You know those conversations where someone starts things off by saying, “Unpopular opinion….” and the everyone else listening tenses up like they’re ready for a full-on brawl? Well, I had one of those unpopular opinions that have stirred up plenty of controversy during my time on this planet.

Traveling is overrated.

That line, along with the dozens like it that I’ve caught people off guard with, has gotten me plenty of spirited feedback. From “Really? Why not?” to “You spoiled brat.” I haven’t met many who shared my minority opinion on seeing the world.

And I really have seen the world. Canada, Mexico, France, England, China, India, the Bahamas, Italy, Portugal and Ireland are some of the countries I’ve planted my metaphorical flag in over the years, not to mention all the different states I’ve set foot in across the great US of A. I come from a family of prolific travelers, with my older brothers and mother adding many more countries to the list of places the Pais family has been. And don’t even get me started with Dad, who’s had his passport stamped in so many different places that I wouldn’t be surprised if he had a passport stamp from Mars tucked in there. International tourism has been part of the fabric of my life going as far back as I can remember, and as for as long as I can remember, me complaining it has been an equal, and at this point, an embarrassing part of my life.

When I found out I was going to be spending nearly a month making trails across China and Hong Kong, I whined and pouted at how long I would be away from home and my GameCube. When I found out I’d be spending ten days in Portugal after my freshman year of college, for a family destination wedding nonetheless, I would mumble about how much it would suck to be away from my friends from high school. When I found out I would be getting time away from school in second grade to visit my parents’ homeland of India, I fussed about how annoying the heat and mosquitos would be (to be fair, they were annoying but I’m not here to defend myself). Looking back on it, I feel like I owe my family a long list of apologies for being such a Debbie Downer on almost all of our trips together. I mean, what kind of person has any right to grumble about two weeks eating some of the world’s best food in Rome or seeing the Terra Cotta Army of China with his own two eyes?

Part of it comes from my strong aversion to flying, which I actually will defend from my fear of heights and ability to handle turbulence like a vampire handles a sunny day. But the rest of it has never made much sense to me. I’ve always loved geography and history and studying other cultures, so why wouldn’t I enjoy traveling? My lame excuse was always that I just didn’t like interrupting my routine, but that never held up very well, nor should it have. Growing up, I figured that if I was happy where I was, why should I go out of my way to see something new? Side note, I felt exponentially embarrassed typing each word of that last sentence.

My whole perspective on traveling changed when I heard a quote during my sophomore year of college: “I am not the same having seen the moon shine on the other side of the world.” I thought about that quote for days after and found out to be true. My experiences traveling the US and the world have changed me in ways that while they are not always obvious, are definitive parts of my personality now. From being able to have a conversation with someone about cuisine in a different country or to understanding the state affairs in somewhere halfway around the world, my experiences outside my home state have been meaningful long after they concluded. Now I find myself trying to attain traveler’s penance, psyching myself up to clear customs in new and exciting countries. Even the thought of being sent to the opposite end of the globe on work seems more like an exciting opportunity rather than a very discomforting sense of punishment.

Whether a given trip is for work, cultural sightseeing, culinary expeditions, family reunions, or outdoor adventures, I am now a firm supporter of chasing it down wholeheartedly. After realizing that some of my best stories came from my travels, both domestically and abroad, I find myself thinking more and more about what it would be like to stare up at the Northern Lights or swim along the Great Barrier Reef, beyond my normal thoughts of dreading long stays in airports or dealing with jet lag.

So that’s my digital eating of crow on the subject of traveling. Mom and Dad, if you’re

reading those, know you won’t get any complaints on our next family outing… at least until turbulence hits and I’m trying not to scream like a baby.