When I think about traveling and going to the far ends of the earth to experience the world, I think I'm forgetting how amazing the places are that I've already visited. Something that I've come to realize is that while I can always dream about the places I want to go to, I have had some great experiences already. It seems like all we think about these days is where we are going to go next. Have we really ever stopped thinking about the future and truly appreciated where we've been in the past?
Sometimes, I catch myself dreaming too hard about a super adventurous future full of travel plans. Don't take this the wrong way; there's nothing wrong with that. However, I just think that sometimes there is a misunderstanding of how lucky I am to have been the places I have. We have a lifetime to do what we want, so really, what's the rush? Sure, you can fly across the world to your dream destination when you're 25, but what's wrong with waiting another 10 years or until retirement when you may have more free time? While I have high aspirations for my future travels, I think I want to take my time with the big ones. In addition to that, if there's the possibility of having a nicer experience if I wait a few more years instead of rushing to do it in two years, I'd take the former. People always say life is short, but that doesn't mean everything has to be so rushed that you can't enjoy it later.
As I write this, I'm thinking about all the memories I have of places like San Diego, Disney World, San Francisco, Chicago, Washington D.C.—oh, there's so many—and I think about how young I was. I also think about how old my parents were. Sure, I was as young as five, but my parents weren't in any rush to get there for themselves. They wanted our whole family to have those experiences together. I think about my future travel plans, and they sure are big: but I'm also thinking about how I would like to spread them out over several years. I don't want to be in any hurry, or else I'll have nowhere else left to go when I have more time to do it.
Traveling is fun and it makes great memories, but we should be thinking more about what kinds of memories will last throughout our lifetime which will make us want to go back. You may go to Europe when you're 25, but what about the places you haven't been in the U.S., or wherever is home? Of course, I want to go to Australia and New Zealand (my dream destinations) as soon as possible. That being said, I want to finish my laps in the U.S. and see what I haven't discovered yet, and then get there as soon as possible. Yes, there's a lot to see in this world, and we may be the most exploratory as younger people.
Here's my question, though: are we actually stopping to look around and smell the roses?
