Five months ago today, I was sitting on a 15 hour flight stretching from Vancouver B.C. to Vienna, Austria. A month of wandering through cobblestone streets and sightseeing the world's most famous monuments was waiting for me, and I had no idea what to expect. It was the trip of a lifetime. I stepped inside the photographs in my history book and touched the walls of the Colosseum, twirled underneath the Eiffel Tower, ate fresh cheese from Romanian goat-herders, and walked in the footsteps of the world's greatest composers in Vienna. Living off of pastries for a month and waking up in a different city every day changed my life. I left a piece of my heart in Europe.
Looking back at that incredible journey through France, Italy, Romania, Hungary, and Austria, here are five things I’ve learned since that day I leaned against the airplane window and watched the world I knew fade away.
1. We are all one people.
Of all of the benefits of traveling, this is the most life-changing, most rewarding and most important. Interacting with so many cultures reminds you that we may be thousands of miles apart, but we are not so different. People are the most treasured gifts to us. Go meet them. Love them. Learn from other cultures, religions and lifestyles. If there is anything I hope to always remember, it is that the world is inherently kind.
2. America really is the best country in the world.
As much as I love the picturesque hills of Austria, the streets of Florence, the ancient history alive in Rome and the pastries in Paris, none of it compares to America. I can't adequately explain how happy and grateful I was to come back to a country where you don't have to pay to use restrooms or refill your water bottle. Until we immerse ourselves into other societies and cultures, it's impossible to realize how blessed we are to live in the land of the free and home of the brave.
3. Don’t sweat the small things.
It's okay to get lost or stray off schedule. Living in a different city every day reminds you what's really important: family and memories. It's impossible for everything to go according to plan in life, and that's part of what makes our individual journeys so special.
4. Humanity is incredible.
It's impossible to fathom the scope and magnificence of human history until you lose yourself in the Louvre, in the Vatican, in Versailles, in the Roman temples, in the castles and cathedrals and cities of the world. The sense of unity and awe you feel when realizing that we as a human race were capable of creating such art and architecture is life-changing. Pictures can never do it justice.
5. Life is amazing.
We live in a world full of beauty and love and adventure. There is so much to look forward to, to discover, to breathe in. When my life feels like it's falling apart, I remember what C.S. Lewis said perfectly: “There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind.”
