I would have liked to have known her. I only hope my own children and grandchildren will be as kind to my own gypsy ways. I really enjoyed your article. Thanks for sharing the memories.

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4. Kathy Trocheck says:

   July 7, 2009 at 9:37 am

   Alice–my mother and grandmother loved to travel as well. My father always said if you mentioned the word “trip” you’d find Gram sitting on the front porch within ten minutes, pocketbook on her lap, foot tapping impatiently while she waited to be picked up.

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5. Chris Wohlwend says:

   July 7, 2009 at 9:40 am

   Alice, as an inveterate traveler myself (and native of East Tennessee), I enjoyed your story. In 2003, in an attempt to explain my own wanderlust, I created a website for a class. The link is http://web.utk.edu/~cwohlwen/560/RoadHome.

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6. Jane Lamkin says:

   July 7, 2009 at 9:43 am

   Loved your tale of a travel legacy family. My grandfather was at the World’s Fair in 1914 in San Francisco, coming all the way from Chattanooga.Tn for that event. He said travel is half of education. I have traveled to 24 countries and have grand memories of all the “going” I have done also!

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7. Bob Lamb says:

   July 7, 2009 at 9:59 am

   Good story, Alice! My wife Margaret, whom you perhaps know, has the same “Go!” personality. Must be genetics; her father Ray was a traveling salesman. As we speak, Margaret is in Palm Beach, Fla., for a week. I passed up the trip as “too far to drive for someplace I’ve already been to a few times.”

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8. Bill Starr says:

   July 7, 2009 at 10:10 am

   A charming story about a wonderful mother! What a fine tribute, Alice.

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9. Eileen Drennen says:

   July 9, 2009 at 4:27 am

   What a wonderful way to tell an intergenerational story, of women who share both literal and metaphoric middle names! Loved it!

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10. Abby says:

    July 9, 2009 at 12:34 pm

    I really enjoyed reading this. What an incredible woman! My best friend and I have been wanting to do some serious traveling together for some time now, and I’m sure we’ll get around to it one day. It’s just better when you’re with your best!

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11. Donna Underwood says:

    July 9, 2009 at 3:30 pm

    Alice, I just read and enjoyed the wonderful tribute to your mother. My middle name is Marie, as is my daughter’s and two nieces –a great honor! And just as you and your mother love to travel, so do we. I share your excitement about leaving and anxiety about returning. But isn’t it grand to have all of the experiences while we’re “on the go?” (I think we should consider a middle-name-Marie-club.) Can’t wait to read more.

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12. Terri Evans says:

    July 10, 2009 at 8:42 am

    Have you noticed that “elderly” women often hit the road for adventures once they are widowed? My grandmother did that after my grandfather passed away. I think the hubby’s were much more home bound than their wives throughout the years and there was pent-up demand to see the world, or perhaps it was a way to cope with grieving. Like your mom, Marie, my mother always had her suitcase out front long before anyone else was ready to go! Thanks for the wonderful trips with your Mom.

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13. Jeff Cochran says:

    July 10, 2009 at 9:17 am

    Great story, Alice. To paraphrase Joni Mitchell, you’ve felt unfettered and alive.

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14. Sharon Bailey says:

    July 11, 2009 at 11:30 am

    Beautiful, Alice.

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15. Alice Murray says:

    January 7, 2010 at 2:25 pm

    What a coincidence! As I look through the internet to find photos of used suitcases I find that I have already posted these photos on the web!? I had to take a look and came to the conclusion we share not only the same interest in photos of suitcases and travel, but also the same name! I made a book about traveling with my fathers old suitcase as a cover, looking much like the pictures you have used.(http://markbattypublisher.com/books/travelers-advisory/)
    I thought it was a funny coincidence.
    All the best,
    Alice Murray
    (Sweden)

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