In his book, American Mania, Whybrow
describes how some Homo sapiens
had a higher percentage of the D4-7 allele, the exploratory risk-taking gene.
It was these Homo sapiens that left
their communities and travelled to colonise other parts of the world.
Those who were happy to remain in
their communities in the African savannahs had a smaller percentage of the
D4-7 allele.
Michael Brein, the self-styled Travel
Psychologist, once told the Chicago
Tribune that some people are more
emotionally equipped to travel than
others. ‘If you’re not the type of person
who can be flexible, travel might be
more stressful.
Katherine B. describes a similar familial
influence. The daughter of expats now
an expat herself, says that she ‘grew up
with the assumption that the world is
accessible.’ Her family history, indeed,
supports this assumption: her siblings
are scattered across three continents
and she and her husband are currently
thinking about where they would like to
live next.
Although she thinks she would like to
settle down somewhere, her husband
doubts she will ever be able to remain
in one place for long.
According to Dr. Peter Whybrow, a
scientist at the University of California,
some people may be genetically predisposed to globe-trotting.