Vacation [vey-key-shuuh n] -noun

a period of suspension of work, study, or other activity, usually used for rest, recreation, or travel, recess or holiday

Travel [trav-el] -noun

to go on a trip or journey : to go to a place and especially one that is far away

There's a difference between vacationing and traveling. If you want to vacation, get yourself a hotel on a pretty Island and read a book for seven days. If you want to travel, buy a pair of sneakers and plan on experiencing the culture.

1. I care where I travel to.

I don't just decide that I'm fed up with sitting at my desk, throw my hands in the air, and say, "get me to an island!" I look up different places that I haven't been yet. I spend my time thinking about what would be interesting to see. I think about what my priorities are and which destinations are important to me. I take the country's history into consideration, opposed to the resort's accommodations.

2. I'd rather carpe diem than snooze.

Trust me, if anyone loves to sleep it's me. However, when I'm travelling, I do everything I can to seize the day. I try to make the most of every moment I have, wherever I am. I'd hate to think that I wasted a day 'relaxing' when I could've been exploring.

3. It's about learning, not escaping education.

When I'm somewhere tropical, I want to observe the fish and the coral reefs. When I'm in Europe, I was to observe the people and the way they interact with one another. To me, travelling is about immersing myself in a culture that differs from my own. I learn about science when I'm in the ocean, I learn geography in the mountains, I learn sociology in busy cities, and I learn language when I'm somewhere foreign. It's not that I want to get away from school, but that I want to learn differently, through experience.

4. I'd rather go somewhere new.

Vacationers tend to find a place they like to go, and go multiple times. It's more interesting to me, however, to cover as much territory as I can in my lifetime. It's not that I would find it boring to go to the same place twice, but I want to experience as many places as I can. One day, when I've been to every single country, I'll return to one of my favorites... but not to the same city. There's always more to see!

5. My financial situation revolves around my expensive hobby.

I've always had a little saying that I live by: 'spend your money on experiences, not items." I usually travel for about one week out of the year. This means that the other 51 weeks are spent earning money for that one week. I seldom buy things for myself because, to me, the only thing worth spending money on is education and memories that will last a lifetime. With travel, I have both.

If you are someone that vacations, I urge you to travel. You will be amazed by how much more you can get out of your trip by waking up an hour earlier to do something you normally wouldn't have the opportunity to.